Tag Archives: Christian Fiction

The Most Magical Time of the Year: Christmas Fantasy Fiction

Posted on by

The December holiday season is fairly magical to begin with, and then you add in these books to take things just one step further. Starting with the original Christmas fantasy tale, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, this list contains Christmas stories with a fantastic twist.

CHRISTMAS CAROL by Charles Dickens (DB 70685, BR 18852, LB 00573)
DARK IS RISING by Susan Cooper (DB 50256, BR 13420, LB 04042)
GREMLINS by George Gipe (DB 20923)
HIDDENSEE: A TALE OF THE ONCE AND FUTURE NUTCRACKER by Gregory Maguire (DB 89905)
HOGFATHER: A NOVEL OF DISCWORLD by Terry Pratchett (DB 52689, BR 22358)
NOS4A2 by Joe Hill (DB 76605)
SCANDAL IN BATTERSEA by Mercedes Lackey (DB 98418)
STUPIDEST ANGEL: A HEARTWARMING TALE OF CHRISTMAS TERROR by Christopher Moore (DB 68133)
SUGAR QUEEN by Sarah Addison Allen (DB 67522, BR 18155)

Mysterious Ways: Religious Mystery Series

Posted on by

Do you enjoy a good mystery with a slightly religious bent? Here is a list of religious mystery series that you may enjoy in the TBP collection. They cover a lot of different denominations as well as a variety of time periods. We have listed the first book in the series to get you started.

AUSTIN-STONER FILES
LOST MANUSCRIPT OF MARTIN TAYLOR HARRISON by Stephen A. Bly (DB 102803)
CHRONICLES OF BROTHER CADFAEL
MORBID TASTE FOR BONES by Ellis Peters (DB 28174, BR 03876)
DAYBREAK MYSTERIES SERIES
STORM AT DAYBREAK by B. J. Hoff (DB 46590)
DETECTIVE OLLIE CHANDLER MYSTERY SERIES
DEADLINE by Randy C. Alcorn (DB 66492)
HELEN BRADLEY SERIES
NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP by Patrica H. Rushford (DB 50603)
HIDDEN SPRINGS MYSTERY SERIES
MURDER AT THE COURTHOUSE by Ann H. Gabhart (DBC 05628)
LAVENDER TIDES SERIES
VIEW FROM RAINSHADOW BAY by Colleen Coble (DB 94499)
LITURGICAL MYSTERY SERIES
ALTO WORE TWEED by Mark Schweizer (DBC 03684)
NEWPOINTE 911 SERIES
PRIVATE JUSTICE by Terri Blackstock (DB 93217, LB 11039)
ROLAND MARCH MYSTERY SERIES
BACK ON MURDER by Mark J. Bertrand (DBC 25483)
SISTER FIDELMA MYSTERY SERIES
ABSOLUTION BY MURDER by Peter Tremayne (DBC 16749)
SISTER MARY HELEN MYSTERY SERIES
NOVENA FOR MURDER by Carol Anne O’Marie (DB 21046)
TY BUCHANAN SERIES
TRY DYING by James Scott Bell (DB 72663)

Christy Awards Finalists 2020

Posted on by

The Christy Awards were established in 1999 to acknowledge the value and impact of the novel of faith in contemporary culture. The finalists were announced October 8. The winners will be announced November 12. Here are the finalists for 2020 that are in the Talking Book Program collection and available for checkout to our patrons.

Contemporary Romance

SWEET ON YOU

WADE, BECKY

DB 95308

First Novel

LONG TIME COMIN’

PEARSON, ROBIN W.

DB 99028

Historical

MY DEAREST DIETRICH: A NOVEL OF DIETRICH BONHOEFFER’S LOST LOVE

BARRATT, AMANDA

DB 99439

Historical Romance

LAND BENEATH US: SUNRISE AT NORMANDY, BOOK 3

SUNDIN, SARAH

DB 98793

Short Form

FLOOD OF LOVE (Contained in SERVING UP LOVE: A FOUR-IN-ONE HARVEY HOUSE BRIDES COLLECTION)

PETERSON, TRACIE

IN PROCESS

INTRIGUE A LA MODE (Contained in SERVING UP LOVE: A FOUR-IN-ONE HARVEY HOUSE BRIDES COLLECTION)

JENNINGS, REGINA

IN PROCESS

Staff Pick – Laura Jean– AGAINST THE TIDE by Elizabeth Camden, DB 77493

Posted on by

Do you enjoy Christian Historical fiction with a romantic twist? You might enjoy AGAINST THE TIDE by Elizabeth Camden. Winner of both the RITA Award for romantic fiction and the Christy Award for Christian fiction, this suspenseful and atmospheric novel follows immigrant and translator, Lydia as she struggles with her beliefs and the persistent problems caused by her tumultuous childhood. She also wrestles with her growing attraction to Lieutenant Banebridge, “Bane”, a man with a difficult past of his own.

againstthetide

NLS Annotation: Boston, 1891. Lydia Pallas works as a translator for the Navy Yard. When Lieutenant Alexander Banebridge requires Lydia’s skills for a case, she becomes his assistant. As Lydia is drawn deeper into Bane’s mission to end the opium trade, a relationship develops between them. RITA Award, Christy Award. 2012.

Set in Boston during the last decade of the 19th century, Ms. Camden describes the role that the legal opium trade played at this time in the United States. It was a fascinating backdrop against which to set Lydia and Bane’s story.

If you already read this book or simply enjoy gentle historical romances with an independent female lead in an urban setting, you might try the RITA Award winner for 2016, TIFFANY GIRL by Deeanne Gist, DB 83138.

Staff Pick – Laura Jean– THE SECRET CHORD by Geraldine Brooks, DB 82635

Posted on by

If you enjoy literary historical Biblical fiction that is realistic in nature, you may enjoy THE SECRET CHORD. Nominated for the 2016 Women’s Prize for Fiction as well making Booklist’s Best Historical Fiction for 2016 list, THE SECRET CHORD tells the story of the Old Testament warrior, King David, from the viewpoint of Natan, his prophet and advisor.

Cover of The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks

Ms. Brooks, who won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for MARCH (DB 64617), provides a vivid, richly detailed view of the land of Israel a millennium prior to the birth of Christ. Amid this setting, she places a variety of characters who each relate a part of David’s life.

NLS Annotation: King David rules Israel during the Second Iron Age. As he moves from a lowly shepherd to the leader of the Israelites, the lives of those he impacts, including the prophet Natan, his wives, and his son Solomon, reflect back on him. Violence, strong language, and descriptions of sex. Commercial audiobook. 2015.

For a non-fiction look at the life of King David try KING DAVID: THE REAL LIFE OF THE MAN WHO RULED ISRAEL by Jonathan Kirsch DB 56945. Or if you’d enjoy another historical fictional account of this legendary man, try the Children of the Lion series by Peter Danielson. The eighteenth and nineteenth books in the series, THE SHINING KING DB 51108 and TRIUMPH OF THE LION DB 51109, both deal specifically with the life of King David.