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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Can 2 Great but Opposite Books Encourage You in Similar Ways?

by Chautona Havig · 1 Comment

Encouraging books do more than just "encourage." They curl up into your heart and soothe long after the pages have grown brittle and old. via @chautonahavig

One of life’s biggest blessings are encouraging books. When I found Dearest Josephine on my Kindle on a particularly difficult day, I had no idea how that book would minister to me–probably in ways the author could never have imagined.

So when I finally picked up another book I’ve been meaning to read for months and it, too, kept me spellbound while it also worked to speak truths to my heart, I shouldn’t have been surprised.  But I was.  No Less Days offers such a beautiful picture of hope even when nothing makes sense.

Two beautiful books read at exactly the right time. You’d think the Lord had something to do with it!

encouraging books

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Can 2 Great but Opposite Books Encourage You in Similar Ways?

Oh, yeah. If you’d asked me weeks before one of my dearest friends died just what I would do to process, grieve, and frankly, honor her life, I would have said, “Read a good book.”  Good books are more than great stories.  Encouraging books do more than just soothe a heart. One of the most beautiful things about fiction is how it can show you truths you know but maybe don’t know how to live in your life.

I talked more about that in Episode 11.

What I couldn’t have predicted, however, is that the Lord would use a split-time, epistolary romance with an unusual happily-ever-after to remind me that I had my years with my friend, and I’ll have them again, but right now… now is the time for other friends.

Dearest Josephine did that and more as one of the most encouraging books I’ve read all year.

Dearest JosephineLove arrives at the most unexpected time…

The year 1821: Elias Roch has ghastly luck with women. He met Josephine De Clare once and penned dozens of letters hoping to find her again.

The year 2021: Josie De Clare has questionable taste in boyfriends. The last one nearly ruined her friendship with her best friend.

Now, in the wake of her father’s death, Josie finds Elias’ letters. Suddenly she’s falling in love with a guy who lived 200 years ago. And star-crossed doesn’t even begin to cover it….

You can read my review HERE. You can also find the author on her WEBSITE.

But that’s just one of the encouraging books I’ve read recently.

Back in Episode 15, I talked about how Sarah Monzon is always giving such great recommendations. No Less Days is one of those great recommendations.

Honestly, I expected to like this one.  I even expected to to be intrigued by how the author worked through some of the consequences of having someone who couldn’t die. I just had no idea how I would be challenged by the situations, thoughts, choices, and results of those choices. It’s a brilliant book that I’m still unpacking.

No Less Days

no less days encouraging booksDavid Galloway can’t die.

How many lifetimes can God expect one man to live? Over a century old, David Galloway isolates himself from the mortal humans who die or desert him by making a quiet life as a used bookstore owner in Northern Michigan. But then he spots a news article about a man who, like him, should be dead.

Daredevil celebrity Zachary Wilson walked away unscathed from what should have been a deadly fall. David tracks the man down, needing answers. Soon David discovers a close-knit group of individuals as old as he is who offer the sort of kinship and community he hasn’t experienced for decades—but at what cost?

David finds himself keeping secrets other than his own. . .protecting more than himself alone. He’ll have to decide what’s worth the most to him—security or community. When crimes come to light that are older than any mortal, he fears the pressure is more than he can stand. What does God require of him, and is David strong enough to see it through?

You can read my Goodreads Review HERE.  You can also find Amanda G. Stevens on her WEBSITE.

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Comments

  1. Lilly says

    October 12, 2021 at 4:30 pm

    I recently finished reading another beautiful but difficult book “The Bright Unknown” tackles mental problems and what nursing homes used to be like in the 1930s to the 1940s.
    As someone with a mentally challenged person in my family it made me happy that things have improved.

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 265: A Chat with Karen Witemeyer
byChautona Havig

Nothing says fairy tale like a sweet western romance by an author like Karen Witemeyer… unless it’s a fairytale retelling set in Texas in the late 19th century, right?  Fairest of Heart takes the familiar “Snow White” and turns it on its head with retired cowboys, a self-absorbed actress, a Texas Ranger, and a sweet girl who knows the true Source of her beauty.  Listen in to see all the genius Easter eggs Witemeyer planted in this book.

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Sometimes All a Girl Needs Is a True Change of Heart

I fell in love with the cover of Karen Witemeyer’s Head Over Heels a few years back (only to learn it’s much older than that, even), and meant to read that book.  I didn’t.  #BecauseIdiot. Well, that’ll be rectified just as soon as I’m done listening to her first book in a trilogy of fairytale retellings. I loaded it up on my Audible app tonight and wheeeeeeee. Here I go! So much for no new books until October. HA! 

Karen talks about her heart for young women today and how they’re taught by every bit of media blasting at them that they need to use their bodies to get what they need or want when the Lord has a better plan. And I can’t guarantee it, but I strongly suspect she does it without preaching. SQUEE!

Fairest of Heart by Karen Witemeyer

Once upon a time in Texas . . .

Beauty has been nothing but a curse to Penelope Snow. When she becomes a personal maid for a famous actress whose troupe is leaving Chicago to tour the West, she hides her figure beneath shapeless dresses and keeps her head down. But she still manages to attract the wrong attention, leaving her prospects in tatters–and her jealous mistress plotting her demise.

After his brother lost his life over a woman, Texas Ranger Titus Kingsley has learned to expect the worst from women and is rarely disappointed. So when a young lady found in suspicious circumstances takes up residence with the seven old drovers living at his grandfather’s ranch, Titus is determined to keep a close eye on her.

With a promotion hanging in the balance, Titus is assigned to investigate a robbery case tied to Penelope’s acting troupe, and all evidence points to Penelope’s guilt. But Titus might just be convinced that the fairest woman of all has a heart as pure as her last name . . . if only he can prove it.

You can learn more about Karen Witemeyer and her books on her WEBSITE. Don’t forget the book is 30% off on BakerBookHouse.com.  

Follow Karen on BookBub and GoodReads.

And don’t forget her Posse Group on Facebook.

Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at:

  • Apple 
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  • and more!
Episode 265: A Chat with Karen Witemeyer
Episode 265: A Chat with Karen Witemeyer
September 29, 2023
Chautona Havig
Episode 264: A Chat with Romance Author, Sarah Monzon
September 26, 2023
Chautona Havig
Episode 263: A Chat about The Love Script w/ Toni Shiloh
September 23, 2023
Chautona Havig
Episode 262: Chatting about The Legacy of Longdale Manor with Carrie Turansky
September 19, 2023
Chautona Havig
Episode 261: Chatting with Christian Youth Fiction Author, Candice Yamnitz
September 15, 2023
Chautona Havig
Episode 260: A Chat with Rachel Hauck
September 12, 2023
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Episode 259: A Chat with Debut Author, Laura Conaway
September 8, 2023
Chautona Havig
Episode 258: A Louisiana Christmas to Remember
September 2, 2023
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Episode 257: A Chat with Fantasy Author, N. Ford
September 1, 2023
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Episode 256: A Chat about Summer in the Spotlight w/ Liz Johnson
August 29, 2023
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