A big congratulations to the talented authors who make up this year’s Carol Award Finalists. No matter what genre you prefer, you will find a winner of a read! I have read a few of these books — more are on the TBR list. Hope you find an award winning book to enjoy!
A Reluctant Bride by Jody Hedlund A Pursuit of Home by Kristi Ann Hunter The Sky Above Us by Sarah Sundin
Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
The Gryphon Heist by James R. Hannibal Laynie Portland, Retired Spy by Vikki Kestell Midnight on the River Grey by Abigail Wilson
Novella
Always by Jody Hedlund The Groom Sheād Thought She Left Behind from The Runaway Brides Collection by Darlene Panzera The Baggage Handler by David Rawlings
Romance
Driftwood Bay by Irene Hannon A Glitter of Gold by Liz Johnson Love You, Truly by Susan L. Tuttle
Romantic Suspense
The Killing Tide by Dani Pettrey Living Lies by Natalie Walters Knox by Susan May Warren
Short Novel
A Rancher to Trust by Laurel Blount The Rancherās Unexpected Baby by Jill Lynn Lioness: Mahlahās Journey by Barbara M. Britton
Speculative
Flight of the Raven by Morgan L. Busse The Story Raider by Lindsay A. Franklin Brand of Light by Ronie Kendig
Young Adult
Romanov by Nadine Brandes Coral by Sara Ella Something I Am Not by Cher Gatto
Debut
A Cross to Kill by Andrew Huff Above the Fold by Rachel Scott McDaniel Shadow Among Sheaves by Naomi Stephens
I am a very eclectic reader. I will read just about any genre. I do have some exceptions, but since I read Christian fiction almost exclusively, I don’t have to worry about some of the more explicit scenes/language that can crop up. š While my time is spent mostly in reading real life stuff, whether contemporary or historical, I do like a good speculative novel as well. So what is speculative fiction?
Speculative fiction: a genre of fiction that encompasses works in which the setting is other than the real world, involving supernatural, futuristic, or other imagined elements.
The speculative fiction genre includes allegory, sci-fi, horror, fantasy, time travel, alternate history, dystopian fiction, etc. While the general market has lots of speculative fiction, there is not as much published in the Christian market, so you have to look for it. Enclave Publishing is one imprint that publishes spec fiction exclusively and is a good place to go to get your fix or to get you started on a new adventure in reading. Note: while the definition of spec fic states that the settings of the book are other than real world, I think some of the best examples of the genre take the real world and pull back a curtain that keeps us from seeing the whole picture. Those books use creative elements to help us process and imagine those things we just canāt see.
For my Top 10 Tuesday post, I have included the reasons I like spec fiction, as well as some suggested books for you to check out. Hope you enjoy!
Top Reasons to Love Speculative Fiction
Takes you to another world.
Prophet by R. J. LarsonĀ
Ela Roeh of Parne doesn’t understand why her beloved Creator, the Infinite, wants her to become His prophet. She’s undignified and bad-tempered, and at age seventeen she’s much too young. In addition, no prophet of Parne has ever been a girl. Worst of all, as Parne’s elders often warn, if she agrees to become the Infinite’s prophet, Ela knows she will die young.
Yet she can’t imagine living without Him. Determined to hear the Infinite’s voice, Ela accepts the sacred vinewood branch and is sent to bring the Infinite’s word to a nation torn apart by war. There she meets a young ambassador determined to bring his own justice for his oppressed people. As they form an unlikely partnership, Ela battles how to balance the leading of her heart with the leading of the Infinite.
The Story Peddler by Lindsay Franklin
Selling stories is a deadly business
Tanwen doesnāt just tell storiesāshe weaves them into crystallized sculptures that sell for more than a few bits. But the only way to escape the control of her cruel mentor and claw her way from poverty is to set her sights on something grander: becoming Royal Storyteller to the king.
During her final story peddling tour, a tale of treason spills from her hands, threatening the king himself. Tanwen goes from peddler to prey as the kingās guard hunts her down .Ā .Ā . and theyāre not known for their mercy. As Tanwen flees for her life, she unearths long-buried secrets and discovers sheās not the only outlaw in the empire. Thereās a rebel group of weavers .Ā .Ā . and theyāre after her too.
Allows you to travel in time and space.
The Bright Empires Series (5 books) by Stephen Lawhead
It is the ultimate quest for the ultimate treasure. Chasing a map tattooed on human skin. Across an omniverse of intersecting realities. To unravel the future of the future.
Kit Livingstoneās great-grandfather appears to him in a deserted alley during a tumultuous storm. He reveals an unbelievable story: that the ley lines throughout Britain are not merely the stuff of legend or the weekend hobby of deluded cranks, but pathways to other worlds. To those who know how to use them, they grant the ability to travel the multi-layered universe of which we ordinarily inhabit only a tiny part.
One explorer knew more than most. Braving every danger, he toured both time and space on voyages of heroic discovery. Ever on his guard and fearful of becoming lost in the cosmos, he developed an intricate code ā a roadmap of symbols ā that he tattooed onto his own body. This Skin Map has since been lost in time. Now the race is on to recover all the pieces and discover its secrets.
But the Skin Map itself is not the ultimate goal. It is merely the beginning of a vast and marvelous quest for a prize beyond imagining.
The Bright Empires series ā from acclaimed author Stephen R. Lawhead ā is a unique blend of epic treasure hunt, ancient history, alternate realities, cutting-edge physics, philosophy, and mystery. The result is a page-turning, adventure like no other.
Makes you think about the supernatural world.
The Chair by James Rubart
When an elderly lady shows up in Corin Roscoe’s antiques store and gives him a chair she claims was built by Christ, he scoffs. But when a young boy is miraculously healed after sitting in the chair, he stops laughing and starts to wonder. Could the chair heal the person whose life he destroyed twelve years ago?
As word spreads of the boy’s healing, a mega-church pastor is determined to manipulate Corin into turning over the chair. And that mysterious woman who gave him the piece says itās Corinās destiny to guard the chair above everything else. But why?
Desperate, he turns to the one person he can trust, a college history professor who knows more about the legend of the chair than he reveals.
Searching for the truth about the artifact, and the unexplained phenomena surrounding it, Corin soon realizes he isnāt the only one willing to do anything to possess the power that surrounds The Chair.
Gives fresh perspective on everyday life.
The Baggage Handler by David Rawlings
Lost luggage can ruin any trip. But what if it could change your life?
A mother of three hoping to survive the days at her perfect sister’s perfect house before her nieceās wedding.
A hothead businessman coming to the city for a showdown meeting to save his job.
And a young artist pursuing his fatherās sports dream so he can keep his own alive.
When Gillian, David, and Michael each take the wrong suitcase from baggage claim, the airline directs them to retrieve their bags at a mysterious facility in a deserted part of the city. There they meet the enigmatic Baggage Handler, who shows them there is more in their baggage than what they have packed, and carrying it with them is slowing them down in ways they canāt imagine. And they must deal with it before they can leave.
Gives you a little (or a lot) of thrills and chills!
The Devil Walks in Mattingly by Billy Coffey
For the three people tortured by their secret complicity in a young man’s untimely death, redemption is what they most long for . . . and the last thing they expect to receive.
It has been twenty years since Philip McBride’s body was found along the riverbank in the dark woods known as Happy Hollow. His death was ruled a suicide. But three people have carried the truth ever sinceāPhilip didn’t kill himself that day. He was murdered.
Each of the three have wilted in the shadow of their sins. Jake Barnett is Mattingly’s sheriff, where he spends his days polishing the fragile shell of the man he pretends to be.Ā His wife, Kate, has convinced herself the good she does forĀ the poor will someday washĀ the blood from her hands. And high in the mountains, Taylor Hathcock lives in seclusionĀ and fear, fueled by madness and hatred.
Yet what cannot be laid to rest is bound to riseĀ again. Philip McBride has haunted Jake’s dreams for weeks, warning that he is coming back for them all. When Taylor finds mysterious footprints leading from the Hollow, he believes his redemption has come. His actions will plunge the quiet town of Mattingly into darkness. These three will be drawn together for a final confrontation between life and death . . . between truth and lies.
House by Frank Peretti and Ted Dekker
Frank Peretti and Ted Dekkerātwo of the most acclaimed writers of supernatural thrillersāhave joined forces for the first time to craft a story unlike any you’ve ever read. Enter House ā where you’ll find yourself thrown into a killer’s deadly game in which the only way to win is to lose . . . and the only way out is in. The stakes of the game become clear when a tin can is tossed into the house with rules scrawled on it. Rules that only a madman ā or worse ā could have written. Rules that make no sense yet must be followed. One game. Seven players. Three rules. Game ends at dawn.
2019 was a great year for reading! I discovered a number of new and exciting authors. Discovered, as in I read them for the first time. Some of the authors had been published before and some had debut releases. (Some I met in person last year — squee!) You may be familiar with some or all of them, but in case you aren’t, they are all recommended by me. I look forward to more great books to discover from these authors.
It is always hard to compile a best of list every year. I read a lot of really good books in 2019. A. Lot. But in going back through the archives, I found the following eleven that captured my imagination, touched my emotions, and made me think about my world and myself long after I closed the cover. The books are a mixed bag of genres — speculative, allegory, dual timeline, contemporary, and historical — so basically something for every taste. I hope one grabs your interest and you find a great read! (The links are to my reviews.)
There is no doubt why TheBaggageHandler won the 2019 Christy Award for First Novel. It is excellent! You ARE going to want to read this!
When three people take the wrong suitcase from baggage claim, their lives change forever.Ā
A hothead businessman coming to the city for a showdown meeting to save his job.
A mother of three hoping to survive the days at her sister’s house before her nieceās wedding.
And a young artist pursuing his fatherās dream so he can keep his own alive.
When David, Gillian, and Michael each take the wrong suitcase from baggage claim, the airline directs them to retrieve their bags at a mysterious facility in a deserted part of the city. There they meet the enigmatic Baggage Handler, who shows them there is more in their baggage than what they have packed, and carrying it with them is slowing them down in ways they canāt imagine. And they must deal with it before they can leave.
In this modern-day parable about the burdens that weigh us down, David Rawlings issues an inspiring invitation to lighten the load.
David Rawlings is an Australian author, and a sports-mad father-of-three who loves humor and a clever turn-of-phrase.
Over a 25-year career he has put words on the page to put food on the table, developing from sports journalism and copywriting to corporate communication.
Now in fiction, he entices readers to look deeper into life with stories that combine the everyday with a sense of the speculative, addressing the fundamental questions we all face. That starts with his debut novel ā The Baggage Handler ā a contemporary story that explores one question: What baggage are you carrying?
My Impressions:
I had heard a lot of great things about The Baggage Handler by David Rawlings, so I was thrilled to get the chance to read this debut novel. The buzz said it is a parable, and it certainly is. This book made me dig deep into my own attitudes, expectations, experiences, and insecurities — the baggage that is part and parcel of who I am. Insightful, thought-provoking, and a real conversation starter, this book gets a very highly recommended rating from me.
It all begins with three people with lost baggage. Each is facing struggles at the end of their plane rides, and the experience of searching out their lost baggage is not pleasant. Add an enigmatic baggage handler who forces them to face their real selves, and you have a riveting look into what people carry around with them and their inept means of dealing with it. The characters Rawlings created are well-developed, not the stereotypes often found in parables. They were very real and relatable from the opening chapters. Did I see myself in any of them? Maybe. š The baggage they carry, often unrecognized or not of their choice, includes envy, unforgiveness, and unworthiness. The doubts and fears each exhibit come from the depths of the human experience. And that is what makes The Baggage Handler so powerful — its universal message. A light is shown on what we all need to deal with. The setting of the baggage facility is masterfully depicted — you’ll see when you read the book. Not everything is resolved in the way I would have liked, leaving me feeling both hopeful and sad. But isn’t that how it is in real life as well?
Perfect for a book club discussion ( you will want to talk about this book!), The Baggage Handler is a must-read! I cannot wait for more from Rawlings.
Here are the finalists for the 2019 Christy Awards. A top honor in Christian fiction, you can be sure of an excellent read when choosing one of these books. Congrats to all the talented authors!
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