I’ve always been a reader. I remember reading classic series like the Little House on the Prairie books and Anne of Green Gables when I was young.

Through most of my teens and twenties, I read mainly fiction. Once I became a mom, I got into parenting books and other non-fiction.

My tastes have definitely changed over the years. I used to read lots of historical fiction, then moved on to mysteries. Legal-themed mysteries have been a more recent choice, but I never developed a taste for sci-fi or fantasy. These days I try to keep a balance between fiction and non-fiction – and memoirs are a current favorite.

Today I’m sharing with you ten of my favorite Christian fiction series. It’s mostly a mix of mysteries and contemporary stories. Some of these I first read many years ago – and now I’m inspired to go back and re-read them!

Where one link wasn’t available for the entire series, I’ve shared a link to the first book.

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1. Lost Castle series by Kristy Cambron. Kristy Cambron is one of my favorite authors. I’ve read all of her books. All three books in this series are split-time romances (basically two cohesive plot lines, one set in the past and one in the present) and revolve around castles. But they’re definitely not all about royalty, like you might think.

2. Serena Jones Mysteries by Sandra Orchard. How I wish there were more than three books in this series! I read them years ago and have re-read them at least once. Our older daughter has enjoyed reading these, too. Also, the titles of the books are very clever.

3. The O’Malley Series by Dee Henderson. I read this series quite a while ago. It’s another set that my older daughter and I both enjoyed. They’re called “romantic suspense novels” and follow different members of the O’Malley family, all of whom have interesting careers.

4. The Hidden Springs Mysteries by A.H. Gabhart. This three-book series is set in a small town with memorable characters and just enough suspense to keep readers interested.

5. Angel Island Books by Thomas Kinkade with Katherine Spencer. Now we get to a series that’s just sweet stories without a lot of mystery. Another one that I’d definitely want to read more of!

6. The Bradford Sisters by Becky Wade. Each of these three books chronicles what’s happening with one of three sisters. Just nice, contemporary romances!

7. Supper Club Series by Carla Laureano. These are also modern romances. All three of the books deal with food – a supper club, a cafe, and a coffee shop.

8. The MacDonald Family Trilogy by Carla Laureano. Set in Scotland and London, these three books document the lives of different members of the MacDonald family.

9. The Original Baxter Family Series by Karen Kingsbury. There are a lot of Baxter Family books. Somehow I started with the sixth book, Fame, and read through Sunset, which is book 14. I don’t think I ever went back and read the first five books. I did read a couple of the later ones, but the original group I read was the best.

10. The Wedding Collection by Rachel Hauck. Rachel Hauck has written a number of books. I’ve read several of them, but especially enjoyed this series.

Let me know if you’ve enjoyed any of these series or drop a note in the comments if you have a series to recommend!

Coming in a little early in the season, perhaps, with the best books I’ve read lately!

I realize fall won’t officially be over for a while, but I missed posting my favorite summer reads – and it seems a little late for that now!

So here, in no particular order, are the five best books I’ve read in fall 2022.

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1. Blessing Your Grown Children by Debra Evans.

I started this book on my Kindle, and by the time I was halfway through, I ordered it in paperback so I could have it on my bookshelf. It’s definitely a book I plan to go back to over and over again. There’s so much wisdom here on building healthy relationships with your adult children. We’re just in the beginning stages of this, and I want to do it well!

2. The Italian Ballerina by Kristy Cambron.

To be fair, Kristy Cambron is one of my favorite authors and I’ve read all her books. I’m always eager to read her newest book, and this one didn’t disappoint!

3. Spouse in the House by Cynthia Ruchti and Becky Melby.

So this is a phase of life I’m not in yet, but, Lord willing, we’ll get there before too long! This book addresses the adjustments that come when both spouses are at home most of the time, due to retirement, a job that works from home, etc. The authors talk through the struggles and the blessings of this life season with realism and humor.

4. While We’re Far Apart by Lynn Austin.

This is an older book of Lynn Austin’s (I still haven’t read all of hers yet) and I really enjoyed it. It’s set in World War 2 and I found the characters and plotline moving and memorable.

5. One Night in Tehran by Luanna Ehrlich.

This is the first book in a series of 8 (so far) about a CIA operative named Titus Ray. I finished the author’s other series about Mylas Grey, a private investigator, and now I’m working my way through this one.

And here’s a bonus fiction and non-fiction selection!

The Sport of Matchmaking by Jennie Goutet.

This is the third in a series, but I don’t feel like you need to have read the first two to enjoy this one. It’s a light story about a young man and a young woman who’ve both determined not to marry…and although you can probably guess the ending, it’s still entertaining to see how they get there!

The Well-Watered Woman by Gretchen Saffles.

I actually mentioned this book as one of my favorite finds from August. After reading it on my Kindle, I ordered the hardback edition and am now reading through it a second time. It’s a great book to encourage women as they seek to grow spiritually.

Please let me know in the comments about any good books you’ve read lately!

Related posts:

• The 5 Best Books I Read This Spring
• 10 Helpful Bible Study Resources for Women
• 12 Best Parenting Books for Moms

Happy Friday! Do you have anything fun and/or relaxing planned for this weekend?

One of my favorite ways to relax is to settle in with a good book. My reading goal for 2022 is to average one book a week. So far this year I’ve finished 37 books so I’m well ahead of schedule!

Now that we’re officially in summer, I thought I’d take a look back at the best books I read this spring. While I did read several non-fiction books, my top-five list is all fiction.

This post may contain Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra charge to you. Thank you for supporting Girls to Grow through your purchases!

1. Against the Tide by Elizabeth Camden. I’ve read several books by this author and have enjoyed them all. This particular story takes place in Boston in the late 1800s.

2. Tidewater Bride by Laura Frantz. Here’s another favorite author – and another historical fiction book! I’d really gotten away from reading many books in that genre but have gotten back into them lately. Early James Towne colony is the setting for this story. Even though it’s fiction, I like how the author includes actual historical places and people.

3. We Were Kings by Court Stevens. This is considered a YA book, another genre that I don’t read often. However, this mystery drew me in and I was a little surprised by the ending.

4. Provenance by Carla Laureano. Here again, I read this book because I enjoyed previous books by this author. It’s a sweet story of finding redemption and family when you least expect it.

5. The Gem Thief by Sian Ann Bessey. This modern-day story had a good pace and kept me guessing who the “bad guy” was up until the end.

Honorable Mention: Trust Me by Kelly Irvin is a romantic suspense novel that was very good, although I did figure out “who-dun-it” pretty early on in the story. The Letter from Briarton Park by Sarah E. Ladd is a Regency romance and was also an enjoyable read.

Share with me in the comments what you’ve been reading lately!

Related posts:

• The 5 Best Books I Read This Winter
• My Top 10 Influential Books
• Book Review: Wisdom and the Millers by Mildred A. Martin

Thanks for stopping by the blog on this last Friday in March! I always enjoy talking books and reading so that’s what we’re doing today.

My reading goal for 2022 is to average one book a week. So far I’ve finished 19 books which means I’m ahead of schedule. Only six of them were non-fiction, so I’d like to up the count on those next month.

Listed below, in no particular order, are the five best books I read this winter. Let me know if you’ve read any of these!

This post may contain Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra charge to you. Thank you for supporting Girls to Grow through your purchases!

1. Praying the Scriptures for Your Adult Children by Jodie Berndt. I’ve mentioned this book on the blog before. It includes chapters on specific topics related to our adult children. At the end of each chapter, the author shares brief prayers based on specific Bible verses. Not only did I find those prayers helpful, but I was also inspired to look at my own daily Bible reading through the lens of prayers I can pray for our daughters.

2. A Bride Most Begrudging by Deeanne Gist. This story is set in colonial times, which is not a time period I read about very often. Due to circumstances beyond her control, a fine lady from England finds herself the unwilling wife of an American farmer. This sounds like a familiar and overused plot, but I really liked how this story developed.

3. Doing Life with Your Adult Children by Jim Burns. I think you see a theme here for the type of non-fiction books I’ve read! The subtitle for this book is great – “Keep Your Mouth Shut and the Welcome Mat Out.” There is lots of practical advice for parents to use when dealing with situations that may arise as our children step out on their own.

4. Until Leaves Fall in Paris by Sarah Sundin. This one takes place in Germany in World War 2. The main female character owns a bookstore – and any story that has a bookstore for a setting is pretty much a winner for me! I liked how there was a bit of suspense at the end as well.

5. Crisis Shot by Janice Cantore. I used to read a lot of this type of book – it involves law enforcement and/or lawyers or politicians and unsolved crimes. This is the first book in a series of three. [Just a note: I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the third one due to some of the subject matter related to the crimes.]

Honorable Mention: I really enjoy memoirs. Danielle Walker’s Food Saved Me is a good read. She talks about her struggle with an autoimmune disease, how doctors were unable to help her, and the part that a healthy diet has played in restoring her physical wellbeing.

Have you read any good books lately? If so, please share in the comments below. I’m always looking for recommendations!

Related posts:

• The 10 Best Books I Read in 2021
• 12 Best Parenting Books for Moms
• Top 10 Favorite Books to Read Aloud as a Family

Some of the links in this post are Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra charge to you. Thank you for supporting Girls to Grow through your purchases!

Happy 2022!! I hope you’re enjoying the weekend as we start off a new year. We were with friends till about 10:30 last night, then came home to ring in the New Year. We’re spending January 1st getting things done around the new house.

In last week’s subscriber email, I shared the top ten blog posts on Girls to Grow in 2021. (You can sign up here if you’d like to be on the list to receive those emails.) I’m just going to take one more quick look back at last year through the lens of the books I read.

2021 was the first year I kept a list of all the books I read. I think I’d tracked the number of books before but never the actual titles. I read 49 books – almost made it to an average of one per week!

Over the last six weeks or so, I missed reading. With moving and all the projects that needed to be done, along with our girls coming home from college and celebrating Christmas, I didn’t make the time. However, I finished my last book while we were on vacation this week and it ended up being in my top 10!

So here are the ten best books I read in 2021. The list is a mix of fiction and non-fiction and goes in order of how I read them throughout the year.

1. Fast. Feast. Repeat. by Gin Stephens. I was curious about intermittent fasting and this book got me started on that eating plan this year.

2. The Cul-de-Sac War by Melissa Ferguson. This is a cute modern-day fiction romance. I actually just gave it to my 19-year-old daughter for Christmas as my girls like actual copies of books they enjoy rather than just e-reader versions.

3. The President Will See You Now: My Stories and Lessons from Ronald Reagan’s Final Years by Peggy Grande. I’m a big Ronald Reagan fan and I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It’s written by the woman who was his executive assistant after he left the White House and is very poignant and moving.

4. Unscripted by Davis Bunn. I’ve read many of Bunn’s books and this was a good one.

5. Chasing Shadows by Lynn Austin. Nikki encouraged me to read Lynn Austin’s books a while ago and I’ve read several. This one that released this past summer was a favorite.

6. Empty Besting by Kristi Huss. I’ve read several books on the empty nest and I really liked this author’s perspective.

7. The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W Tozer. This one was so good I read it twice in 2021. The chapters are short but offer so much insight into God’s character.

8. The One You’re With by Lauren K. Denton. Here’s a fiction story where the main characters are an older married couple! Loved that I could relate to their season of life.

9. Lady Jayne Disappears by Joanna Davidson Politano. I just discovered this author a couple of months ago and highly recommend her books. I think I’ve read all but one now. This is the one I just finished and it was excellent. Each story has a bit of romance and a bit of mystery. They’re all set at specific periods in history.

10. The Next Right Thing Guided Journal by Emily P. Freeman. If you enjoy journaling or would like to give it a try, this is a great book to use. The prompts are very thought-provoking. I completed the journal for 2021, and just ordered a new one for 2022.

What’s the best book you read last year? I’m always looking for new books to read!

I plan to be back to regular blogging next week. I loved what another blogging friend shared this morning – let’s hold loosely to our plans and tightly to Christ in 2022. Here’s to a great year ahead for all of us!