Modern Book Recommendations

Book Recommendations: Modern Books that I have Loved

Hello everybody! How has your January been? Down here where I live, there isn’t snow, or anything pretty like that, just grey, cold, days. The days I’d rather be sitting in my reading chair with a hot cup of raspberry leaf tea… Reading… Writing… Blogging. Until March, ink and paper seems to be one of the only things worth doing. When the wildflowers come out, that’s when it gets beautiful. So, to help keep everybody to make the most of these grey days, I have some recommendations of some modern works of fiction I have loved. I love all of these books, and always will, but some of these, I will only recommend to ages 14 and up. They’re all five-star ratings, just to warn you!

Viking Quest

Lois Walfrid Johnson

I absolutely LOVE these books!!! I recommend them to anyone, and everyone. I actually just got the fifth book in the series for Christmas. I read it in one day, I just couldn’t put it down!!! It is the story of a young Christian Irish girl who becomes a slave to the master of the Viking raid upon her town. Eventually, she, her brother, and her young master travel with Leif Erikson to Greenland and beyond. I have reread most of these books at least once if not more, and it is common to have one travel with me whenever I’m on a road trip. They are spiritually uplifting, intriguing, adventurous, and beautifully written. You can just feel the Irish mists on your face, and see the fjords in Norway. Perhaps these books are part of the reason the two of the top three places I want to visit are Ireland and Norway. The last book was especially touching, and the series as whole will impact you, and make you believe that Christ can truly turn what man meant for evil to good. FIVE STARS!!!

The Baker Family Series

C. R. Hedgcock

I started reading this series when I was 11. I have read six of the books, and am SUPER excited because I learned recently that the seventh, Hunting in the Highlands is out, and not only that, but it takes place in SCOTLAND (the other of the three top places I want to visit)!!! These books are about a family with four homeschooled children, and the mysteries and adventures that befall them. The first book I read on the way home while on a road trip, and I couldn’t put it down. The past three written were especially good. My favorite so far is the sixth: Iceland Intrigue. I actually reread it recently. These books are wonderful because they are well written, exciting, and the family honors God and his word. How many times do we read adventures about a family, instead of one rebellious child of a family? I ABSOLUTEY recommend to anyone. Five stars!!!

The Promised Land Series

Hope Auer

To my knowledge, only the first two of the series have been published, and I cannot find anything recent about the next two books, but I have reread the ones I have multiple times. It is the story of the Israelites as they leave Egypt and travel to the Promised land. They are really, really good!!! I love how she writes in a way that I can relate to the characters as they seek to honor God, even though Christ had not come yet, and the beautiful portrayal of God that she paints. It shows him as holy, loving and just. I actually reread these not so long ago, probably my 3-4^th time through. I have a conference session of hers on how to write a book, and when I started writing my own book, I listened to it over and over. I feel like it helped me start strong. Five stars, they are well-written and encouraging!!

The Arcrean Conquest

                     

Nicole Sager

AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! These books are AMAZING!!!! I have read all three books twice on my own, and am working on finishing reading them out loud to my siblings David and Grace. Each book is about the land of Arcrea, the first about finding the heart of the country, and setting up the first king. The second is about the first battle of the new kingdom, along with the ancient story of a stolen noble family, and a young man who does not know who he really is, or why he is sent on the mission he is set upon. The third is about a dangerous island whose future is at stake, and the rightful ruler is missing. I recommend them to everybody! FIVE STARS!!!!!

Companions of Arcrea

                                  

 

Nicole Sager

The stories of Arcrea’s neighboring kingdom, Mizgalia. The first two of this series have been written, and the third is still being written. I could not put my kindle down while reading the first, Hebbros. While on a camping trip I read like crazy until the unimaginable happened. My kindle was broken, aided by a certain young sister. I was horrified that I would have to wait to finish the epic tale (I was actually more upset about having to wait than breaking my kindle). It actually turned out for good, because I got a kindle fire to replace it. Then, I could make it read it to me!!! I actually have listened to both Hebbros and Burdney with my kindle. Hebbros is more down in the dirt and dust of the dangerous city, while Burdney is more of a sophisticated, royal mystery. Both were awe inspiring and encouraging. Hebbros is my favorite of everything Nicole has ever written. One of my favorite books for sure!!! FIVE STARS and MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Adele

Elisha Wahlquist

This book astounded me. When I think of books that made me want to write with a sophisticated, deep and meaningful style, this was one of them. This is the story of a young aristocratic girl in the French Revolution. The book really depicts her as striving to live with honor, and purity in a culture filled with sin and darkness. This story challenged me when it came to the area of emotional purity. This story is rich with history, politics, and suspense. Multiple stories are woven into a web of intrigue, danger and love. I really, really loved this book. I will also note that while this book was incredible, it was also the goriest book I’ve ever read. There are multiple accounts of what happened in the French Revolution that were disgusting, and bloody. I will only recommend to 14-15 and up, and even so, I would recommend having a parent check it for you, because it IS an accurate description of the Revolution, and it also contains some references to mature content. I was 15 when I read it, and I actually plan to reread it eventually. It is 100% in the area I call “hefty fiction” meaning that it is written well, and gives you the impression you are eating meat. Five stars again, hours of hard work and research were poured into the writing of this book.

The Hawk and the Dove

Penelope Wilcock

I read this trilogy in the compiled edition, so it was really one book to me. This is my favorite book of all. It has so much depth and beauty, it makes you feel as if a hole is left in you when you finish it. I literally could not put it back on the shelf for months. It is the story of Father Peregrine, the Abbot of an Benedictine monastery in the medieval times. The books are written like they are stories being told, rather than a book. The first story tells of how Father Peregrine, the stern, hawk-like abbot comes to the head of the monastery. He was able to do beautiful illumination of the Bible with his hands, and kept the monastery in proper running order. Then, through the cold-hearted revenge of two young men, Father Peregrine was beaten in the stone chapel and left for dead. His hands which were so skilled, were now maimed, and he could hardly even scratch words upon the page. He could hardly even feed himself. He was crippled as well, and a long scar left upon his face. I’m not going to ruin the story for you, but he ends up showing a dual personality. One with the fierceness of a hawk, and the other with the gentleness of a dove. He shows compassion on the other young monks who come to his monastery. The books are so deep and raw, that I cannot even tell aloud what happens, because they are the sort of things you feel shouldn’t be said. You learn to love the characters, and feel as if they were friends. From Tom who continually gets himself in trouble, to Theodore who can’t seem to do anything right, to James who longs for peace, to even the grouchy old cook. I had tears in my eyes as I closed the book. This is another of the books I don’t recommend for younger readers due to mature content mentioned in the lives of the monks before they became monks, the books are about Catholics, plus the theology can be very confusing, especially toward the end, and because they are immeasurably deep and raw to a point where you feel shaken. I am going to try to reread this book this year!!! This book is beyond stars. 

Seventh World Trilogy

 

Rachel Starr Thomson

This is a trilogy I had never heard of until one of my cherished friends told me about it this September. The first book is free on kindle, so I thought, why not? The first book read gave me the impression of a song, and I felt like music played in my head the entire time I read it. The second was even better. I will warn you, they are allegories, and I had no idea what in the world these books were about until the third book. I’m afraid to give some huge spoilers… It is the story about the six gifted of the Seventh World. The one who hears, the one who speaks, the one who sings, the healer, the warrior, and seer. They must be brought together, and the king will return. The back story is that when the world was created, the people rebelled with Morning Star, the enemy of the king, against the king, and he left the Seventh World. A veil was drawn between the Seventh World, and the things unseen, so the people could no longer see the king. It also blocked Morning Star, and his power called the Blackness. As the gifted and those who are waiting, hoping that the king will return, those who had sought Morning Star, and the power of his Blackness wish to tear the veil, and take over the world. The story is about how the king returns to rescue his people. It is a really, really exciting trilogy, and I fell in love with it. It was powerful, beautiful, and the best modern allegory I’ve ever read. Now, I’m going to recommend them to 14+ again because while these are wonderful allegories, there are parts that are a bit scary. There is no magic, only one part in the first book where the word “magic” is used descriptively, but there are powers that either come from the king, or from Morning Star. The gifted acknowledge that without the king, they have no power, but you don’t really understand this until the third book. Actually, you don’t understand A LOT of the trilogy until the third book. Let’s just say these are sort of like a Medieval version of Chuck Black’s Cloak of the Light books in some ways, just many, many times better. I love these books, and they get a five Starr rating!!

So, in all, that’s 23 books I have enjoyed, in the past, and some of my favorites! If I cautioned for a reason, I would recommend, depending on your age that you ask a parent first just because I know that there are some things I wouldn’t recommend reading until at least 14, depending on maturity and the ability to understand the book and context. In fact, most of these I didn’t read until I was a teenager. I would not be recommending these books unless I had been encouraged and uplifted by these books, and thought that they were worth the time reading. I did not read Adele, The Hawk and the Dove, or Seventh World until I was 15 or 16, but I find that they are in fact uplifting to me as a young person, but they would not be appropriate for some tweens and younger teenagers, particularly the first two.

So, which are my favorites (after The Hawk and the Dove)? DON’T ASK!!!! It’s too hard!!! These are some of my favorite books!!! Yes, usually I prefer older books, but I feel that these books have messages that need to be heard, and are well worth the reading. I just wanted to show some demonstrations of books written in our age that are well-written, and God honoring. I hope you’ll at least find one new book or series that you’ll love. And no, just in case you were wondering, these are not the only modern books I have read and liked. These are the ones I felt were the most stellar for one reason or another. What are some of your favorite books? Are there any authors of today that you would like to share? Feel free to share in the comments!