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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

My Top 10 Genre Picks for Gift Giving This Year

by Chautona Havig · 1 Comment

“My wife [daughter, sister, brother, husband, uncle, aunt, friend, cranky neighbor, insert other person here] loves to read, but all I know is they like Christian fiction.”

A question like that just begs one more. “Do you know their favorite subgenre?”

Insert blank look here. “What’s a subgenre?”

“It’s like the back of the book where it says Fiction / Christian / and then something like… Mystery or Romance or Thriller…?”

That’s usually when light bulbs fire up and helpfulness commences.

I get asked the question a lot. “What do you recommend for…” So, I thought I’d anticipate this year and maybe help get a few of those folks knocked of your lists in a hurry. And if by “your list” you mean, “a list of books you want to buy yourself,” I’m okay with that. You should be, too. 😉 So, without further ado…

My Top 10 Genre Picks for Gift Giving This Year

Note: links are likely affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you. Additionally, a few of the reviewed books mentioned may have been complimentary review copies.

My Top 10 Genre Picks for Gift Giving This Year

Let’s get right to it!

Drew Farthering SeriesMystery/Suspense

Julianna Deering 

The Drew Farthering Mysteries are a perfect choice for Golden Age mystery lovers. Taking place in 1930s England, you have all the classic elements of a solid mystery wrapped in a faith-based package. Although the last one was released in late 2017, I had to count this one as my first choice because they’re so good.

Alana Terry 

For suspense, I’d recommend the Kennedy Stern series. Nine books and the most recent came out in April. I’ve only read bits of them, but what I’ve read is excellent and I’ve got them on my 2019 (I cannot believe I just typed that number!) reading list.

Shadow Sister by Katherine Scott JonesWomen’s Fiction

Katherine Scott Jones

Shadow Sister

Although I tried not to add a bunch of books that I’ve reviewed in this list, this one had to make it. It’s one of the best women’s fiction books I’ve ever read, and I think it’s underappreciated. So, give it a shot for women’s fic lovers AND for those romance lovers who are fine with a little understated romance. Because it has a little. It also has a small mystery, so it ticks three boxes. I’m just sayin’!

Room on the Porch SwingAmish

Amy Clipson

Room on the Porch Swing 

Not being a connoisseur of Amish fiction, I took to my trusty friends over at Avid Readers of Christian Fiction on Facebook and nearly every single post said, “Amy Clipson!” I took that as a good sign that Amish lovers would love her books. This book was released in 2018 and there’s another in the An Amish Homestead series coming in 2019 that is available for pre-order if you’d like to save the risk of getting a book your Amish loving reader already has!

When You Look at Me -- BashamRomance

Pepper Basham

When You Look at Me

Here’s the thing. I haven’t read this yet. Still, it made the list because this is what I do know. I’m going to love it. What I don’t know yet is why. So if you want to give her romance-loving heart a workout (or his… guys read romance, too!) then you can’t go wrong with Pepper Basham. Hint, if you know your giftee hasn’t read the first book in the series, Just the Way You Are, I recommend starting there. HERE is my review on that puppy!

Bookishly Ever After by Sarah MonzonSarah Monzon’s Bookish series

Bookishly Ever After 

Seriously. There’s not enough good to say about this wonderful little set of novellas. And, the best news, her next one is coming out in January! So, get books one and two (on Kindle only, so a great stocking stuffer gift—super cheap! Just print out the covers, slip into an envelope, and bam! Done. You can’t go wrong. I even reviewed these HERE and HERE.

A Light on the Hill- CossetteBiblical

Connilyn Cossette

A Light on the Hill

Book one in the Cities of Refuge series, I haven’t read this one either. However, I just read and reviewed book two HERE and can’t say enough good things about it. Considering I’ve heard several people say that book one was even better, I think it’s a safe recommendation. It’s also on the way to my house. I’ll review once I have a chance to read.

A Caffeine Conundrum

Christmas

Angela Ruth Strong

A Caffeine Conundrum 

I’m in the middle of this one right now and am loving it, so stay tuned for a review. Meanwhile, if you want a fun Christmas book with a mystery twist, this is the one for you.

Christmas at the Red Door Inn by Liz Johnson

However, if you are afraid that Christmas dinner won’t happen if she gets lost in a good book, then go with Christmas at the Red Door Inn. It’s a fabulous book that can easily hook a reader and keep her attention, but it’s short. No worries about her forgetting the roast, ham, turkey, or whatever it is on your Christmas menu. AND… best of all, it’s connected to the Prince Edward Island Dreams series. You absolutely can read this Christmas novella out of order and not get any spoilers that the other books don’t share in the back copy! WOOT!  For my .02 on the book, HERE is a review!

A Rumored Fortune- PolitanoHistorical

Joanna Politano

A Rumored Fortune 

Most of what I read in 2018 were historical novels. That meant that I’d read almost all the big ones that came out I was stumped here, so back to Avid Readers of Christian Fiction I went. This was the title that grabbed me.

A Rumored Fortune shows up several times a week on requests for recommendations. I’ve not heard one bad thing about it So, when I asked and got the recommendation… again, I did the only logical thing possible. I grabbed a copy for myself and popped it on the list here.

When a Unique Premise Really Is Enough The Kingdom of Ruins by DC Marino YA fantasyFantasy/SpecFic

D.C. Marino

Kingdom of Ruins

This is a book I reviewed at the beginning of the year, but since book two is in the works right now, I just had to give it another plug. Both it and the pre-series novelette, Points Worth are excellent ideas for both reluctant and die-hard fantasy readers. Marino does a fabulous job of creating a world you can get into… even when you usually prefer to stay firmly rooted in ours.

The Crossroads CollectionsCollections

Crossroads Collections

With multiple authors including Alana Terry, Hallee Bridgeman, Carol Moncado, Lesley Ann McDaniel, Cynthia Hickey, April Hayman, Amanda Tru, and myself!

I’m listing all three collections because you will find overlaps in characters (but not storylines) between collections.

However, the Crossroads Collections have a few advantages over any other collection I’ve ever been in or read.

First: The books in each collection are interconnected. One situation links each of the stories and is resolved or introduced in the title story (usually written by Amanda Tru).  We’ve done floral fiascos, misdirected mail, and ornaments handcrafted by an autistic young woman who prays over each one before it leaves her shop.  A new one is on the way, too!

Second: Each collection is available on Kindle Unlimited or as a .99 purchase. That’s an inexpensive gift considering your recipient receives five books (six in the upcoming collection)

Third: Each collection is also available as a single print volume in paperback or hardback!

The CrossRoads Collection series includes:

Out of the Blue Bouquet

Yesterday’s Mail

Under the Christmas Star

And coming in early 2019, Betwixt Two Hearts.

Whispers in the Pews--edited by Chris MorrisNonfiction

Not all readers love “lies” as some people call fiction.  So, for the nonfiction lover on your list, I can offer the following recommendations.

Whispers in the Pews (Edited by Chris Morris)

Dealing with mental illness and the church, Chris Morris opens dialogue on a difficult subject and shares insights from many viewpoints on what the church is doing right and where it could use some help.

Bless Your HusbandBless Your Husband (Angela Mills)

A review is on its way, but for now, just know that Angela has a beautiful passion for inspiring women to make blessing their husbands a priority.  Full of simple ideas and encouraging scripture, the book will help get the creative juices flowing today.  Hint: guys, unless she asked you to?  Don’t buy this for your wife.  Just leaving that right there…

7 Deadly FriThe Seven Deadly Friendshipsendships (Mary DeMuth)

Reviewed HERE, this is a fabulous book that focuses not just on what’s wrong with your friends but what you could be doing to sabotage friendships as well.  Mary even has a handy little friendship quiz on her site to help you see the health of your friendships.

There you have it:

Ten genres and sometimes even more than one pick per genre.  May the stores be stocked, the weather cooperate, or your fingers do the clicking to finish off that Christmas shopping today!

Hey, what book would you put at the top of your Christmas list?

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Comments

  1. Ava Gunn Kinsey says

    December 5, 2018 at 10:47 am

    Such great choices! (I love your image for the blog post, by the way!) I love Crossroads Collections. They are Buy-Now choices. I’m interested in reading the Friendship book. Fantasy is not my favorite (I like yours and I like Katie Clark, another personal friend of mine), and, for some reason, I’ve gotten tired of Amish fiction. I loved the Red Door Inn books! Lots of great choices! I shared on Facebook.

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 145: A Chat with Debut Women's Fiction Author, Sara Brunsvold
byChautona Havig

Debut Author, Sara Brunsvold, is bursting on the Christian Women’s fiction scene with an amazing book, The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip. With characters who have captivated my heart from page one (and enough quirkiness to keep my attention to the last), Sara Brunsvold is sure to become a favorite author, and this book is already on my top five of the year before it’s even released!

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

This Novel Isn’t Even Available Yet, and It’s in My Top 5!

If you’d told me that I’d fall so in love with two chapters of a book that it would push that book into my top five of the year so far, well… I’d have laughed.

The joke’s on me because it happened with Sara Brunsvold’s The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip. This debut women’s fiction novel has a bit of a split-time element and is set in Kansas City. Trust me when I say that meeting Clara was one of the most fun introductions to a character I’ve ever had. I just love this woman, and I’m drumming my fingers to get to read more about her.  Not surprising considering it won the ACFW Genesis’s award a couple of years back. 😀

Sara says her passion is intergenerational stories, and you definitely get this with Aidyn and her “assignment,” Mrs. Kipp.  But you also get inter-cultural and ideological influences in this book as well.

And then there’s that next book she has coming out.  You know, the one about a gal cooking her way through her grandma’s German cookbook?  Yeah.  The one we have to wait until early 2024 for?  Yeah. That one.  Sigh.

When Sara told us about her favorite authors, a lot of things made sense.  Just sayin’. Find out which of Katherine Reay’s books are her favorites and how she fangirled over Reay’s response to an email (and why you should email your favorite author!).

The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip by Sara Brunsvold

Aidyn Kelley is talented, ambitious, and ready for a more serious assignment than the fluff pieces she’s been getting as a cub reporter for the Kansas City Star. In her eagerness, she pushes too hard, earning herself the menial task of writing an obituary for an unremarkable woman who’s just entered hospice care.

But there’s more to Clara Kip than meets the eye. The spirited septuagenarian may be dying, but she’s not quite ready to cash it in yet. Never one to shy away from an assignment herself, she can see that God brought the young reporter into her life for a reason. And if it’s a story Aidyn Kelley wants, that’s just what Mrs. Kip will give her–but she’s going to have to work for it.

Debut author Sara Brunsvold delights with this emotional multigenerational story that shows that the very best life is made up of thousands of little deaths to self. You’ll want to be just like Mrs. Kip when you grow up!

This book is 40% off with free shipping from Baker Book House. That’s less than the Kindle version if you like paper!

You can learn more about Sara at her WEBSITE (and sign up for that newsletter so you can get Mrs.Kip’s 8 Rules to Live By). Oh, and if she does those videos of her cooking through that book, you’ll want to know when/where to find them.

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Episode 145: A Chat with Debut Women's Fiction Author, Sara Brunsvold
Episode 145: A Chat with Debut Women's Fiction Author, Sara Brunsvold
May 20, 2022
Chautona Havig
Episode 144: Chatting about Restored Grace with Kathleen J. Robison
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Episode 143: A Chat with Romantic Suspense Author, Mary Alford
May 13, 2022
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Episode 142: A Chat about A Promise Engraved by Liz Tolsma
May 10, 2022
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Episode 141: A Chat with Elizabeth Goddard about Critical Alliance
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Episode 140: A Chat about When the Meadow Blooms by Ann H. Gabhart
April 29, 2022
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Episode 139: A Chat with Middle-Grade Author, RM Ruiz
April 26, 2022
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Episode 138: A Gush about a Good (more like GREAT) Read & GoodReads
April 22, 2022
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Episode 137: A Chat with Contemporary Romance Author, Mandi Blake
April 19, 2022
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Episode 136: A Chat with Middle-Grade Historical Author, Marie Sontag
April 15, 2022
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Reposted from @beckylewis345 Life can be hard. Ent Reposted from @beckylewis345 Life can be hard. Enter cozies like A Sprinkle in Time by Dana Mentink. Clean, with a sweet romance, whose amateur sleuth runs a delectable shake shop. A dog, a child, precocious twins who work for the shake shop, and lovable Papa Luis. Plus, of course, plenty of suspects. “Murder, mayhem, and milkshakes. Who’d a thunk it?”

Trinidad Jones becomes someone I truly care about in this book. I am amazed at how she and Gabe’s two other former wives forgive each other and actually become friends. Not just friends, but family, as thick as blood. Now there is a small cluster of characters to follow and enjoy in this town of Upper Sprocket. Fun!

I enjoy the inclusion of dogs, children, and special-needs people, and Dana Mentink brings them all to our Shimmy and Shake Shop story. Noodles is old, but what a loyal companion, and, wow, does he have an amazing ability or two! Little  Felice adds warmth and vulnerability to the tale. Doug, the special-needs brother of Trinity’s love interest, Quinn, adds reality and complexity to the novel. 

Mentink has a good sense of humor and I laughed out loud several times. Just what I want out of a cozy. Mystery, romance, great characters, laughter. A fun occupation that the sleuth actually works at. I am happy to report I made it through the book without indulging in ice cream! But, can you?

I am looking forward to more murder and mayhem in Upper Sprocket! Plus more Freakshakes! 

———————————————————————
I received a copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. (I also bought my own copy.) No positive review was required, and all opinions are my own.
———————————————————————
Notable Quotables:
“He was merely a friend the way a Ming vase was just an old pot.”

“There’s your plan and God’s plan, and your plan…” “Doesn’t count,”

“Maybe it’s one of those weird small-town happenings.” “A body in your trunk isn’t a happening, it’s a horror movie,”

“It wasn’t an easy thing to command the heart to feel what the brain ordered.”

“Rumors carry so much more weight than the truth, sometimes.”
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Reposted from @celebratelit Did you know that When Reposted from @celebratelit Did you know that When the Pilot Falls by April Hayman from the Ever After Mystery series is 25% off with the Celebrate Lit Summer Sale? 

More about the book: 
In 1923, there aren’t many pilots, but Willie Labeau didn’t let that stop… her.

A bear of a man, Hugh Taylor, needs a stunt plane pilot, and despite their rocky introduction, Willie sets off for golden California and a new life as his pilot. There’s just one little thing she has to do in addition to flying.

Leave his past alone. Period.

When the flame of her own curiosity becomes fanned by encouragement from Willie’s sister, the feisty pilot can’t help but do just a little investigating.

And Hugh vanishes.

Friends rally around her, and with all the information she can find in hand, Willie sets off to rescue Hugh and battle the evil family holding him hostage.

A fierce air race, a sincere act of humility—are they enough to free Hugh and give Willie a chance to be with him… forever?

Find out in this next book in the Ever After Mysteries, combining beloved fairy tales and mysteries. When the Pilot Falls offers a retelling of “East of the Sun, West of the Moon” that will keep you gripped to the edge of your seat as you watch hearts soar and daring dos.

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Dial W for Wrangler: Vi's just trying to sell used Dial W for Wrangler: Vi's just trying to sell used recliners and old, broken wagon wheels.  She can't help it if folks keep asking for help with their love lives... can she?
See the lengths Wade goes to in his quest to behave like a rational guy.
Releases Tuesday, May 24. Available on 
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How does this author celebrate a finished book? By How does this author celebrate a finished book? By reading someone else's finished book. 😀 
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"Murder, mayhem, and milkshakes. Who'd a thunk "Murder,  mayhem,  and milkshakes.  Who'd a thunk it?"
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