E. G. Bella

Happy Saturday, and welcome to the sixth – and last – day of the Five Fall Favorites blog party! (As well as the last day of September!)

You can find all of the information about the Five Fall Favorites blog party by seeing my first post (click HERE), or by going to our wonderful host, Kate Willis’s, site (click HERE).

For a quick recap, each day this week, bloggers (me included) are each sharing their five favorite books under a variety of prompts – the goal being for us all to find some great new reads!

This week’s theme is all about who and where we’ve gotten our books from.

Today we’re looking at some of our favorite reads from the past year! That can mean in the last twelve months since the previous Five Fall Favorites party, or in the calendar year of 2023. Mine are all from the last twelve months, as I still haven’t read as many books as I’d like to in 2023 (that’s what autumn’s for, right?).

I will say that these aren’t my top picks from the last twelve months. Because I’ve already been using some recent favorites in my other posts from this week, today I decided to just share five more books that I’ve enjoyed recently. The past few months, I’ve done a lot of experimenting with new-to-me genres and re-reading childhood favorites, so many of today’s picks fit those categories.

Let’s take a look at them! (I’ve reviewed many of these in more depth on Goodreads, so if you’re interested in reading my thoughts – or just other reviews in general – you can find the Goodreads link under each book, or by clicking on the book’s title).

Lyddie

It’s not a fairytale, feel-good story, but it is very real, and I like to read it every now and again for that reason. And although there isn’t a ‘happy’ ending, it’s a hopeful and very realistic one. I would hope that in similar situations, I could manage to conduct myself with as much strength, honor, and courage as the main character does. I feel this is a strong story for readers of any age.

Tricky Content: Slavery, harmful working conditions, death, tactful references to (and shown intent of) sexual assault, infidelity, pregnancy outside of marriage, and mental health struggles.

I’d Recommend It To: Middle-grade readers and above that enjoy compelling historical fiction stories with a strong protagonist, sibling ties, and themes of courage and determination.

Here’s the link to add it on Goodreads! (the cover is wrong, but it is the correct page)

Silver Sparrow

There are those kinds of situations that people deal with all over the world, and as I empathized with the characters, I could find myself understanding why others may act the way they do. I sympathized with those characters and found them relatable. So in that regard, the book was well-written. The setting was easy to picture, closer to contemporary than very historical, but still not modern-day. Overall, probably not one I’ll be re-reading but it was worth the read for me.

Tricky Content: Scattered uses of strong language, frequent references to sexual matters, dysfunctional family (understatement), bigamy, and I didn’t agree with the morals of the characters, as a Christian.

I’d Recommend It To: Adults seeking a unique, character-driven read that makes you think, and spurs you to empathize with real people in their kind of situation.

Here’s the link to add it on Goodreads!

Safe In His Arms

The second half of the book really picked up the pace action-wise, which I enjoyed. Was it the most realistic? No, but it was interesting, and it kept me reading to find out what might be thrown at the characters next. If lack of realism bothers you in stories like this, you may not appreciate the second half as much, but I didn’t mind dispending belief for a while. Probably because I don’t read many slower romances. All in all, it was a solid story and I do love that I can recommend it thanks to its being clean.

Tricky Content: Kisses, references to physical attraction, mild injuries, kidnappings, deceit.

I’d Recommend It To: Fans of Christian novels, westerns, and clean romance stories with a good amount of action and interesting characters.

Here’s the link to add it on Goodreads!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

I personally enjoy the later books more than the earlier ones, as the story progresses and the plot thickens, but they wouldn’t be the same without the earlier books. In a way it makes the series even more immersive, as you see the book plots grow and mature as the kids do.

Tricky Content: Kids disrespecting authority, violence, magic. Later books grow darker in tone, with some more romantic/mature elements mixed in, but nothing inappropriate. I know everyone has differing views on the magic elements, and you should follow your own convictions. I personally wasn’t allowed to read them until I was old enough to understand the distinction between demonic activity/ witchcraft that the Bible talks about, from the magic system in this series, and would do the same thing with my own kids.

I’d Recommend It To: Middle-schoolers and above that enjoy fun, school-featuring fantasy stories with large casts of characters, some mystery, and lots of whimsical adventure.

Here’s the link to add it on Goodreads!

All Things For Good

Tricky Content: Nothing that I found, though, as always, books like this should be read with discretion and prayer.

I’d Recommend It To: Christians that enjoy deep, thought-provoking, and encouraging dives into Scripture, particularly Romans 8:28.

Here’s the link to add it on Goodreads!

It’s hard to believe (and kind of sad), but we’ve officially reached the very end of the Five Fall Favorites blog party! What have been your favorite reads from the last year? Have you read any of the books I mentioned? If so, what did you think? I’d love to hear from you!

If you haven’t already, check out Kate’s host blog here, for additional information, an awesome giveaway, and so that you can find even more book recommendations! There are so many other amazing bloggers that have shared countless great reads this week, and I’d hate for you to miss out on them!

Thank you so much for joining us this week, and for celebrating in the midst of these bookish, fall vibes. It’s been a blast, and I appreciate you! I’m already looking forward to next year!

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