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Topic: Well written christian fiction?

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Subject: Well written christian fiction?
Date Posted: 8/8/2007 4:33 PM ET
Member Since: 2/5/2007
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I`ve been trying to find some good chritian ficiton to read, anybody have any suggestions?

bananapancakes avatar
Date Posted: 8/8/2007 5:14 PM ET
Member Since: 4/17/2007
Posts: 918
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Reedeming Love by Francine Rivers is very good and so are Beverly Lewis's Amish people series

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Date Posted: 8/8/2007 5:29 PM ET
Member Since: 9/28/2005
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Highly recommend Bodie Thoene Zion Convenant series. Very compelling. Follows a family in Europr thru WW2.

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Date Posted: 8/9/2007 12:27 AM ET
Member Since: 12/23/2005
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I second Francine Rivers.  I loved Redeeming Love.  I also really enjoyed her Lineage of Grace books --   Unashamed, Unafraid, Unspoken, Unshaken,  and Unveiled. 



Last Edited on: 8/9/07 12:35 AM ET - Total times edited: 1
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Date Posted: 8/9/2007 9:35 AM ET
Member Since: 7/2/2007
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Jamie Langston Turner's books are looooong, but good.

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Date Posted: 8/9/2007 10:10 AM ET
Member Since: 3/1/2007
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Have you read any of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books by Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield?  I have the first three: Chicken Soup for The Soul: 101 Stories to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Soul, A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul, and a 3rd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul listed on my bookshelf.  These are great books to read yourself or to give as gifts.  Short stories by miscellaneous authors to inspirate and motivate us.  Light reading to brighten one’s day…

Bloomer avatar
Date Posted: 8/9/2007 12:59 PM ET
Member Since: 5/5/2006
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Francine Rivers read-a-likes:

Like Rivers, Angela Elwell Hunt presents compelling characters and a strong Christian message in her retellings of Bible stories. The Shadow Women, for example, fleshes out the Biblical version of Moses's life through the eyes of three important women in his life: his sister Miriam, his Egyptian "mother" Merytamon, and his wife Zipporah. Fascinating details of Egyptian life as well as the tribulations in the wilderness parallel the similar images found in Rivers's novels.

Fans of Rivers's recent novellas featuring Biblical characters (the Lineage of Grace and the Sons of Encouragement series) might be pleased with Ellen Gunderson Traylor. Many of her novels are longer, but Melchizedek, King of Jerusalem should satisfy in terms of both length and tone. Built from the scraps of evidence in the Bible and enhanced with legend and lore, Traylor imagines a rich tale of the characters of the flood and their descendents. Introspective characters and a compelling tale make an impact similar to that of Rivers' novels.

Beverly Lewis has made her mark among the evangelical Christian audience with tales set primarily in the Amish community. Like Rivers she tackles difficult, often provocative issues in her novels, but she also tells a good story. In The Redemption of Sarah Cain Lewis presents a young woman who has created a career for herself in Oregon, only to be called to Pennsylvania to care for her five orphaned nieces and nephews. Her struggle will ring true with Rivers' fans.

Another popular author of historical Christian fiction, T. Davis Bunn, makes a good suggestion for fans of Rivers's books. His easy-reading style and historical details parallel her appeal, although his books feature a somewhat faster pace and more adventure elements. To The Ends of the Earth, set in the Mediterranean region and Constantinople during the confusion after Constantine's death, follows a young man from a trading family, converted to Christianity by an elder of the church and his daughter. Together they travel to Constantinople and become embroiled in adventures involving vengeful older brothers and religious sects.

Fans of Rivers's heartwarming tales may also want to revisit a "classic" Christian fiction writer such as Taylor Caldwell. She writes novels featuring a similar quest for God, as well as a struggle and questioning of the right path. Dear and Glorious Physician, a biography of St. Luke, may satisfy the desire for old-fashioned storytelling with a detailed historical setting and strong Christian message, although her books are certainly longer than those by Rivers.

Joyce Saricks is a readers' advisory consultant and the author of Readers' Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction (ALA, 2001).

 

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Date Posted: 8/9/2007 4:38 PM ET
Member Since: 3/1/2007
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Have you ever seen any of the Love Inspired books?   They are by different authors but spiritually based.  Love Inspired is the name of the series like Harlequin, etc......I have several; I'll have to look for more information to give you.

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Date Posted: 8/9/2007 5:10 PM ET
Member Since: 3/3/2007
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I really enjoyed the Beverly Lewis series Abram's Daughters and Heritage of Lancaster County.  Great detail about Amish life.  I've also started the Dee Henderson O'Malley series.  It is a series of 6 books, each one focused on a different sibling in a family made up of a hostage negotiator, a US Marshal, a paramedic, etc.  I've got the third book on my WL...patiently waiting.

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Date Posted: 8/9/2007 7:36 PM ET
Member Since: 6/10/2007
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Anything by Gilbert Morris or Michael Phillips.

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Date Posted: 8/11/2007 10:15 PM ET
Member Since: 1/15/2007
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The Hawk and the Dove trilogy by Penelope Wilcock - ISBN 1581341385   The story of two medieval monks as told to a modern girl. 

Glastonbury: The Novel of Christian England by Donna Fletcher Crow - ISBN 0891076697   The story of Glastonbury from the time of Christ

 

 

rachum05 avatar
Date Posted: 8/12/2007 2:01 AM ET
Member Since: 6/4/2007
Posts: 922
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I really love anything by Frank Peretti, although they more have Christian undertones than being Christian books. Also, The Left Behind series is absolutely *ADDICTING*.

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Date Posted: 8/12/2007 6:13 PM ET
Member Since: 2/19/2005
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Robert Whitlow has a few good mysteries - The List is one I really enjoyed.

Ted Dekker - Three was good.

Lisa Samson is also a good "chick lit" type author. 

I just had this discussion with a friend yesterday.  She is going to send me a list of some authors she likes - one is a Janet Evanovich type w/o the sex. Here's a title: Cow Crimes And The Mustang Menace: A Ruby Taylor Mystery (A Ruby Taylor Mystery)
Author: Sharon Dunn



Last Edited on: 8/12/07 6:33 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
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Date Posted: 8/13/2007 6:02 PM ET
Member Since: 2/21/2006
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Liz Curtis HIggs has done some amazing adaptations/modifications of Biblical stories: Thorn in my Heart, Fair is the Rose, Whence Came a Prince, and Grace in Thine Eyes are one series.

She also has wonderful, humorous, reality-of-life books that make me laugh out loud!  Well, that's putting it mildly...actually, I can hardly breathe sometimes when I'm reading some of her humor.  = D  My husband thinks I'm crazy, and when I try to explain what's so funny, I lose it all over again!  Check out Only Angels can Wing It, One Size Fits All and Other Fables, Help! I'm Laughing and I Can't Get Up, and there are so many more.  I heard her speak once, and she is just as funny in person.

She's written a series of 4 books for kids that correspond to the seasons: Sunflower Parable, Pumpkin Patch Parable, Pine Tree Parable, and Parable of the Lily.

~Jori

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Date Posted: 8/14/2007 7:55 PM ET
Member Since: 7/1/2007
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Not sure if it was mentioned ~ But I liked the Lauraine Snelling series Red River of the North and Dakota Treasures Ruby.

 

 

bananapancakes avatar
Date Posted: 8/14/2007 8:12 PM ET
Member Since: 4/17/2007
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I 2nd the Hawk and the Dove as well

Pattijane avatar
Date Posted: 8/14/2007 9:17 PM ET
Member Since: 12/4/2005
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I really enjoyed the first 2 books I have listed here.  I haven't reqad the last one yet but have it on my WL.  I'll probably go ahead and buy it rather than waiting!

A Bride Most Begrudging by Deeanne Gist

The Measure of a Lady: A Novel by Deeanne Gist

Courting Trouble by Deeanne Gist



Last Edited on: 8/14/07 9:18 PM ET - Total times edited: 1
momofzandc avatar
Date Posted: 8/15/2007 5:24 PM ET
Member Since: 7/19/2007
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I don't know if anyone mentioned Meredith Efken, but her books are very light hearted and funny.  Very quick and easy reads

ada04 avatar
Date Posted: 8/15/2007 6:43 PM ET
Member Since: 6/26/2007
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I LOVED the Left Behind books also, & anything by Terri Blackstock. My favorite books by her are: the Cape Refuge series, the Light series, & the Seasons series with Beverly Lahaye. She also writes the Newport 911 series which was really good. Angela Hunt also write some great books. So far my favorite of hers was Unspoken. Hope that helps! :)
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Linda S. (thk) - ,
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Date Posted: 8/16/2007 1:33 AM ET
Member Since: 10/4/2006
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Slightly off topic---what do you think of Linda Chaikin's books?  I've bought a few at an FOL sale, and haven't read any yet.

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Date Posted: 8/18/2007 4:02 PM ET
Member Since: 5/28/2007
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I have really enjoyed all of Terri Blackstock's novels. Many of them are full of suspense, and her characters portray Christians realisticly struggling with life issues. 

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Date Posted: 8/18/2007 7:48 PM ET
Member Since: 8/18/2007
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I really enjoyed Janette Oke's books, specifically Roses for Mama, They Called Her Mrs. Doc, and The Bluebird and the Sparrow. I also liked her Prairie Legacy series. Another great author is Beverly Lewis. I enjoyed The Heritage of Lancaster County series and I just finished The Redemption of Sarah Cain.

lpeogirl avatar
Date Posted: 8/18/2007 8:30 PM ET
Member Since: 11/28/2006
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I like Kristin Billerbeck, Sharon Dunn and Cyndy Salzmann.  These are all light, fun reads!

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Date Posted: 8/18/2007 9:35 PM ET
Member Since: 10/3/2006
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Pretty much anything by Ted Dekker.  I also really enjoyed Comes a Horseman  by Robert Liparulo, and Deadline by Randy Alcorn.

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Date Posted: 8/18/2007 9:48 PM ET
Member Since: 8/1/2007
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Just finished reading the Yada Yada Prayer Group by Neta Jackson.   The book started out a little slow I thought, but it was really easy to get involved in the characters and involved in the story.  Not usually my type of read but I really enjoyed it.

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