Robin Jones Gunn Archives - Josie's Bookshelf

5 Favorite Christian Fiction books

I plan to continue to review many books, but today I thought I would give you my top 5 favorites. It is hard to narrow it down, but I chose the books that really made an impression.

Sophie’s Heart by Lori Wick – I have read this one several times. The main character, Sophie, is so appealing and it was easy to connect with her and cheer for everything to work out for her.

Sisterchicks in Gondolas by Robin Jones Gunn – I love all the sisterchick books, but this was is the one I remember best. Jenna is invited to cook for a group of missionaries in a restored palace in Venice. She invites her sister-in-law, Sue, to come along as a helper. Jenna and Sue have a great time and grow closer as they discuss God and the struggles in their lives.

Just Beyond the Clouds by Karen Kingsbury – The first book A Thousand Tomorrows was excellent, but sad, read. This book continues Cody’s story and he finds love. It also tell more about Carl Joseph and his friend Daisy. My favorite character was Elle, and I loved her patience as she works with Carl Joseph and Daisy.

Evidence of Mercy by Terri Blackstock – This is the first book in the Suncoast Chronicles series, and one I’ve read several times. The story starts with a plane accident and the suspense continues throughout the rest of this fast paced story. Lynda is a spunky attorney and a very likeable Christian woman.

A Penny for Your Thoughts by Mindy Starns Clark – I’ve reviewed this one on the blog, and it’s the first book in a great series. Callie’s job is to investigate nonprofit organizations that have applied for grant money & she stumbles accross a murder mystery. This series is very fast paced and easy to read.

Please post your favorite Christian fiction books, and we’ll all have a great list to refer to when looking for a book to read!

Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes

I love the Sisterchick series, so I read this one as soon as I could after it was published. Robin Jones Gunn does a great job with this series, and she takes me along with her again as she visits a foreign land. This books is about two friends who have been life-long penpals. Noelle now lives in Holland. Summer finds out she has an abnormal medical test and decides to visit Noelle before having to face more testing.

I want to visit the Corrie Ten Boom house and museum, so it was nice to get to visit with Summer and Noelle. They visited so many great places and had such an adventure one afternoon on an unusual boat. Noelle and her husband treated Summer like an honored guest. Summer was refreshed from the visit and from her quiet time with God every morning. I’m looking forward to traveling again with the next set of sisterchicks!

Sisterchicks Go Brit!

Well, I’ve taken quite a vacation from this blog. Part of my vacation was time I spent in Prince Edward Island, Canada (2 weeks) and the rest I just haven’t been writing. Speaking of vacations, I did enjoy reading the new Sisterchick novel, Sisterchicks Go Brit! (Sisterchicks Series #7). If you haven’t discovered this series yet, you’re in for a treat. These fun books can be read in any order as each novel has new characters. Robin Jones Gunn is a talented author, and she makes you feel like you are traveling with the sisterchicks (see my Sisterchicks in Gondolas review).

I have been to London, England once, so it was nice to read about some of the places I visited in 2001. Kellie and Liz are given airline tickets to visit England by Opal. Kellie, who is trying to start an interior design business, offers to decorate Opal’s apartment. Liz helps Kellie and mentions that she has always wanted to visit England. Opal wants to return to Olney, England to visit her sister so she gives Kellie and Liz the tickets as payment. Kellie and Liz do spend some time in Olney when they first arrive, but after a few days leave to explore England on their own. Liz just can’t wait to see Big Ben. The plans don’t quite go as expected, but Liz and Kellie see that God has other plans for their vacation. I like the way Kellie and Liz allow events to happen and aren’t too uptight about their vacation plans changing. They explore Oxford and Exeter College as well as London. They were able to see more than they had planned. On the way to Windsor castle, they met a young lady from France, Annette, who was traveling alone. They invited her to join them and immediately connected. After spending the day together, Annette invited them both to visit her in France.

The story flows well and puts you in the mood to have an adventure of your own. I’m glad I read it before going on my trip! We made friends with a couple the first time Sean and I visited Prince Edward Island. It was an instant connection like Robin Jones Gunn described when they met Annette. We have kept in touch over the years. They have discussed coming to visit us sometime, too. I felt like God did guide our trip, too. I was wishing we could see the talented fiddle player that we saw on our first visit to PEI in 1995. He went on to travel and play all over the world. We have been listening to his CDs, but haven’t seen Richard Wood in person since that first island visit. He was going to be playing before we arrived and after we left the island. We were strolling through the Charottetown area with our friends, and a couple of guys were playing music on small stage. One of the gentlemen starts playing on a fiddle and our friend says, “That’s Richard Wood.” I felt so blessed to be able to hear him play again.

I would love to hear about your vacation. Did you feel God directing your vacation? Did you instantly connect and make a new friend or friends?

Sisterchicks in Gondolas

In honor of the new Sisterchicks book coming out on May 20, I am reviewing one of the Sisterchicks sagas. I will review Sisterchicks Go Brit! (Sisterchicks Series #7 as soon as I read it. I love this series! All the books in this series are a fun, fast read. Each book has different characters, so they can be read in any order.

Here’s the author’s definition of a Sisterchick: “a friend who shares the deepest wonders of your heart, loves you like a sister, and gives you a reality check when you’re being a brat.”

Sisterchicks in Gondolas (Sisterchicks Series #6) by Robin Jones Gunn focuses on Jenna and Sue. Jenna is invited to cook for a Christian group on a retreat in Italy, so she quickly invites her sister-in-law Sue, who is a talented cook. The place where they stay is a 15th century restored palace. The women have time to relax and become closer. Jenna was left by her husband to raise her daughter alone. Sue’s husband has been in a terrible accident and relies on Sue to help him recover. Jenna moved closer to help her brother and Sue. Both women discuss how God has helped them with the struggles of life.

Robin has a talent for making you feel like you are traveling. I enjoyed learning more about Venice and its way of life. I could get used to trying a new gelato flavor every day. I’m not sure I would feel comfortable sleeping on the roof, but it would be a nice way to view the city.

The characters are genuine and lovable in this exciting adventure story. Don’t wait another minute, start reading and travel to Venice with Jenna and Sue!

Sisterchicks series: