My Favorite Christian Fiction Books for all Ages
As I’ve shared earlier in the Summer, reading is very important to me and I think it’s a really valuable asset to the Christian homemaker. It’s really tough as a young mom to find the time to read, but it’s important to me so I schedule in the time (even when it’s not as much time as I would always like).
Recently I shared my top 3 Christian classics with a list of others I hope to read in the future. And several places I’ve mentioned that my husband and I both love to read fiction books as well. I’ve since received several requests to share my favorite Christian fiction books and series since they seem hard to find sometimes.
I’m sharing this post today as part of a 6 week online book study that we are going through as part of an online community of women over on Facebook: Christian Homemaking Community. You can hop over and join us there and find out what other fiction books my fellow blogging friends recommend.
Finding the Time to Read Fiction Books
Throughout the years I’ve read many fiction books and series on my own and my husband and I have also read many together. It’s something that we love to do! In fact, when we moved into our first home and we literally had to paint everything (I mean everything – every wall, door, baseboard, etc.) we happily passed the time in the evenings painting the house while we listened to audio books through Audible.com.
Now you can often find us reading in bed at night together as our way of relaxing. It’s tough to find the time to read when you are exhausted at the end of the day and trying to pick up a non-fiction book will just put me to sleep. But I’ve found that when I’m really sucked into a good fiction book, I will read through the droopy eyes and fight sleep.
As I mentioned above, one of our favorite ways to read through fiction books is actually by listening to the audiobooks. We have a monthly subscription to Audible (which is an Amazon company that sells digital audiobooks that you can download right to your smart phone, tablet, or computer). We listen through a lot of books so we actually have a subscription to download two books a month which makes the price super affordable. (My husband has a super long commute to work and listening to audio books is what saves him on his drives)
If you want to try it out, you can actually sign up for a free 30 day trial of Audible (just remember to cancel after 30 days if you don’t want to continue) and you can get TWO AUDIO BOOKS FOR FREE! How cool is that? Sign up here.
My Favorite Christian Fiction Books
I know it can be tough finding quality Christian Fiction books (we don’t exclusively read Christian fiction and really enjoy other forms of fiction books) so I wanted to share some of our favorites to get you started. Note: Amish fiction and mid-west historical fiction are not my favorite and so I don’t really read novels of that kind even though I know there are some fabulous Christian options out there. If you love and read those genres of books, please leave a comment and share your favorite author or books since I won’t be covering those.
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
I have to start here with the classics. If you and your kids have never read through The Chronicles of Narnia, then this is where you should start! This fantasy series is great for elementary aged kids through adults! We plan on reading through this series as a family when our boys get old enough.
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Another classic series that can’t be passed up! If you despise fantasy books then The Lord of the Rings trilogy might be a little too long for you, but otherwise, add it to your list right now! This is another series we plan on reading through with our kids when they get old enough. These books are a lot more complex (and can be scarier) than the Narnia books and are intended for older kids.
World War 2 Romance by Sarah Sundin
If you are interested in historical fiction, especially around World War 2, then you have to pick up some of Sarah Sundin’s books! She’s a phenomenal writer and her Christian romance books are a beautiful alternative to the junk that is out there today. Her two series that I own are Wings of the Nightingale and Wings of Glory.
I’ve actually had the pleasure of meeting Sarah at a writing conference the last two years and simply adore her! She is so sweet and so passionate about World War 2! Here we are at the latest writing conference in March:
For Time and Eternity by Alison Pittman
For Time and Eternity and the sequel Forsaking All Others are some of my favorite books of all time! The story follows a young woman who gets swept away into the budding Mormon cult and finds herself married in the brand new city of Salt Lake City to the man of her dreams who is considering taking a second wife. While this is a fiction story, I learned more about the beginnings of the Mormon religion than from any of my textbooks in college.
“All Camilla Deardon knows of the Mormons camping nearby is the songs she hears floating on the breeze. Then she meets one of them―a young man named Nathan Fox. Never did she imagine he would be so handsome, so charming, especially after Mama and Papa’s warnings to stay away. Though she knows she should obey her parents, Camilla can’t refuse her heart. But even Nathan’s promises cannot prepare her for what she will face in Utah.” – Amazon Description
Anything by Francine Rivers
No list of Christian Fiction books would be complete without mentioning Francine Rivers. She’s the queen of Christian Fiction and everything I’ve read of her’s has been amazing. I particularly like her historical fiction books set in Biblical times. I listened through several of her series on audiobook back when I had a 45 minutes commute to work before having kids. Funny enough – I’ve never read her most popular book – Redeeming Love – although it’s on my to read list!
My favorite series from her include:
- A Lineage of Grace: Five Stories of Unlikely Women Who Changed Eternity (5 book series)
- Mark of the Lion (3 book series)
- Sons of Encouragement: Five Stories of Faithful Men Who Changed Eternity (5 book series)
I was completely star struck when I had the chance to actually meet Francine Rivers at my writing conference back in March! So amazing:
Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis
Not many people realize that in addition to The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis also wrote a sci-fi fiction series. I didn’t know this until I met my husband who had read them as a teenager. If you have a teen in your family (or you yourself) who loves sci-fi then check out this trilogy!
“The first book in C. S. Lewis’s acclaimed Space Trilogy, which continues with Perelandra and That Hideous Strength, Out of the Silent Planet begins the adventures of the remarkable Dr. Ransom. Here, that estimable man is abducted by a megalomaniacal physicist and his accomplice and taken via spaceship to the red planet of Malacandra. The two men are in need of a human sacrifice, and Dr. Ransom would seem to fit the bill. Once on the planet, however, Ransom eludes his captors, risking his life and his chances of returning to Earth, becoming a stranger in a land that is enchanting in its difference from Earth and instructive in its similarity.” – Amazon Description
The Chiveis Trilogy by Bryan Liftin
If you are a fantasy fan (like my husband and I) then you need to read through this fantastic trilogy. It’s one of the deeper Christian fiction series I have read and will really get you thinking about sin, salvation, and the Word of God!
“Four hundred years from now a deadly virus and nuclear war have destroyed the modern world. Those who survived have returned to a medieval-like age of swords, horses, and feudal kingdoms. Yet the breathtaking mountain realm of Chiveis lives in peace, protected from the outside empires and obedient to its own gods.
But when Teo, an army scout, and Ana, the beautiful daughter of a farmer, discover an ancient book, everything begins to change in Chiveis—old beliefs give way to new faith, persecution rises, and the kingdom’s darkest secrets begin to surface.” – Amazon Description
The Circle Series by Ted Dekker
Knowing that I love fantasy, my husband introduced me to this author and The Circle Series when we first met. We both love this Christian fantasy series and plan to one day introduce our kids to it.
“The Circle is an epic story of evil and rescue, betrayal and love, and terrorist threat unlike anything the human race has ever known. It beings when a man named Thomas hunter finds himself being chased down an alley after working the late shift at a coffee house. When a bullet grazes his head, he awakens in an entirely different reality. Now every time he falls asleep, he wakes up in the other reality–and every choice he makes impacts the fate of two worlds.” – Amazon Description
Stephen Lawhead Books & Series
Stephen Lawhead is a wonderful Christian author – even though all of his books don’t deal specifically with Christian topics, it’s still good knowing you can pick up his books without fear of what will be inside.
We haven’t read all of his books or series, but between my husband and I, we have read and enjoyed the following series:
- The King Raven Trilogy
- The Song of Albion Collection (My husband’s favorite)
- The Pendragon Cycle (My personal favorite)