So, yeah, I’m a big fan of Christian fiction and of audiobooks. Combine that with my librarian-ish tendencies to try to pair books and people, and you get a post kind of like this one….
For readers of Christian fiction who love audiobooks, or simply want to give them a try, here’s an overview of Christian fiction titles coming to audiobook this fall. I’ve organized the discussion by subgenre, to hopefully help you find some titles to suit your taste. And if you do find something you like in this post, please take a moment at the end to leave a comment and let me know. Oh, and I’ve got a question for you at the end, on your feelings regarding audiobooks. I hope you’ll stick around and share your thoughts!
Amish / Mennonite
For fans of Amish and Mennonite fiction, there are quite a few options this season, including releases by a number of popular authors, and a few titles featuring Christmas themes in preparation for the holidays. Beverly Lewis’s The River and Cindy Woodsmall’s A Love Undone are sure to be popular choices. If you’ve been following Leslie Gould’s The Courtships of Lancaster County series, you’ll be happy to know that the fourth book, Becoming Bea is available this fall. Looking to start a new series? Check out Kim Vogel Sawyer’s When Mercy Rains, Book 1 in The Zimmerman Restoration Trilogy. And when you’re ready to get into the Christmas spirit, look for Christmas at Rose Hill Farm by Suzanne Woods Fisher or An Amish Second Christmas, a collection featuring four romances by Beth Wiseman, Kathleen Fuller, Ruth Reid, and Tricia Goyer.
Biblical
Those readers/listeners wanting to immerse themselves in stories set during Biblical time periods have some great options to choose from. Keepers of the Covenant continues the Restoration Chronicles series Lynn Austin began with Return to Me, exploring the Old Testament books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Oasis Audio is releasing audio editions of popular and award-winning Biblical fiction titles from Tessa Afshar including Harvest of Rubies and Harvest of Gold, both set during the time of the prophet Nehemiah. And if you’re looking for a story set during New Testament times, look no further than A.D. 30, the start of a new series from bestselling author Ted Dekker.
Christmas
What better way to get into the Christmas spirit than with some seasonally inspired holiday audiobooks! I already mentioned a couple of Amish Christmas themed titles with the other Amish titles, but for fans of romantic suspense and/or short story collections there’s more Christmas loveliness to be had right here. Fans of romantic suspense will want to start their holiday season with Colleen Coble’s new releases, All is Calm: a Lonestar Christmas novella and Silent Night, Holy Night, a collection featuring characters from two of the author’s series. Can’t get enough Christmas themed stories? Check out Robert J Morgan’s, 12 Stories of Christmas.
Contemporary Romance
Readers (listeners?) of contemporary romance will find a lot of options from Zondervan and Brilliance Audio this season, thanks in large part to the Year of Weddings Novella series. Titles releasing this fall include A September Bride by Kathryn Springer, An October Bride by Katie Ganshert, A November Bride by Beth Vogt, Love at Mistletoe Inn: A December Wedding Story by Cindy Kirk, and Winter Brides, a collection featuring novellas by Deborah Raney, Betsy St. Amant, and Denise Hunter.
Contemporary Fiction
Want more contemporary novels? The Promise by Beth Wiseman is a real discussion starter, taking place partly in Pakistan. And fans of Jan Karon’s Mitford series, will find the tenth installment available this fall, entitled Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good.
Fantasy
I could only find one speculative fiction title releasing in audiobook this fall, but it sounds like an interesting one. Fans of Stephen R Lawhead’s Bright Empires fantasy series can get the audio edition of book five, The Fatal Tree, beginning in November.
Historical Romance
If you like Western-themed historical romances with humor, there’s not one but TWO new series starting out with audio editions to look into. Mary Connealy’s Tried and True starts out her Wild at Heart series, and Trails & Targets serves as book one in Kelly Eileen Hake’s new Dangerous Darlyns series. For fans of Regency romance and those following Sarah E Ladd’s Whispers on the Moors series, Book 3, A Lady at Willowgrove Hall is among those releasing this fall. Rounding out the historical romance category, To Everything a Season starts off a new series by Lauraine Snelling, set in Red River Valley.
Suspense & Romantic Suspense
For romantic suspense, check out Irene Hannon’s Deceived, the third book in her Private Justice series, or one of the titles by Colleen Coble listed under the Christmas category, above. For more suspenseful reads (listens?) consider Motherless by Erin Healy, In the Heart of the Dark Wood by Billy Coffey, or, for a story set on a Greek island with a secret, try The Patmos Deception by Davis Bunn.
So tell me, do you consider yourself an audiobook listener? Or more a fan of ebooks or print books? Does it depend on the book, availability, the narrator, price, your schedule, or other factors?
Not sure how you feel about audiobooks or wondering how I feel about them? Or just not sure where you can find a copy of one that interests you? Check out my earlier post, “The Joy of Audiobooks.”