Faith in Fiction

Welcome to Faith 'n Fiction Saturday! If this is your first time participating, please read this post. It will tell you everything you need to know!Today's Question: Christian fiction is growing as a market, but there are still many unexplored storylines and under-represented genres. What issues or ideas would you like to see tackled from a Christian worldview? Or, what setting would you like to see? Which genres would you like to see more books?

My answer:

Oh I love to read christian fiction but there are always things I want to see more of in the books I read.I would love to see more chick lit. I know they say that it is losing popularity but I still enjoy reading Chick lit. I love the sassy characters and the humor that you find in that genre.

I would also like to see families that are faced with special needs children continue to appear in novels. I just don't want to see it limited to certain disabilities. It is wonderful to see reflections of our own lives in the novels that we read.

Lastly I want to see Christian fiction tackle real life issues. It is not always a rosy world out there and well lets just speak clearly the temptation is real. Our teens face it and out singles face the temptation of sex before marriage. Michelle Sutton and Shelly Adina have both addressed these issues openly in there YA fiction. We all know that attraction is important and usually it is physical attraction that draws us to others. Sometimes I feel like the christian fiction market tries to brush over this with a rainbow paintbrush. Its real. Let's deal with it. There is a real struggle that can be honestly portrayed between the pages of a novel.

Faith 'n Fiction

My Friend Amy has the Faith n' fiction Saturday question up.

Today's question is something you may have already written about on your blog in some form, but it seems appropriate as the first question for the year.

What are your reading goals for the new year? Do you have plans to read through the Bible or complete any Bible studies? Do you hope to expand your reading horizons or reread some old favorites? Do you want to read more fiction or non-fiction? Do you want to increase the amount of Christian fiction you read? Do you have any goals for reading as it relates to your blog?

Actually I am reading through the Bible this year. I haven't ever done this and I want to read the parts of the Bible that I tend to miss. Everyone has there favorite sections of the Bible and when they pick up the Bible they are pulled to their favorite passages. With that in mind, I know that I am missing some wonderful words of God and not learning all I can.

I am also doing a devotion with my dh every night. I know that this will bring us closer to each other and closer to God. We have done devotionals together in the past but they have focused on marriage. This one is focusing on our walk with God.

As for the books I hope to read in the next year, I hope to continue to read a variety of Christian fiction and nonfiction. I love how Christian fiction reflects my faith and I want to continue to read books that have faith and love as a central theme in the novels. I do plan to read more books on parenting this year(always striving to be a better mom).

The last question is goals relating to my blog. Well...I hope to continue to introduce others to a variety of talented authors. I want to continue to read new books by Christ centered authors and share their work with others. I also want to increase the readership of this blog and share the authors and their works with more people.

Faith in Fiction

Over at my friend Amy's Blog she has started a weekly discussion on Saturdays named Faith 'n Fiction Saturday where we get together and talk about our love for Christian fiction. To participate, simply write your answer on your blog, find the permalink of your post and enter the permanent link over at Amy's site.

It's Christmas time and one of my favorite things to do is read Christmas themed books. Do you enjoy reading holiday themed books? Do you have any special book you read every year? Do you have a special devotional you like to use? (not fiction..I know!) Have you read any good Christmas books this year?

Well , I love Christmas books especially Romance and sweet short novellas. This year I read several and am currently reading the Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck although it is not a romance but you do walk away with a lot to think about. My wonderful husband pressured me to read it so I am and glad. I also read The Christmas Edition by Robin Shope and it is a great Christmas read sort of reminds me of the hallmark Chirstmas movies. I also read the Nascar Christmas novella and since I love nascar you can imagine I also loved the collection.

Of course on my blog I focused this month on Christmas themed books and interviews so you can imagine I have read quite a few wonderful seasonal books.

Faith 'n Fiction

This week on Faith'n Fiction Saturdays question are difficult and have been discussed for the past few weeks.

Do you receive review copies of Christian books? If so, do you review them honestly? How do you handle it when you don't like a book but are obligated to provide a review? Who do you see your first commitment being to in book reviewing (besides God)? Yourself? The author? Your readers? Does your review change based on the spiritual content of the book or is it solely based on technical or artistic merit? Have you ever had a negative experience with an author after giving them a negative review? (please don't name names)

I spend a huge amount of time on this blog. It is a hobby of mine and one that I truly enjoy. I want others to read my blog and know that I spend time both reading the books I post reviews for and reviewing them. With that said the question is what do I write about a book that I did not really like but am obligated to provide a review for. I write my reviews as honestly as possible. I don't think as a reviewer I am suppose to just be out peddling the books but offering an honest opinion of them. The author would not have sent out the novels to be reviewed if they did not understand that some reviews will not be favorable.

My first commitment is to the readers who visit this site. I know that recently I picked up a book based on the endorsement of the book by two authors I really love and my book club at church decided to read this novel. Usually, I read the novels before taking them to the club for selection but this time I did not. It was a huge mistake and one that reminded me that since I have decided to post reviews of novels and nonfiction books I owe it to both the reader and the author to do so with honesty or risk loosing my integrity. The two authors that endorsed that book have lost integrity in my eyes and I will no longer select a book based on their backing.

When I review a novel I try to evaluate it on a these criteria:

Was it enjoyable?

Would I want to share it with others?

Did the plot and characters develop in a believable manner?

Was the style of writing easy to read and follow?

Did the novel share the love and grace of Jesus Christ?

These are what I based my reviews off of. I am sure others probably go much deeper but for me this is what I look for in Christian Fiction and what I base my reviews on.