By Heather Greer @Heather_Greer1

When I was younger, my mom worked at a Christian bookstore. Her job exposed me to Christian fiction before it was popular. The only thing better for this reader’s heart would have been if she’d worked for a publishing company! Living outside city limits, we never had library cards. Because of her, I still had access to stories God used to grow my faith and shape my desire to write for Him.

Janette Oke is familiar to many Christian fiction readers. But did you know she had a children’s book series called Animal Friends? Spunky’s Diary is the first Christian fiction I remember reading. I read and re-read that puppy’s story along with those of The Prodigal Cat and the New Kid in Town.

As I grew, I moved on to Judy Baer’s Cedar River Daydreams series. My parents didn’t approve of their secular counterparts. So, Lexi, Todd, and the gang became my replacements. I also really enjoyed The Christy Miller series by Robin Jones Gunn. They fed acceptable amounts of romance blended with Christian morals into my pre-teen heart.

By high school, I wanted more. I’ll never forget my first adult Christian fiction book. A Place Called Home by Lori Wick started me on my path to a never-ending TBR of Christian fiction. I read everything she released.

I didn’t stop there. Linda Chaikin quickly became a favorite, followed by Kristen Heitzmann. Still of Night tops the list as my all-time-favorite book. God used it to encourage me at a very difficult time in my life. The words she wrote are the words I needed. I pray the words I write might be like that for others.

Despite being married, having kids, working full-time outside the home, and enjoying my own writing ministry, my love for reading hasn’t dampened. I’m always game to try a new author, and I go back and forth between genres.

My current favorite for 2022 is Madness in Wonderland by BRRC author Tabitha Bouldin. It’s an amazing mash-up of Alice in Wonderland, Frankenstein, and a steam-punk world. I fell in love with Hatter.

The historical book, The Heart of the Mountains, by Pepper Basham was a beautiful story I read this year. And one of my recent contemporary romance reads was Rebuilding Hearts from the Independence Island series. This story from another BRRC author, Carolyn Miller, had the romance I was looking for and a sweet story I enjoyed.

Now, I’m looking for my next great read. I don’t care if it’s fantasy, historical, or contemporary. Romance is a plus. But I do have the urge for one that showcases autumn or tells a lighthearted Christmas story.

All this talk about books that shaped me as a reader and looking forward to the next stories I’ll read brings up two thoughts. Do any of my past favorites show up in your reading history? And can you help me out with some recommendations that fit my wants for my next great read?