10 Books to Expand Your Christian Book Library

 

If you're like me, you love to read... like, a lot. If it's a good book, you want to know about it. Your tastes in books may vary and you might like to read from different genres, as do I, but today, I'm going to give you a list of my favorite Christian Fiction books.

1. If you are new to reading or looking for something more attuned to Young Adult fiction, Grace Livingston Hill is a good place to start. I've not read all of her books, but I've received many for Christmases and birthdays and I've enjoyed reading them. Some are romantic and some tell the story about how someone came to God. They can start out slow, but I haven't read one that I haven't enjoyed.

    2.  I like to read romance novels. I started out reading what my family calls "smut" books, but I've found that in my old age of 30 and having kids, I now prefer to read romance of the Christian sort. I was introduced to Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers my Freshman year of college. Everyone on my floor seemed to be reading it and I wasn't disappointed.

    Redeeming Love is kind of a twist from the Biblical tale of Hosea. God told Hosea to marry a prostitute, which in itself was a weird thing to tell a man to do, but Hosea did it anyways. His wife was always running away, but he would always take her back. When you read this book, you will see the correlation. It will make you angry and happy whenever you read it.



    3.   The Taste of Good Fruit by Marita Teague- This book really surprised me. I was given this book from my mother-in-law so it was one that I might not have bought for myself and I'm glad that I read it. This book tells the separate stories of three women. Two of them are sisters and one is their best friend. Each one has experienced God in their own way. The sisters grew up as the children of a pastor. One of them is always involved in church, the other one thinks it's a waste of time. The friend grew up in a home that was definitely not idea and married a man who didn't believe in God. You will enjoy reading as they experience God's love in a way that they couldn't have ever imagined.





4.  Blue by Danielle Steel- Ok, when I think of Danielle Steel, I don't think about Christian reading, but this book is different from some of her other books. In Blue, a woman meets a young man named Blue. Together, the give each other hope and family as they both overcome different obstacles like being the only survivor in her family after a car accident and Blue being molested by a priest. At times, it was difficult to read, but I was hooked on it and finished reading it as fast as I could.




    5.   When the Heart Cries by Cindy Woodsmall- If you are interested in the Amish, this is a must read. I was curious, sad, happy, and angry a lot of the time reading this book, but I was hooked on reading it. This book comes in a series and each book leaves you wondering "Why did she end it this way" and demands that you buy the next book just to see how it all turns out.




    6. The Yellow Packard by Ace Collins- This is another book that I probably wouldn't have picked out for myself, but when my mom read it for the church's book club and suggested I read it, I did. It was awesome! It was suspenseful and had you solving the mystery. This book was much different than the romance novels that I was used to and it left me glad to read it, again. The beginning is very slow, but it involves murder, a kidnapping, and so much more.




    7.    Sweet By and By by Sara Evans- As if it wasn't enough for her to be an awesome Country singer, Sara Evans is also an excellent author. There isn't much that I can say about this book without giving things away, but this book is about a couple who were about ready to get married when something unexpected happens to make the piece of cake wedding more frustrating.



    8.   Love Remains by Kaye Dacus- This story is a romance novel. It's about a man and woman who were sweethearts many years ago, but the father forbids their relationship. Years later, they come back together with their hurts and try to understand what went wrong.



    9. The Sisters of Bethlehem Springs by Robin Lee Hatcher. This is a series of sisters and their stories. The first book is A Vote of Confidence. It's about a woman in her 30s who is disappointed with the candidate for mayor and decides to run for mayor herself in a time when it was unheard of for a woman to partake in politics.




10. I'm going to combine these two. If you are looking for a book with short romance stories, I received two of these for Christmas. Most of the stories inside each of them were really good, although one or two of them I probably could have done without. This makes a good gift or is great when you are low on time, but want to read something. They are The Christmas Bride Collection- which has 9 different stories and The Farmer's Daughter Collection with 5 stories.






    What are your favorite Christian books? I am always looking for something new to read!

    If you like what you read, please share with a friend!