December 2011 Archives

I’m off on vacation for the rest of the year (yippee!) so we’ll be on a blog break until January 3. 

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas season!

It’s time for “My Favorite Reads of 2011”. I can just feel your excitement oozing through the computer screen even now. Ha! I’ve read a lot of books this year and most were really good but there is a handful that I just loved. Some were from authors I’ve read before while others were by new novelists. 

So, in no particular order, here are some of my favorite novels for this past year…

The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen

The yearly release by Julie Klassen has become a part of my New Year’s celebrations right along with Dick Clark, the Times Square ball drop, and black eyed peas. I love that Julie’s books release late in December so I can have a brand new book to read over the holidays. She continues to grow as a writer and crafts such lovely stories and characters. The Girl in the Gatehouse is an intriguing story of Mariah Aubrey who was banished from her house and sent to live in the gatehouse on the estate of a distant relative. Needless to say, there are family issues! Throw in a handsome captain who leases the estate, the mysterious details of why Mariah was sent away, and a bushel of other secrets and you’ve got the perfect elements of an intriguing romantic tale.

If you are a fan of regency lit then you must pick up one of Julie’s novels. You can also join me in ringing in 2012 with her latest novel that just hit our shelves, The Maid of Fairbourne Hall. Hazzah!  

Love Amid the Ashes by Mesu Andrews

As the book buyer for LifeWay Christian Stores, I know I probably shouldn’t have favorites. It wouldn’t be fair to love one publisher’s books more than another one. Alas… I don’t care. My favorite debut novel for this year was hands down Love Amid the Ashes by Mesu Andrews. It’s a powerful retelling of the story of Job with fictional elements added in. After her grandfather Isaac dies, Dinah is left to obey the final command he had for her: to marry one of Job’s sons. Those of us who know Job’s story from the Bible will recall how his world came crashing down with the death of his family, the loss of his wealth, and the abandonment of his friends. Dinah is one of the few people who has compassion on Job and will stop at nothing to fight for him. Mesu’s novel brought Job’s suffering and faithfulness to God to life and will point you back to Scripture to read his full story. There is much we can learn from him even today.

The Ambition by Lee Strobel

I’m willing to admit that straight up suspense novels aren’t what I normally gravitate to. Especially one that’s written by someone who is only known for their nonfiction works! However, I was pleasantly surprised at just how much I enjoyed Lee Strobel’s first fiction book, The Ambition. You know when a guy gets killed in the first three pages of the book without a hint as to why he was targeted that it’s going to be a suspenseful read. Every time I thought I had the bad guy figured out, I would turn the page and find out I was wrong. Gotta love that! If you enjoy fast-paced thrillers, definitely check out The Ambition.

Deadly Pursuit by Irene Hannon

Irene is a best-selling author that I read this year for the first time (after having several people tell me I should). She totally lived up to all the hype! Deadly Pursuit is a fast-paced romantic suspense novel that will have you wanting to warn social worker Alison Taylor about the stalker who is hunting her down. It will also have you swooning over the guy who is trying to protect her (in this case ex-Navy SEAL Mitch Morgan).  If you’re a fan of Dee Henderson or other romantic suspense authors then you should really spend some time with one of Irene’s novels. You’ll be hooked!

The River of Time Series by Lisa Bergren

In my attempts to be a well-rounded book buyer, I ventured into the world of Young Adult (YA) fiction this year. What I found was the series that I’ve recommended to more people than any other book or series for 2011. Waterfall, Cascade, and Torrent comprise the River of Time Series and they are novels that readers of all ages would enjoy. American sisters Gabi and Lia are in Italy with their mother as she excavates some old ruins. Through a series of events, the girls find themselves in 16^th century Italy surrounded by castles, horses, sword fights, and dashing knights (of course!). The series follows the girls on their quest to adapt to 16^th century living (how are they going to live without their cell phones and indoor plumbing?!) while they search for their way home.

Fairer Than Morning by Rosslyn Elliott

I enjoy historical novels that are based on real events that I might not know a lot about. Rosslyn Elliott’s debut novel, Fairer Than Morning provided just that for me. While accompanying her father to Pittsburg on business, Ann Miller begins to wonder if he is hiding something that could endanger her family. In Pittsburg, she meets Will Hanby, who has indentured himself to a saddle maker who turns out to be a cold-hearted tyrant. Ann and Will’s paths continue to cross as these two very intriguing characters try to find God’s will for their lives. Rosslyn Elliot writes a well-developed story line that gives a fascinating look into the history of indentured servants, slavery, and the people who worked to free others from their desperate situations.

The Colonel’s Lady by Laura Frantz

Thanks to the loving pestering of my co-worker Ruth, I read my first novel by Laura Frantz this year. You were right, Ruth… it was stinkin’ amazing! In The Colonel's Lady, Laura gives us the story of young, genteel Roxanna Rowan who has come to the rugged wilderness of Kentucky to meet up with her father who has been stationed at a fort for several months. After learning her beloved father was killed on a recent campaign, Roxanna is forced to endure the winter at the army post. In order to pass the time she works as a scribe for the man in command at the post, the fiery Colonel McLinn. What she doesn’t know is that McLinn is holding a secret about her father’s death. Cue the drama and sparks! 

I really enjoyed the setting of this story which is so different from most of our historical novels. The rugged and underdeveloped Kentucky frontier in 1779 was an interesting backdrop to this Roxanna’s tale. Laura’s descriptions of the harshness of the area, the crude surroundings of a military fort, and the isolation they both provided were very vivid. You could almost feel the mud caked to your boots as you trudged through the fort. 

Those are just a few of the novels that topped my reading list this year.  How about you? What were some of your favorite novels?  Share your favorite stories for the year and give the rest of us some new books to add to our reading list for the new year.

This is the time of the year when everyone starts doing their “best of the year” lists. Since everyone else is doing it, we will too! 

Here are the top novels for 2011 at LifeWay Christian Stores. 

     1.     Leaving by Karen Kingsbury

      2.     Learning by Karen Kingsbury

      3.    Longing by Karen Kingsbury

      4.    Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

      5.    Courageous Novelization by Randy Alcorn

      6.    The Tehran Initiative by Joel Rosenberg

      7.    The Judgment by Beverly Lewis

      8.    Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers

      9.    Her Mother’s Hope by Francine Rivers

      10. Vicious Cycle by Terri Blackstock

Tomorrow I’ll be sharing my favorite novels for 2011.

T

We’re fortunate to have Beth Wiseman as a guest blogger today. She, along with Kathleen Fuller and Kelly Long, just released An Amish Wedding, that is now available at LifeWay Christian Stores. Beth is here to share a little bit about their new novella along with some interesting facts on the wedding customs of the Amish. 

Welcome, Beth!

What a wonderful time Kathleen Fuller, Kelly Long, and I had writing our stories for An Amish Wedding, our latest novella collection set to release in December. 

As we’ve done with past collections, we created three individual tales that tell one larger story. This collaboration was a bit trickier than the novellas we’ve done in the past because the stories don’t just overlap, the timeframe also flows simultaneously. I’m sure this was an editor’s nightmare, but we feel that the extra efforts put forth by authors and editors were worth it and that this is our best collection to date.   Whether or not the reader prefers three short tales to read at his/her leisure or enjoys a complete novel, this book works well either way.

In this collection, Priscilla King has dreamed of marrying Chester Lapp since she was sixteen years old, and once he proposes on her nineteenth birthday, Priscilla puts her wedding plans into action. Some people might not realize that an Amish girl’s wedding is just as important as anyone else’s, right down to the tiniest of details. Priscilla wants her wedding to be perfect.

In the first story—A Perfect Secret by Kelly Long—we meet Priscilla’s best friend, Rose, whose own fiancé is hiding something from her, something she’ll do anything to uncover.

Kathleen Fuller’s contribution—A Perfect Match—focuses on Priscilla’s sister Naomi, who spends her life playing matchmaker for everyone, but she’s never found her own true love. But when Chester’s cousin Zeke show up for the wedding, Naomi finds her own life getting complicated.

In my story—A Perfect Plan—preparations are underway for the big wedding, but everything is going wrong. Priscilla’s young sister accidentally cuts up her wedding dress to use as doll clothes, there are problems with the house that Chester is building for his new bride, and Priscilla seems to have an incurable case of the hiccups. Priscilla and Chester begin to wonder if God is sending them a message to call off the wedding.

While there are some similarities between Amish weddings and other religions, there are some distinct differences. There isn’t a long, flowing white gown for the bride, but instead a specially made new dress that isn’t much different than the traditional clothes an Amish girl normally wears. Flowers aren’t a part of the ceremony, nor is a wedding cake. But I do think that what they do in lieu of a wedding cake is pretty neat. The bride and groom are presented with various desserts from their friends and family, often with a personal message inscribed on the baked item (which is sometimes an inside joke between the giver and the bride and groom). Another example of a wedding gift would be a container of M&Ms because the bride happens to love M&Ms, or maybe a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies because they are the groom’s favorite. So the bride and groom have lots of desserts as opposed to our traditional bride and groom’s cakes.

Amish weddings last three hours, and it’s an all day affair with members of the community showing up at 4 a.m. to help ready the home of the bride for the wedding. There are two meals during the day, and things don’t usually wrap up until around 9 p.m. You can expect to see anywhere between 200 and 400 guests in attendance. A prerequisite for marriage is that both the bride and groom must have already been baptized into the faith. 

November and December are the most popular months for weddings, following the fall harvest, and most ceremonies take place on a Tuesday or Thursday. The Amish folks wouldn’t have a wedding on Saturday because that would put clean-up day on Sunday, and they don’t do any kind of work on a Sunday. The bride and groom spend their first night as a married couple at the bride’s house, and they are expected to help with cleanup the next day. An Amish friend told me that the new husband helps with the laundry—cleaning the linens, etc.—and that it’s the only time you’ll ever see an Amish man doing this chore.

There are lots of other Amish traditions, wedding and otherwise, included in the novellas. Kathleen, Kelly, and I all have Amish friends and contacts. Kelly is even fortunate enough to live in an area of Pennsylvania where she runs into Amish folks daily. Between the three of us, we’ve done extensive research about the Plain People, and together we’ve published over two dozen books about this endearing group of people. However, it’s important to mention what an Amish friend once told me. She said, “You can never get your books perfect because you don’t live among us on a day-to-day basis, but we all appreciate the way you do your very best to portray us in an accurate manner.” So, with God’s help and guidance, along with our Amish friends…that’s what we’ve tried to do in this novella collection—give the reader an inside look at Amish life in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania through the eyes of three different authors.

I believe that this anthology will lend a since of familiarity for the reader that bypasses our other collections. We’ve taken three women, all possible brides, and thrown as many things as we could at them. In the end, the characters—and readers—come to realize that no amount of plotting or planning will make a difference when God is in charge. Things happen on His timeframe.

This is a great book for the holidays, but can certainly be enjoyed all year long. And, as we’ve done with prior collections, there are Amish recipes and reading group guides for each story. We can’t wait to see what readers think about An Amish Wedding!

Thanks!

Beth

www.bethwiseman.com

Hi. My name is Rachel. And I’ve been an infrequent blogger. 

I’m sorry to have been so hit or miss over the last week! It’s been crazy busy down here in Nashville. I’m sure it is in your part of the world too. I did manage to read a new book while on a trip this week. It was so, so good! The sad part is that it doesn’t come out until May. May!!! I can’t wait to tell you about My Stubborn Heart by Becky Wade next spring.

What about you? Have you managed to squeeze in some reading time in between shopping, cooking, parties, and other festivities?

Here’s a short video that serves as a good reminder to all of us during all of the busyness of the season.

Do you have a teenager in your life that you just don’t know what to buy for? There are some great selections in young adult fiction this fall that would be great for gift giving! 

Now, don’t go turning your nose up at the thought of “Christian young adult fiction.” Yes, it was pretty bad back in the day, but not anymore! There are some of the finest authors today writing for today’s teens because they have a heart to provide them with a more wholesome alternative to other novels that are available. These stories are just as well-written (if not better) and just as action-packed. Here are some recommendations for you.

The C.H.A.O.S Series by Jon S. Lewis is a relatively new series.  The first book, Invasion, met with wide acclaim. It’s a cyber-tech retelling of the story of David and will appeal to teens who desire to live an epic life. Here’s what Invasion is about:

Colt McAlister was having the summer of his life. He spent his days surfing and his nights playing guitar on the beach with friends. He even met a girl and got his first car. But everything changes when his parents are killed in a freak accident.

He’s forced to leave his old life behind and move to Arizona with his grandfather. The only person he knows at the new high school is a childhood friend named Dani. And Oz, a guy he’s sure he’s never met but who is strangely familiar.

But what if his parents’ death wasn’t and accident? His mother, an investigative reporter, was going to expose a secret mind-control program run by one of the world’s largest companies. Before she could release the story, what if agents from Trident Biotech made sure she couldn’t go public?

Vowing to uncover the truth, Colt gets drawn into a secret world of aliens, shapeshifters, flying motorcycles, and invisible getaways.

The invasion has begun.

The second book in the series, Alienation will be hitting our shelves at LifeWay Christian Store over the next 1-2 weeks so it’s a great time to start this series!

One of the most popular authors in the YA genre is Jenny B. Jones. She’s so much fun. Girls of all ages will really enjoy her. Her latest novel, There You’ll

Find Me, will take you to rural Ireland where Finley, an exchange student, discovers she can no longer outrun the past. Like many teens, she begins to feel pressure from all around her. Things start to fall apart and she begins to rely on an old method of controlling her world: anorexia. 

As her eating disorder flares to life again, Finley tries to balance all of the demands that are placed on her. For the first time in her life, she must get honest with herself to get right with God.

If you’ve read our blog since earlier this year, you’ll know that I became a wee bit obsessed with The River of Time Series by Lisa Bergren (Waterfall, Cascade, and Torrent). Still some of the best books I’ve read all year. I know, I know… I’m not a teenager (and haven’t been in quite some time) but I still L-O-V-E-D this series. Moms, aunts, sisters, grandma… buy this for the teen girls in your life and read with them. Trust me.

     

Another great series for teen guys is the Homelanders Series by award winning author Andrew Klavan. He was one of the first authors we had the privilege of visiting with early in our blogging days. Check the past post to see why he felt the need to write an action series for teens. The first book in the series is The Last Thing I Remembered, followed by The Long Way Home, The Truth of the Matter, and The Final Hour. 

   

Are you needing some good gift giving ideas that don’t break the bank? Here are some great novels that LifeWay Christian Stores currently has on sale for just $5! Hurry in while supplies last! The sale runs through December 24.

     

Lion of Babylon by Davis Bunn

The Lady of Bolton Hill by Elizabeth Camden

A Great Catch by Lorna Seilstad

   

Lady in the Mist by Laurie Alice Eakes

My Foolish Heart by Susan May Warren

   

For Time and Eternity by Allison Pittman

Hatteras Girl by Alice Wisler

Happy Monday to you, from rainy Nashville! How is the Christmas shopping going? I tackled some of the crowds over the weekend. Malls are scary places in December, aren’t they? 

If you should already be in need of a quiet moment or two to relax, how about sitting by the fire or lit Christmas tree with a new collection of stories by best-selling author Max Lucado? Christmas Stories contains some of his past stories like A Cosmic Christmas, The Christmas Child, and The Christmas Angel but there are also many new ones as well. 

Be inspired by the true meaning of the season with this spectacular collection of Max Lucado’s favorite Christmas stories and reflections.

You’ll be whisked away to the heavenly battle between angels and demons preceeding Christ’s birth. Then walk in the shoes of Joseph as he ponders the miracle before him. Travel to a small Texas town where a missing baby Jesus from a manger scene sets a modern day miracle in motion. And witness the story of Madeline, a prodigal girl who thinks she’s lost everything until her dad gives everything to win her back one Christmas. 

These and many more stories will lead you back to the manger – to be awed anew at the gift of Christ’s birth.

 

 

This is a great book to read with your family this Christmas season.  Check out the first chapter to the first story in the book, The Christmas Candle.

Today we have Suzanne Woods Fisher stopping by. I love the great reminders she gives us to slow down and enjoy the Christmas season. 

Welcome, Suzanne!

A Christmas of Kindness

 “You can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving.” Amish proverb

I do it every year.

I plan for a simpler, less stressful Christmas season and, every year, by Christmas Eve…I’m exhausted! After our delicious and very-time-consuming-to-make traditional Swedish meal to honor my husband’s relatives (think: Vikings), it’s time to head to church. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but the last few Christmas Eve’s, I have sent my husband and kids head off without me. The pull to spend an hour of quiet in the house feels as strong as a magnet.

It’s odd. My children are young adults now. Wouldn’t you think that Christmas would be simpler? Instead, it’s just the opposite. Jugging schedules to share the grandbaby with the in-laws, trying to include our elderly parents at the best time of day for them, dancing carefully around recently divorced family members whose children are impacted by the shards of broken relationships.

The thing is: you can simplify your to-do list, but you can’t really simplify people. We are just a complicated bunch.

Here’s where I borrow a lesson about simplicity from the Amish. It’s easy to get distracted with the buggies and the bonnets and the beards, but there’s so much more to learn from these gentle people if you’re willing to look a little deeper.

Yes, they live with less “stuff” and that does make for a simpler, less cluttered life. But it’s the reason behind it that is so compelling to me: they seek to create margin in their life. Not just empty space—but space that is available to nourish family, community, and faith. Their Christmas is far less elaborate than yours or mine, but what they do fill it with is…oh so right.

Christmas comes quietly on an Amish farmhouse. There is no outward sign of the holiday as we know it: no bright decorations, no big tree in the living room corner. A few modest gifts are waiting for children at their breakfast place settings, covered by a dishtowel. Waiting first for Dad to read the story of Christ’s birth from the book of Luke. Waiting until after a special breakfast has been enjoyed. Waiting until Mom and Dad give the signal that the time has come for gifts. 

Later, if Christmas doesn’t fall on a Sunday, extended family and friends will gather for another big meal. If time and weather permits, the late afternoon will be filled with ice skating or sledding. And more food! Always, always an abundance of good food. Faith, family, and community. That is the focus of an Amish Christmas.

And it’s also how the story begins for A Lancaster County Christmas, as a young family prepares for Christmas.    

You might remember Mattie Zook and Solomon Riehl from The Choice. We meet up again with these two characters (now married) on Christmas weekend in Stoney Ridge.  A winter storm blows a non-Amish couple, Jaime and C.J. Fitzpatrick, off-course and into the Riehl farmhouse. An unlikely and tentative friendship develops, until the one thing Mattie and Sol hold most dear disappears and then…. Ah, but you’ll just have to read the story to find out what happens next.

Without giving anything away, I will say that I want to create a Mattie-inspired margin this Christmas season. Mattie knew inconveniences and interruptions that come in the form of people (big ones and little ones!) are ordained by God. And blessed by God.

Creating margin probably means that I won’t get Christmas cards out until the end of January, and my house won’t be uber-decorated. After all, something has to give. But it will mean I make time for a leisurely visit with my dad at his Alzheimer’s facility. And time to volunteer in the church nursery for a holiday-crowded event. And time to invite a new neighbor over for coffee. Hopefully, it will mean that my energy won’t get diverted by a frantic, self-imposed agenda. Only by God’s agenda—the essence of true simplicity.

And that includes taking time to worship Christ’s coming at the Christmas Eve service. You can hold me accountable! This year, I will be there.

You can find Suzanne on-line at www.suzannewoodsfisher.com. She loves to hear from readers! And she hopes you will have a very blessed Christmas this year.

Check out the first chapter to A Lancaster Country Christmas.