Great Reads Part 2

A Continuation to my post:  Great Reads

I read a ton of Christian Fiction either contemporary or historical. I love the historical because even though it's still fiction it has some biblical truth.. it's just 'embellished' truth. What I like about historical fiction the most is that it gives me a better idea and understanding of what could have happened during Bible times. You can say it brings the bible to life for me. And since I am a visual learner, it helps me remember the bible better.

So here are my recommendations:

Francine Rivers: I have read all 22 of her books.
I met her in person in 2004 at a MOPs event. She was our guest speaker. I remember running out to the bookstore to buy one of her books to have her sign. I didn't know which book to buy because, honestly, at that time I didn't read any of them. My friend told me to get Redeeming Love. That's one of her popular ones. So that's what I did. After she signed it, I read it. And I was hooked. I LOVED that book! It is one of my favorites. 

She signed it "Romans 8:28 Francine Rivers"

After Redeeming Love, I highly recommend The Mark of the Lion Trilogy: A Voice in the Wind, An Echo in the Darkness and As Sure As the Dawn. This series is about faith, redemption and sacrifice.

Francine is able to take Biblical characters, explores their characters and places them into a context that is relevant to us today. She does extensive research into that time period so that the stories can be as historically accurate as possible.

The Last Sin Eater and The Scarlett Thread are two of my contemporary fiction favorites by her. Both are powerfully convicting.

Angela Hunt: I've read all but two of the 25 books she has written.
She mainly writes contemporary fiction but my favorites were her historical fiction trilogy: Legacies of the Ancient River: Dreamers (Bk 1), Brothers (Bk 2) and Journey (Bk 3). This trilogy focuses on the life of Joseph as a slave (Dreamers); as Pharaoh's right hand man (Brothers) and the life of his two sons (Journey). A captivating story and makes me appreciate God's word even more.

Her contemporary fiction is great. She wrote The Note which was made into a TV movie. But I really enjoyed The Truth Teller: a story about a boy who could sense who was telling the truth and who wasn't. Is it a gift? Or a curse? Hummm....

Charles Martin is my next favorite christian author. I read all of his seven books.
His writing is very similar to Nicholas Sparks.  One of my favorites is When Crickets Cry: a story about a little girl needing a new heart and miracles.

Robert Whitlow is, I think, a Christian John Grisham. I read nine of the eleven books he has written. The List is an awesome thriller. His books' usually incorporate attorneys, issues of right and wrong, a mystery and a twist.

A new author I've just found is Kristen Heitzmann. She writes similar to Angela Hunt. I've read nine out of the ten books she has written. Her stories have love, intrigue and usually a mystery to be solved.  Halos had very unique characters with lots of history to them. Makes a great story with their hidden backgrounds.

Actually all the writers above usually have a twist in the their stories which is what makes it such a great read! You can't put it down when you start.