Friday Reads

A new month and a long weekend, to boot! Here's what I'll be diving into:

📘 Christian fiction: Facade by Pepper Basham
📗 Christian non-fiction: Leading in Tough Times by John C. Maxwell

I didn't purposely match these titles together based on the themes; however, that might be an idea worth exploring. While my Christian fiction titles are the books most on display in my home library, I have many Christian non-fiction titles all throughout the house (much to the chagrin of my husband in that the books are everywhere, not that they're Christian books 😄). That might be a fun adventure....

I actually read Facade on Kindle Unlimited a while back, but I recall it being so good that I wanted to get a paper copy and read it again to refresh my memory. Pepper's writing is just that amazing!

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Review: Movie-Made Romance: Christmas in Garland Collection #4

For anyone who has played bingo along with Christmas Romance movies, it's clear that there are definite (and repeated) themes. Movie-Made Romance by A.M. Heath plays on that idea, bringing a story within a story to life. Book Synopsis He wants a second chance. She wants him to get lost. Carleigh St. John is tired of watching everyone else get their happily-ever-after, and her little sister’s engagement is the last straw. Stewing down the overused plot lines from Christmas Romance movies, Carleigh creates a dating playbook. With a marathon of Christmas dates ranging from picking out a tree with her first crush to volunteering with her grumpy co-worker, she’s bound to find her perfect movie-made ending. … If only her ex will stay out of the way. Joshua Price has spent the last four years trying to outrun his past and the ex-fiancé he had hurt, but now he is back home. As he strives to help his grandfather, he keeps bumping into Carleigh. The pull between them is undeniable, and Jos...

Double Takes

Continuing on the theme of books that can be labourious to get through, I've been coming across more and more content in Christian fiction that has me scratching my head, though they don't necessarily always affect the rating of the book (unless they're all piled on egregiously or something, but that hasn't happened yet). To be honest, a double take is usually the extent of what I give these mentions, but I do find it interesting that there is a bit of a shift in what can be included in Christian fiction nowadays. There are just a few of the ones that have stood out to me over the past while, though I'm sure there could be more added to the list as well. Luck/chance . I have caught myself in the past wishing someone "good luck" even though I don't believe in it, so I've tried to shift to saying things like, "all the best" or "I'll be thinking of you," even if it's a little longer or more awkward to say. All that to say, ...

Christian Book Review Programs

Over time, I've been on the hunt for Christian book review programs that readers can join. As a result, I've been able to compile the following list which may be of interest if you are seeking review copies of Christian books. This list mostly applies to print and ebooks, although some publishers offer audiobooks as well. If further information is available for any of the publishers below (or any missing publishers), please let me know as I am happy to update this list—thank you! Please note that you can also search for these publishers on NetGalley and other review sites in case there are no review programs available or you don't qualify for one 😊 Christian Publishers B&H Publishing Group Previously offered the B&H/Lifeway Blogger program which has since closed Availability: Professors and instructors Link: B&H Academic Book Requests Baker Publishing Group Availability: U.S. and Canadian residents Genre: Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction Imprints: Bet...