The Christys are almost here!
The 13th annual Christy Awards for excellence in Christian fiction will be presented at a dinner to be held at 7:00 p.m., Monday, July 16, 2012, at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando. The delightful Liz Curtis Higgs is emcee and the lovely Rachel Hauck is the guest commentator on the live blog – be sure to register for the live blog so you don’t miss any of the action! The live blog is a great way to participate if you can’t be at the dinner in person.
I’ve read and enjoyed many of the books that received a nod this year so I’ve compiled a list of links below so you can check out my thoughts and any Character Spotlights I’ve posted. The ones without links I either haven’t read or just haven’t got around to posting about! Some of the books are terrific buys at the moment so do click on the title links for more.
Enjoy!
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
My Foolish Heart by Susan May Warren
(Tyndale House Publishers)
Character Spotlight ~ Caleb Knight
~~~
Larkspur Cove by Lisa Wingate
(Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)
~~~
Wolfsbane by Ronie Kendig
(Barbour Publishing)
Character Spotlight ~ Canyon & Dani
Character Interview with Canyon
Character Interview with Dani
My pick: Wolfsbane
CONTEMPORARY SERIES, SEQUELS, AND NOVELLAS
The Amish Midwife by Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould (Harvest House Publishers)
~~~
Dancing on Glass by Pamela Binnings Ewen
(B&H Publishing Group)
Character Spotlight ~ Amalise & Jude
~~~
The Touch by Randall Wallace
(Tyndale House Publishers)
My pick: Dancing on Glass
CONTEMPORARY STANDALONE
Dry as Rain by Gina Holmes
(Tyndale House Publishers)
Character Spotlight ~ Eric Yoshida
~~~
Promises to Keep by Ann Tatlock
(Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)
~~~
Words by Ginny Yttrup
(B&H Publishing Group)
My pick: Dry as Rain
FIRST NOVEL
An Eye for Glory by Karl Bacon
(Zondervan)
Character Spotlight ~ Michael & Jessie Palmer
~~~
Southern Fried Sushi by Jennifer Rogers Spinola (Barbour Publishing)
~~~
Words by Ginny Yttrup (B&H Publishing Group)
My pick: Words
HISTORICAL
Forsaking All Others by Allison Pittman
(Tyndale House Publishers)
~~~
Mine is the Night by Liz Curtis Higgs
(WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group)
~~~
Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin
(Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)
My pick: Mine is the Night
HISTORICAL ROMANCE
A Lasting Impression by Tamera Alexander
(Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)
Character Spotlight ~ Claire & Sutton
~~~
The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen
(Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)
Character Spotlight ~ Margaret & Nathaniel
~~~
To Die For by Sandra Byrd
(Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster)
My pick: A Lasting Impression
SUSPENSE
Over the Edge by Brandilyn Collins
(B&H Publishing Group)
~~~
Pattern of Wounds by Mark Bertrand
(Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)
~~~
The Queen by Steven James
(Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group)
My pick: The Queen
VISIONARY
The Chair by Jim Rubart
(B&H Publishing Group)
~~~
Forbidden by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee
(Center Street, a division of Hachette Book Group USA)
~~~
Veiled Rose by Anne Elisabeth Stengl
(Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group)
My pick: The Chair
YOUNG ADULT
How Huge the Night by Heather Munn and Lydia Munn
(Kregel Publications)
~~~
The Merchant’s Daughter by Melanie Dickerson
(Zondervan)
~~~
Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren
(David C Cook)
Character Spotlight ~ Gabi, Lia, Marcello & Luca
Character interview with Gabi
Character interview with Marcello
Character interview with Lia
Character interview with Luca
My pick: Waterfall
Some of my choices were easy, others were a lot harder to choose as all the books were excellent! So, I’d love to hear your thoughts on these books.
Which books do you hope will win a Christy Award for 2012?
July 14, 2012 at 11:43 pm
Wow, what a list! I am so excited for the Christy awards. So great that you compiled this list for us and extra fun to see your top pics 🙂
July 15, 2012 at 9:58 am
Joanne Bischof » Love it when you drop by, Joanne 🙂 Care to share any of your favourites?!
July 15, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Mine is the Night is one of my favorites. I have an Eye for Glory and The Merchants Daughter on my bookshelf waiting for me right now. All the more reason to get to them. 🙂
July 16, 2012 at 8:14 am
Joanne Bischof » Mine is the Night is a beautiful story 🙂
July 15, 2012 at 8:39 am
Susie May Warren’s book definitely! Hands down, I hope that one wins in it’s category. Have you read all the nominations? There were some I hadn’t read…
July 15, 2012 at 9:56 am
Casey » Hey Casey – I’ve read over half the nominations. All the ones that I’ve posted links to on this post and a few more. I know you are keen for Susie to win just like you know my vote is for Ronie! Who knows – Lisa Wingate could surprise us both 🙂
July 15, 2012 at 12:55 pm
Hi Rel – great overview. Amazing how many of these I haven’t read. In fact I’ve only read 2: The Chair & Forbidden. I agree with your pick: The Chair. One aspect of Jim’s writing I really appreciate is the way he describes how a man’s mind works and how we feel. It makes his characters very relatable and therefore, easy to become intimately involved in each of his stories.
July 16, 2012 at 8:14 am
Ian » I’m in total agreement with you, Ian 🙂
July 16, 2012 at 7:31 am
Great post, Rel. Thank you! I’m hoping Liz Curtis Higgs wins for Mine is the Night. Great story! (Loved Here Burns my Candle, too!)
July 16, 2012 at 8:15 am
Yes, just loved Liz’s book – terrific characters and a beautiful setting.
July 16, 2012 at 7:42 am
How fun!!! Can’t wait to find out the winners.
How ridiculous is it that of ALL those books, I’ve only read Dry as Rain??
July 16, 2012 at 8:12 am
Katie Ganshert » you have some reading to catch up on, Katie ;-D xo
July 18, 2012 at 5:53 am
Great post! I love how you linked everything to past posts about the book. I see we have similar tastes about many books — Wolfsbane, Waterfall, The Queen, Mine is the Night, and Words. All are great books that completely enraptured me while reading them! 🙂
July 18, 2012 at 1:46 pm
Katie McCurdy » We absolutely do, Katie!