Bestsellers in Christian Fiction as of September 10th 2015

According to the ECPA, these are the top 20 books in Christian fiction as of September 10th, 2015. Congrats to the authors of these wonderful books!!

FTC Disclosure

1. The Harbinger by Jonathan Cahn (FRONTLINE, Jan 2012) – Can I just be honest? This one makes me want to roll my eyes. Why is it #1??? 
2. War Room by Chris Fabry (TYNDALE HOUSE, Aug 2015) – This is a novelization of the Kendrick brothers’ screenplay, a movie that has become a surprise hit – winning the coveted #1 slot at the box office over the Labor Day weekend. 
3. The Gift by Wanda Brunstetter (BARBOUR, Aug 2015) – Book Two in the Prairie State Friends series, this is a modern-day marriage-of-convenience story from an Amish perspective. 
4. A Season of Love by Amy Clipston (ZONDERVAN, Aug 2015) – The fifth book in the Kauffman Amish Bakery series, this one follows three young friends on the cusp of change. 
5. Plain Peace by Beth Wiseman (THOMAS NELSON, Aug 2015) – This is book #6 in the Daughters of the Promise series and focuses on the Anna, the strict bishop’s granddaughter, and Jacob, the only boy brave enough to court her.
6. The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club Trilogy by Wanda Brunstetter (BARBOUR, July 2015) – A club of unlikely quilters show up for Emma Yoder’s classes.  Follow their adventures in these three books – The Half-Stitched Amish Quilting Club (which apparently inspired a musical.  Who knew?!?), The Tattered Quilt, and the The Healing Quilt.
7. The Shack (mass-market paperback) by William Paul Young (HACHETTE, May 2011) – The way this book deals with gut wrenching tragedy and suffering in the life of a believer made more sense to me than anything else I’ve ever read on the subject. I know it’s a somewhat controversial book but I’m a big girl in my faith and I can take the controversy with a grain of salt. I know God isn’t a black woman but I also know He will do whatever He needs to do to reach someone.
8. The Shack (paperback) by William Paul Young (HACHETTE, July 2008) – No, this isn’t a typo.  It really made #7 and #8 on the list.  Just for different printings. 
9. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers (WATERBROOK, May 2005) – Possibly one of my top 5 books. A beautiful allegory of the Biblical story of Hosea that will ensure you won’t ever view that account the same way again!
10. A Life of Joy by Amy Clipston (ZONDERVAN, July 2015) – This is the book that comes before A Season of Love in the Kauffman Amish Bakery Series & tells the story of 18-year-old Englisher Lindsay Bedford as she tries to figure out where she belongs. 
11. Angels Walking by Karen Kingsbury (HOWARD, February 2015) – The first in a new series by the same name, Angels Walking is a “dramatic story about a washed-up baseball player, the love he left behind, and the miracles that might save them both”. 
12. The Love Letters by Beverly Lewis (BETHANY HOUSE, March 2015) – Marlena Wenger’s hopes and plans go awry when she learns she must care for her estranged sister’s baby, and she soon feels completely lost and out of her element.
13. Bridge to Haven by Francine Rivers (TYNDALE HOUSE, March 2015) – It’s the 1950s and rising star Lena Scott has burned a lot of bridges between Hollywood and the people who know her as Abra. Now that she wants to come home, will the price she paid be too high for grace?
14. A House Divided by Robert Whitlow (THOMAS NELSON, Aug 2015) – Something for John Grisham fans here – a story of a lawyer who, while his family falls apart, takes on a high-stakes case on behalf of two boys suffering from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. 
15. The Curiosity Keeper by Sarah E. Ladd (THOMAS NELSON, July 2015) – I’ve been anxiously waiting to read Sarah Ladd’s newest book, which also happens to be the start of her latest series.  Now it’s sitting in my virtual TBR mountain, taunting me lol.  Look for a review on this one to show up here soonish. 
16. Chasing Sunsets by Karen Kingsbury (HOWARD, April 2015) – The second book in the Angels Walking series (book #1 is 11 on this week’s list), this is about a woman on the verge of everything good… until she gets devastating news from her doctor.  Now she must alter her plans for her future and analyze the sacrifices she’s willing to make for healing in her quest for deeper meaning.
17. Her Brother’s Keeper by Beth Wiseman (THOMAS NELSON, July 2015) – I have not yet read anything by Beth Wiseman (I know, I know. Shame on me.) but considering she has THREE books on this week’s bestsellers list, I think I’m gonna have to correct that as soon as possible.  I have a copy of this book (the first in her new Amish Secrets series) in hand so check back here for a review at some point in the nearish future.
18. Plain Proposal by Beth Wiseman (THOMAS NELSON, July 2015) –  This is the fifth book in the Daughters of the Promise series (book six is #5 on this week’s list). In this story, Miriam has vowed to follow Saul wherever he goes – even if he does decide to leave their Amish community.  As God begins to teach Miriam what it means to make a home, Beth Wiseman builds the book to what Amazon calls a “surprising resolution”. 
19. Timeless Love Romance Collection by various authors (BARBOUR, Aug 2015) – Eight authors come together to write a collection of historical novellas about men and women who “emerge triumphantly out of their challenges and into romances that bolster their faith”. I have this one as well and will review ASAP.
20. The Convenient Bride Collection by various authors (BARBOUR, Aug 2015) – Another collection of historical novellas, this one written by nine popular authors (Melissa Jagears, Erica Vetsch, etc.) about the romances that grow out of marriages born of necessity. I’m dying to read my copy of this (another one that taunts me from my TBR mountain!) and promise y’all a review sometime this month!

Extra congratulations to authors Beth Wiseman, Karen Kingsbury, Francine Rivers, Wanda Brunstetter, William Paul Young, and Amy Clipston who are listed more than once this week! Amish fiction has really skyrocketed in popularity lately, as we can see by the fact that 8 of the top 20 books belong to this category! And three (half!) of the “repeat authors” write Amish fiction. To be honest, I didn’t really care for Amish fiction myself until recently. I think the influx of new authors in this genre – who are writing stories outside of the same-old-same-old – helped to increase my interest.

What about you? Did your favorites make the list? Did anything surprise you?

Also – check out this article from Booklist on the 101 Best Romance Novels of the Last 10 Years.  I’m so excited to see some of my favorite Christian fiction authors on the list  (Jen Turano, Tamera Alexander, Lisa Wingate, Beth White, Sarah Sundin, etc.) as well as some faves in the general market (Tessa Dare, Sarah Maclean, Susan Mallery, Robyn Karr, Lisa Kleypas).  But ummm… hello?? Where is Kristan Higgins?? And Deeanne Gist?? This is why people need to ask me before they make lists lol 😉