All posts by Karen Collier

About Karen Collier

Karen Collier is an author and reviewer of Inspirational / Inspy / Christian fiction. A librarian too. Her twitter handle is @karencollier and her blog features book reviews and discussion questions, plus tips for book groups at karencollier.com.

Book Review: The Prodigal by Brennan Manning and Greg Garrett

Book Reviews, Discussion Questions, ,

Title: The Prodigal: A Ragamuffin Story
Authors: Brennan Manning and Greg Garrett
Publisher: Zondervan
Genre: Contemporary Christian Fiction

Jack Chisholm was lead pastor for a megachurch with three campuses and thousands of members.  He was a best-selling author and a public figure known by some as “America’s pastor.”  Then some poor decisions he made one night off the coast of Cancun lead him into sin he would not have thought himself capable of.  When his actions come to light he is disgraced, and he loses his job and his family.  Jack’s life is in a tailspin, until his estranged father seeks him out and brings him home.  It’s in the small town in Texas where he grew up that Jack reconnects with friends and family, learns some important lessons about grace and forgiveness, and discovers that God may not be through with him after all.

I know a lot of people, both Christian and non-Christian, who have misconceptions about what it means to be Christian.  I wish those people would read this book.  It’s that good.  Seriously.  The story is character driven, based on believable three dimensional “people,” primarily Jack, his father, and the local priest called Father Frank.  While the take home message of the story will not surprise anyone familiar with Manning’s work, it was skillfully woven into the story, seeming to arise naturally from the characters and situations, not tacked on as an afterthought, so it didn’t feel intrusive or overbearing.

I thoroughly enjoyed the vivid and out of the box  descriptions found in this book.  I’m reminded of the way Charles Dickens could paint a memorable secondary character in just a few brush strokes.  Here’s a particularly vivid example from The Prodigal:

“Carlene Petsch was the city secretary.  Carlene had been called ‘Petshop’ in their youth, if only rarely to her face.  It made her cry, got people sent to the office.  She had grown into a hard, hefty woman, the kind of hausfrau who could bake an apple pie and then beat you to death with her rolling pin.”

The ending of The Prodigal  felt a little abrupt to me.  I would have liked to see a little more resolution following Jack’s moment of epiphany, in a few specific areas that I probably shouldn’t mention for fear of spoiling the ending.  That said, if you’re going to err one way or the other, better to leave us wanting more than to make us beg for it to end.  And, much as I wanted more closure, I do think this approach left things hopeful without downplaying the consequences of Jack’s actions by tying everything up in a neat little bow.  It also left room for speculation on where the story might have gone next had it continued.  Which would be great fodder for a book discussion group.  All in all, an excellent read, and I would highly recommend it.

I would like to thank the publisher, Zondervan, for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book through NetGalley for my review.

Discussion Questions:

This book comes with some excellent discussion questions for consideration, but I couldn’t resist coming up with a few questions of my own as well.

  1. How and why did Jack’s beliefs and behavior change over the course of the story?  Did you find his decision at the end of the book consistent with what we know about him?
  2. In what ways was this story similar to and different from the story of the Prodigal Son as told in the Bible (Luke 15:11-32)?  Given the definition of the word “prodigal” as well as its usage in the Bible story, do you think The Prodigal as title is a good fit for this book?  Why or why not?  Can you think of an alternative title?
  3. Where do you think the story could have gone from here, had it continued beyond “The End”?  Were you satisfied with the conclusion as it was, or did you want to know more of what the future held for the characters?

Ten Achievable New Year’s Resolutions for the Bookworm

Miscellaneous

With a new year comes a new beginning, and a great opportunity for setting goals. So many times we fall back on making the same resolutions we made the year before. This year, why not shake things up a bit by making an achievable New Year’s Resolution that you’ll enjoy keeping? Since I’m something of a bookworm and this blog is meant for readers, I’m going to go ahead and assume that you’re a bookworm too and suggest some ideas for book-ish resolutions you might enjoy keeping in the New Year.  But first a cute New Year’s photo I took a few years ago.

New Year's Baby

New Year’s Baby

1. Read a Certain Number of Books This Year.

The great thing about a resolution or goal like this one is that it’s measurable. At any given time thoughout the year, you can see your progress and how close you are to achieving your goal, which can be a powerful motivator. I like to use Goodreads to keep track of what I’m reading and what I thought of each book. The neat thing about using Goodreads, is they’ll let you set your own yearly goal and then track your progress for you, as you update the info on which books you’ve read. Here’s a link to their 2013 Reading Challenge.  I’m assuming they’ll host one for the upcoming year as well. In choosing your number, consider how many books you read last year, and how quickly you generally read. You want a number that’s a little bit of a stretch, but not so much as to become a burden. Remember, this is supposed to be fun!

2. Finish the Books You’ve Been Meaning to Read.

I don’t know about you, but I know that no matter how quickly I read, there always seem to be at least a few books languishing on my book shelf or on my eReader. They’re generally ones that I really do want to read, but that I somehow never seem to get around to reading. If that sounds like you, consider identifying a few of those books and resolving to read them in the coming year. Then make them a priority. The great thing about this kind of resolution is you can aim to get it done early in the year while you’re still excited about your resolution.  Then you can have a feeling of accomplishment and not have to worry about trying to keep it up throughout the whole year.

3. Participate in a Book Discussion Group.

As much fun as it is to read on your own, it can be even more fun to discuss what you’ve read with a group. If you’re not already in a book discussion group, consider joining or starting one in the coming year.  Within a book group, with everyone reading the same book at the same time, you’ll find yourself reading and enjoying books you might not have otherwise read, and having the opportunity to share some of your favorite books with others. Plus, you’ll find yourself considering questions and points about the book that might not have occurred to you, and going away with a deeper appreciation for it.  If this resolution appeals to you, be sure to subscribe to my blog so you won’t miss my upcoming posts with tips on starting, joining, and participating in a book discussion group.

4. Find and Follow Some Book Review Blogs.

There are lots of bloggers out there reviewing books. Odds are, if you take a little time to search, you’ll find bloggers specializing in reviewing books within whatever genres and sub-genres you like best, whose taste in books may be very similar to your own. As you follow a particular book reviewer’s blog, you’ll get to know and appreciate his or her unique voice and reading preferences, and you may discover some books you’ll love that you might never have heard about otherwise. If this resolution appeals to you, and if you enjoy reading Christian fiction, I’d be honored if you would consider including my blog among those you follow.

Not sure how to “follow” a blog or even what I mean by that? Wikipedia has a good article on News Aggregators and how they can be used to “aggregate” articles from all your favorite blogs in one place for ease of reading.

5. Connect with Favorite Authors on Social Media.

As social media becomes more popular, more and more authors are connecting with fans on Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and more. Odds are good that your favorite authors are more accessible online than you may think. Visit their Web sites, check out which social media networks they frequent, and consider connecting with them. You’ll have the chance to let them know how much you love their books and to stay up to date on author events, book giveaways, upcoming books, and the like. Follow your favorite authors on your favorite social networks now and this resolution will take care of itself as you stay connected all year long.

6. Broaden Your Reading.

It’s easy to get into a reading rut, always reading books within the same genre or topic, or books written by the same handful of authors. If you can relate to that, consider resolving to periodically try something new this year. Perhaps you’d like to try a book by an author you haven’t read before. Or a book from a genre you don’t typically seek out. Another time, you might go for a different format such as an audiobook, an ebook, or a graphic novel. Resolving to broaden your reading this way could keep things interesting and you just might discover a new author, genre, or format you love in the process.

7. Visit Your Local Library.

If you don’t already make a habit of visiting your local library, you may want to resolve to start this year. As a librarian myself, I can tell you libraries have changed a lot in the last few years, so your local library may offer services you never would have expected. When you visit, be sure to chat with a librarian and find out which services your local library offers.  Services like:  Downloadable audiobooks, downloadable eBooks, electronic magazines, music and movies, events for kids (not just story time though those remain ever popular), events for adults (book discussion groups, author visits, and a wide variety of programs not necessarily related to books), computer classes, Internet access, 3D printing, interlibrary loan (where the library borrows books for you from other libraries), readers’ advisory services (if you like x, you may also like y and z), and reference services (help finding answers to your information questions).

8. Find a Buddy (or More) Willing to Trade Book Recommendations.

You have friends who like to read too, right? Resolve to talk with them regularly about what they’re reading and share what you’ve been reading. You may discover some books you can’t wait to read, and then you’ll be able to discuss your mutual favorites. You can do this in real life, as well as on Goodreads. When you become “friends” with someone on Goodreads, you’ll see the books they’ve been reading and recommending, and you’ll have the opportunity to comment, and they’ll see whenever you share that you’ve read a book, or reviewed one.

9. Have Children in Your Life? Resolve to Read with them Regularly.

Whether they’re you’re own kids, grandkids, or otherwise related, reading regularly with the children in your life helps to instill a love of reading likely to stay with them throughout their lives.  Whether they’re babies, teenagers, or somewhere in between, it’s never to early or too late to read together.  By sharing your time with them, it’s one more way of showing them just how much you care about them.  Plus, I think you’ll find it can be great fun!

10. Review the Books You Read.

If you haven’t been in the habit of reviewing the books you read, consider making it a New Year’s resolution to start.  Your reviews could help others find books they might enjoy, and in a year or two, when you’ve forgotten exactly what you liked about a given book, you can look back at your review and remind yourself.  Reviews don’t have to be long.  Simply write a paragraph or two answering some simple questions like the following and post your review online, perhaps on a retailer’s web site or on a site like Goodreads.  What did you like?  What didn’t you like?  Who might enjoy this type of book?  It doesn’t take long, and I think you’ll find you enjoy the process.  I know writing reviews has made me think more deeply about the books I read and come to a better understanding of what I do and don’t like about them.

There you have it.  Ten ideas for New Year’s Resolutions.  Thanks for reading!  So, did you decide to make a New Year’s Resolution this year? Please share in the comments. I’d love to hear from you. And while you’re here, consider subscribing to my blog to keep updated on new posts including book reviews, discussion questions, ideas for book groups, updates on my writing, and more.

Book Review: Where Courage Calls by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan

Book Reviews, Discussion Questions, ,

Title: Where Courage Calls: A When Calls the Heart Novel
Author: Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan
Genre(s): Inpirational Fiction, Prairie Romance
Publisher: Bethany House

Janette Oke has long been considered an influential author within the Christian fiction publishing industry, so I was excited to have the opportunity to read and review her latest book.  Where Courage Calls, was co-written with her daughter Laurel Oke Logan, and is scheduled to be released in February 2014.  It is described as a prairie romance, and is set in the Canadian west during the early twentieth century.

The story’s heroine, Beth Thatcher is a pampered daughter from a wealthy family from Toronto, and has accepted a year-long teaching position in a humble coal mining town far from the comforts of home.  She believes she is following God’s will for her life and is determined to prove to her overly protective mother that she is equal to the task, even after the conditions in the town prove more challenging and potentially dangerous than she had anticipated.  Her luggage is stolen in her travels, and she arrives to find that modern conveniences like plumbing and electricity are unavailable.  Nevertheless, she is determined to persevere.

The story is inspiring in that Beth adapts to her circumstances, continually seeks God’s will for her life, and ultimately makes a huge difference in the lives of her students and in the community.  Christians looking for a safe and comfortable read, exploring the joys of leading a Godly life will find much to like in this sequel to When Calls the Heart.

That said, I was not as impressed with this story as I had hoped I might be, given the author’s reputation.  I found the heroine hard to relate to.  Her continual self-sacrifice and nobility made her come across more as a caricature or an ideal to be aspired to than as a real person.  She is painted as selfless to the point where I’m not sure I could identify anything she wants for herself, with the possible exception of being out from under her mother’s thumb.  Most of her desires seem to be for a better life for her students and to be able to better help her new friends and neighbors.  Laudable, to be sure, but realistic?  I’m not so sure.

The story started out slowly, with a lot of introspection and reflection on the heroine’s childhood as she traveled to her new home.  Her day to day life in the mining town, and the details of what her life and career there turned out to be were very well developed and interesting.  However, for a book described as a romance, the romantic element seemed lacking.  I thought that Beth’s relationships with each of the potential suitors felt underdeveloped and her interactions with each of them limited, to the extent that I wasn’t sure who the hero would turn out to be until the book was nearly over.  Even then, the outcome felt contrived, because it did not hinge on her relationship with either suitor, but rather on an outside circumstance introduced at the last minute, seemingly to tidy things up.

Overall, Where Courage Calls was a thoroughly sweet and innocent story and a pleasant enough read.  Fans of historical fiction will appreciate the historical detail, and Christians seeking a clean and uplifting story about the good that can be accomplished by someone persevering in God’s will, need look no further.  This is your story.  Additionally, fans of Janette Oke’s Canadian West series or the Hallmark Channel’s new When Calls the Heart TV series, will likely want to give this book a read.  Just don’t go into this story expecting a great deal of emphasis on the romance, or you may be disappointed.

I would like to thank the publisher, Bethany House, for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book through NetGalley for my review.

Discussion Questions:

Since I did not find any discussion questions for Where Courage Calls available elsewhere at this time, I have written a few for your consideration.  If additional discussion questions occur to you, feel free to share them in the comments.

  1. How do Beth’s relationships with family and friends help or hinder her ability to reach her goals?
  2. In what ways is Beth’s relationship with Molly similar and different from her relationship with her mother?  How do these relationships compare to mother-daughter relationships you have experienced or observed?
  3. In what ways did Beth change over the course of the story?  In what ways did Edward change?
  4. Was there a moral to the story?  What do you think the intended message is, and do you agree or disagree?  How could this message be applied outside of the context of this story?

Book Review: Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

Book Reviews, Discussion Questions,

Title: Redeeming Love
Author: Francine Rivers
Genre(s): Inspirational Romance, Historical
Publisher: Multnomah Books

Redeeming Love has over a million copies in print and has been through several editions since it was originally published in 1991.  I just finished reading the 2005 edition, which includes a study guide by Peggy Lynch with some really thought provoking discussion questions.  As I write this review in December 2013, Redeeming Love remains on the ECPA and CBA Best Seller Lists.  I think the case can be made that this book has become a classic of Christian fiction.  I am happy to have read it and I would recommend it highly to Christians and non-Christians alike.  It can be read as an allegory with significant Christian themes, exploring God’s unconditional love, even for those who don’t feel worthy of that love.  And it can be read as a beautiful and emotional love story between two very complex and memorable characters.

Redeeming Love is set in California during the time of the Gold Rush.  It tells the love story of a godly man named Michael Hosea who is called to marry a prostitute known as Angel.  She is a beautiful woman who was sold into prostitution as a child, and feels herself incapable of loving Michael back or living any other kind of life than the one to which she is accustomed, despite the unhappiness it brings her.  Michael loves her continually and forgives her repeatedly, despite the pain she brings him, and God uses this to begin the process of redemption in Angel’s life.  But it isn’t until she comes to know God’s unconditional love for herself that her redemption can be complete.

I found this to be an engaging and deeply moving story that dealt with tough issues revolving around sin, shame, and forgiveness in a very tender hearted way. The allegory is there, just as it is in the Book of Hosea from the Bible on which this story is loosely based, but it’s subtly woven into the fabric of the romance and doesn’t feel at all forced or contrived.

The prologue sets up the story by describing Sarah’s childhood and how she came to be the woman Michael would know as Angel and later as Amanda.  It goes a long way toward making her feel real, believable, and sympathetic, even when her actions might tend to make her seem cold-hearted and unsympathetic, much as she is seen by Paul and other characters who do not know her well.

“Head-hopping” is a storytelling technique that has fallen out of vogue in recent years, in which the viewpoint from which the story is told jumps from one character’s thoughts to another character’s thoughts and back within a single scene.  The argument against head-hopping, is that these jumps can confuse the reader and prevent him or her from developing a close rapport with a single character.  In some cases, I think that can be an issue.  In this case, I thought the technique was handled deftly with clear clues provided each time the viewpoint was changed preventing confusion.  And I thought it added depth to the story to be able to see it from multiple viewpoints more or less at once.  Given the dichotomy between Angel’s thoughts and actions and the way her actions were interpreted by other characters, I think the technique played a useful role.

This story moved me to tears at a couple of points near the end of the book.  I felt my heart breaking right along with Michael at some of the decisions Angel made over the course of the story, but I just had to keep reading to see how it would end.  Redeeming Love was a beautiful exploration of love in all its manifestations from the platonic love of friends to the love between a husband and wife, to self-sacrificial love, to the love of God for mankind.  All in all, an enjoyable and thought provoking read. Highly recommended.

Discussion Questions:

As I mentioned before, the 2005 edition of Redeeming Love comes with a study guide with scripture references and some excellent questions for book discussion groups at the back of the book.  Some of the questions deal with the story itself, and others deal with applying its themes to our lives.  For those with a different edition of the book, many of those same discussion questions can also be found on the author’s Web site.

Author Update: Coming in for a Landing, Brainstorming, etc.

Author Updates

When I sat down to write my weekly blog post and looked over the notes I’d been making to myself, I realized I’d spent the preceding week brainstorming and accumulating LOTS of ideas for blog posts, rather than focusing on any one idea. My first thought was to scramble to pick an idea and run with it. But my second thought is the one that won out. Why not do something a little different this week?

Trees in Snowstorm

Today’s Snowstorm, Representing Brainstorming. Get it? ;)

So here goes. A glimpse into the current stage of my writer’s journey, along with a preview of some of what’s to come in this blog.

First off, my work in progress (Stateside Mission, my first novel) has recently reached 73,000 words. Listen carefully. Can you hear me cheering? I am. I’m also currently working on bringing the book in for a landing, allowing my characters to work out their problems, and tying up loose ends. Since it’s a romance, you know it’s going to end happily ever after, right? Well right now, I’m trying to plan the perfect proposal to fit my characters, and I’m acquiring new appreciation for what guys go through! I suppose I’m lucky to be writing a fictional proposal in the sense that I can not only change the proposal to fit the girl, but I also have the option of changing the girl to fit the proposal. Anyway, it’s looking right now like this draft may clock in around 80-85,000 words when all is said and done. We shall see.

I’m looking forward to reaching THE END so I can officially say I’ve done it and celebrate the achievement. Then I’ll be setting this novel aside and starting to work on some other projects for a while, maybe writing a short story or two and beginning to research for my next novel. That way I can come back to this novel fresh and ready to see it with clear eyes. I’ll get to see exactly what I’ve been spending all this time on, and just how much more time it’ll take to make it shine.

Besides working on my current novel, I’ve also been doing a lot of brainstorming, planning, and preparing. Specifically:

  • Reading blogs and books about writing, editing, publishing, and the like.
  • Brainstorming possible short stories and articles to write.
  • Researching magazines in which I may want to publish those stories and articles.
  • Experimenting with using Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads in conjunction with this blog to connect with other fans of Christian fiction.
  • Applying for review copies of books for my blog from publishers of Christian fiction.
  • Reading. Currently, reading Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, but check my Goodreads profile for updates.
  • And of course, planning the kinds of things, in addition to book reviews, to write about in future blog posts.

Speaking of which, I promised a preview of some of the topics I may address in future blog posts, didn’t I?  I’ve been brainstorming and researching lots of ideas.  I have a whole series planned on finding, starting, running, and participating in a book discussion group. I’d like to do posts spotlighting each of a variety of subgenres within Christian fiction, with examples of popular authors and titles representing each. I’m also considering interviewing other bloggers who write about Christian fiction, and featuring their blogs in posts here. Then there’s the idea of posting a few short stories here as samples of my writing.  Not to mention the growing list of random post ideas tangentially related to the main focus of this blog.  And of course, I’m going to continue to review Christian fiction as fast as I can read it.

What would you most like to see me write about in future blog posts?  Please share in the comments.

Award Winning Christian and Inspirational Fiction

Christian Fiction, , ,
Award Winners

Award Winners (Image Courtesy openclipart)

Thinking of delving more into the world of Christian Fiction? Wondering where to start? You could read and subscribe to blogs like this one for reviews. You could browse the best seller lists to see what’s been popular recently. And you could ask friends for their recommendations. Personally, I think those are all great options, and I highly recommend them. But there’s another option for finding good Christian fiction that I want to talk about today, and it’s a favorite of mine. Award winners.

The beauty of seeking out award winners in Christian fiction is that the hard work of narrowing down the field to identify some of the best stories has already been done for you. Granted, you may not wind up loving every award winning title, because your tastes may differ from that of the judges. But then again, there had to have been something special about a book for it to rise above the other possibilities and catch the attention of the judges. So if you’re looking for something special, read on to find out about some of the top fiction awards in Christian publishing today, and to find out which novels have won those awards or been featured as finalists.

Christy Awards

The Christy Awards have been described as the “Oscars” of Christian fiction.  They are annual awards to recognize Christian novels of excellence copyrighted in the preceding year in a variety of genres.  The judges are drawn from among librarians, literary critics and others not directly affiliated with a publishing company, and the winners are announced at the annual International Christian Retail Show in June.  I’ve personally found some great reads by browsing their lists of past winners.  The official Christy Award Web site provides additional information about the awards including the origin of the name, as well as a list of past winners.

Carol Awards

The Carol Awards also aim to recognize some of the “best Christian fiction published by traditional publishing houses in the previous calendar year.”  These awards are brought to you by ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), and the winners are announced at the annual ACFW Conference in September.  These awards cover a wide range of genres and categories within Christian fiction.  The ACFW Web site includes more information about the awards, as well as annual lists of winners from 2002 to the present.

ECPA Christian Book Awards

The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, bestows the honor of the ECPA Christian Book Awards, formerly known as the Gold Medallion.  Their awards cover a wide range of categories including Bibles, Non-fiction, Children’s Materials, and Inspiration.  All genres of Fiction are considered in selecting the winner within the Fiction category.  The Christian Book Awards Web page gives more information about the awards and links to past award winners.

RITA Award, Inspirational Category

The RITA award is given by the Romance Writer’s Association (RWA) “to promote excellence in the romance genre by recognizing outstanding published romance novels and novellas.”  This award has been given in a variety of categories since 1982, with the Inspirational category being introduced in 1995.  The winners are announced at RWA’s annual conference in July.  More information about the awards and a list of past winners is available on the RWA Web site.

INSPY Awards

The INSPYs Web site describes the INSPY Awards as “The Bloggers’ Award for Excellence in Faith-Driven Literature.”  These awards are judged by bloggers, and they invite nominations of faith inspired books in a variety of genres, not just from specific Christian publishers, but also from the general publishing market.  Nominations begin in December and the winners are announced in June.  This is a newer award, with winners from 2010, 2011, and 2013 thus far.  Visit their Web site for more about the awards.

Grace Awards

The Grace Awards are a reader driven award for faith-based fiction. This award differs from others listed here in that it considers self-published books in print and/or electronic formats alongside traditionally published books. For more information or to browse award winners, visit the official Grace Awards blog.

Did you find any of your favorite Christian fiction titles on these lists?  Any titles you’re looking forward to reading?  Leave a comment and let us know!  And please take a second to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, or by Subscribing to the blog so you won’t miss future posts.

Note: This page was last updated on 1/15/2015.

Book Review: Vanished by Irene Hannon

Book Reviews, Discussion Questions,

Cover of Vanished by Irene HannonTitle: Vanished
Author: Irene Hannon
Series: Book 1 of the Private Justice Series
Genre(s): Christian Fiction, Inspirational Romantic Suspense, Mystery

Readers of Inspirational Romance and Romantic Suspense should find Vanished by Irene Hannon to be an interesting read.  The story begins with an unusual car accident.  Moira Harrison, the story’s heroine, is driving on an unfamiliar country road at night in the rain, when a terrified woman jumps in front of her car.  But when this woman disappears without a trace, no one believes that Moira saw her at all.  People think she must have seen a deer and mistaken it for a person given the bad conditions and her missing glasses, or that she became confused from the head injury she suffered in the accident.

But Moira knows what she saw and is convinced the woman was in some kind of trouble.  The rest of the story follows Moira’s quest for answers as she seeks to help the unknown woman she encountered on that dark country road.  Enter handsome Private Investigator and ex-detective Cal Burke, the one person inclined to believe Moira’s story.  As Moira and Cal work together to investigate the disappearance, they uncover incriminating evidence that points in an unlikely, but dangerous direction.

The suspense element is minimal in the first half of the book, but the mystery and romance elements keep the reader turning the pages.  Sufficient hints and foreshadowing allow the reader to keep a step ahead of the characters in their investigation, if you’re paying close attention.  But each question answered raises more questions in turn, pulling you continually further into the story, and making it way too hard to put down.  The romance between Cal and Moira is sweet and satisfying.  It moves at a believable pace with challenges arising from Cal’s lingering feelings for his deceased wife, and Moira’s status as a client.

As their investigation uncovers more and more evidence against their suspect, he becomes aware that Moira knows too much.  That’s when the suspense kicks into high gear, and the reader begins to wonder if Moira would have been better off letting this mystery go unsolved.

One plot twist in particular felt a little reminiscent of a Nancy Drew mystery, with the heroine rushing in where she shouldn’t and getting herself into trouble, before ultimately turning the situation around.  Nevertheless, the circumstances and character motivations surrounding her decisions felt plausible if a bit foolish, promoting a willing suspension of disbelief.

All in all, a fascinating read featuring romance, mystery, and suspense.  The characters were three dimensional and interesting, with believable motivations and reactions, even in the case of the bad guy.  The fascinating characters seem to be one of the best features of Irene Hannon’s work, along with the way she interweaves plot and character development throughout each scene, such that nothing is wasted.  It seems that everything on the page contributes something significant toward building a well crafted work of art.  Also impressive is the amount of detail in both the investigative and medical spheres, indicating the extensive research that must have gone into the writing of this book. Highly recommended for fans of Christian fiction, particularly those who enjoy romantic suspense.

For those interested in the discussability of Vanished, note that it raises a number of interesting questions about complicated issues like assisted suicide, and the ethics of using “pretexts” in private investigative work.  This book could be a good choice for stimulating discussion by a book group.  The author’s Web site, provides a number of excellent discussion questions for your consideration, but watch out for spoilers if you haven’t read the book yet!

Best Selling Christian Fiction: The Lists

Christian Fiction, ,

For general fiction, there are plenty of best seller lists to consult if you want to get an idea of what books are popular.  Well known publishers of best seller lists include the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, the American Booksellers Association, and large retailers like Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.  Each source uses its own methodology to compile its list, and the results will vary accordingly.

For Christian Fiction, there are likewise, a variety of sources of best seller lists, including associations and large retailers.  By browsing these lists, you can get an idea for the titles that may be popular at any given time among Christian and Inspirational Fiction titles.

Best Seller Lists

Best Seller Lists

ECPA Bestsellers (Evangelical Christian Publishers Association): The lists are compiled monthly based on sales in various retail outlets nationwide.  Visit their site for more specifics about their methodology.

CBA Bestsellers (The Association for Christian Retail): Monthly listings of the Top 50 books selling in Christian stores, monthly listings of more specific categories including fiction, and weekly glimpses into the top books selling in selected categories.

Amazon.com: Lists are updated hourly using a proprietary formula that takes into account both recent and historical sales by this retailer.  Within the Christian Fiction category, there are separate lists for Bestselling Books, Bestselling eBooks, and Most Popular Free eBooks.  And if you’re looking for a particular genre within Christian fiction, you can select that genre for a more specific list.

Barnes & Noble: Their Christian Fiction & Literature offerings can be sorted by Best Selling, and you can limit the list to show only physical books or NOOK books if you wish.

Christianbook.com: Their fiction offerings can be sorted by Bestseller.  You can limit the results to one of more than a dozen subcategories by genre if you’re looking for something specific.

You may have noticed that I used the terms Best Seller, Best-Seller, and Bestseller interchangeably.  There doesn’t seem to be a lot of agreement over which is the correct or accepted spelling, so I attempted to use the term that a given list uses when referring to that list.

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Discovering Christian Fiction

Christian Fiction

I have been a Christian and a bookworm for as long as I can remember.  But it was only a few years ago that I discovered and embraced Christian fiction.  I think I knew in the back of my mind that it was out there.  But I thought it was the stuff that sat ignored in those bookstores where you go to buy a nice Bible, or the latest devotional, or a wall hanging featuring a pretty pastoral scene and a Bible verse.  And not the kind of thing you might want to read for enjoyment.

Inspirational Wall Hanging

Inspirational Wall Hanging

I assumed Christian fiction was for the type of Christian who was afraid of regular fiction.  The type of Christian who avoids movie theaters out of principle regardless of what’s showing and who considers dancing a sin worse than sex out of wedlock.  I figured that if I wanted to be edified, I’d read the Bible or a nonfiction Christian book, and if I wanted to be entertained, I’d read whatever fiction was popular in the world at large.

Now that I’m reading more Christian fiction, and writing it, I’m rapidly coming to the conclusion that it suffers from a lot of false assumptions and overgeneralizations.  And that Christians would do well to read more of it, and talk more about what they’re reading.  Allow me to explain.

Some say Christian fiction is too preachy or didactic.  That the stories aren’t stories so much as thinly veiled evangelism.  While I’m sure you could find examples to support that idea, I’ve found that many of the best authors of Christian fiction (and fiction in general) avoid “telling” in favor of “showing.”  When the characters are allowed to make mistakes, face the consequences and learn from them, and when the Christian element arises naturally from the characters and the situations they’re facing, it doesn’t come across as preachy.  It comes across as thought-provoking and discussable.  And in my opinion, that makes for good reading.

Some say Christian fiction is too bland.  That it’s been sanitized and pasteurized until there’s no life left in it.  Let’s just say that some Christian novels are kinder and gentler than others.  Some readers are looking simply for a clean, safe read.  Others want to be challenged by more complicated and potentially controversial themes and ideas.  And there are Christian authors and novels out there appealing to both ends of the spectrum and everywhere in between, with entertaining and enjoyable books.  It might just take a little digging to find the authors and titles that will appeal to any given individual.  But is that surprising?  Even in the general fiction market, not every author appeals to every reader to the same degree.

What I think a lot of Christians don’t realize is just how much Christian fiction is published and how widely varied it is.  Whatever your preferred genre or style of writing, there’s a good chance Christian fiction offers it – romance, mystery, suspense, science fiction, historical, literary.  You name it, chances are, it’s out there.  The problem as I see it, is that most libraries and secular bookstores carry a very limited selection of Christian fiction, and few people take the time to look beyond what’s readily available.  Even Christian bookstores tend to stock only a fraction of what’s out there.  Publishers, bookstores, and libraries try to guess at what will be popular, and supply that kind of book, but it’s an imperfect process.  The good news (or bad news, depending on your perspective) is that what’s readily available is impacted by what sells.

So here’s my suggestion.  If you’re a Christian, who hasn’t read much Christian fiction and are open to trying it, start seeking it out.  Consider reading not just one book by one author, but a wide sampling of it.  Read across sub-genres and across publishing houses.  And when you find a book or an author you love, write reviews and tell your friends.  Chances are, they’ll love it too, and when they buy their copies, sales increase, publishers take note, and more books of that type will be available in the future.  While you’re at it, ask those same friends for recommendations.  Most likely they can recommend some titles you’d love to read too.  And as more Christians read Christian fiction, the publishing industry will discover there really is a market for it, and a greater variety will become more readily available in bookstores and libraries.

In my opinion, it’s worth a little digging to find books you’ll love.  There are a lot of gems out there in the world of Christian fiction just waiting to be discovered.  I’ll be blogging here about some of the books and authors I’m reading as I continue to explore the world of Christian fiction, so consider subscribing to my blog and reading along with me.

Do you have any favorite titles or authors when it comes to Christian fiction?  What is it you like about them?  Please share your comments below, so the rest of us can seek out those books.

Outlining a Novel is Like Planning a Cross-Country Road Trip

For Writers

For any writers out there, and anyone else curious about my writing process, check out today’s guest post on the Writing Irish blog, where I make an extended analogy between outlining a novel and planning a cross-country road trip. I’m the type who would “rather spend a little extra time up front thinking about where I’m going from the comfort of my own home than put in those extra hours lost on the side of the road.”

What about you? Are you more the planner or the spontaneous type?