Forbidden (The Books of Mortals #1) by Ted Dekker & Tosca Lee
About: A terrible truth has been revealed to one man: the entire human race has been drained of every emotion except one— fear. To bring life back to the world, Rom must embark on a journey that will end either in his own demise or a reawakening of humanity. But to bring love and passion back into existence will also threaten the powers of the world with the revolution and anarchy that had nearly destroyed them previously.
After happening upon a journal through strange circumstance, Rom’s world is shattered. He learns that humanity long ago ceased to “live,” that it exists today in a living death of emotions. In a terrible risk, Rom exposes himself to the vial of blood folded into the old leather of the journal. His change is fearful and fraught with mind-bending emotion. A once-pious observer of the Order’s passionless statues, he is filled with uncontrollable impulses. He is filled with love.
He is undone, terrified, and alone in the desolate world.
Why it is a favorite: This is my favorite fiction book of the year. Oh. so. good. I’ve been a Dekker fan for years and Tosca Lee is one of my favorite fiction authors so I was really counting down the days for this release. There is something about this story that has an eternal thread woven throughout it – it is an epic adventure, one that my heart responded to immediately. I could not put it down and when I finished I immediately jumped online to see when the next book would be released. Read this book. You will not be disappointed.
Love Amid the Ashes: A Novel by Mesu Andrews
About: Readers often think of Job sitting on the ash heap, his life in shambles. But how did he get there? What was Job’s life like before tragedy struck? What did he think as his world came crashing down around him? And what was life like after God restored his wealth, health, and family?
Through painstaking research and a writer’s creative mind, Mesu Andrews weaves an emotional and stirring account of this well-known story told through the eyes of the women who loved him. Drawing together the account of Job with those of Esau’s tribe and Jacob’s daughter Dinah,Love Amid the Ashes breathes life, romance, and passion into the classic biblical story of suffering and steadfast faith.
Why I recommend it: Job’s story breaks my heart. Actually, it is the hardest Bible story for me to read & push through… this fictional take on the book of Job beautifully brings the story to life. And somehow, even amidst the ashes, love reigns and God’s goodness is found.
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
About: Biographer Margaret Lea returns one night to her apartment above her father’s antiquarian bookshop. On her steps she finds a letter. It is a hand-written request from one of Britain’s most prolific and well-loved novelists. Vida Winter, gravely ill, wants to recount her life story before it is too late, and she wants Margaret to be the one to capture her history. The request takes Margaret by surprise–she doesn’t know the author, nor has she read any of Miss Winter’s dozens of novels.
Late one night while pondering whether to accept the task of recording Miss Winter’s personal story, Margaret begins to read her father’s rare copy of Miss Winter’s Thirteen Tales of Change and Desperation. She is spellbound by the stories and confused when she realizes the book only contains twelve stories. Where is the thirteenth tale? Intrigued, Margaret agrees to meet Miss Winter and act as her biographer.
As Vida Winter unfolds her story, she shares with Margaret the dark family secrets that she has long kept hidden as she remembers her days at Angelfield, the now burnt-out estate that was her childhood home. Margaret carefully records Miss Winter’s account and finds herself more and more deeply immersed in the strange and troubling story. In the end, both women have to confront their pasts and the weight of family secrets. As well as the ghosts that haunt them still.
Why it is a favorite: Diane Setterfield’s writing style is absolutely beautiful. This book quickly draws you in. It’s complex, keeps you guessing, and makes you wish it wouldn’t end. I’m a mystery reader and the tale spun in this book completely appealed to my follow the clues reading personality.
Highly recommend it.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows & Mary Ann Shaffer
About: “I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.”January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb….
As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.
Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.
Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises, and of finding connection in the most surprising ways.
Why I recommend it: I read this one with my book club of Lovelies and absolutely adored it. It’s written as a series of letters – and through the correspondence between Juliet & this society of friends there is so much hilarious, World War insight, and history of friendship. Really recommend it because of its different style and the true-to-the-heart storytelling.
Book summaries & images from Goodreads.com
