Christian Fiction sampler from New York Public Library

Many of my ideas for posts arise from other blogs and articles in the library "blogosphere," such as today's.  A librarian from New York's Public Library wrote about how to find one popular genre of stories.  I have edited the article and links to reflect the Ruidoso Public Library's collection.

If you have questions about a specific genre or format (such as audio or graphic novels) please ask in the comments below, by email, or phone.

God in the Stacks: The Scoop on Christian Fictionby Jean Harripersaud, Bronx Library CenterMarch 27, 2013

You can say it started in 1678 with the publication of John Bunyan's Pilgrim Progress. Then along came Hall Caine'sThe Christian (1897) and C.S Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia in the 1950s. Fast forward to the 21st century, major news magazines such as Time were talking about the Left Behind series. Yes, my interest was piqued when I read a 2002 Time magazine cover article titled "Apocalypse Now"about the popularity of the series. I checked them out of the library and read each one in order. I was intrigued and fascinated.

I decided to give a little more attention to the genre. My interest intensified over the last few years as I observed the genre really taking off and expanding into many sub-genres. I found various list of authors online and decided I would read at least one book by every author in the genre. It was an ambitious feat and I faced the challenge of new authors being published regularly and also, reading every book published by an author I particularly like.

I also discovered many authors not mentioned on the Internet by doing a keyword search in the catalog on "Christian fiction." ...[F]ound the king of legal thrillers — Robert Whitlow.  We have Jimmy in large print.

Christian Fiction can be defined as follows, according to a Library Journal Book Buzz on Christian Fiction (2009):  

"...Most readers would agree that there is a core of biblically-based attitudes, values, and actions, and likely there would be very little, if any, profanity, sex or violence. Generally, Christian fiction has religious themes infused into a regular genre story. ... Christian fiction gives readers characters and situations that demonstrate the growth of faith, depth and breadth of moral responsibility, the possibility of conversion and redemption, and examples of Christian living for men and women of all ages, races and cultures."

Christian Fiction are books written by primarily Christian authors with one or more of the following characteristics: an overarching Christian theme, embracing Christian values and behavior, characters who have faith in God. The Christy Awards and later on the Carol Awards were established to recognize best fiction published in the genre. Pilgrim Progress is an allegorical work of the journey of a Christian from this world to heaven. In the Chronicles of Narnia, Jesus is Aslan the Lion, the ever present guide. The Left Behind series is a fictional series based on Biblical prophecy and historical facts about events regarding the end of the world and the second coming of Jesus as King.

If you have read and enjoyed faith based fiction, here are some others you may enjoy. You can borrow them from the Ruidoso Public Library with a library card. If you are a digital reader, you can download and read library e-books for free. I have enjoyed many of them on my tablet while waiting for appointments.

Amish Fiction

Beverly Lewis - The Courtship of Nellie Fisher: The Longing, The Parting, The Forbidden
Mary Ellis - Abigail's New Hope

Fiction

Jonathan Cahn - The Harbinger
Karen Kingsbury - The Bailey Flanigan Series: Leaving, Longing, Loving

Historical Fiction

Lynn Austin - Song of Redemption
Kathleen Morgan - A Love Forbidden
Janette Oke - Dana's Valley
Tracie Peterson - Hope Rekindled
Francine Rivers -  A Voice in the Wind

Legal Thriller

John Grisham - The Street Lawyer, The Last Testament
Robert Whitlow - Jimmy

Murder/Mystery/Crime

Davis Bunn - The Amber Room
Ted Dekker - Thr3e

Romance/Romantic Suspense

Colleen Coble - Lonestar Sanctuary
Catherine Palmer - The Happy Room

Supernatural/Science Fiction

Frank Peretti - This Present Darkness, Piercing the Darkness, Monster, and The Visitation

William P. Young - The Shack, Crossroads

Partnering with Lincoln County Health

Cora at the Lincoln County Health Offices, next door to the library, would love your help.

She collects specific recyclables for a group called TerraCycle Personal Care and Beauty Brigade for the benefit of Feed My Starving Children.  Cora is also planning a Mobile Packing event for Ruidoso this Fall.  A later blogpost will share the details for that event as they become available.

The idea is: collecting these items earns money.  TerraCycle then contributes that money to Feed My Starving Children.  FMSC meals cost less than a quarter (22 cents).  Each item submitted from the list below earns two (2) pennies for FMSC.

This is a win-win situation.  You can recycle your disposables while helping a charity.  TerraCycle finds buyers to reuse the plastics in paving stones for your garden among other items.

Cora is collecting the following recyclables at the Lincoln County Health Center (105 Kansas City Rd, Ruidoso, NM  88345).  If you have other ideas for displaying a collection container, please post a comment below.

lipstick cases
mascara tubes
eye shadow cases
shampoo bottles  (including caps, triggers
conditioner bottles
bronzer cases
foundation packaging
body wash containers
soap tubes
soap dispensers
lotion dispensers
shaving foam tubes (not cans)
powder cases
chapstick tubes
lotion tubes
face soap dispensers
face lotion jars
eyeliner cases
eyeliner pencils
eyeshadow tubes
concealer tubes or sticks
hair gel tubes
hair paste jars
lip liner pencils

NB: Hair spray cans, nail polish bottles, and nail polish remover bottles are not acceptable.

300th blog post! Garden Club plant sale this Saturday!

Back in March (on the first day of Spring this year, in fact) Ruidoso Public Library's blog celebrated it's fourth blogoversary (or anniversary of the first blog post).  Thank you for reading with us or joining us, sending us to friends, or subscribing by email.

I hope this blog connects with you.  I am so happy when a blog reader, during a visit, mentions reading about a library service or event here.

If you have any suggestions to help the library reach more (non-)readers in Lincoln County, please comment below, email, or call us.

This Saturday, June 1, join the Lincoln County Garden Club from 9 am to noon in front of Ruidoso Public Library.  They are selling small herbs and flowers to get your garden growing.  This is a fundraiser to support the xeriscaped gardens maintained by the Lincoln County Garden Club at the library and the hospital.

Visit early for the best selection.  Stay to chat with local gardening experts about your Lincoln County gardening questions.

P.S. Ruidoso Public Library is closed today to observe Memorial Day.  We will open Tuesday at 9 am.  The website and our online services, Gale, Overdrive, Mango, Universal Class, and Heritage Quest for Genealogy, are still available.  Why not visit them on our e-branch tab?

help your student write with these handy guides

Recently, a friend described her daughter's writing assignment at school.  This mom was at a loss for how to help with the research and writing, without taking over the assignment, from the student or the teacher.  Luckily, several options are available through Ruidoso Public Library.

If you have time to stop by, we have books (!) not just on content, but on the writing and research process, though these are often grade-level specific, especially for upper grades.

If you, like most parents I meet at the library, are down to the last weekend before you hear there is any paper at all, no fear.  While we do close at 4pm on Fridays and 2 pm on Saturdays (and Children's closes 30 minutes earlier), we have several resources available 24/7 via internet and your library card number.

Where to begin? Research, as I am learning at school myself, is a conversation. As students, we are late to the party and have to catch up by reading.  After some general reading, pick a few topics of interest and look for them.  Remember to try synonyms to find more references.  After more reading, begin to think about what you have read. Most important of all, ask questions about who wrote the information (and whose voice is not yet heard), question whether that information fits with what you know, and then look for information to answer your questions.

Depending on the teacher and assignment, writing about the whole process (and what you learned to try instead next time) is a great step in learning.  Even if it is the last weekend, there is time to look, read, rest and think, and repeat on Saturday and Sunday.

You are not alone, either.  If the links below fail, find the Magazines or Opposing Viewpoints links from the homepage's e-branch tab (and Children's page, too!).  Inside Junior Edition, Kids Edition, Student Edition, or Kids Infobits (depending on your student's age/level), look for Teacher Toolbox.  Luckily, they all have the same feature.  The Toolbox page offers several lessons and links to handouts you may print out.  For example:

How to Make a Concept Web
How to Write a Topic Sentence
Make an Outline
Cite a Source
Build an Argument
Write a Conclusion
How to Judge Information (encyclopedia v. magazine v. web)


 

If in Opposing Viewpoints, find Resources, in the black bar.  Scroll to the bottom for Students: Tools for Getting Started and Wrapping Up.