I received a complimentary copy of one of these books for an honest review, which you’ll find in the related post I’ve linked to.

In addition to the book awards I give out every year, I keep note ( 🙂 ) of more good books I’d like to recognize whenever my award season calls for it. So here we have my latest picks of Noteworthy Reads! You’ll find them listed in the order I read them.

Readers:
Don’t miss the additional books to check out at the end of the list, along with the bottom link to more Book Awards posts.
Authors:
If you’d like a medal for making the list, head toward the bottom of this post.

Sky Man
Stacie Johnson
(pen name for Walter Dean Myers)
•
Vintage Young Adult Fiction

Can their basketball team become state champs if their star player flunks out of school?
I flew through this fifth book from 18 Pine St., a groundbreaking multicultural YA series from back in the ’90s. I got a nostalgic kick out of the signs of the times in the story. There’s also a serious romantic crush I didn’t see coming, a minor family crisis, a breakup (of sorts) that kind of broke my heart, and an ending to the main plot that I found to be a shame. In a good way. Because of its reflection of reality. Still, the conclusion isn’t too downbeat, with the central gang of friends and plenty of pizza involved.

She Deserves Better:
Raising Girls to Resist Toxic Teachings on Sex, Self, and Speaking Up
Sheila Wray Gregoire
Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach
Joanna Sawatsky
•
Social Issues, Christian Nonfiction
(includes topic of sexual violence)

It’s time to replace harmful messages taught to girls in Christian communities.
Because in my case, I’m not a mother with daughters to teach, I can see why this is a book for more than only mothers and their young daughters. There’s a lot of information here concerning girls—and women—that the church in general seriously needs to be aware of, because damaging instruction, predatory behavior, and even sexual assault have become normalized in too many churches and Christian circles. I appreciate how the authors of this book affirm girls and women without male-bashing or taking a vindictive stance. Truly worth the read.

Crowned with Glory:
How Proclaiming the Truth of Black Dignity Has Shaped American History
Jasmine L. Holmes
•
Social Issues, Christian Nonfiction
(includes violent historical events)

Their personhood. Their inalienable rights. A narrative of their own voices.
A book like this is so important, not only because some people are making efforts to block out or water down shameful and unjust parts of American history. I’ve also found over the years that Black Americans are oftentimes viewed or treated as secondary figures and voices—even in stories and discussions about them. This book gives readers the opportunity to hear from Black American voices of the past and not only as a supplement or a secondary angle to the narrative. I highly recommend this to anyone who considers it wise to gain perspective on history, including when it comes to the integral ways that American history and Christianity coincide.

Audacity
Melanie Crowder
•
Young Adult Historical Fiction
(some violence)

A young woman devotes herself to the labor fight in New York near the turn of the 20th century. Inspired by the real-life story of Clara Lemlich.
Part of the beauty of novels-in-verse is that even when they’re raw, tackling such difficult subjects, they can cover a lot but with an economy of just the right words. And there certainly is much beauty in the telling of this painful, angering story. Angering for me because I find it such a shame how long and how hard people must too often struggle and protest just to be treated as human beings. Even so, Clara’s determination in the midst of opposition and seemingly insurmountable odds reinforced to me that even when the struggle for human rights is hard, humanity is worth it.

The Supreme Macaroni Company
Adriana Trigiani
•
Women’s Fiction
(minimal language; fade-to-black marital intimacy)

It’s up to her to turn the esteemed past of her family’s shoemaking business into a glorious future.
This third and last book about Valentine Roncalli is rather different from the first two—not as light of a read. And maybe its critical twist is what it would ultimately take to get Valentine to mature in certain ways. And the heart-wrecking aspect of this novel is what I personally appreciate most about it. The wrecking and the love behind the story’s unusual title have stuck with me.

A Dream in the Dark
Robert Justice
•
Legal Fiction
(violence; one occurrence of the N-word)

She’s a lawyer working to free an innocent man imprisoned on account of one piece of evidence: a victim’s dream. A novel inspired by real wrongful conviction cases.
The second in a series, this novel confronts shortcomings and corruption in the criminal justice system. The story is nuanced and layered with complementary storylines. With flawed but sympathetic characters. With hard losses and raw emotion. With poignancy and flashes of hope that are compelling without resorting to quick, fairy-tale fixes. I strongly recommend both of this author’s Wrongful Conviction novels, and I’m staying on the lookout for his next book.

Entries for 2024’s Noteworthy Reads giveaway are now closed, but comments on the post are remaining open.

Giveaway is open to U.S. residents and mailing addresses only in the contiguous U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii. Entrants must be 18 years of age or older. One randomly determined winner will be notified by email on Monday, December 2, 2024. If the winner does not respond by Wednesday, December 4, 2024, a different entrant will be selected. Add p[dot]prospects[at]live[dot]com to your address book to ensure that a giveaway notification isn’t sent to your junk mail/spam box. For additional giveaway terms, see the Blog Giveaways and Giveaway Privacy information on my Policies page. Entering the giveaway indicates your agreement to the terms.

The fight of a nation and tests of the heart in tales of hope
•
A noteworthy aspect of my writing life: Sometimes after characters of mine go through some heavy experiences in a particular book, I’m compelled to follow it up with a lighter story. Even if it’s been quite a few years since I wrote the previous book. Hence, my military romance entitled Eminence now has a sequel: a friends-to-lovers romance that can also be read as a standalone, Simplicity.
You can check out both of these “just kisses” romances in the
Hope Beyond series.

Congratulations, authors, and thank you for writing your books! If one of these noteworthy reads is yours, you’re welcome to a complimentary medal to display on your website, blog, social media—wherever you wish. Click the image below and contact me to receive a full size PNG medal. Thanks again!

Coming Up:

Favorite Book Titles 2024
Friday, November 22nd

More Book Awards Posts

I received complimentary copies of some of these books for honest reviews, which you’ll find in the posts I’ve linked to.

In addition to the book awards I give out every year, I keep note ( 🙂 ) of more good books I’d like to recognize whenever my award season calls for it. So here we have my latest list of Noteworthy Reads! You’ll find them listed in the order I read them, except for some series books I grouped together.

To the authors of these books, if you’d like a medal for making the list, see the bottom of this post.

The Coin Slot Chronicles
(4 books)
Rashad Jennings
•
Christian Middle Grade Fantasy

A bullied eleven-year-old is in for a magical adventure with a golden arcade token!
I became a fan of young Arcade Livingston pretty much right off the bat. He’s a tremendous bookworm with a great sense of humor, and he and the other likable characters in these stories had me laughing out loud at times. But, of course, Arcade’s international trips through time aren’t empty fun and games. Meaningful nuggets of wisdom are scattered throughout his adventures, and these four entertaining novels build on each other with inspiring messages.

Simulated
Nova McBee
•
Young Adult Suspense

A (former?) math genius goes after a sims hacker who may be an ally—or an enemy.
Once I plunged into this sequel to the novel Calculated with both feet, I had to keep swimming with as few pauses as possible. Goodness. The danger and all the moving parts to the intrigue. The ingenuity and teen prodigies. The thought-provoking nuggets that add true depth to the heroine’s journey. So good! Now I’ve got to read Book Three in the series.

Saint Ben
John Fischer
•
Christian Fiction

If it doesn’t make sense, this unusual boy can’t just go along with it.
At first, I thought this nostalgic novel set in the 1950s sounded like a story about an innocent boy who’s so passionate about God that he makes hypocritical grown-up Christians see the error of their ways. Yet, this story is more complex than that. It doesn’t hand out a bunch of spiritual platitudes or easy answers to the problems it depicts and the questions it raises. And the disturbing, sobering, abundantly meaningful, unusual ending of this book fits the unusual boy who drives the plot. I can’t describe all the ways this story touched me, but I’m unlikely to ever forget it.

Cress Watercress
Gregory Maguire
Illustrated by David Litchfield
•
Middle Grade Fantasy

New neighbors and dangers await a young rabbit who just lost her papa.
Although Cress is at a difficult preteen age and a tragic time of life, she has some really admirable moments in this tale of family, friendship, adventure, and growing up. The story has quite a delightful style: adorable (but not in a corny, saccharine way), fresh and imaginative, clever and humorous with pretty stellar wit. And there’s such authenticity to the parts that pulled on my heart. Again, not in a corny or sappy way but a real way. The novel has got compelling substance, brought further to life by the wonderful illustrations. Bravo!

Carved in Ebony: Lessons from the Black Women Who Shape Us
Jasmine L. Holmes
•
Christian Biography/Memoir

Their names are often left out of American and church history.
Now, I won’t take for granted that everyone who sees this book will know this: This read is for anyone with an interest in American history, especially in relation to the history of the church. I appreciate how the author doesn’t shy away from unsavory aspects of history that others don’t always touch. Still, the book isn’t a mere indictment of America’s shortcomings or wrongdoings. Holmes uses a nuanced brush to illustrate the past in a way that makes a case for faith while serving as a challenge to herself—and to us.

Harmony Series
(8 books)
Philip Gulley
•
Christian Fiction

A Quaker minister returns to his small hometown—and the folks here might make him pull his whole head of hair out.
This entertaining series has absolutely hilarious comedy and more. There’s an engrossing mix of the laughable, the ironic, the serious, and the heartbreakingly beautiful as Harmony’s townsfolk experience challenges, successes, tragedies, and joys. Sure, though some of the characters tend toward the outrageous, their attributes and doings are based on recognizable reality—which is what makes these novels compelling. The author’s understanding of human nature is thoughtful and sharp, even with his easy writing style. A series well worth the read.

Entries for 2022’s Noteworthy Reads giveaway are now closed, but comments on the post are remaining open.

Giveaway is open to U.S. residents and mailing addresses only in the contiguous U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii. Entrants must be 18 years of age or older. One randomly determined winner will be notified by email on Saturday, December 10, 2022. If the winner does not respond by Sunday, December 11, 2022, a different entrant will be selected. Add p[dot]prospects[at]live[dot]com to your address book to ensure that a giveaway notification isn’t sent to your junk mail/spam box. For additional giveaway terms, see the Blog Giveaways and Giveaway Privacy information on my Policies page. Entering the giveaway indicates your agreement to the terms.

As a piece of noteworthy news, it took almost eight years before I could write this sweet contemporary love story that addresses the critical issue of spiritual abuse. Take a look at
We Were Real.
A successful singer-songwriter. A devastating assault. And the chance to recapture what’s true.

Congratulations, authors, and thank you for writing your books! If one of these noteworthy reads is yours, you’re welcome to a complimentary medal to display on your website, blog, social media—wherever you wish. Click the image below and contact me to receive a full size PNG medal. Thanks again!