These are the best titles of 2023 as voted by the American Christian Fiction Writer's , both winners and nominees for your reading enjoyment.
See Also:
Within these walls of sorrow : a novel of World War II Poland
Author(s):
Description:
"Within weeks of Germany's invasion of Poland, the brutal realities of occupation rob Zosia Lewandowska of the man she loves. As ghetto walls rise and the occupiers tighten their grip on the city of Krak?ow, Zosia meets Tadeusz Pankiewicz, a pharmacist who dares to operate a pharmacy in the heart of Krak?ow's ghetto. Determined to help, no matter the cost, Zosia joins Tadeusz and his staff as they risk their lives to aid the Jewish people trapped by Nazi oppression. Hania Silberman's carefree girlhood is shattered as her family is forced into the ghetto. Struggling to survive in a world hemmed in by walls and rife with cruelty and despair, she reunites with her former neighbor, Zosia, who now passes through the ghetto gates each day to work at the Pharmacy Under the Eagle. But as deportations winnow the ghetto's population and snatch those she holds dear, Hania's resiliency is tested in impossible ways. Zosia and Hania's lives intertwine as they face the griefs and fears thrust upon them by war. Until one day, they are forced to make a desperate choice . . . one that will inexorably bind them together, even as they are torn apart" --
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Bar
See Also:
Author(s):
Description:
When fourteen-year-old Norvia moves from Beaver Island to Boyne City in 1914, she has to contend with a new school, a first crush, and a blended family, but she also must keep secret her parents' divorce and her Ojibwe heritage. Includes author's note.
Format:
Book
Call Number:
J FIC Joh
See Also:
Author(s):
Description:
"Professor Philip West never wanted to return to Maine or his grandfather's miserable old house. But after his mother's death, he's now the guardian of a teenage half sister he barely knows--one who doesn't want anything to do with him. He longs to help her heal, but he's exhausted and numb, desperate for relief of his own. More than a decade has passed since Indi Muir made the heartbreaking decision she's never recovered from--though she's certainly tried. She has a full life running her shop and creating the artsy pieces that fill its shelves. If she can just stay busy, she'll keep her hurt and regret at bay. But when her ex-fianc?e returns to Muir Harbor, he brings news that shatters her carefully built walls. Things only get worse when lurking danger comes calling at her childhood home" --Provided by publisher.
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Tag
See Also:
Author(s):
Description:
When the ever-cautious Val Locklier moves cross-country with her son for a secure job, everything she'd planned unravels within the first week. After Val reluctantly agrees to rent an apartment from her best friend's brother, an unexpected chance at an elite filmmakers' mentorship ignites fresh hope for a dream career. But as Val's community begins to expand, so do her insecurities, especially those heightened by her growing attraction to a certain friendly landlord. Pastor Miles McKenzie returns home from a short-term mission trip to discover that not only does he have an intriguing new tenant living upstairs, he's also been reassigned to a local ministry on life support. Disillusioned and restless, he distracts himself by throwing his energy into a host of new projects--not the least of which is pursuing Val--without stopping to consider the future. As Val struggles to stop hiding behind the camera and Miles wrestles with shattered expectations, they'll find that authentic love and sacrifice must go hand in hand.
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Dee
See Also:
Author(s):
Description:
"As a fashion aficionado and best friend of the queen of the African island country ?Ol?or?o Il?e, Iris Blakely dreams of using her talent to start a sustainable clothing line to help citizens in impoverished areas and honor the country's resources. But when she discovers that Ekon Diallo--the man who betrayed her best friend--will be her business consultant, the battle between her desires and reality begins. Ekon Diallo has lost everything: his princely title, his material possessions, his friends, and the respect of his fellow ?Ol?orans. To pay for his actions against ?Ol?or?o Il?e, he's forced to assist the charismatic Iris Blakely--but he can't allow his heart to distract him from regaining his status. Though they come from vastly different worlds, Iris and Ekon are both determined to reach their goals, and the only way to do that is to work together--if they can just keep their hearts from getting in the way" --
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Shi
See Also:
The extraordinary deaths of Mrs. Kip
Author(s):
Description:
"Frustrated reporter Aidyn Kelley begrudgingly agrees to help a hospice patient prepare her obituary. But old Clara Kip has some incredible stories-and some surprises up her sleeve-that promise to make this seemingly throwaway assignment a life-changing one"--
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Bru
See Also:
The forgotten life of Eva Gordon
Author(s):
Description:
"Failing memory has forced Eva Gordon to move in with her granddaughter, Breezy. But Eva hates the bustle of Boston. All she wants to do is move back to her quiet, cozy Cape Cod home and be left alone. Then Breezy announces she's getting married, and they'll be moving to her new husband's rundown family farm, where he lives with an elderly uncle. They'll be one big family--but only Breezy and her new husband think it'll be a happy one. It's all too much for Eva. Too much change, too much togetherness, too much of an over-crowded life she never wanted. But as her desire for privacy collides with her worsening memory, Eva may find herself in a pickle she can't get out of. Can an unlikely cast of misfit characters step in to woo Eva from her self-imposed isolation?" --
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Mac
See Also:
Author(s):
Description:
"Allie Massey's dream to use her grandparents' estate for equine therapy is crushed when she discovers the property has been sold to a contractor. With weeks until demolition, Allie unearths some of Nana Dale's best-kept secrets--including her champion filly, a handsome man, and one fateful night during WWII--and perhaps a clue to keep her own dream alive"--
Format:
Large Print
Call Number:
LP FIC Mus
See Also:
Author(s):
Description:
"Kieran Lucas's grandmother is slipping into dementia, and, when her memory is gone, Kieran's last tie to the family she barely knows will be lost forever. Worse, Granny Mac is being tormented by flashbacks of her mother's death and the loss of their home. In 1931, Rosie McCauley's Smoky Mountains home is threatened by the Tennessee Great Smokies Park Commission as they create a new national park. But Rosie vows the only way they'll get her land is if they haul her out in a pine box. When a compromise offers her and her disabled sister the opportunity to stay for her lifetime, it seems too good to be true. Ornithologist Benton Fuller arrives to conduct a bird survey for the park and the two form a tenuous bond. But their friendship broadens a rift between her and the other mountain folk who are suspicious of any government connections. Then the discovery of an illegal still in the woods near her cabin leads to a violent clash between sides that could destroy them all. Eighty-five years later, Kieran heads back to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to find answers to her great-grandmother's mysterious death and bring peace to Granny Mac before it's too late. Park Historian Zach Jensen may be the key to locating both the answers and a precious family heirloom. But just as in the past, Kieran's needs clash with government regulations. Will Zach block her from recovering what she needs and solving this family mystery?" --
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Bar
See Also:
Where the blue sky begins : a novel
Author(s):
Description:
"When confident and handsome Eric Larson is sent to a rural Montana town to work in the local branch of his uncle's financial company, he's determined to exceed everyone's expectations, earn a promotion, and be back in Seattle by the end of summer. Yet nothing could prepare him for the lessons this small town has in store. At forty-six years old, eccentric and outspoken Eunice Parker has come to accept her terminal illness and has given herself one final goal: seek forgiveness from everyone on her bucket list before her time runs out. But it will take more courage than she can muster on her own. After an accident pushes Eric and Eunice together, the unlikely pair is forced to spend more time with each other than either would like, which challenges their deepest prejudices and beliefs. As summer draws to a close, neither Eric nor Eunice is where they thought they would be, but they both wrestle with the same important question: What matters most when the end is near?"--
Format:
Large Print
Call Number:
LP FIC Pow
See Also:
Author(s):
Description:
1807: When a baby is discovered floating in a basket along the quiet canals of Venice, a guild of artisans takes him in and raises him as a son, skilled in each of their trades. Although the boy, Sebastien Trovato, has wrestled with questions of his origins, it isn't until a woman washes ashore on his lagoon island that answers begin to emerge. In hunting down his story, Sebastien must make a choice that could alter not just his own future, but also that of the beloved floating city. 1904: Daniel Goodman is given a fresh start in life as the century turns. Hoping to redeem a past laden with regrets, he is sent on an assignment from California to Venice to procure and translate a rare book. There, he discovers a city of colliding hope and decay, much like his own life, and a mystery wrapped in the pages of that filigree-covered volume. With the help of Vittoria, a bookshop keeper, Daniel finds himself in a web of shadows, secrets, and discoveries carefully kept within the stones and canals of the ancient city...and in the mystery of the man whose story the book does not finish: Sebastien Trovato.
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Dyk
See Also:
Author(s):
Description:
"The beloved daughter of Jewish captives in Babylon, Keren is sold into Daniel's household to help her family survive. She becomes Daniel's most trusted scribe, while taking lessons and swordsmanship training alongside Daniel's sons and their best friend, Jared. But after a tragic accident changes the course of her life, Keren finds herself in a foreign country, charged with a mysterious task: teaching a shepherd boy how to become a lord. When she overhears whispers that hint at his true identity, she realizes she must protect him from the schemes of a bloodthirsty king. Jared cannot forgive Keren. Still, he finds himself traveling over mountains to fetch her back to the safety of home. When he discovers the secret identity of Keren's pupil, Jared knows he must help protect him. Love battles bitterness as they flee from the king's agents, trying to save the boy who could one day deliver their people from captivity" --
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Afs
See Also:
The Italian ballerina : a world war II novel
Author(s):
Description:
A prima ballerina. Two American medics. And a young Jewish girl with no name. At the height of the Nazi occupation of Rome, an unlikely band of heroes comes together to save Italian Jews in this breathtaking World War II novel based on real historical events.
Format:
Audiobook
Call Number:
FIC Cam
See Also:
The rose and the thistle : a novel
Author(s):
Description:
In 1715, Lady Blythe Hedley's father is declared an enemy of the British crown because of his Jacobite sympathies, forcing her to flee her home in northern England. Secreted to the tower of Wedderburn Castle in Scotland, Lady Blythe awaits who will ultimately be crowned king. But in a house with seven sons and numerous servants, her presence soon becomes known. No sooner has Everard Hume lost his father, Lord Wedderburn, than Lady Hedley arrives with the clothes on her back and her mistress in tow. He has his own problems--a volatile brother with dangerous political leanings, an estate to manage, and a very young brother in need of comfort and direction in the wake of losing his father. It would be best for everyone if he could send this misfit heiress on her way as soon as possible. Drawn into a whirlwind of intrigue, shifting alliances, and ambitions, Lady Blythe must be careful whom she trusts. Her fortune, her future, and her very life are at stake. Those who appear to be adversaries may turn out to be allies--and those who pretend friendship may be enemies.
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Fra
See Also:
Author(s):
Description:
When the Germans march into Denmark, Baron Henrik Ahlefeldt exchanges his nobility for anonymity, assuming a new identity so he can secretly row messages for the Danish Resistance across the waters to Sweden. American physicist Dr. Else Jensen refuses to leave Copenhagen and abandon her research--her life's dream. While printing resistance newspapers, she hears stories of the movement's legendary Havmand--the merman--and wonders if the mysterious and silent shipyard worker living in the same boardinghouse has something to hide. When the Occupation cracks down on the Danes, these two passionate people will discover if there is more power in speech...or in silence.
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Sun
See Also:
Author(s):
Description:
In 1942, Evie Farrow is used to life on Ocracoke Island, where every day is the same--until the German U-boats haunting their waters begin to wreak havoc. And when special agent Sterling Bertrand is washed ashore at Evie's inn, her life is turned upside down. While Sterling's injuries keep him inn-bound for weeks, making him even more anxious about the SS officer he's tracking, he becomes increasingly intrigued by Evie, who seems to be hiding secrets of her own. Decades earlier, in 1914, Englishman Remington Culbreth arrives at the Ocracoke Inn for the summer, never expecting to fall in love with Louisa Adair, the innkeeper's daughter. But when war breaks out in Europe, their relationship is put in jeopardy and may not survive what lies ahead for them. As the ripples from the Great War rock Evie and Sterling's lives in World War II, it seems yesterday's tides may sweep them all into danger again today.
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Whi
See Also:
Author(s):
Description:
"The Mossad has uncovered Iran's plans to smuggle untraceable weapons of mass destruction into Israel. The clock is ticking, and agents Nir Tavor and Nicole le Roux can't act quickly enough. Nir and Nicole find themselves caught in a whirlwind plot of assassinations, espionage, and undercover recon, fighting against the clock to stop this threat against the Middle East. As they draw closer to danger--and closer to each other--they find themselves ensnared in a lethal web of secrets. Will they have to sacrifice their own lives to protect the lives of millions? Inspired by real events and filled with danger, romance, and international intrigue, this Nir Tavor thriller reveals true insights into the lives and duties of Mossad agents" --Back cover.
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Tsa
See Also:
Author(s):
Description:
Police Chief Autumn Long is fighting to keep her job in the quiet Alaska town of Shadow Gap when an unexpected string of criminal activity leaves her with a wounded officer, unexplained murders, and even an attack on her own father. Despite her mistrust of outsiders, she turns to Grier Brenner, a newcomer who seems to have the skills and training Autumn needs to face this threat to her community. Grier is in Alaska for the same reason so many others are--to disappear--when Chief Long enlists his help. He emerges from the shadows and proves his mettle, but his presence in her life could be a deadly trap for them both. If his secret is exposed, all will be lost. And he's not sure even Autumn could save him.
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC God
See Also:
Author(s):
Description:
Wren Blythe has long enjoyed living in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, helping her father with ministry at a youth camp. But when a little girl in the area goes missing, an all-out search ensues, reviving the decades-old campfire story of Ava Coons, the murderess who is believed to still roam the forest. Joining the search, Wren stumbles upon the Coonses' cabin ruins and a sinister mystery she is determined to unearth. In 1930, Ava Coons has spent the last several years carrying the mantle of mystery since the day she emerged from the woods as a thirteen-year-old girl, spattered with blood, dragging a logger's ax. She has accepted she will never remember what happened to her family, whose bodies were never found, and that the people of Tempter's Creek will always blame her for their violent deaths. And after a member of the town is murdered, and another goes missing, rumors spread that Ava's secret is perhaps more malicious than previously imagined.
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Wri
See Also:
Author(s):
Description:
"The Lady's Maid: When Lydia Smith began her career as a parlor maid, she knew love and marriage wasn't likely in her future. Dreaming about the boy next door as she dusted seemed harmless until he started working as the new valet under the same roof. When Finch needs her help with a special project, will it give them a chance to defy expectations and find love or ruin their happiness forever?" --
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Hun
See Also:
Author(s):
Description:
"Eliza Bontrager and Jesse Ebersol have fallen in love and are determined to marry, despite the belief of their Amish community and respective families that there's a hidden curse--one that only shows up when an Ebersol and Bontrager marry. Before the ceremony on the day of the wedding, Eliza's great-aunt Rose gives her a family heirloom quilt and tells her that she may use it to change one event in the past. Eliza appreciates the woman's heart, but she dismisses the strange conversation while keeping the beautiful quilt. Several years later, mourning the loss of their third child, Eliza discovers her inability to deliver a healthy baby is genetic. Remembering her great-aunt's strange words, she decides that if she can go back in time and reject Jesse's proposal, she can save him the heartache of a childless marriage. Her sacrifice will allow him to marry someone else and raise a family. But once she puts her plan into action, she discovers the true impact of her decision--on Jesse and so many others within their community" --
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Woo
See Also:
Author(s):
Description:
Myrthe was born with the ability to turn her tears into wishes. But when a granted wish goes wrong, she is cursed: the next tear she sheds will kill her. She must travel to the Well to break the curse before it can claim her life--and before the king’s militairen find her. To survive the journey, Myrthe must harden her heart to keep herself from crying even a single tear. Bastiaan’s can stop time with a snap of his fingers. His powerful--and rare--Talent came in handy when he kidnapped the old king. Now the new king has a job for him: find the Wishtress and deliver her to the schloss. But Bastiaan needs a wish of his own. He gains Myrthe’s trust by promising to take her to the Well, but once he gets what he needs, he’ll turn her in. As long as his growing feelings for the girl with a stone heart don’t compromise him.
Format:
Book
Call Number:
YA FIC Bra