Hey friends! I've got a big round-up of books for you! Whether you need gifts for loved ones or you're on the lookout for something for yourself, I've gathered lots from my bookshelves to share with you today. We'll start with the fiction titles since I know some of you have been waiting anxiously for these, and then I'll share some additional books that I've either bought recently or that have been gifted to me.
So, these first seven titles are all fiction books I've read in recent weeks. Clearly, I got on a bit of a Nancy Mehl kick! Haha.
One thing to note: I've linked the paperback versions here in case you're shopping for gifts, since it's that time of the year! But obviously when you click the link to check out the book, you can select the KINDLE version, if you're buying for your own Kindle or if you're gifting the book to someone else's Kindle.
1. Dark Deception (Defenders of Justice Book #2) by Nancy Mehl
2. Blind Betrayal (Defenders of Justice Book #3) by Nancy Mehl
3. Gathering Shadows (Finding Sanctuary Book #1) by Nancy Mehl
4. Deadly Echoes (Finding Sanctuary Book #2) by Nancy Mehl
5. Rising Darkness (Finding Sanctuary Book #3) by Nancy Mehl
6. A Dangerous Engagement (Regency Spies of London Book #3) by Melanie Dickerson
7. In Places Hidden (Golden Gate Secrets Book #1) by Tracie Peterson
As for the rest on the fiction list, they're ones that I've shared with you before but they're worth repeating, as they're ones I really, really enjoyed and if you're on the hunt for gifts for loved ones, you might want to check them out!
I typically love any and all books by Julie Klassen. Here are a few....
8. The Innkeeper of Ivy Hill (Tales from Ivy Hill Book #1) by Julie Klassen
9. The Ladies of Ivy Cottage (Tales from Ivy Hill Book #2) by Julie Klassen
10. Lady Maybe by Julie Klassen (I liked this one so much, I've bought it three times and given two copies away!)
11. The Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen
12. The Secret of Pembrooke Park by Julie Klassen (Ooooh, this one was a really good one, too! Shoot, now I kinda want to go back and re-read these!! Haha!)
I would probably rank these next two books right up there as some of the best books I've ever read. Like ever.
13. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
14. Room for Hope by Kim Vogel Sawyer
And now for a few non-fiction titles you might want to consider
....for the crafter
15. Modern Watercolor: A playful and contemporary exploration of watercolor painting by Kristin Van Leuven
16. Everyday Watercolor: Learn to paint watercolor in 30 days by Jenna Rainey
17. Paper to Petal: 75 Whimsical Paper Flowers to Craft By Hand by Rebecca Thuss and Patrick Farrell - This one was given to me and even if you never make a single flower from this book, it is a veritable FEAST for the eyes!! SO much inspiration in this one! Give it to a crafty gal! She's likely to love it!
18. How to Draw Modern Florals by Alli Koch - I bought this one for myself, but we had a bit of family fun with this one at a get-together one day! We all sat around the table, picked out one flower at a time, and each person around the table (from 5 years old up to adults), and we each followed all the steps together, one step at a time, and had a little contest to see who's flowers looked the best at the end of each flower! Haha! It was really fun, not super hard even for the 5-year old, and it was sometimes surprising to see who had the best flowers!
19. Calligraphy Made Easy by Piccadilly
....Christian Living, Encouragement and Devotionals
20. Gracelaced by Ruth Chou Simons -- This book was a gift to me and it was a JOY to read it, partly because of the daily devotions it includes and partly because of the beautiful painted artwork on every page. This one makes a BEAUTIFUL gift to give to someone else or to enjoy yourself.
21. Grace, Not Perfection: Embracing Simplicity, Celebrating Joy by Emily Ley
22. Savor by Shauna Niequist - This one was a recent gift from a dear friend, so I'm still reading this one.
23. Craving Connection: 30 Challenges for Real-life Engagement by Crystal Stine - This is another that was a gift but just look at the cover. It's basically got my name all over it! Ha!
24. NIV Life Application Study Bible - Of course, if we're talking books, I have to include the best-selling book of all time, especially since I've been getting several questions about my Bible again recently! This is the one I use daily and I'm really happy with it. I got it just before the transplant, in anticipation of taking it with me when I temporarily lived in D.C. for the surgery, since my old Bible was literally falling apart. I have quite a few different Bibles, but this is the main one I use every day and the one I replaced was also this same type of Bible. This one's just the newer version of my old one. This one feels so great to hold in your hands too. It might sound weird, but the pages on this one just flop open like it's already gotten years of love and has gotten totally broken in, but it was pretty much that way straight out of the box.
25. Stabilo Boss highlighters - And I know this isn't a book, but allow me to share this one book-companion link, because I get questions about these highlighters that I used in my Bible, often. Yes, there is a bit of bleed-thru, as there is with pretty much any actual marker-type highlighter, but if you only press lightly with them, the bleed-thru is not enough to deter me from using them. The colors are too beautiful. You can create really pretty ombre highlighted sections with these, which I like because of course the point of the highlighting is meant to draw your attention to specific verses, but that doesn't mean that the highlighting can't be pretty while you're at it. ;)
....for the gardener
26. Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden by Erin Benzakein - I can't recommend this one enough. It is not only soooo beautiful, but also, so informative about growing all sorts of cut flowers. We've found this to be a valuable resource as we've started our own cutting garden the last two years, growing dahlias and all our beloved zinnias. There are definitely some things to know, if you want to help your plants really thrive, and this book has lots of good info to help!
27. Epic Tomatoes by Craig LeHoullier - If you've been around here for any length of time, then you know how much we love our heirloom tomatoes! This book was given to me several years ago and I LOVE it! It's a wealth of information about tomatoes in general, as well as about hundreds of specific heirloom varieties, and not only that, but it has gorgeous photography of many of those tomatoes throughout the book! This one also makes a really fun coffee table book to have sitting out every summer! This is great for men and women alike....it's just a really great resource.
....for the magazine lover
One more idea for you....I thought I'd share my top two favorite magazines with you!
28. Country Living Magazine - You can gift someone a subscription and this one is only $12 for a one year/10 issue subscription! I get tons of inspiration from this one each month! I've been subscribing to this one for YEARS. Like 15 or 20 years!
29. Magnolia Journal Magazine - This one has only been in print for I think two years now, and they only print four issues a year, but I've loved every single one of them. It's definitely more spendy per issue than Country Living, but at just $22, it's still a pretty affordable gift and is well worth the price tag for the gorgeous photo inspiration alone.
And rounding out this big old book list, allow me to share the number one book on my own personal wish list this year.....
30. Home Body by Joanna Gaines - I don't have it, but I'm hoping it shows up under the tree! ;)
Ok, friends, that's it for the big book round-up! I've got lots more Holiday Gift Guide posts coming your way tomorrow, so check back throughout the day! I'll get them posted for you as quick as I can!
Happy shopping and happy gifting!
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