New book tree - see any favorite authors?

It was yesterday when I realized I now own paperbacks of the four Christian fiction books set during the Great Chicago Fire.

If you know of any others, I'd love to hear! I couldn't find any.

Through these "big" moments in history, authors are able to show the ways fictional characters characters are altered and God is the same faithful God.

In #theUncertaintyofFire, Whimsy faces many challenges that mature her and change some preconceived notions she had of the world

In #IntotheWhirlwind, Mollie losing her business forces her to reconsider what she is capable of - and gives her forced proximity with a particular man

In #VeiledinSmoke, Sylvie finds herself struggling with the same ailment her father did while Meg works to defend his name

And in #UntiltheLightBreaksThrough, losing everything he owns forces Luke to step back and look at his own unhealed pain and the wrong ways he'd been handling it

Each of these books is so so different from the others with different portrayals of the Fire and aftermath. With all four, a fuller picture of life in Chicago in 1871 is possible!

Christian family saga set in 19th century Chicago

Does the thought of leaving a book review feel overwhelming? Have you ever wondered how to write one or why it's important?

Leaving a book review doesn't have to be a huge undertaking. You don't have to be eloquent or even love the book. Just try to think about what you enjoyed and what you didn't, and what you can say to help other readers know if they would like it too.

Although reviews are (almost) everything to indie authors, they're important to traditionally published authors, too, so try to leave reviews for everything you read, if you can!

What are your biggest hangups to leaving reviews? Have you left reviews for the last few books you read? Their authors will be grateful if you do!

Friday Funny

Are you looking for Christian fiction that goes deep into the gospel, not just to salvation but beyond it, to what the gospel means to our daily lives? Do you like books with characters that you just want to sit down and live with and learn alongside them? Books that speak to the longing of "I wish it wasn't this way" we all face in life, to the constant battle of temptation, and to how to deal with difficult Christians we have to live alongside?

These are all some of the things I address in Until We All Run Free. I believe in this book so strongly because of how much God got into my own business already with it. I hope this book makes you laugh, it might make you cry, but most of all I hope it makes you fall in love with Jesus more.

There really isn't a more epic time in history to read about than the Exodus. Connilyn Cossette imagines the events surrounding the plagues and the Israelites' escape from Egypt in Counted With the Stars, the first book in the Out of Egypt series.

The main character is an Egyptian slave who is befriended by a Hebrew slave whom she works alongside. It was fascinating to experience the plagues through her eyes as one by one the Egyptian gods were dismantled in the face of Yahweh's glory on display for all of Egypt to see.

There was so much that I appreciated about the approach this book took to unpacking what the events of the Bible would have been like for the person in the crowd, or the outsider looking in. When we read the Bible, we see Moses' conversations with God and then his interactions with Pharaoh. What if you were a random Hebrew slave at the time who didn't have that insider view? What if you were an Egyptian? What if you were an Egyptian whose life was in danger and found safety in the home of your Hebrew friends and you escaped Egypt with them, as the foreigner among them? What would you have thought when you came up to the Red Sea and Pharaoh's chariots were behind you? What would you have thought the first time you saw the cloud that Yahweh used to lead His people? What would you have thought as you suffered from thirst tromping through the desert and then came to water that turned out to be bitter? And you didn't have access to Moses and God's conversations all throughout that time?

Counted With the Stars is a love story between God and his people told through the eyes of an outsider. There was a human romance in the story that I thought was sweet and felt rather neutral about, but it was obviously not the main event in this book. I love Connilyn's books for the reverence of God and His holiness, and I recommend them.

#connilyncossette #countedwiththestars #outofegypt #biblicalfiction #christianhistoricalfiction #bookreview #goodreads

Orphaned and separated as children, the Young siblings find each other on opposite sides during the American Civil War and embark on a journey of reconciliation, redemption, and finding their true Home in Until We All Find Home. In the sequel, Until We All Run Free, they unpack more of their pasts and learn to walk in the new life God has given them. Have you picked up your copies yet? Be sure to leave reviews on Amazon!

#untilweallfindhome

#untilweallrunfree

#christianfiction

#christianhistoricalfiction

#civilwarfiction

#goodbooks

#untilweallfindhome #bookquote #valentinesday #youareloved #christianhistoricalfiction #ChristianFiction #christianfictionwriter #civilwarfiction #christianromance

I love the jewel tones in this part of my shelf! It's one of those little pieces of beauty that make my heart happy when I see it - even though my shelf is overcrowded and my series aren't complete. Things don't have to be perfect to make the heart happy or have beauty in them.

Thoughtful Christian historical fiction set in Civil War Chicago, available on Amazon

Does the thought of leaving a book review feel overwhelming? Have you ever wondered how to write one or why it's important?

Leaving a book review doesn't have to be a huge undertaking. You don't have to be eloquent or even love the book. Just try to think about what you enjoyed and what you didn't, and what you can say to help other readers know if they would like it too.

Although reviews are (almost) everything to indie authors, they're important to traditionally published authors, too, so try to leave reviews for everything you read, if you can!

What are your biggest hangups to leaving reviews? Have you left reviews for the last few books you read? Their authors will be grateful if you do!

Have you been reading for years but don't know how to critique books or think through writing a review? I made this chart for new reviewers, to give ideas of things they may want to consider as they learn how to write reviews. You obviously don't have to reference all of these in a single review, but maybe these prompts will give your brain a starting point to begin thinking about what's important to you as you read. After all, reviews are so important to a book's success and an author's livelihood!

Which of these matter the most to you in a book? Which is hardest to review?