Recommended Readings
Christian Fiction
Library Journal Best
Christian Fiction
Since 1985, the editors of
Library Journal have annually selected a list of their favorite books from all
the fiction and non-fiction titles published that year. Beginning in 1996, the
Library Journal staff also began compiling lists of the best genre fiction
published that year.
2005
Alexander, Hannah -- Last
Resort
Austin, Lynn N. -- All
She Ever Wanted
Cramer, W. Dale -- Levi's
Will
Lewis, Beverly -- The Preacher's Daughter
Mazzarella, Nicole -- This Heavy Silence
2004
Billingsley, ReShonda Tate-- Let the Church Say Amen
Cramer, W. Dale -- Bad
Ground
Hatcher, Robin Lee -- Catching
Katie
Huggins, James Byron -- Nightbringer
Martinusen, Cindy McCormick -- The Salt Garden
Gold Medallion Book
Awards
The Gold Medallion Book
Awards were established in 1978 by the Evangelical Christian Publishers
Association to recognize the best in Christian book publishing.The
Gold Medallions are considered to be the most prestigious awards given for
Christian publications and are awarded annually.
2005 -- Kingsbury, Karen - Oceans
Apart
2004 -- Dekker,
Ted -Thr3e
2003 -- North, Oliver - Mission
Compromised
2002 -- Alcorn, Randy - Safely
Home
2001 -- Wangerin,
Walter - Paul
2000 -- Karon,
Jan A New Song
1999 -- Rivers, Francine - The
Last Sin Eater
1998 -- Thoene,
Bodie - Only the River Runs Free
1997 -- Wangerin,
Walter - The Book of God
1996 -- Peretti,
Frank E. - The Oath
1995 -- Thoene,
Bodie - The Twilight of Courage
Christy Awards
In 1999, Christian
publishers realized the need to create a Christian fiction award that would
recognize authors and novels of excellence in several genres of Christian
fiction. The Christy Award was named to honor popular Christian fiction writer
Catherine Marshall and one of her novels, Christy.
Allegory/Fantasy/Visionary
2005 -- Hancock, Karen - The
Shadow Within
2004 -- Hancock, Karen - The
Light of Eidon
2003 -- Hancock, Karen - Arena
Contemporary/General
2005 -- Cramer, W. Dale - Bad
Ground
2004 -- Samson, Lisa - Songbird
2003 -- Tatlock,
Ann - All the Way Home
2002 -- Turner, Jamie
Langston - A Garden to Keep
2001 -- Gulley, Philip - Home
to Harmony
2001 -- Whitlow, Robert - The
Trial
2000 -- Karon,
Jan - A New Song
Romance
2005 -- Heitzmann,
Kristen - Secrets
2004 -- Alexander, Hannah - Hideaway
2003 -- Henderson, Dee - True Honor
2002 -- Henderson, Dee - The Guardian
2001 -- Palmer, Catherine - A
Touch of Betrayal
2000 -- Hatcher, Robin Lee -
Whispers from Yesterday
Suspense
2005 -- Wilson, Debbie - Tiger
in the Shadows
2004 -- Dekker,
Ted - Thr3e
2003 -- Singer, Randy - Directed
Verdict
2002 -- Bunn, T. Davis - Drummer
in the Dark
2001 -- Bunn, T. Davis - The
Great Divide
2000 -- Bell, James Scott - Final Witness
Mysteries and Suspense
(Recommended by Novelist)
(For more titles, access Novelist via www.midyork.com -- Library card required)
Comic Capers
A determinedly comic
treatment is used by these authors, making felicitous the union of comedy and
crime without the defects of farce.
Adams, Deborah
Beechey,
Alan -- An embarrassment of corpses
Butterworth, Michael -- The
Man in the Sopwith Camel
Butterworth, Michael -- The
Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo
Cannell,
Dorothy -- God save the Queen!
Childress, Mark -- Crazy
in Alabama
Churchill, Jill
Edwards, Ruth Dudley
Elton, Ben Popcorn
Evanovich,
Janet
Follett, Ken -- Paper
Money
George, Anne
Girdner,
Jaqueline
Hiaasen, Carl
Hunter, Evan -- Every
Little Crook and Nanny
Lyons,
Nan -- Champagne Blues
Lyons,
Nan -- Someone Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe
Shames, Laurence
Westlake, Donald E.
White, Randy Wayne
Cozy Mysteries
The traditional cozy's origin is generally
attributed to the Miss Marple stories by Agatha Christie. Over the years, American authors have
introduced a sharper tone to the genre, but basically the cozy remains a
quieter, less violent mystery than found in most other categories.
Atherton, Nancy -- Aunt
Dimity Digs In
Ballard, Mignon F. -- An
Angel to Die For
Bannister, Jo -- The
Primrose Convention
Beaton,
M. C. -- Agatha Raisin and the Wizard of Evesham
Brett, Simon -- The
Body on the Beach
Cannell,
Dorothy --The Trouble with Harriet
Cannon, Taffy -- Guns
and Roses
Comfort, B. -- A Pair
for the Queen
Daheim,
Mary -- A Streetcar Named Expire
Dams, Jeanne M. -- To
Perish in Penzance
DeLoach,
Nora -- Mama Rocks the Empty Cradle
Fowler, Earlene -- Arkansas
Traveler
Frommer,
Sara Hoskinson -- The Vanishing Violinist
Granger, Ann -- Shades
of Murder
Graves, Sarah -- Wreck
the Halls
Hall, Parnell -- Cozy
Harris, Charlaine -- Shakespeare's Trollop
Harrison, Janis -- Roots
of Murder
Hart, Carolyn G. -- April
Fool Dead
Holt, Hazel -- Mrs. Malory and the Only Good Lawyer
Hunter, Fred -- Ransom
for a Holiday
Jacobs, Jonnie -- Murder
Among Strangers
MacPherson,
Rett -- A Misty
Mourning
McCafferty,
Barbara Taylor -- Double Date
Meier, Leslie -- Wedding
Day Murder
Murray, Donna Huston -- School
of Hard Knocks
Temple, Lou Jane -- Bread on Arrival
Wright, Eric --Death
on the Rocks
Wright, Nancy -- Means
Stolen Honey
Human and Animal Teams
Americans have a great
affection and fascination with the pets in their lives. Several authors write
about human sleuths or animal sleuths working together with the other species.
The most famous team is probably that of Qwilleran
and his cats KoKo and YumYum
in the series written by Lilian Jackson Braun.
Adamson, Lydia
Braun, Lilian Jackson
-- Cat Who Mysteries
Brown, Rita Mae
Conant,
Susan -- Ruffly Speaking
Douglas, Carole Nelson --
Cat on a Blue Monday
Douglas, Carole Nelson --
Catnap
Douglas, Carole Nelson --
Pussyfoot
Legal Thrillers
The legal thriller focuses
on the courtroom and the techniques needed to persuade the jury the client is
not guilty. Most of the lawyers featured in these books are defense lawyers,
not all of who are convinced their clients are innocent.
Bernhardt, William -- Cruel
Justice
Brandon, Jay -- Angel
of Death
Cose,
Ellis – The Best Defense
Darden, Christopher A. – The
Trials of Nikki Hill
Devane,
Terry -- Uncommon Justice
Dold,
Gaylord – The Devil to Pay
Dooling,
Richard -- Brain Storm
Ellis, David -- Line
of Vision
Genberg,
Ira -- Reckless Homicide
Green, Tim – The
Letter of the Law
Grisham, John – A
Time to Kill
Gruenfeld,
Lee – The Halls of Justice
Guterson,
David -- Snow Falling on Cedars
Horn, Stephen -- In
Her Defense
Jacobs, Jonnie -- Motion
to Dismiss
Kennedy, Kate -- End
Over End
Kerr, Baine -- Harmful Intent
Klempner,
Joseph T. -- Flat
Lake in Winter
Lescroart,
John T. -- Guilt
Margolin,
Phillip – The Burning Man
Martel, John – The
Alternate
Martini, Steve -- The
Attorney
Passaro,
Vince -- Violence, Nudity, Adult Content
Patterson, Richard – The
North Final Judgment
Peak, John A. -- Mortal Judgments
Reed, Barry – The
Deception
Rosenberg, Nancy Taylor
-- Conflict of Interest
Scottoline,
Lisa -- Rough Justice
Siegel, Sheldon -- Special
Circumstances
Tanenbaum,
Robert K. -- Act of Revenge
Turow,
Scott – The Laws of Our Fathers
Wesson, Marianne -- Render
Up the Body
Wilhelm, Kate -- Malice
Prepense
Willett, Sabin – The Deal
Like The DaVinci Code?
Try these other Conspiracy Theory Novels.
(Recommended
by Novelist)
Conspiracy theory novels can
be highly improbable with fantastical implausibilities, or can be frighteningly
realistic with very probable events. Whether a conspiracy involves political,
business, religious, or personal motives, ultimately greed and desire for power
lead to murder.
The plot twists and turns build suspense and draw the reader
into the battle between good and evil.
What the reader is seeking is the answer
to the mystery — who is behind the conspiracy and why.
Berry, Steve – The Amber Room
(2003)
Box, C.J. – Savage Run
(2002)
Genna, Giuseppe – In the Name of Ishmael (2003)
oddard, Robert – Hand in
Glove (1992)
Hellmann, Libby Fischer -- A
Picture of Guilt (2003)
Le Carré,
John -- The Constant Gardener (2001)
Liss, David -- A Spectacle of Corruption (2004)
Neville, Katherine -- The
Eight (1988)
Rabb, Jonathan -- The Book of Q. Crown (2001)
Silva, Daniel -- A Death
in Vienna (2004)
Smith, Ian -- The
Blackbird Papers (2004)
Tierney, Ronald -- Nickel-Plated
Soul (2004)
Wilson, Robert -- A Small
Death in Lisbon
(2000)
Women's Lives and Relationships
(Recommended
by Novelist)
Women's Lives and Relationships
is a subgenre of mainstream fiction that appeals primarily to women readers.
These novels, written primarily by women for women, reflect women's
relationships with friends, family, and lovers and the unique way women deal
with the issues they confront at various stages in their lives. There may be
elements of other genres, such as romance, psychological fiction, or suspense,
but these books are quite distinct from the ones that fit within any of those
genres.
Berg, Elizabeth -- Durable
Goods (1993)
Following her mother's
death, Katie, a young girl living on an army base, waits for Dickie Mack to fall in love with her and struggles to
understand her distant, violent father.
Binchy, Maeve -- Tara Road
(1998)
Thanks to a chance phone
call, Ria from Dublin and Marilyn from New England
switch houses for the summer with extraordinary results when they are drawn
into lifestyles vastly different from their own.
Delinsky, Barbara -- Lake News
(1999)
After being unjustly accused
by a reporter of having had an affair with a newly-appointed Cardinal, famous
singer Lily Blake returns to her home town to recover and escape further
attention from the press. There she forms an unlikely alliance with a big-city reporter whose career ended disastrously, sending him to the
same town to edit the local newspaper.
Drabble, Margaret -- The
Millstone (1965)
An independent young woman
is faced with a difficult choice when she discovers that she is pregnant after
her one and only sexual experience.
Fforde, Katie -- Wild Designs (1996)
Althea, who is divorced and
has three children, a bossy dog, a know-it-all younger sister, and no love
life, loses her job and starts a gardening business that leads her to fall for
a married man.
Flagg, Fannie -- Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle
Stop Café (1987)
Mrs. Threadgoode's
tale of two high-spirited women of the 1930s, Idgie
and Ruth, helps Evelyn, a 1980s woman in a sad slump of middle age, to begin to
rejuvenate her own life.
Lipman, Elinor -- Then She Found Me (1990)
April Epner
teaches high school Latin, wears flannel jumpers, and is used to having her
evenings free. Bernice Graverman brandishes designer
labels, favors toad-sized earrings, and hosts her own tacky TV talk show:
Bernice G! But behind the glitz and glam, Bernice has followed the life of the
daughter she gave up for adoption thirty-six years ago. Now that she's got her
act together, she's aiming to be a mom like she always knew she could. And
she's hurtling straight for April's quiet little life.
McMillan, Terry -- Waiting
to Exhale (1992)
Four African American women
console and support one another in a complex friendship that helps them face
the middle of their lives as single women
Pilcher, Rosamunde -- Winter
Solstice (2000)
Winter solstice — the
shortest day of the year — represents darkness and also hope, renewal, and
rebirth. Five very different people come together in this setting, ranging in
age from teenagers to mid-sixties, each of whom must confront very different
challenges or losses.
Siddons, Anne
River -- Fault Lines
(1996)
Approaching exhaustion after
years of caring for her family, Merritt Fowler joins her daughter and sister in
California,
where an earthquake brings them closer together.
Steel, Danielle -- Family
Album (1985)
After Hollywood
actress and director Fay Price Thayer performs for troops during World War II,
she develops her motion picture career.
Tan, Amy -- The Joy Luck
Club (1989)
Encompassing two generations
and a rich blend of Chinese and American history, the story of four struggling,
strong women also reveals their daughters' memories and feelings.
Trollope, Joanna -- A
Spanish Lover (1997)
Lizzie raises a family while
her twin, Frances, starts a travel business in which she meets Luis Gomez
Moreno, a married man 10 years older.
Wells, Rebecca -- Divine
Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (1996)
Second in
the Siddalee Walker series. When Siddi inadvertently
reveals some revealing things about her Southern childhood in a newspaper
interview, her mother, Vivi, virtually disowns her. Vivi's lifelong friends, the Ya-Ya's,
set in motion a plan to bring the mother and daughter back together using a
scrapbook of childhood memories that they ask Vivi to
put together.
Award-winning Fiction
ALA Notable Books
Since 1944, the Reference
and User Services Association (RUSA), a division of the American Library
Association (ALA), has announced a list of important works of fiction,
nonfiction, and poetry books produced that year.
The selection of fiction
titles is based on the pleasure they can provide to adult readers.
2006
Bates, Judy Fong -- Midnight at the Dragon
Cafe
Foer, Jonathan Safran -- Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Gaitskill, Mary --
Veronica
Ghosh, Amitav -- The Hungry Tide
Ishiguro, Kazuo -- Never Let Me Go
Iweala, Uzodinma -- Beasts of No Nation
McCarthy, Cormac --
No Country for Old Men
McEwan, Ian --
Saturday
Murakami, Haruki --
Kafka on the Shore
Robinson, Marilynne
-- Gilead
Urrea, Luis Alberto
--The Hummingbird's Daughter
2005
Barnes, Julian -- The Lemon Table
Christensen, Lars Saabye
-- The Half Brother
De Bernieres, Louis
-- Birds Without Wings
Dybek, Stuart -- I
Sailed with Magellan
Khadra, Yasmina -- The Swallows of Kabul
Mda, Zakes -- The Madonna of Excelsior
Mitchell, David Stephen -- Cloud Atlas: A
Novel
Munro, Alice
-- Runaway: Stories
Niemi, Mikael -- Popular Music from Vittula
Roth, Philip -- The Plot Against
America
Wolff, Tobias -- Old School
National Book Award - Fiction
Category
The prestigious National
Book Awards were established in 1950 to recognize American literary works of
exceptional merit. The finalists for the fiction category are selected by
independent judging panels.
2005 -- Vollmann,
William T. - Europe Central
2004 -- Tuck, Lily - The
News from Paraguay
2003 -- Hazzard,
Shirley - The Great Fire
2002 -- Glass, Julia - Three
Junes
Pulitzer Prize for
Fiction
Established in 1917 and
endowed by Joseph Pulitzer, the noted Hungarian immigrant newspaper publisher,
the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction recognizes distinguished fiction published in
book form by an American author, preferably dealing with American life.
2005 -- Robinson, Marilynne - Gilead
2004 -- Jones, Edward P. - The
Known World
2003 -- Eugenides,
Jeffrey - Middlesex
2002 -- Russo, Richard - Empire Falls
2001 -- Chabon,
Michael - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier &
Clay
2000 -- Lahiri,
Jhumpa - Interpreter of Maladies
1999 -- Cunningham, Michael
- The Hours
1998 -- Roth, Philip - American
Pastoral
1997 -- Millhauser,
Steven - Martin Dressler
1996 -- Ford, Richard - Independence
Day
1995 -- Shields, Carol - The
Stone Diaries
1994 -- Proulx,
Annie - The Shipping News
1993 -- Butler, Robert Olen - A Good Scent from a
Strange Mountain
1992 -- Smiley, Jane - A
Thousand Acres
1991 -- Updike, John - Rabbit
at Rest
1990 -- Hijuelos,
Oscar - The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love
