Escape with a Good Book – I’m giving two away.
Who wants a free book? Read to the end of this post to find out how to get two. That’s right, friends, you could win not one but two books, just by reading this post and one other tiny thing, but it’s easy—I promise.
What are you reading? A huge part of learning to write well is reading. I love to read, and now, I can say I’m working when I’m ignoring the world around me, sucked it to a great story. But as I writer, I also need to read a wide variety of books. My to-be-read list has reached thirty, and that’s just fiction books. This year, I’m making a reading plan at the suggestion of a very wise man. In the past, my plan has consisted of reading whatever was suggested by reading groups or small groups. My plan is to read lots of new novels, two classics, three or four craft or professional books, and three or four books on faith matters. For one of the classics, I plan to read Crime and Punishment, but I still need a suggestion for another. Please give me your favorites.
I’ve already finished Pursuing God by A.W. Tozar and highly recommend it. Another great part of being an author is being on launch teams and getting Advanced Reader’s Copies of books. One of the first books I read this year was The Line Between by Tosca Lee. It will come out at the end of January, but you can pre-order it now or wait for my February Giveaway and maybe you’ll win it. By the way, if you love books as much as me, a great place to get deals is BookBub.com. They send you daily deals. I just got a book for $.99. (Wahoo! I love a great deal.)
This brings me to the second part of this post. Unless you are one of those people who doesn’t like to follow directions. (Yes, I’m talking to you, Dad.) Friends, this is the good part. I’m going to start doing Giveaways every month to help grow my subscriber list and interact more with you.
This month I’m giving away two of my favorite St. Simons Island books. The first is The Lighthouse by Eugenia Price. It is the first in the St. Simons Trilogy and begins the story of the man who would eventually build the first St. Simons Lighthouse. The second book is Images of a Golden Isle: Saint Simons Island by Anne Ford Nermoe. This is a beautiful book of photography, created by an Island Local, and bonus, it is signed by the author. When I need inspiration or just want to feel like I’m home, I’ll flip through these pictures.
So how do you enter to win? It’s simple. If you are reading this as an email, that means you have already completed part one. The second part is to comment on the website with a classic book selection, the book you are currently reading, your all-time favorite book, or where I am in the picture. You will have to go to the website: www.lesliedevooght.com to comment. I love it when you reply to my emails, but to enter the contest you must comment on this post on the website.
Okay, now I thought I would give y’all some book recommendations from the books my family and I read last year. I’m leaving off most of the Christmas books, but be sure to check back next fall for Holiday recommendations. Happy Reading!
Contemporary Romance Sweetbriar Cottage and Honeysuckle Dreams - Denise Hunter A Twist of Faith and Charming the Trouble Maker - Pepper Basham The Secret Life of Sarah Hollenbeck – Bethany Turner Once Upon a Prince – Rachel Hauck (bonus: this one starts out on St. Simons Island and was made into a Hallmark movie, and I’ll be hanging with the author for four days in March.)
Slipt-Time – (this is when the story takes place in two different times, and they are connected by something from the past in the present.) The Writing Desk – Rachel Hauck Freedom’s Ring – Heidi Chiavaroli Before We were Yours – Lisa Wingate The Wedding Dress – Rachel Hauck
Historical Christy – Catherine Marshal The Shiloh Trilogy – Karl Bacon
Historical Romance A lady of Esteem – Kristi Ann Hunter Ladies of the Manor Series – Roseanna White (Libby just read these a second time and there is a book review on my website.)
Suspense - The Line Between – Tosca Lee
Southern Literary Fiction Into the Free and Perennials – Julie Cantrell Mourning Dove – Claire Fullerton
Young Adult - Time Echoes Trilogy – Bryan Davis
Mainstream Historical Fiction The Nightingale – Kristin Hannah America’s First Daughter – Laura Kamoie and Stephanie Dray
I love your booklist idea and (may) steal your classic book choices. I set out to read “top 100″ and/ or classics and have so far been disappointed. Last year my classics or must read list books were Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, and I attempted Catcher and the Rye but stopped reading it on page 72 due to the horrible language. I didn’t like any of the above books and that is a bummer and makes it so I cannot recommend a classic!
I have read (And re- read multiple times), Frank Perettis ” This Present Darkness” and “Piercing the Darkness”
My all time go to is Jan Karon’s Mitford series. I think I have actually made notes in some of my books and dog eared pages just to go back to one paragraph that I loved. I have read them numerous times.
Thanks for the posts- I love people with passion and I’m grateful to know you. Keep up the amazing work!
I love The Mitford series but the movie was such a let down. I love Jane Austin. Maybe try Emma. It’s more fun. You should join my book club. We are reading Mourning Dove right now. I will email you the details.
Favorite book of all time (I have a few): Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher, In Search of Deep Faith by Jim Belcher are the first three that come to mind.
Book I am currently reading: The Pursuit of God by A W Tozer.
Classic book selection: Pride and Prejudice (I can’t read it enough) and Persuasion, both by Jane Austen.
I love Pride and Prejudice.
Right now my favorite book is listening to Kaden read in his own way “brown bear, brown bear”. And listening to walker read his nightly books is priceless! You know my love for reading is there, I just don’t create time right now. You know me! LOL. But I love your short stories and books and ideas shared here!!
Love Brown Bear, definitely a classic
My favorite book is Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. It was life changing! Thank you for this chance!
I LOVE The Nightingale!!! It was amazing!
Here are another few really good books that I have read recently:
-Valient by Lesley Livingston
-Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody
-lunar Chronicles by Melissa Meyers
-Seafire by Natalie Parker
-Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
All of these are incredibly fantastic if you or Libby are interested I would be happy to lend them:)
One of my favorites also. It introduced me to Christian Fiction.
So glad you liked the Nightingale. Remind me to tell you about this new book by Rosanna White about a code breaker during the war.
Several others have said it also, but Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice is my all time favorite. I’ve read it several times, listened to the audiobook and watched all movie & tv versions. I wish we knew more about Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy’s story as a married couple.
Have you seen the miniseries on Netflix, Death Comes to Pemberley? It is about the married life of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Just wish it had been longer.
Well, two of my favorite classics are Wuthering Heights and Anna Karenina. I am currently reading Five Brides by Eva Marie Everson and A Fragile Hope by Cynthia Ruchti.
I recently enjoyed Beneath the Surface by Lynn Blackburn. A couple of biographies I read lately were Adoniram Judson: Devoted For Life by Vance Christie and At Any Cost by Mike and Hayley Jones. My personal favorite author on religion is Vance Havner, an older local preacher with wit and wisdom.
Dr. Rod Mattoon has an excellent Bible Studies Series in a beautifully bound set of books. I most recently read Treasures from Ruth.
Anna Karenina was really tough for me. Thanks for all your suggestions.
I fell in love with St. Simons and just had a house built to retire there. Ive been reading The New Moon Rising and want to read each of the trilogy by Eugenia Price. Its fun to know the streets and places they refer to as you read. Glad to have found your site.
Glad to have you. Next month’s flash fiction will be a historical set on Jekyll. It’s a repeat, but one of my favorites.