Book picks similar to
Thirty Days to Glory by Kathy Nickerson


fiction
first-reads
christian-fiction
christmas

The Christmas Letters: A Timeless Story for Every Generation


Bret Nicholaus - 2000
    This volume-which has sold more than 60,000 copies since its initial publication-has been repackaged as a gift hardcover.

An Amish Christmas Wish / The Christmas Prayer


Samantha Bayarr - 2012
    When she returns to the community just days before Christmas, her father turns her away. After running her car off the road in a blizzard, Grace ends up at the mercy of Ethan Bontrager, the man whose proposal she'd refused before leaving the community. Will the two of them be able to put the past behind them while trapped together in a blizzard? THE CHRISTMAS PRAYER: The day before school lets out for the holiday season, students are asked to submit a confidential and unselfish prayer to their teacher as an end-of-the-year assignment. When two of the students realize they share a common prayer, they join forces to make certain those prayers are answered. Will their shenanigans bring two broken families together, or will their efforts be in vain?

Soul Sounds: Mourning the Tears of Truth


Mary Summer Rain - 1992
    . .I've been advised by reasons spoken and unspoken, to have this very private diary published. This idea was not sanctioned by me until the last possible moment, because I'd thought no one else was going to be reading my words, and I'd written as honestly and outspokenly as I could throughout the journal pages. I'd recorded my personal thoughts, memories, and even confessions. In essence, this journal does indeed turn me inside out, with respect to revealing my true thoughts and inner self to the public. But, as always, I abide by how I am guided; whether I will end up being chastised, ridiculed, embarrassed, or exposed because of the publication of this book is not important anymore."

The Reason


William Sirls - 2012
    A mother whose five-year-old boy has leukemia.  Two doctors. An atheist haunted by his past and a brilliant young oncologist that places all her hope in the power of modern medicine. A blind pastor whose son hasn’t spoken a single word in thirty-eight years.  But the minister sees by faith. He knows there are answers and believes that someone who cares is watching—someone with a greater purpose. Yet there is something he doesn’t know... that none of them know. In the midst of the ordinary and the devastating, there is a reason these lives will be changed forever. Lightning is about to strike.The Reason opens with a thunderbolt and never lets up as it introduces us to everyday characters who are wrestling with questions: Where is God when bad things happen? Does God ignore the prayers of the faithful? The answer each character receives will astound readers while offering an unforgettable call to hope, to change, and to believe.

Colors of Christmas: Two Contemporary Stories Celebrate the Hope of Christmas


Olivia Newport - 2017
    Instead, she finds herself in charge of the town’s celebration. After a mysterious young man arrives, townspeople suspect he is the reason that one set of plans after another disintegrate until little is left of their traditions. Yet Angela warms to Gabe because she suspects they share a secret—his real reason for coming to town. Even when all they have to work with is a garish supply of blue Christmas decorations, Gabe helps Angela discover the hidden beauty of hope.  Christmas in Gold After eighty years, change is nothing new for Astrid. By the time she was twenty, she survived the destructive Nazi regime, caring for her family under brutal circumstances, moving to America, and losing her husband. At forty she was widowed again and left to build a new life with her children. Now, when she faces a move into an assisted living community and meets a young woman on the brink of despair, she resolves to stir up hope through tragedy one more time.

A Stitch in Time


Beryl Kingston - 1995
    But when war breaks out across Europe and her older brother enlists, nothing will ever be the same again.As men leave for the war in droves, the girls must take on whatever work they can find to make ends meet. High-risk work in munitions factories and back-breaking domestic labour seem to be all that’s available to them, but Rose has other ideas…A tale of love and heartbreak, triumph and resilience, this sweeping saga by best-selling author Beryl Kingston takes the reader inside the extraordinary lives of ordinary women in Wartime London.A Stitch in Time was first published in 1995 as Alive and Kicking.

Christmas in Mitford Gift Set


Jan Karon - 2003
    Brimming with the holiday spirit, an old-fashioned snowman-building contest, plenty of hot chocolate, and Esther's famous marmalade cake, this new boxed set of Mitford treats is guaranteed to fill readers—and stockings—with contagious good cheer.

Stress Family Robinson


Adrian Plass - 1995
    The Robinson Family -- mother, father, two teenage sons and a six-year-old daughter who is everyone's favourite -- are a typical Christian family -- or are they?.

A Christmas Snow


Jim Stovall - 2010
    Although she has tried to forget her past, it has not forgotten her, and in the days leading up to Christmas, an unforgiving blizzard traps her in her home with two unlikely roommates who bring her face to face with the hurts of her past-and the hope of a happier future.Will she let go of the past and grad hold of a future full of love and forgiveness? Or will she continue to be haunted by her pain as the snow storm of the century brings with it the hope of lasting joy?

Summer's Reunion


Dora Hiers - 2020
    Beer and bitterness destroyed his marriage to his high school sweetheart, but he’s a changed man now. Solid, stable and sober, he’s finally ready to start a family of his own. But the only woman he can imagine spending his forever with filed divorce papers on him eight years ago.When Rowan Albright faces her groom at the end of the aisle, this time they’re not the ones getting married. She never stopped loving Mannix, but his weekend beer binges to mask the deep-rooted grief tore at the very fabric of her soul, especially since alcoholism decimated her family. But Aunt Ellie says he’s clean now, so when Mannix’s beloved Gramps offers her a job in the family business, she jumps on it. Working together will reveal her ex-husband’s change of heart, right? Or destroy hers…Is faith, hope and love strong enough to rebuild what was lost? Will God give them a second chance at love and a future, or will both their hearts be shattered once again? Will theirs be a summer reunion or a summer to forget?

Bah Humbug, Mrs. Scrooge


Joyce Livingston - 2005
    Why then is she so dissatisfied? In fleeing her abusive childhood, she left behind the only man she'd ever loved--Bob Rachette. Years later, Eleanor's no-nonsense approach to her successful business alienates everyone... including Bob. Widower Bob Rachette feels responsible for Eleanor. But when Eleanor insists her business come before his family, Bob puts his foot down... and loses his job. Meanwhile, an accident forces Eleanor to reexamine her life, her priorities, and the love she gave up. Can the Lord use Faith, Hope, and Charity to break through her heart of stone? Or will this Christmas be like all the others in Eleanor Scrooge's life--a Bah Humbug? Fall in love with this inspiring love story and our entire collection of Christian romance novels from Heartsong Presents!

Every Bush Is Burning


Brandon Clements - 2011
    When he is caught and it all comes crashing down, Jack is left with no one to turn to. No friends. No family, except his recovering drug addict of a sister. On a Sunday morning drive, he sees a homeless man locked out of a church service, banging on the door. He stops and offers the guy a cup of coffee. He asks the man his name, and the guy says Yeshua. As in, Jesus.Jack's not stupid. This isn't the real Jesus. But with nowhere else to turn, Jack forms an unlikely friendship with this eccentric homeless man--one that will test his idea of truth, faith, love, and forgiveness. And Jack is completely unprepared for the real-life twists his story is going to take.Watch the trailer, get a free sampler, and find out more at www.EveryBushIsBurning.com.About the Author: Brandon Clements lives in Columbia, SC. He drinks coffee with no cream or sugar, once hit a cow with a truck (the cow lived), and adores his wife Kristi. This is his first novel. You can find him at www.BrandonClements.com or @brandonclements on Twitter.Reader Reviews (taken from Amazon reviews): "Couldn't put the book down, and didn't even begin to guess the twist at the end. An absolutely beautiful story on many levels." -Lorna Johnston"I can't imagine anyone not remembering this book long after they've come to the last page." -Shelley Waldaias"Clements' book surprised me. I thought it was one thing, a typical jab at the Christian establishment, and it turned out to be something different, a jab at what it means to be human and to long for love, but to come up short, the kind of jab that makes us all start looking, and maybe finding, that love we had forgotten." -Joe Bunting

Before Bethlehem


James Flerlage - 2013
    By accepting the Rabbi’s request, Joseph unknowingly thrusts himself and his family into a bitter and emotionally draining life-or-death conflict. Joseph fights to maintain his spiritual integrity while trying desperately to keep his family together and his farm alive. He and James witness abhorring violence at the hands of the Romans, and outlandish abuses of power by their own religious leaders. As his family’s faith and hopes are threatened by scandal and scorn, James struggles between the boy he is and the man he must become.Before Bethlehem is an eye-opening account of the Nativity story told in a suspenseful, historical context that dares to ask the question: If Joseph should have turned Mary over to be stoned, why didn’t he? His profound answer is one that forever changes the life of his son, James. And it may just change yours, as well."Readers who've enjoyed religious fiction from Taylor Caldwell and Francine Rivers will particularly enjoy." - Kirkus Reviews

Catching Christmas


Terri Blackstock - 2018
    So when her grandmother gets inexplicably ill while she’s in court, Sydney arranges for a cab to get her to the clinic.The last thing cab driver Finn Parrish wants is to be saddled with a wheelchair-bound old lady with dementia. But because Miss Callie reminds him of his own mother, whom he failed miserably in her last days, he can’t say no when she keeps calling him for rides. Once a successful gourmet chef, Finn’s biggest concern now is making his rent, but half the time Callie doesn’t remember to pay him. And as she starts to feel better, she leads him on wild goose chases to find a Christmas date for her granddaughter.When Finn meets Sydney, he’s quite sure that she’s never needed help finding a date. Does Miss Callie have an ulterior motive, or is this just a mission driven by delusions? He’s willing to do whatever he can to help fulfill Callie’s Christmas wish. He just never expected to be a vital part of it.

Refiners Fire Pack, #1-3


Lynn Austin - 2004
    Each book in this powerful Civil War trilogy from award-winning novelist Lynn Austin's powerful Civil War trilogy offers a unique and shattering perspective on the conflict while exploring the deep affect the war had on the faith of a nation.