Undine Spragg's beauty is her only asset. So she uses it ruthlessly. As her parents rise from rural obscurity to modest acceptance in early Twentieth Century New York, Undine bullies them into sacrificing their assets on the altar of aristocracy. She splurges on expensive clothes, seats at the opera, and…

This week I have the pleasure of introducing Thomas Trezise, who has worn many hats in his life and has penned a book with an interesting premise. Tom is a retired lawyer and corporate executive with over twenty years of experience as a Methodist lay preacher. Raised in Appalachia, he…

It’s been a long time since a book made me laugh out loud. How surprising that humor should come from a miserable eighth grader with a dysfunctional family. Doug Swieteck has moved to a small town with his abusive father, bullying brother, and weak-willed mother. His only valuable possession is…

Today it’s my privilege to feature author Shannon McNear. She’s a member of Brave Authors, a Facebook collaboration of Christian fiction writers. After more than two decades in the South, Shannon McNear now makes her home on the windy northern plains with her husband, two of their eight children, two…

What is the connection between an adolescent Indian girl, and a Scottish doctor at a leper colony? You have to read a long time to find the answer, but author Abraham Verghese provides plenty of drama along the way in his novel The Covenant of Water. The story begins in…

Today it’s my privilege to feature author Sara Whitley. She’s a member of Brave Authors, a Facebook collaboration of Christian fiction writers. Author Profile I am a wife to Ben, mom to Elyse, Oliver, and Isaiah, a social worker at the VA, and a Christian fiction author. My mission in…

There are so many interesting characters in James McBride’s novel that it’s hard to know where to start this review. So I’ll begin with the bare bones of a plot that draws them together. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store is a small business in Chicken Hill, a poor corner…

June 2024 New Releases   Happy Friday, Chevron Ross followers! Below you'll find information on newly released books by members of American Christian Fiction Writers. More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW website.   Biblical: Petra: An Unbroken Legacy by Lisa L. Dorsey -- Embark…

I love good journalism. Democracy cannot survive without it. America’s founders knew this when they included freedom of the press in the Bill of Rights. The New York Times has long been the yardstick of American news organizations. Thus, it receives closer scrutiny than most. When I purchased Adam Nagourney’s…

If you compare Sister Carrie with the excesses of modern literature, Theodore Dreiser’s novel seems mild. It contains no explicit language and barely a hint of sexuality. Yet this story of a "fallen woman" was so offensive to readers of the early Twentieth Century that the full version did not…