Revisiting my reviews of some Christy Award nominees!

I'm delighted to see that some of the books I've reviewed on this blog, as well as a couple of others but I read but didn't review, have been nominated for Christy Awards.

What are Christy Awards, you might ask? Named for Catherine Marshall's classic, "Christy," the awards are given each year to honor and promote excellence in Christian fiction.

The awards will be presented July 16th in Orlando.

Check out my reviews of four of the nominees (click on the title to go to my review):

Nominated in the category CONTEMPORARY SERIES, SEQUELS, AND NOVELLAS:

Dancing on Glass, by Pamela Binning Ewen

Nominated in the categories CONTEMPORARY STANDALONE and FIRST NOVEL:

Words, by Ginny Yttrup

Nominated in the category HISTORICAL ROMANCE:

The Maid of Fairbourne Hall, by Julie Klassen

To Die For, by Sandra Byrd

Nominated in the category YOUNG ADULT:

Waterfall, by Lisa T. Bergren

Although I never reviewed it, I also blogged about (and highly recommend) Mine is the Night, by Liz Curtis Higgs, nominated in the HISTORICAL category.

And I read and really enjoyed My Foolish Heart, by Susan May Warren, nominated in the CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE category.

You can find the complete list of nominees here.

Congratulations to all the nominees!

Booking Through Thursday: What Book Were You Excited to Read?

I'm participating today in Booking Through Thursday. Here are the questions:

What’s the last book you were really EXCITED to read?
And, were you excited about it in advance? Or did the excitement bloom while you were reading it?
Are there any books you’re excited about right NOW?

OK, I know this sounds very convenient, but I was actually really excited to read the book I'm reading now--Liz Curtis Higgs' Mine is the Night.

I had read the first book in the series, which is a re-telling of the biblical Naomi and Ruth story, but set in 18th-century Scotland. (This is a device Higgs used masterfully in her Lowlands of Scotland series, which was a re-imagining of the Jacob/Rachel/Leah story.)

Since I know what happens in the Naomi and Ruth story, I have a pretty good idea of how things are going to turn out, but I was excited to get my hands on this book and see how Higgs envisions it.

I ended up winning four books in a blog give-away, and when a couple of the books weren't available in the US, I was told I could have any book on Amazon.com--so "Mine is the Night" is now mine!

Better than I even expected


I have to say, my excitement has blossomed as I read the book. Truthfully, I'm having a hard time putting it down. I'm supposed to be getting ready for a long road trip right now, and I find myself continually returning to this book!

There's something about the way Liz Curtis Higgs writes. The way she turns a phrase, her descriptions, her characters, everything, is just lovely, evocative and compelling. I've truly loved everything she's written, and I have read every piece of fiction that she's written thus far.

What am I excited about reading next?

A few on my to-read list that I can't wait to get my hands on:

Minding Frankie, by Maeve Binchy
When Sparrows Fall, by Meg Moseley
Nightmare, by Robin Parrish
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Teaser Tuesday: Mine Is The Night

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Elizabeth pushed a stray pin into the cushion. "Had you been with me in January when I lost my husband, all the handkerchiefs in your linen closet would not have dried my tears."

I'm reading Mine is the Night, by the wonderful Liz Curtis Higgs!

WWW Wednesdays: What's in your book stack?

I'm participating today in WWW Wednesdays, hosted by Should Be Reading. It's simple:

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading: Murder on the Cliffs, by Joanna Challis







Just Read: The Irish Princess, by Karen Harper

Here's what I wrote about The Irish Princess on Goodreads.com:

This book no doubt deserves more stars than I gave it. It's really a well-written book. It's just that I was distracted during the reading of it, and I never felt like I gave it my full attention. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, especially Tudor history, and the main character is very appealing.

After reading some books that simply would not let me go, this book was one that was comparatively easy for me to neglect. But that doesn't mean it wouldn't be extremely enjoyable for someone else.

What I'll Read Next:

Something off my to-read list, depending on library availability!

I'm hoping to read either Julie Klassen's The Girl in the Gatehouse, Flora Thompson's
Lark Rise to Candleford, Mine is the Night by Liz Curtis Higgs, and/or Bellwether, by Connie Willis.

Click on the icon to participate in WWW Wednesdays:

Book trailer for Liz Curtis Higgs' Mine is the Night

One of my very favorite authors is Liz Curtis Higgs. I've had the pleasure of interviewing her for radio several times, and she's just as amazing a woman as she is a writer.

Here is the trailer for her new book, Mine is the Night (no, I didn't voice this one!)

And by the way, I heartily recommend EVERYTHING Liz has written!

Flashback: Who reads what?

The following was originally posted in April 2005, so the immediacy is lost on some of the references...but I think it's still a worthwhile read!


Curious about what famous people are reading?

Bloggers are always sharing what's on their bookshelf or nightstand. For example, I can tell you right now that author BJ Hoff is reading Richard Lederer's The Revenge of Anguished English; author Lisa Samson is reading Mary DeMuth's Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God; Joy of karagraphy is reading Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz.

Fiction freak me...or should I say, I...just finished Stephanie Grace Whitson's A Garden in Paris, and have just started Elizabeth Musser's The Dwelling Place.


One of my bookcases


What are celebs reading? Well, apparently quite a bit of obscure and little-known stuff, according to this year's just-released list of Who Reads What.

Former librarian Glenna Nowell of Maine puts the list together. She says, "There's such a diversity of books, and not well-known, not best sellers."

Except for Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which shows up on the reading lists of columnist Jay Ambrose, former presidential candidate Ralph Nader, and at least one other celebrity.

I remember reading In Style magazine not long ago and being a little surprised to find that Queen Latifah was reading a book by Joyce Meyer. The rapper-turned-actress told the same thing to Lifetime magazine: "I'm reading a book called MANAGING YOUR EMOTIONS by Joyce Meyer. Sometimes we swing back and forth between emotions. This book is about finding the middle ground. It's a Christian book, but it's great for everyone because it doesn't knock you over the head with ideology."

A few years ago, U2's Bono, after a conversation about faith with Oasis band member Noel Gallagher, sent Gallagher a copy of Philip Yancey's What's So Amazing about Grace?


Author Jeri Massi blogs today about the power of books--even fiction and "light" reading--to communicate ideas, good or bad, to the reader: "[T. S. Eliot] observes that through the gates of light reading, ideas contrary to the Scripture can be passed to the reader, who unsuspectingly imbibes them all. Eliot does not advocate the abandonment of fiction; rather, he advocates that readers recognize that fiction is a legitimate means of communicating ideas. There is no such thing as 'mere entertainment'. All media come to us with the values and point of view of their creators woven directly into them. No communication is really 'light' communication, though a discerning reader learns when to take communication lightly."




Author Liz Curtis Higgs told me in a recent interview that she started out writing nonfiction, and she doubted the power of fiction until she read Francine Rivers' Mark of the Lion series (also one of my personal favorites!).

After reading those books, Higgs says, "I got the power of Christian fiction. Up until then, I'd been a non-fiction writer with stories brewing inside me, but not convinced that you could really teach people and really move them spiritually through fiction."


Another of my bookshelves

No doubt about it; what you read affects who you are. The cliche "GIGO--Garbage In, Garbage Out"--is trite, but true.

So, what are YOU reading? :)

--originally posted April 2005

A Wonderful Book Shop

I've mentioned before that I love just about everything to do with books...including bookstores. Every once in a while, you stumble across a very special bookstore. I found one tonight in the charming little city of Georgetown, Texas.

It's called Book Pride. It's one of those charming book shops that beckons you inside and then makes you want to stay for hours.

All of the books are secondhand, and it's one of those where you can get store credit for bringing in more books.

The store is good-sized, and there is an expansive variety of genres and titles.

My mom was delighted that there was a generous selection of Christian fiction. She bought titles by Terri Blackstock, Liz Curtis Higgs and Linda Hall, and I suggested she pick up a trio of Rosamunde Pilcher books, including The Shell Seekers...an all-time favorite of mine.

The manager was friendly and helpful. Easy chairs were placed all around the store for convenient perusing...but above all, the books. Stacks and stacks and shelves and shelves of them...at prices far less than you'd normally pay.

If you're a book lover and you're ever in Georgetown, Texas, don't miss Book Pride. You'll want to hang out a while.

Flashback: My 2005 Review of Liz Curtis Higgs' Whence Came a Prince

"Higgs' sensitive empathy with her characters brings them to life and makes us feel their pain, their joy, their faith, transporting us into their world to the point that we're sad when the story is over and we have to close the book"

Continuing my practice of flashing back to my reviews and interviews about some older, but still perfectly worthy books....

I've already posted here my interview with Liz Curtis Higgs about the first two books in her Lowlands of Scotland series, Thorn in My Heart and Fair is the Rose,so you know I'm a huge fan of this amazing author.

In April 2005, I reviewed the third book in the series, Whence Came a Prince.

Go here to read my review of this wonderful book.

Flashback: An interview with the inimitable Liz Curtis Higgs

When I did a radio interview with Liz Curtis Higgs in March 2004, she had already written two very engaging contemporary novels, and was now launching into an amazing venture into historical fiction that would keep going for quite some time.

When I first started reading Thorn in My Heart, it didn't take long for me to think, "OK...wait a minute...this story sounds VERY familiar."

Who but Liz Curtis Higgs would think to set the story of Jacob, Leah and Rachel in 18th-century Scotland? And not only make it work, but make it riveting?

Go here to read my interview with Liz, and go here to find out all about her and catch up with the many wonderful books she's written since then.