| Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan1950 England: When her ailing younger brother asks her to find out where Narnia came from, Oxford physics student Megs Devonshire can't refuse. So she gathers her courage and visits professor C.S. Lewis, who answers her in a series of stories.
Don't miss: Discussion questions by C.S. Lewis' stepson.
For fans of: The author's Christy Award-winning Becoming Mrs. Lewis; C.S. Lewis's books, especially The Chronicles of Narnia; and charming, moving novels that celebrate books and imagination. |
|
| Forgiving Paris by Karen KingsburyWhat happens: Indiana painter Ashley Baxter Blake and her husband go to Paris, where her art is being shown in a gallery. But Ashley's apprehensive, because when she was last there 23 years ago, she had an affair with a married man and is still trying to forgive herself.
Series alert: Though it includes characters from the author's bestselling Baxter series, Forgiving Paris can be read on its own (but if you want to know more about the family, there is a summary at the book's end).
Read this next: For other emotional, faith-filled reads, try novels by Francine Rivers, Lynn Austin, or Charles Martin. |
|
|
|
Series alert: The gripping backstory to Hallmark's When Hope Calls continues. What happens: Lillian Walsh has accomplished more than she ever dreamed. She and her sister Grace have settled three children from England into new Canadian homes and are prepared to place two more when it happens - another painful disruption.
With more children needing caring homes, Lillian and Grace must use every ounce of gumption to keep their mission alive. But when startling information about the past surfaces and a new arrival comes via suspicious circumstances, they'll have to decide what is worth fighting for and what is better left in God's hands. Look for: Unfailing Love, the third book in the series, due to be published in June 2022. |
|
|
|
1869, Minnesota: A smallpox survivor who would protect her family and a railroad manager whose reunion with a brother is shattered by an act of vengeance find comfort and support in each other. Series alert: Destined For You is the debut novel in Tracie Peterson's Ladies of the Lake series. Look for: Forever My Own and Waiting On Love, the second and third titles in the series. |
|
|
|
Why you'll like it: From beloved bestselling author Beth Wiseman comes the second novel in the Amish Inn series - charming, sweet stories about two widowed innkeeping sisters who are determined to help their guests find love.
What happens: When sparks fly between a good Amish girl and a hunky member of the Hollywood elite, even matchmaking innkeepers Esther and Lizzie know better than to fan the flames. Look for: A Picture of Love, the first title in the series. |
|
Books You May Have Missed
|
|
| Three Missing Days by Colleen CobleStarring: Chief of Police Jane Hardy, who was raised in a cult and has a complicated personal life that includes a newly discovered 15-year-old son she'd thought died at birth, plus his father, who's married to someone else.
What happens: Investigating a fatal arson in her Alabama coastal town, Jane is horrified when her son is accused of the crime and digs into her own past to prove his innocence.
Series alert: This heartfelt third in the Pelican Harbor trilogy follows One Little Lie and Two Reasons to Run and nicely wraps up the suspenseful series. |
|
|
|
Why you'll like it: It's a nostalgic and endearing holiday story that reminds us that sometimes the most meaningful gifts are the ones we least expect and don’t deserve.
The set-up: Best friends Audrey Barrett and Eve Dawson are looking forward to celebrating Christmas in postwar America, thrilled at the prospect of starting new traditions with their five-year-old sons. But when the 1951 Sears Christmas Wish Book arrives and the boys start obsessing over every toy in it, Audrey and Eve realize they must first teach them the true significance of the holiday. What happens: In the charming tale that follows, Audrey and Eve are surprised to find their own hearts healing from the tragedies of war and opening to the possibility of forgiveness and new love. |
|
| The Right Kind of Fool by Sarah Loudin ThomasWhat happens: On a hot summer day in 1934 West Virginia, Loyal Raines, a deaf 13-year-old, heads to the river for a swim. When he finds a dead body, he reaches out to his estranged father, who was once a sheriff, and together they try to figure out what happened.
Reviewers say: "Strikes all the high points of redemptive love and coming-of-age within a historical murder mystery" (Booklist).
Read this next: For another book featuring a deaf character in Appalachia, try Joanne Bischof's Sons of Blackbird Mountain. |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|