November/December 2009

The holidays are here, and, is it just me or did December seem to come faster this year? My lists have lists, but I am vowing to remember what this season is about and focus on that. It's been a hectic year, and thus I look forward to the third week in December when our family heads down to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. We've been doing this for five years now. There's a lovely church we go to on Christmas Eve where there is a lovely candlelit service and we immediately feel part of the community there. I love this time when we just hang out, read, watch movies and play games. The beach has always been a wonderful reflex place for me, and it's going to be terrific to be there. We have been renting the same house for a few years, and the owners asked me to write a piece for them about how we celebrate there for the local newspaper. That piece has been fun to write as it brings up a number of wonderful memories. The holidays are great for that!

This month we're featuring quite a variety of titles, including a number of holiday-themed books in our annual Christmas Roundup that covers many genres --- from inspirational to whimsical romance fiction. Don't forget our annual What to Give/What to Get feature on Bookreporter.com, a great gift idea resource. Included is a category for Inspirational titles. These are best enjoyed with good company and a warm fire. You can also win a copy of THE SOUND OF SLEIGH BELLS by Cindy Woodsmall in our Word of Mouth contest.

Of course this time of year always brings some classic Christmas movies, but I’m really excited for Donna VanLiere’s The Christmas Hope, which is airing on Lifetime Movie Network on Sunday, December 13th at 8PM ET. This was such a heartwarming and tearjerking novel (you’ve been warned), and to see it get the small screen treatment is exciting. Click here for more information about the book and film adaptation.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 10 years since Francine Rivers released her bestselling Mark of the Lion series, which includes A VOICE IN THE WIND, AN ECHO IN THE DARKNESS and AS SURE AS THE DAWN. These historical titles have it all --- love, adventure, action and spiritual exploration --- so it’s no wonder they were so popular with readers. All three volumes have been re-released featuring new forewords from Tyndale House Publishers and Francine herself, as well as new discussion questions. Francine is also launching a new series in early 2010, and we have a sneak peek of the first novel, HER MOTHER’S HOPE, too.

I had the privilege of reading a manuscript of HER MOTHER'S HOPE in October and it's just wonderful. I was swept up in the story, which begins in Switzerland and then moves across Europe to Canada and then California. I am not sure what I liked best --- the description of place, the characters or the plotting. I do know that I already am looking forward to the second book to see where the story goes from there. I am so invested in the characters that I find myself wondering what happens next, which is the mark of a great book. Erin Quinn in our office started reading it one day and found herself still sitting at her desk one night at 10, as caught up in the writing as I had been. Readers are in for a real treat with this one.

Two additional study guides are available for personal or group discussion. Graham Garrison’s HERO’S TRIBUTE examines a small-town hero whose troublesome past is about to become public business, and DESERT FIRE by Shannon Van Roekel takes readers to the war-ravaged Darfur region of Sudan.

We’re featuring two new historical books from the "olden days." Susan Page Davis gives us THE SHERIFF'S SURRENDER, the first book in the Ladies’ Shooting Club series featuring a group of gals taking up arms, literally, to help a new sheriff in the rough-and-tumble town of Fergus, Idaho. Along those same lines, Kelly Eileen Hake’s THE BRIDE BLUNDER, the third book in the Prairie Promises series, returns to Nebraska where a young man gets himself into quite a pickle with a wedding proposal.

As the year draws to a close, we are sharing all the author interviews and Faithful Fifteens that appeared on FaithfulReader.com throughout 2009. You can revisit them here. And what would a holiday newsletter be without a little celebration? Our giveaway winners of THE CHRISTMAS LAMP by Lori Copeland are listed here. Enjoy those baskets full of goodies, and share if you must!

As always, thank you for your continued support of FaithfulReader.com. Another year in the books! We have some exciting new things planned for next year, and we’d love to hear any feedback or suggestions you may have. In the meantime, please have a restful, relaxing Christmas and enjoy with all those you love. And have a mug of hot cocoa, or three.

Merry Christmas, and read on...we'll see you next year!

Carol Fitzgerald ([email protected])
 

Click here to see the Inspirational titles in Bookreporter.com's What to Give/What to Get Guide.

HERO’S TRIBUTE by Graham Garrison (Fiction)
What makes a man a legend --- trophies, medals, or character? Michael Gavin is a hero for all these reasons and more. But he also has a past he’s not proud of --- one he’s kept hidden from his family, his friends and his community. Now his secrets are about to be made public. Like it or not. And they may change the lives of everyone in the small town of Talking Creek.

-Click here to read more about HERO’S TRIBUTE.
-Click here to read a review of HERO’S TRIBUTE.
-Click here to read an excerpt from HERO’S TRIBUTE.
-Click here to read Graham Garrison’s bio.
 

THE BRIDE BLUNDER: Prairie Promises, Book 3 by Kelly Eileen Hake (Historical Romance)
Come visit Buttonwood for a marriage mistake like no other in the third novel of Kelly Eileen Hake’s Prairie Promises series. In the Nebraskan Territory of 1859, Gavin Miller writes home to request the hand of Miss Marguerite Chandler. They say that the devil is in the details, and Gavin forgot an important one --- Marguerite’s cousin shares the same name! When his surprise bride arrives, will Gavin swallow his pride and admit to his blunder?

-Click here to read an excerpt from THE BRIDE BLUNDER.
-Click here to read Kelly Eileen Hake’s bio.