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Christian Fiction September 2023 |
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PM Page Turners - "Demon Copperhead"
Tuesday, September 19, 2:00 pm
Community Room
Join us for a discussion of Demon Copperhead: a novel (2022-Fiction) by Barbara Kingsolver (546 pp. - 4.53/5 of 121,652 ratings on Goodreads). Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, this is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father's good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens' anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can't imagine leaving behind.Copies book will be distributed at the August meeting and, afterward, are available by visiting the front desk at either Centerville or Woodbourne Library. The title is available in Regular Print, Large Print, and CD-Book. No registration is necessary, but participants are encouraged to read the book prior to attending the discussion. Per CDC guidelines, masks are now optional for in-person library programs held indoors. Please do not participate if you feel ill or are exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms. If conditions warrant, programs may be offered virtually or cancelled.
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| The Laws of Attraction by Mary ConnealyIn her second Wyoming Sunrise novel, following Forged in Love (2023), Connealy shows women taking on new roles, such as blacksmith and rancher, as women secure the right to vote in local elections in 1871 Wyoming. Widowed Nell Armstrong owns a dress shop in Pine Valley but spends most of her days making chaps. Brand Nolte settles on a homestead nearby with his three daughters after losing his wife in childbirth. Once Brand's daughters' bond with Nell, there is a growing attraction between Nell and Brand, and they begin to sense that God may have brought them together. But Nell is reluctant to marry after being under her late husband's thumb. Then a violent stagecoach robbery shakes Pine Valley. Both Brand and Nell will need to draw on their courage and skills to help and protect others and build a future for their community. Connealy's lively writing keeps the reader fully engaged in this drama of faith in action as people come together to support each other. A sure bet for readers who enjoy books by such inspirational western authors as Amanda Cabot and Tracie Peterson. |
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| Her Only Wish by Shelley Shepard GrayBetsy Detweiler is ready to put her fearful struggle with respiratory illness behind her. Armed with a list of adventures certain to prove her overprotective family wrong, she can finally start living the life she has only watched from the sidelines. But meeting August Troyer, a handsome golf course manager, was never on the list. August's kindness and encouragement help Betsy see that the courage she needed to live to the fullest was within her reach all along, and what begins as one woman's summer bucket list turns into inspiration for a host of new friends to give their own dreams a chance. Gray continues her A Season in Pinecraft series about three Amish friends who vacation in central Florida and find themselves along the way. Her Only Wish features Betsy in an uplifting story of friendship and the power of a renewed perspective. The supporting characters have their own challenges with family acceptance and relational drama, and the unexpected intersections of their lives beautifully tie together this noteworthy elevation of an enjoyable series. |
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The Best Summer of Our Lives
by Rachel Hauck
Summer Wilde is a wannabe country music star. But when her latest girl band abandons her in a motel outside Tulsa, she is forced to face the shadows of her past. Twenty years ago, the summer of '77 was supposed to be the best summer of her life. She and her best friends, Spring, Autumn, and Snow--the Four Seasons, 4ever--had big plans. But those plans never had a chance. After a teenage prank gone awry, the Seasons found themselves on a bus to Tumbleweed, "Nowhere," Oklahoma, to spend eight weeks as camp counselors. Arriving with hidden secrets and buried fears, those two months changed their friendships and the course of their lives. Now, thirty-something and with no direction for her future, Summer is at a crossroads. Returning to the place where everything changed, she soon learns Tumbleweed is more than a town she left and never wanted to see again. It's the place for healing, for reconciling the past with the present, and for finally listening to love's voice. Celebrating the songs of our hearts, the joys of love, and the threads of friendship that tie us all together, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hauck's radiant story perfectly captures all the romance, heartache, and hope of the best summer ever.
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| Cold Pursuit by Nancy Mehl As an FBI behavioral analyst, River Ryland's job is to profile the most dangerous killers, but she never expected to be hunted down by one of them. With the infamous Strangler behind bars, River and her partner, Tony St. Clair, have put their harrowing past behind them as they open their new detective agency in St. Louis. When their newest case reveals unexpected connections to the team's recent brush with death, however, their safety is again imperiled. A second killer is at large with no patterns to profile, making their suspect more complex and deadly than they could ever have imagined. Mehl begins her new Ryland & St. Clair series with a twisting thriller that blends modern-day Christianity with razor-sharp suspense. Mehl uses first person narration to intensify her characters' suffering from a variety of mental health diagnoses, including Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, PTSD, and synesthesia. Christian faith is central to the novel's themes of restoration and trust, prompting an introspective view of religious experiences and their instigating force for both justice and revenge. |
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| Heirlooms by Sandra ByrdFour women discover that family comes in many forms in this gorgeous saga from Byrd (Lady of a Thousand Treasures). In 1958, Helen Devries, the widow of a Navy lieutenant, receives an unexpected call from Choi Eunhee, who says her recently deceased husband had been good friends with Helen's husband and that she's fallen on hard times, facing prejudice surrounding the spread of the "Asian flu." Helen impulsively invites Eunhee to move in with her and they become fast friends, sharing secrets, traditions, and dreams as they restore Helen's farmhouse, plant a garden, and prepare for the arrival of Eunhee's baby. When tragedy strikes, they lean on their Christian faith to help them endure. In the present day, Helen nears death and asks her granddaughter, Cassidy Quinn, to sort through her belongings with Grace Kim, Cassidy's best friend and Eunhee's granddaughter. They discover a chest in the attic containing clues to their grandmothers' past, revealing secrets that have remained hidden for decades. Lush and vivid prose brings the setting to life ("The white-petaled daisies and their cousins, fainting gerberas, competed in the midsummer beauty pageant for the nearby bachelor's buttons' affections"), and Helen and Eunhee's friendship will melt hearts. This is a gem. |
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| The Christmas Spirit by Debbie MacomberThis story begins with a grandmother sitting down to tell her grandchildren a Christmas story, but she ensures them that this is not a fairy tale--it's about lifelong best friends Hank and Pete, who just couldn't be more different. Hank is the owner of a local tavern, while Pete is the pastor of a church that he runs with his sanctimonious sister, Grace Ann. One night after debating who has the harder job, the friends make a deal to work a week in the other's position, each believing it will prove that he is right. As both men quickly learn the grass isn't always greener in someone else's occupation, they also begin growing relationships with those around them, particularly between Hank and Grace Ann, and Pete and tavern server Millie. This light, sweet Christmas novel is perfect for someone looking for a chaste love story with a happy ending. It also has several spiritual themes and could easily fall within the Christian genre as well as romance. |
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| The Sowing Season by Katie PownerForced to sell his family farm after sacrificing everything, 63-year-old Gerrit Laninga no longer knows what to do with himself. 15-year-old Rae Walters has growing doubts about The Plan her parents set to help her follow in her father's footsteps. When their paths cross just as they need a friend the most, Gerrit's and Rae's lives change in unexpected ways. |
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| Sister Friends Forever by Kimberla Lawson RobyThree decades of friendship among four childhood friends creates a powerful sisterhood not easily broken. Serena, Michelle, Kenya, and Lynette know that their Christian faith and dedication to one another will help them weather any onslaught of challenges life brings. But as they navigate unexpected seasons of love and loss during middle age, staying true to their values and one another proves more complicated than they ever imagined. When worldly temptations test the friends' accountability and faithfulness, they must each find a way to reconcile their personal choices with their shared convictions. In her latest, best-selling Roby tells a story of female friendships grounded in conservative Christian values and of women who struggle together, supporting one another through midlife trials of love and family in today's secular world. Topics such as child custody and celibacy before marriage are addressed directly as characters seek to make life choices that bring honor and joy to God. Drama and missteps balance well with their motives, generating relatable themes of regret, grief for seasons past, and hope in second chances. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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Centerville Library
111 W. Spring Valley Rd
Centerville, OH 45458
(937) 433-8091
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Woodbourne Library
6060 Far Hills Ave Centerville, OH 45459
(937) 435-3700
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Creativity Commons
895 Miamisburg Centerville Rd
Centerville, OH 45459
(937) 610-4425
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