My top fiction list for 2011!

A Heart Revealed by Julie Lessman (Revell)


Delirium by Lauren Oliver (Harper Collins)


Dry As Rain by Gina Holmes (Tyndale)


Rise by Stefne Miller (Tate)


Blue Skies Tomorrow by Sarah Sundin (Revell)


The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory (Simon & Schuster)


The Gift by Bryan Litfin (Moody)


A Reluctant Queen by Joan Wolf (Thomas Nelson)


Falling Through Ice by Carolyn Heubner Rankin & Rosetta D. Hoessli (Crossover Publications)


The Priest's Graveyard by Ted Dekker (Center Street)


Heiress by Susan May Warren (Summerside)


Desired by Ginger Garrett (David C. Cook)


Spring for Susannah by Catherine Richmond (Thomas Nelson)


Deeply Devoted by Maggie Brendan (Revell)


Words by Ginny Yttrup (B & H)


Shadow in Serenity by Terri Blackstock (Zondervan)


Bathsheba by Jill Eileen Smith (Revell)


The Jihad's Messiah by Nick Daniels (Risen Books)


Shadowed in Silk by Christine Lindsay (WhiteFire Publishing)


Yesterday's Tomorrow by Catherine West (OakTara)


Composing Amelia by Alison Strobel (David C. Cook)


Memoirs of a Widowed Mistress by Megan van Eyck (CreateSpace)


A Billion Reasons Why by Kristin Billerbeck (Thomas Nelson)


The Deepest Waters by Dan Walsh (Revell)


Dance of the Dandelion by Dina Sleiman (WhiteFire Publishing)


Snitch by Booker T. Mattison (Revell)


The Visionary by Pamela S. Thibodeaux (Five Star)


The Unforgivable by Tessa Stockton (Risen Books)


Martha: A Novel by Diana Wallis Taylor (Revell)


Count Down to Love by Julie N. Ford (Bonneville Books)


Play It Again by Tracy Krauss (Strategic Book Publishing)


Never Been Kissed by Melody Carlson (Revell)


The Revelation Gate by Brian L. Thompson (Great Nation Publishing)


Shattered by Melody Carlson (Revell)


Warring Spirits by April W. Gardner (Vinspire Inspiration)


Mistaken Identity by K. Dawn Byrd (Desert Breeze Publishing)


Damaged by Melody Carlson (Revell)


The Good Fight by Shawna K. Williams (Desert Breeze Publishing)

My top five books so far this year...

I found a blog post that asked this question of readers... What are the best five books that you've read this year  and why are they at the top of your list? Here is what I posted...


Hmmm...let's see. There may be other novels that would make my list that I simply haven't read yet, so I don't know if I would bump other books to slide them onto this list or not. Regardless, of the 104 books I have so far read this year my top five would be... tada...

Deeply Devoted by Maggie Brendan (Revell)
A Heart Revealed by Julie Lessman (Revell)
Dance of the Dandelion by Dina L. Sleiman (Whitefire)
The Heiress by Susan May Warren (Summerside)

Bathsheba by Jill Eileen Smith (Revell)

What do they have in common? Well, they are all historical fiction for one. It's my favorite genre. There are three of the five that are published by Revell. I love most of their historical romances, but not all (three I didn't care for) so I tend to love their historical novels. I can't help it. There is something about historical fiction that just grabs me. Also, the books listed above were all daring. Each story delved into an area that is not typically touched on in Christian fiction. Ironically four of the five touch on domestic violence, now that I think about it. All but Bathsheba.Not that I thought about it until just now. They all deal with issues pertaining to sexuality. All of them. Desire that is somehow forbidden or for some reason seems wrong even though it seems right, too. They also deal with guilt. Major guilt. And a sense of unworthiness. Bottom line? I think this is what many people feel at times (even Christians) but so few books truly touch upon.

My best fiction list for 2010! I know the month isn't over yet. I'll amend it on 12/31 if needed.

The Healing Heart book review blog's best fiction titles for 2010! (Of the 123 + books I've read and reviewed in 2010, these were the best titles! I rate books based on how much they move me spiritually and emotionally. If I don't care about the story, I don't even finish the book. These titles are listed in no particular order.)


Walking on Broken Glass by Crista Allen (Abingdon Press)

Valeria's Cross by Kathi Macias and Susan Wales (Abingdon Press)

Unlocked: A Love Story by Karen Kingsbury (Zondervan)

The Sword by Bryan Litfin (Crossway Books)

Swinging on a Star; a novel by Janice Thompson (Revell Books)

Sons of Thunder by Susan May Warren (Summerside Press)

So Over It by Stephanie Morrill (Revell Books)

Selling My Soul by Sherri Lewis (Urban Christian)

Screen Play; a novel by Chris Coppernoll (David C. Cook)

Salvaged by Stefne Miller (Tate Publishing)

Rooms; a novel by James L. Rubart (B&H Books)

Reinventing Rachel by Alison Strobel (David C. Cook)

Priceless by Tom Davis (David C. Cook)

Pearl in the Sand by Tessa Afshar (Moody Publishers)

Out With the In Crowd by Stephanie Morrill (Revell Books)

No Other by Shawna K. Williams (Desert Breeze Publishing)

Meander Scar by Lisa Lickel (Black Lyon Publishing)

Maid to Match by Deeanne Gist (Bethany House Publishers)

Loving Bella by Renee Ryan (Steeple Hill - LI Historical)

Love Finds You in Homestead, Iowa by Melanie Dobson (Summerside)

The Lightkeeper's Daughter by Colleen Coble (Thomas Nelson)

In All Things by Shawna K. Williams (Desert Breeze Publishing)

A Hope Undaunted by Julie Lessman (Revell Books)

Her Mother's Hope by Francine Rivers (Tyndale House)

Her Daughter's Dream by Francine Rivers (Tyndale House)

The Heart's Journey Home by Jen Stephens (Sheaf House)

The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson (Zondervan)

The Gathering Storm by Bodie Thoene (Summerside Press)

Faithful by Kim Cash Tate (Thomas Nelson)

Driftwood Lane by Denise Hunter (Thomas Nelson)

Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz (Revell Books)

Catching Moondrops by Jennifer Erin Valent (Tyndale House)

Caleb + Kate by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma (Thomas Nelson)

Abigail by Jill Eileen Smith (Revell Books)

Someone to Blame by C. S. Lakin (Zondervan)

Woot woot! Get a free book today from an author I love!

Tom Davis, author of Scared, has exciting news for you today. I'll pass him the baton. Go, Tom!

Readers,

I have some very exciting news to share with you!

My publisher, David C. Cook, feels that the message of my new novel, Scared: A Novel on the Edge of the World, is so important they are giving it away for free! You heard right, Scared can be downloaded for free until July 10th, simply by going to www.scaredthenovel.com.

What can you do? I need your help to get the word out. Would you consider blogging about this, posting it on Facebook and Twitter, or other social networking sites? Reading Scared is changing people’s lives, that’s why we want this in the hands of as many people as possible. You can click here to read twenty-three reviews already posted on Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Scared-Novel-World-Tom-Davis/product-reviews/1589191021/ref=dp_db_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

We’ve also created a landing page with some resources you can use. It includes an embedded copy of the Free PDF link, chapter samplers and the video trailer. Get them here:

http://tomdavis.typepad.com/tom_daviss_blog/scared-publicity-page.html

My friend Mike Morell from The Ooze has posted this on his page so you can get an idea of what your page might look like:

http://zoecarnate.wordpress.com/2009/06/22/scared-free-ebook-download-a-novel-idea-thats-helping-kids/

Thank you all so much for the support you’ve already given to Scared. I’m so glad my publisher believes in the message of the book so much, they’re willing to give it away. Who does that?! With your help, thousands of people who might not read the book can have it in their hands instantly. Hopefully, their lives will be radically changed.

For the Fatherless,

Tom Davis

http://tomdavis.typepad.com/

My review of Havah by Tosca Lee

About the book:

What was it like to be the first woman on earth, to wake to a brand-new creation---and Adam? Why did she become so beguiled by the serpent? In this lyrical retelling of the biblical narrative, Lee brings Eden to life, revealing the dawn of mankind from Eve's viewpoint! (Contains some mature imagery.)

** my thoughts on the mature imagery. Imagine sexual union the way God intended. It's beautiful and Havah will show you just how far we have strayed from what God saw as delightful union between man and wife.

What Publisher's Weekly had to say about Havah in this starred review:

Lee surprised the evangelical Christian literary world with her acclaimed Demon: A Memoir. Her fans will be equally pleased with her newest, a passionate and riveting story of the Bible's first woman and her remarkable journey after being cast from paradise. Havah, Adam's chosen name for Eve, recounts her life from a singular vantage point. From having known only blissful innocence, she must struggle through every post-Garden moment. Frustration compounds her plight as she repeatedly attempts to regain her former idyllic existence and repeatedly fails. Havah's life becomes a fight for survival once she and Adam are cast from the Garden, and Lee's poetic prose beautifully depicts the couple's slow surrender to a world tending to destruction. Havah gives birth, raises a brood of children, watches one son kill another, observes disease and death. Yet all the while, she waits for the fulfillment of "the One" (God) who will bring reconciliation and redemption through her seed. Lee's superior storytelling will have readers weeping for all that Havah forfeited by a single damning choice.

Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Okay, so now you've got the book description and the Publisher's Weekly info, so here is my review of Havah!

My review:

Havah contains such beautiful imagery that I was literally entranced while reading the story. I was in the Garden with Eve. I was Eve. It's amazing how Tosca does that with her writing. Her choice of first person POV and keeping the reader in that one perspective all through the story was brilliant! I loved her book, Demon, but this is even better. I know, hard to imagine. But like with Demon, Havah puts a personal touch on matters of faith. You will think about what the fall means in a whole new way. You will see just how sin destroyed all that God created. Havah is written with such passion and conviction you will glimpse into the heart of "the One Who is" and will understand how much He truly delighted in the creation of man and His communion with him. The emotional pull of this story is truly divine. When Havah cried for Adonai and tried to find him after the fall, it moved my heart. I know just how she felt.

Have you ever thought about the whole temptation thing and the fruit on the tree and thought, "Big deal. So she ate an apple. I don't get it." You ponder the disobedience that occurred, but still go back to, "What was it about that tree that was so alluring?" Maybe I'm the only one who asks these questions, but I'll bet I'm not. Havah portrays the temptation that Adam and Eve experienced in such an amazing and believable fashion that I will never see things the way I did before. It was a whole lot more than a piece of fruit. While the author had to expound on the few paragraphs in the Scriptures that describes Adam and Even and their experiences, every aspect of the story is doctrinally sound. It lines up with the nature of God and the themes throughout the Bible.

Can you imagine the horror when they realized exactly what they had done? And then there is the blame and betrayal, "It was the woman you gave me." One of the most powerful lines in Havah is very short. It's simply, "We die." But the impact I felt surrounding those words was incredible.

And think about Cain and Abel. We know that Cain killed him after he offered to God a sacrifice that didn't please "the One Who is". But I'd never really thought about why it didn't please God. I'd also never considered the horror Havah would've felt the moment she realized that the ultimate sin (murder) had occurred in her own home. And to not lose just the one son to death, but also the other when he fled. The imagery surrounding their clan, family dynamics, and the conflicts they had was all done so incredibly well it took my breath away. It's impossible to not cry when this story ends. Tosca's powerful use of language is very moving and the ending is perfectly written. I stand amazed.

I could go on and on about how much I love this story, but it's hard to put into words exactly how it effected me. The authors use of the English language is amazing and the imagery she creates from everyday words is beyond what I've ever read before. She even had cleverly placed words that I'd rarely seen in books. This is not a novel for people who like simple stuff. This is the deeply spiritual memoir of Eve. Thankfully we know how the story ends.

Havah was published by NavPress and was released in October 2008.