Welcome to the May 2015 edition of the Christian Fiction Book Club Connection. Thanks for stopping by. Whether you’re a pastor or ministry leader thinking of forming a book discussion group at your church, a current member of a book club, or simply a fan of Christian fiction hoping to connect with other readers, you’re in the right place!
This month’s post includes a featured book that I think is well suited to discussion, as well as links to upcoming online discussions. Then I’ll wrap up the post with a discussion question I’d like YOU to chime in on.
Featured Read
Author: Jessica Dotta
Publisher: Tyndale House
Publication Date: August 2013
Genre(s): Historical, Inspirational
Series: Price of Privilege, Book 1
This is the first in a series I just finished reading (actually listening to in audio format). With its complicated characters and surprising plot twists, it’s the kind of book that when you finish reading, you want to talk about it. That and read the rest of the series, which tells the rest of Julia’s tale. If your book group enjoys discussing historical fiction, this series could be just the thing.
Quick Links: About the Book | My Review | Goodreads | Author’s Web Site
Online Discussions
The ACFW Book Club‘s May selection is Lizzy & Jane by Katherine Reay, with discussion scheduled for May 25-30. You can subscribe to the group’s e-mail list now, by following the instructions on their Web site, to be sure not to miss any announcements or discussion questions.
For May, the Christian Fiction Devourers group on Goodreads is discussing Deceived by Irene Hannon AND Secrets by Kristen Heitzmann. Grab your copies and head on over to the discussion forum to check in with others who are in the midst of reading these books.
The Fans of Christian Romance Goodreads group is reading The Cowboy Takes a Wife by Davalynn Spencer for its May discussion.
For fans of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, Jamie of the Books and Beverages blog hosts a monthly Inklings discussion series. Sometimes fiction, sometimes non-fiction, the title for the month of May is If I Had Lunch with C.S. Lewis by Alister McGrath. Discussion is scheduled to begin on May 20.
The #HedlundChallenge2015 features discussion of one of author Jody Hedlund’s historical fiction novels each month. The discussion is hosted in alternating months by Jamie of Books and Beverages and Cassie of Bookshelves and Windows. For May, participants will be discussing Out of the Storm and Love Unexpected at Cassie’s blog beginning May 26 (discussion details here and here). I reviewed both these titles recently over at the Edgy Inspirational Romance blog. Looking forward to discussing them!
Let’s Chat!
This is only marginally book related, but…. With springtime here, I’ve been spending a lot of time out in the garden lately, weeding, planting, etc., and thought it might be fun to talk about our hobbies other than reading. So… Have any of your favorite hobbies been featured in books that you’ve enjoyed reading?
Some of my favorite hobbies besides reading and writing include gardening and photography. For gardening, the book that comes to mind was one of my favorites as a young girl – Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden. Photography brings to mind a book I’ve read more recently – A Broken Kind of Beautiful by Katie Ganshert.
What about you? Hobbies? Books featuring hobbies? Please feel free to share, even if you can’t think of a book to go with your favorite hobby. Who knows. Maybe someone else will think of one you’ll want to read! I know I’d love to hear if anyone knows of any other good books featuring my favorite hobbies. 