This episode of Books for the Journey is a bit lighter. Because, yes, it’s fiction. :)

I’ve just included books that I’ve really enjoyed recently and some favorites that I could list off the top of my head. I feel like the list is short and very random, but I’m sure you’ll find at least one you haven’t read or also really liked.

So here they are!

Enjoy!

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Puria by Rachael Louise Wheeler
I read this book earlier this year and loved it. I just couldn’t put it down. It is fantasy: a story about two young people in a fictitious world where the moral boundaries are clear and inscrutable at the same time. The plot was well done with many unexpected twists and turns. I would put this book in the same category as the Narnia series just because of the spiritual lessons that are intricately woven into the material. Very good book.
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Divergent by Veronica Roth
This series of books is great (the first two are out already and the third comes out this fall(!) And the first movie is coming out this fall too! So read the books first!)I love the heroine. She is plucky, thoughtful and true to herself. It is a very interesting dystopia. They reminded me a lot of ?the ?hunger Games, but without the moral issues of children and violence. This series is much more settled and leaves you with hope instead of a strange unsettled feeling at the end. I would recommend this to most people.
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The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
I have loved this book ever since I read it the first time when I was 12 or so. It is set in Bible times when Jesus was first starting his ministry on earth. I love imagining how that would be and having the story play out through someone else’s eyes. Makes it come to life even more.
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The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emma Orczy
This is an excellent classic, historical fiction set during the french revolution. If you haven’t seen the movie already… DON’T! At least until after you’ve read the book. I lovelovelove how this story is told and that you are kept guessing until the very end. I really wish I had read the book before watching the movie. The movie gives things away to easily. Oh and definitely read this book a second time so you can catch the little details you missed the first time.
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Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham
I think this book really appealed to me when I was younger because of how the hero accomplished things in his life. He learned language after language completely independently and traveled the world. He just keeps going forward no matter what, such that you can’t help but admire and wish to be like him. At least for me, it did. :) It is definitely a good book for teens or tweens.
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Emma by Jane Austen
I think this is my favorite Jane Austen book. I really love them all, but Emma is the one character who I find the most relatable and real. She has her flaws and doesn’t see what’s at the end of her nose sometimes. But somehow remains lovable and believable. She also has a pretty strong personality and doesn’t tend to weep or faint or give way completely to whatever amounts of wooing like certain other young ladies of fiction.
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Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
I reread this one recently and loved it more for being older and knowing more. There were so many things I missed when I read it at 12 or 13. It really is just a beautiful story. Especially if you have watched the movie too many times, it is good to read this book again just to remind yourself how it really went.

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What are some of your favorite fiction?