by Karalee
In the (almost) 10 years Tony and I have been married, we have come to one undeniable conclusion: We have different tastes. He likes milk chocolate; I like dark. He orders a Venti Americano; I drink green tea. He likes meaty works like Owen and Calvin; I prefer easier-to-chew contemporary works. But there is one particularly irreconcilable difference between us, one that between bibliophiles the battle-lines run deep: He prefers non-fiction, and I like fiction.
Until recently, I would steal my literature moments like a kid sneaking from the cookie jar: a chapter or two at the gym, a few pages between pushing kids on the swings, or lately, reading the classics to our son. I have actually “saved” fiction books to read while in labor for each of our children. (Apparently we need to get a babysitter more often.)
Why all the caution around fiction? Christian fiction today often gets a bad rap, partly because much of fiction today deserves neither the term “Christian” nor “literature.” From pithy tales to outright sin, the world of Christian fiction is not one we can always confidently recommend. But we are thankful for fictional works that have pointed our eyes to the Cross, and we’re happy to recommend these to you.
1. Biblical Fiction
Lynn Austin. When I discuss fiction titles with other believers, Lynn Austin’s Chronicles of the Kings series is one of the 
first I mention. Beginning with Gods and Kings, Austin masterfully retells the Old Testament accounts of Kings Ahaz, Hezekiah, and Manassah in a compelling and entertaining way. I have such a deeper understanding and appreciation of God’s work in the nations of Israel and Judah, and that is partly because these books kept driving me back to Scripture. By far, these are my favorite Christian and biblical fiction books.
One more note on this series: When I read through them, I snatched a book from Tony’s bookshelf that was very helpful in comparing this series to the Bible. It was an old harmony of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles which set the corresponding biblical accounts side-by-side. There are two versions available we found: an older one here
2. Historical Fiction
Stephanie Grace Whitson. As a brand-new believer, I walked into a church bookstore in Lincoln looking for
something to read on the hour trip back to Omaha. I was pleasantly surprised, after being introduced to the historical fiction of Stephanie Grace Whitson, to discover that not only was she a Nebraskan, she attended the very church where Tony and I were saved. Her Prairie Winds series brought me through the delivery of our first child, Jonathan, and since then I have enjoyed her other historical fiction books as well. I appreciate her faithfulness to the Word and faithful communication of the Gospel. I have not read her more recent books, but her first series starts off with Walks the Fire.
3. Biographies
If bad Christian fiction is spiritual junk food, a good biography is like a whole wheat cookie — the whole grain goodness of spiritual examples mixed with the sugar and salt of real-life drama. (Be sure to wash it down with the pure milk of God’s Word.)
We covered some of our favorite biographies in the History Buffy post, and you can find those here.
Another excellent recommendation does not fit well into these categories so I’ll jot it down here. Recently, Tony pointed me a new book by Dr. Harry Kraus, a missionary surgeon in Africa. Kraus is noted in the literary world for his fictional writing but his newest is non-fictional. Breathing Grace casts his exciting medical experiences as illustrations of our need to be sustained daily by God’s grace. Just as the body lives off oxygen, so too does the soul live off a moment-by-moment supply of grace. Tony wrote a full review earlier this year. It’s not fiction, but Kraus is tuned into the fictional genre and his book will certainly appeal to fans of fiction.
4. Classics
One of the best things about being a parent is getting to read some of the great classic books you missed as a kid. From the Chronicles of Narnia to the Lord of the Rings, Tony and I are enjoying catching up on our
grade school education as we read to our son. Other favorite classics (not quite for a 6-year-old boy) include Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice. If your wife has already read these volumes, no doubt she loves them. A thoughtful gift might be a hardcover edition and a date-night “chick flick” movie edition of these books.
So that’s a very short list to get your fiction fix started. Now, will all the other TSS fiction fans please stand up? We’d love to hear your recommendations in the comments. Thank you for sharing!
One more category to come…thanks again for joining us on our early Christmas shopping trip!
by Edna Gerstner – This is one of my favorite biographies. A good friend loaned me a copy several years ago, and I tracked my own copy down to re-read this year.
Though I believe this book is (sadly) out of print, you can still find used copies at Amazon or Half.com. Edna Gerstner beautifully crafted this biographical account of Idelette Calvin, the wife of the great Reformer John Calvin. Since Tony was working his way through 
by Noel Piper – Even better than a single biography, Mrs. Piper takes the lives of five seemingly “ordinary” women and highlights God’s abundant grace to strengthen them in extraordinary ways. The chapter titles alone are beautiful picture of faith, such as: “Sarah Edwards, Faithful in the Mundane,” “Gladys Aylward, Faithful in Humility,” and “Esther Ahn Kim, Faithful in Suffering.” This book was so good, I loaned it to a friend, who passed it along to another friend, who passed it along to another friend … maybe I should ask for another one for Christmas! Learning about several of the women in this book encouraged me to dig deeper into a few of their lives. One of my favorites was the story of Esther Ahn Kim (see below).
Every time he saw me reading the moving biography of Korean Ahn Ei Sook, he asked me to read (again) the story of her standing tall amidst thousands of bowing worshippers at a pagan Japanese shrine. It is an inspiring account of obedience to Christ that illustrates the example of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego before King Nebuchadnezzar. Miss Ahn boldly prayed on her way to the shrine, “Today on the mountain, before the large crowd…I will proclaim that there is no other God beside You. This is what I will do for Your holy name.” The ensuing account of her hiding, persecution, imprisonment, and torture is an amazing story that will leave you in awe of God’s abundant grace amidst trial.
Margaret Baxter, Sarah Edwards, Anne Steele, and Frances Ridley Havergal. The Girltalkers did an excellent 
by Elisabeth Elliot – A classic missionary biography that traces the lives of the incredibly faithful, deeply trusting missionary families who brought the
Gospel to the jungles of Ecuador in the late 1950s. There is now an 
, which dramatically recounts the work of God’s grace in the lives of both the missionary families and the Ecuador natives.
Bradstreet the perspective of one who recognized God’s sovereign hand in every aspect of her life, in times of exuberance and in times of pain.” I am halfway through this book and thoroughly enjoying it. (And for those of you who played the “
by Faith Cook – I don’t have this book yet, but have read others on the life of Lady Jane Grey, the “Nine Day Queen of England” and have been inspired by her faith in the midst of persecution. Recently, this account by Faith Cook has been recommended by both 
spelling drills with the kids in “three sets of ten, with 20 seconds rest in between.”
about Eric Liddell: Scottish runner, Olympic gold medal winner, and missionary to China. (Find a positive review 
full of busy celebrations with the kids and in-laws, a “Christmas date” is an opportunity to celebrate with just your bride. Whether you can schedule your date before Christmas or after, taking the time to spend with her will bless your friendship and your marriage. For the sporty wife, a brisk walk or ice skating would be a fun start to the evening. Then you can finish with hot cocoa and a date night movie, 
(based upon the life of Eric Liddell). You can
follow-up with a family night movie another time and watch the new 
on this list from Sovereign Grace worship leader Bob Kauflin. (Who has an excellent 
Will they like it? Will they read it? You really have to know someone to be able to choose a book for them. Which is exactly why we like to buy books for one another at Christmas. It’s a gentle prodding to make sure we are involved in each others’ lives enough to be able to thoughtfully choose a book.
Tony Reinke 