Christian Shelves

I am really thrilled about the upcoming release of this book by a local-to-me author! In following the journey of this book's publication, I'm glad that I was able to read the first chapter of Saving the Single Dad's Bookstore when it had a different title, and even more excited now to see the final result. For full disclosure, I was on Nicole Lam 's ARC team and received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own. For anyone interested in signing up for the ARC team, it is still available at the following link . Book Synopsis A doubtful owner. A determined employee. Together, can they build a future? After inheriting his late grandfather’s bookstore, Dominic Tang must make a big decision: keep it or sell. But manager Gianna Marchesi insists she can prove he should keep Tang’s Terrific Tomes open if he’ll stay in town for two months. Falling for the charms of the store—and Gianna—comes easy. But when property damage threatens his already-tight budget, w...

In light of today being Reformation Day, I thought I'd share a few books that I have enjoyed about Martin Luther, along with some that I hope to read down the road. 📗  The Ninety-Five Theses and Other Writings by Martin Luther 📗 The Story of Christianity: Volume 2 - The Reformation to the Present Day by Justo L. González 📗 Christianity's Dangerous Idea by Alister McGrath 📗 Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God and Changed the World by Eric Metaxas 📘 Luther and Katharina by Jody Hedlund

If you've been reading my content for a little bit, you'll realize that I really like romance novels, especially those from a Christian worldview. I admit that I don't always share this about myself with others in real life as there is the connotation that romance can be "less than" in terms of literary genres. However, I've been wondering why that is. Is it because romance usually alludes to "light and fluffy" books that don't mean much? Or is it because romance is looked down on as unnecessary to life? Or, with the tides changing in terms of what people read on Bookstagram, do people think that romance novels equate to less than savoury reading? I recognize that there a lot of myths to dispel, so I've been trying to think of why reading romance books is positive instead of negative. I may not widely advertise it to everyone I interact with, but I shouldn't be embarrassed about love, either. So, why do I read romance? 1 John 4:19 is pro...

This is a double ARC week for me, which I am truly grateful for. Many thanks to Erica Dansereau , Britt Howard , Revell Books , and LibraryThing for an exciting week ahead! 📘 Christian fiction: The Bookish Bandit by Erica Dansereau and Britt Howard 📗 Christian non-fiction: The Story of Your Home by Courtney Warren I'm looking forward to diving into these two titles. What's on your Friday list?

What a delight to be able to read a Christian book set in Canada! As soon as I read the synopsis, I knew I would be in for a good prairie story. I should disclose that I actually know of the author, which was even further incentive to read Faces , this wonderful debut novel. Book Synopsis Struggling to survive life in the city during the Great Depression, Abbie McGreggor’s life is turned upside down when tragedy strikes and she is forced to leave behind all she knows to navigate her way through a world full of unfamiliar faces. As Abbie struggles to come to terms with her new reality and rebuild her life, she must confront her own fears and face the truth about all she's lost. The faces are friendly in the country, but will Abbie ever be able to trust them, or herself, again? Faces is a masterful exploration of love, loss, and the power of forgiveness. Expertly crafted characters and evocative setting make this novel a must-read for fans of historical fiction and emotional storytel...

I've finally finished the first book in the #JesusistheLightoftheWorldReadathon! It's not that this book was a tough slog, but more that I didn't time the Readathon very well with some of the ARCs that I've been working through. A late start, but better late than never! I'm glad that I decided to start with a Christian non-fiction title— From Good to Grace: Letting Go of the Goodness Gospel by Christine Hoover —as it really sets the tone for the theme of Jesus being the light of the world this month and beyond. Book Synopsis God is calling you to something greater than good. So many of us feel as if we do not do enough and, in fact, are not enough. We try hard to be good--a good friend, mom, wife, Christian, employee, or ministry leader--hoping for that "atta-girl" from God, some heavenly assertion that we matter. In the process, we find ourselves living by a lesser gospel: the gospel of goodness. It's a gospel without grace, and in the end, it's ...

I have such a soft spot for novellas. In between longer books, they're perfectly-sized stories that I can get into, and depending on how well they're written, read through in almost no time. With Christmas coming up in just a little over two months, I thought that Carolyn Miller 's short story (available for free to newsletter subscribers) would be a great way to get into the Christmas spirit. Book Synopsis Two opposites discover they have more in common than they realize at Christmas... Gloria Wilcox is getting ready to leave her small Wisconsin town and return home for Christmas—and all the family drama there. Her best friend's recent interest in handsome-but-sports-mad Josiah Abrahams doesn't bother her. At all. But when time spent together proves that Josiah is much nicer than she's always assumed, Gloria has to protect her own heart, as well as her friend's. Besides, everyone knows that opposites can attract, but whether they can last is another story. ...

Have you ever wondered about the theological background of authors? I am sometimes curious, especially if there are things that pop up in their books that make me pay attention (either positively or negatively). What I've found is that it's not always easy to find out. Some authors will openly share what church or denomination they belong to, whereas others don't seem to mention it—which for privacy concerns, I completely understand. In terms of how important this information may be for readers, or not at all for some, it does make me think about the role that this could play when deciding which books to read and buy. On the one hand, I think not specifically knowing which theological stream an author comes from but still being aware that they fall within the broader evangelical umbrella is fine with me. There's so much to learn as believers and I wouldn't want to be limited to only simply what I know. On the other hand, not knowing much beyond "Christian"...

How does Friday come around so fast? I always feel like I'm catching up to the previous week's books!  Thankfully, one of the books that I hope to read this week is part of the #JesusistheLightoftheWorldReadathon, which I'm slowly making my way through. I likely bit off more than I can chew, but I am still thankful for the reading prompts as it'll keep me going for a while. 📘 Christian fiction: Across the China Sky by C. Hope Flinchbaugh 📗 Christian non-fiction: No Greater Love by A.W. Tozer Happy Friday!

One of the contemporary Christian fiction books I've enjoyed returning to again and again is Off the Record by Elizabeth White, who also publishes books as  Beth White . Off the Record is part of the Kincaid Family Series , and introduces us to Laurel Kincade and Cole McGaughan where secrets and political intrigue imbue their story in Alabama. Book Synopsis Ambition is on a collision course with a secret from the past... Judge Laurel Kincade has it all---brains, beauty, and an aristocratic Old South family to back her up. A political rising star, she's ready to announce her candidacy for chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court. Journalist Cole McGaughan has ambitions too. Working as a religion writer for the New York Daily Journal, he longs to become a political reporter. Then his old friend Matt Hogan, a private investigator, calls with a tip. The lovely young judge may be hiding a secret that could derail her campaign. Would Cole like to be the one to break the story? Co...

Continuing on with the greatest hits tour I've started for this month, Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes  by E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O'Brien is a book that I highly recommend to Christians based on a topic that we don't always think about when reading the Bible—the cultural lens that we wear, especially as Westerners. Please note that the authors do provide a bit of a caveat to the term "Western" at the beginning of the book. In recognizing how problematic it can be to oversimplify and broadly categorize general beliefs, they have taken the time to explain their rationale and how readers can see themselves within this description. They acknowledge the limitations of such constraints, while also detailing how these labels can help us to standardize language, ideology, and illustrations. Book Synopsis What was clear to the original readers of Scripture is not always clear to us. Because of the cultural distance between the biblical world and our con...

After reading through the Heroes of Freedom Ridge series (still two-thirds to go!), am I ever glad that there's a spin-off series, Christmas in Redemption Ridge , with the amazingly talented authors I've already encountered. I was even more excited that I got to read a Liwen Y. Ho book in advance of her release date as I pretty much binge read almost all of her books earlier this year and was waiting for the next one to come out ( Remembering the Rancher is book #41 for me!). For full disclosure, I was on Liwen's ARC team and received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own. Book Synopsis Will her forgotten memories of the past be the key to healing their future? Annabella Knight would be the first to admit that her marriage has been on the rocks for a while, but she never expected to be served divorce papers at work. Already feeling like a disappointment to God and to her family, there’s plenty that she would like to change about her past. But for now...

Leading into the Christmas season, I start thinking about devotional books that I might be interested in reading. I've realized in recent years how much more difficult it's becoming. If you think about it, devotionals are books that you generally commit to reading daily, and unless you go for some that are shorter than 365 days, like the monthly ones, you're pretty much using the same book all year. It's interesting that devotional books are something that my husband and I both grew up with separately, but which we enjoy as part of our Bible reading and quiet time routine. It has actually been a fun gift to get him in past years, although I find that I'm getting more stumped as the years go by. There have been years where we've reread past devotional books or traded them with each other, so we do try to make the most use of what we have. I wonder what types of criteria people use as they determine what devotional book to go through. For myself, I know of a few t...

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. For those who have suffered the loss of a baby and are grieving, here are a few resources that may be of interest, particularly around miscarriage: 📗 What Was Lost: A Christian Journey through Miscarriage by Elise Erikson Barrett 📗 Grace Like Scarlett: Grieving with Hope after Miscarriage and Loss by Adriel Booker 📗 Unexpecting: Real Talk on Pregnancy Loss by Rachel Lewis 📗 Hannah's Hope: Seeking God's Heart in the Midst of Infertility, Miscarriage, and Adoption Loss by Jennifer Saake 📗 Grieving the Child I Never Knew: A Devotional for Comfort in the Loss of Your Unborn or Newly Born Child by Kathe Wunnenberg Other titles not depicted: 📗 Our Hope for Isabelle: Grieving with Joy and Hope for Eternity through Infant Loss by Taylor Bloomquist and Elizabeth Bloomquist 📗 Empty Arms: Hope and Support for Those Who Have Suffered a Miscarriage, Stillbirth, or Tubal Pregnancy by Pam Vredevelt 📗 Held: 31 Biblical Reflection...

Since I'm not making a ton of traction into the #JesusistheLightoftheWorldReadathon just yet, I thought I'd have a lighter week with a Christmas story. This is what I have on the go: 📘 Christian fiction:  Originally Yours  by  Carolyn Miller 📗 Christian non-fiction:  Why Does It Have to Hurt? by Dan G. McCartney With the weather slightly changing, it's nice to enjoy some Christmas stories. This one is free if you sign up for Carolyn's newsletters!

One of the things I've most enjoyed about being part of the Bookstagram community on Instagram has been meeting new authors. Ivy Emerson is an author that I've had the pleasure of getting to know these past few months, and I'm honoured that I was able to read her debut novel, Kayak Girl . This book kicks off the Hilton Head Island series , with more to come! For full disclosure, I was on Ivy's ARC team and became a beta reader for this book; however, my opinions were formed in my first reading of the book as an ARC team member who received a free copy of this book. All opinions are my own. Book Synopsis Sometimes, the river of life pulls us in unexpected directions... Overwhelmed by life’s responsibilities, Elle Knight decides to trade her teaching job for a yearlong coastal adventure. She dreams of endless hours in her beloved kayak, marine-life marvels, and the simple joy of van life. However, her grand journey takes an unplanned detour when she finds herself temporar...

Since I'm on the theme of my favourite books, I wanted to share one of the best prayer guides I've had the blessing of encountering, which is Operation World . Please note that the 7th edition was last updated in 2012; however, it is part of the Operation World Resources list which contains more recent titles, including ones that are helpful for families. Book Synopsis Operation World , the definitive global prayer handbook, has been used by more than a million Christians to pray for the nations. Now in its 7th edition, it has been completely updated and revised by Jason Mandryk with a team of missionaries and researchers, and it covers the entire populated world. Included in this updated and revised 7th edition: All the countries of the world Featured maps of each country Geographic information People groups within each country Economic information Political information Religious make-up of each country Daily Prayer Calendar Answers to prayer Challenges for prayer Whether you...

Continuing with my list of favourites, a recent favourite Christian fiction book for me has been When the Day Comes , the first book in the Timeless series by Gabrielle Meyer . Book Synopsis How will she choose, knowing all she must sacrifice? Libby has been given a powerful gift: to live one life in 1774 Colonial Williamsburg and the other in 1914 Gilded Age New York City. When she falls asleep in one life, she wakes up in the other. While she's the same person at her core in both times, she's leading two vastly different lives. In Colonial Williamsburg, Libby is a public printer for the House of Burgesses and the Royal Governor, trying to provide for her family and support the Patriot cause. The man she loves, Henry Montgomery, has his own secrets. As the revolution draws near, both their lives--and any hope of love--are put in jeopardy. Libby's life in 1914 New York is filled with wealth, drawing room conversations, and bachelors. But the only work she cares about--wome...

After celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving, I thought I would share my appreciation for some of the authors whose books have been a source of inspiration, hope, knowledge, and delight over the months, years, or in some cases, decades. The concept of having certain authors on auto-buy because all of their previous books have been just that stellar has been helpful to me as a reader as I am already familiar with them. Plus, it makes it incredibly easy to know which books to add to the wishlist! Here are the auto-buy authors that are on my fiction list (so far!): Historical Kate Breslin : I own all of her books, but have not yet read them all Kristy Cambron : I own all of her books, but have not yet read them all Elizabeth Camden : I have read all of her books, but don't own them all Jennifer Delamere : I have read some of her books and own most of them Kristi Ann Hunter : I have read all of her books and own them all Julie Klassen : I have read most of her books and own most of them Con...

This week has just flown by! With Canadian Thanksgiving coming up, it'll be a full weekend, but I'm hoping to get in some reading where I can. This is what I have on the go for this week: 📘 Christian fiction: Remembering the Rancher  by Liwen Y. Ho 📗 Christian non-fiction: Mixed Blessing by Chandra Crane Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving!

In continuing my favourites list, I would be truly remiss if I did not mention A Noble Masquerade , the first book in the Hawthorne House series , by Kristi Ann Hunter . I also can't believe that this book has been out for eight years now; has it really been that long since I first read it?! Book Synopsis Lady Miranda Hawthorne acts every inch the lady, but inside she longs to be bold and carefree. Entering her fourth Season and approaching spinsterhood in the eyes of society, she pours her innermost feelings out not in a diary but in letters to her brother's old school friend, a duke--with no intention of ever sending these private thoughts to a man she's heard stories about but never met. Meanwhile, she also finds herself intrigued by Marlow, her brother's new valet, and although she may wish to break free of the strictures that bind her, falling in love with a servant is more of a rebellion than she planned. When Marlow accidentally discovers and mails one of the let...

If you were to ask me what my favourite Christian non-fiction book is (outside of the Bible), I would hands down pick Perspectives on the World Christian Movement . Comprised of shorter essays and excerpts from seminal missiologists around the world, this classic book is the textbook for the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement course, offered by Perspectives USA . I had the blessing of taking this course when I was in college, and it completely changed my life. Book Synopsis Perspectives on the World Christian Movement presents a multi-faceted collection of readings exploring the biblical, historical, cultural, and strategic dimensions of world evangelization. Writings from more than 150 mission scholars and practitioners (over 60 of them new to this edition) portray the history and anticipate the potential of the global Christian movement. Every one of the 170 articles and side bars offers practical wisdom enabling Christians to labor together in bold, biblical hope to finish...

This is a disclaimer that although I categorize this book as being under Christian fiction (for the purposes of organizing my reviews), this book is not  being marketed as Christian fiction, so expectations should be set accordingly. This is more of a crossover title that fits the genre of what the author terms "pop culture-infused rom coms." That being said, while this book does not reference faith either explicitly or implicitly (faith is on the whole absent in this book), it does fit the bill for those looking for a fun and clean read. As such, I will be reviewing it strictly as a rom com. Many thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a complimentary copy of Brynn and Sebastian Hate Each Other  (aka BASHEO) by Bethany Turner for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Book Synopsis She’s a sunny morning-show host. He’s a cynical ex-reporter. They're destined to hate each other . . . Aren’t they? Brynn Cornell has to be stuck in a nightmare. Just la...

Today is the day! Please join me as I embark on the Jesus is the Light of the World Readathon and Christian Readathon for October 2023  on Instagram . 📖 John 8:12 - Jesus is the Light of the World 📄 Purpose: Read Christian books by Christian authors in October 🗓 Readathon Dates: Thursday, October 5, 2023 - Friday, October 20, 2023 (I'll probably need the whole month, and more!) 🕯 Why this readathon at this time? Because the darkness that seems to invade us in real life and online during the month of October intensifies. Just as God was the light that led the Israelites when they were lost in the wilderness, Jesus lights our way through every shadow and bit of darkness. These are the Readathon Prompts: 📙 Shining Faithfulness - A book that explores the journey of finding faith or cultivating faith in Jesus From Good to Grace by Christine Hoover 📙 Radiant Characters - A book with inspiring characters who live out their Christian faith. Across the China Sky by C. Hope Flinch...

If you've been following this blog for a little bit, you'll realize that I love bringing attention to Asian Christian authors. This mostly stems from being an Asian Christian myself, and celebrating that there seems to be more Christian authors now who are Asian than I have noticed in years past. Why does representation matter so much to me? When I first became a Christian, I feared that being Chinese would be a hindrance to being a disciple of Jesus Christ, especially coming from a non-Christian background. It may sound silly, but I was genuinely concerned about how to grow in my walk with God because I did not see a lot of Christian books at the time address the topic of reconciling Chinese or Asian identity and its cultural traditions with following Jesus (and avoiding the trap of syncretism that I initially and mistakenly fell into). I've since written one of my theses on how our ethnicity affects our faith, but at the time, I had so many questions as a young Christian....