The Best Books I've Ever Read...

...are written by Francine Rivers.

As a busy wife, mom, homemaker, and homeschooler I had given up on reading for pleasure. There just wasn't enough time. That was, until I picked up a book by Francine Rivers one day at the library.

Oh my goodness! Mrs. Rivers is a phenomenal Christian fiction writer! Once I start, I have a very hard time putting her books down. Her stories are real-life situations in which her readers can relate to and the true Word of God is present throughout, helping guide the characters into truth. Reading these books has done something for me, more than just entertaining me. I feel like the characters are friends of mine, and ones I desire to be more like. I find myself thinking of them throughout the day and wondering how they would react and respond to things that come up in my daily life.

The first book I read was Redeeming Love.

In this splendid retelling of the biblical story of Hosea, bestselling author Francine Rivers pens a heartbreaking romance between a prostitute and the upright and kind farmer who marries her; the story also functions as a reminder of God's unconditional love for his people. Redeeming Love opens with the Gold Rush of 1850 and its rough-and-tumble atmosphere of greed and desire. Angel, who was sold into prostitution as a child, has learned to distrust all men, who see her only as a way to satisfy their lust. When the virtuous and spiritual-minded Michael Hosea is told by God to marry this "soiled dove," he obeys, despite his misgivings. As Angel learns to love him, she begins to hope again but is soon overwhelmed by fear and returns to her old life.

When I returned this book to the library, I picked up The Scarlet Thread.

With a loving and successful husband, two beautiful children, and a new house in her hometown, Sierra Madrid leads a happy life. Then her husband, Alex, announces that he has taken a job in Los Angeles and that the family will soon move, and Sierra's dream is shattered. Once in the fast lane of big-city life, Alex becomes more aloof and the family begins the slow process of disintegration. Sierra's only consolation in her despair is one of her ancestor's journals. Sierra's own journey through pain toward reconciliation and redemption is mirrored in the journal entries she reads.

And I just finished And the Shofar Blew.

In the Old Testament, God called his people to action with the blast of the shofar, a ram's horn. God still calls his people today. In this relevant and timely contemporary novel, dynamic young preacher Paul Hudson is committed to building his church--but at what cost? As Paul's zeal and ambition build, he loses sight of the One who called him. As Paul and those around him struggle to discern what it truly means to live out their faith, they must ultimately choose between their own will or God's plan.

Each book I read I swear it's my favorite! I can't wait to pick up another Francine Rivers book the next time I'm at the library. But I'd better wait. If I get one now I will never finish getting ready for us to start school on Monday!