Suggestions?

I've read Christian fiction over the past few years, but not as much lately. I picked up two books at the library today and I'm looking forward to reading them: At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon and A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers. Can anyone comment on either of these books or authors?

It seems like the Christian fiction shelves in bookstores are mostly full of romance stuff, especially historical romance stuff, and I'm not into that, but there are 2 authors of Christian fiction that I like very, very much: Kay Arthur (who's probably better known for her nonfiction and work editting the Inductive Study Bible) and my very favorite, Randy Singer, (who I believe is also an attorney), who writes suspense thrillers and legal fiction and some other stuff.

I think his latest book is probably False Witness(2007) and from what I've read of it, it's really good. He wrote a unique pair of books a year or 2 ago that kind of go together, one is fiction, one nonfiction (apologetics): The Cross Examination of Jesus Christ and The Cross Examination of Oliver Finney. One of his most well-known books is Directed Verdict, and I've also read his The Judge Who Stole Christmas: A Novel. I don't usually buy fiction, and since Singer is so popular, I can usually find his books in the library (which is why they don't show up in my catalog).

Thanks, Runner! I don't care much for romance either. I'll take a look at the fiction and non-fiction you suggested.

A really good Christian fiction writer is Lisa Samson. She has won the Christie award for one of her books. She has a blog called "Author Intrusion" which you can find on Google, and some of her good books are Quaker Summer, Club Sandwich, The Church Ladies. She has quirky characters I really enjoy.

One of my favorite Christian Fiction writers is Dee Henderson. Her books do you have a romance in them but there is always a lot of action and suspense. I gave the books to one of my co-workers and she read all 7 of the O'Malley books in about 4 days because she couldn't put them down. The other awesome thing about the O'Malley books is that each of them deal with salvation a little differently--I mean each main character has a specific reason from their past which creates a problem for them accepting God and through out the book they are shown God's true attributes. Very good books.

1Francine Rivers, but I absolutely adore Jan Karon's Father Tim series (At Home in Mitford et al.) These books are good, clean, quiet fun.

Francine Rivers' Redeeming Love is one of the best novels written. It is also a benchmark for a new kind of Christian writing.

I'm Dee Stewart, a Christy Book Awards judge and host of Christian Fiction Blog. You are invited to stop be anytime to discuss these books and to fellowship with some of the most current authors on the bookstore shelves.

Other suggestions:
Cindy Woodsmall, Lisa Samson, Angela Hunt, Claudia Burney and Ginger Garrett to name a few. You can view my profile to get to my site.

Have you used John Mort's Christian Fiction that's published by Libraries Unlimited? I was emailed a sale notice on it and am considering purchasing it. I'm familiar with his reviews and other LU titles, but haven't seen this yet ..and it was published in 2002. Reviews on it are better than okay. What's your opinion?

I absolutely love Francine Rivers. I think I own close to every one of her books. (still entering books in my catalog-most are packed....) Her books always make you think and grow as a Christian. A Voice in the Wind is part of a three-book series. I highly recommend all three.

Jan Karon's books are great also. I have the entire series and the cookbook. (again, not in my catalog yet) What's great about reading her series now is that you can read all of them at once!!! Wish I lived in Mitford.

I'm a guy and I like Francine Rivers. A very talented author. My wife and I have listened to a lot of the Jan Karon books on CD while driving, and really enjoyed them.

Sounds like many are ready for something other than romance in the Christian area. Let me offer a Christian mystery, OVER MY DEAD BODY. It is the second Father Frank mystery, following the first Father Frank mystery CLEANSED BY FIRE. These are genuine mysteries. Okay, there is a little romance in this second in the series, but clearly solving a murder is the main plot. Now, you might say I'm prejudiced since I am the author. But, if you'll look at the reviews, you'll see these are quality books. OVER MY DEAD BODY released only a few days ago and already has garnered a number of 5-star reviews.

I highly recommend any fiction by Bill Myers. I've recently concluded Threshold, second book in his Fire of Heaven trilogy. The first book is Blood of Heaven. Both are very well written thrillers with excellent characterizations. The first two books are stand alone, but the third, Fire of Heaven, combines characters from both books and an End Times element. So good.