Last year was another busy one at Prismatic Prospects! Check out 2023’s Top Ten Posts.
1. When Calls the Heart (Television Show)
2. The Significance of Faces on Fiction Book Covers
4. Romance in Christian Fiction: How Much Heat is Too Much?
5. Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: Growing Pains
I’d like to thank everyone who entered the giveaways for 2023’s Annual Book Awards season here at Prismatic Prospects. Congrats to the winners!
Christmas Book Picks 2023
askew001 won the hardback copy of A Royal Christmas by Melody Carlson.
Favorite Reads 2023
Mary won the paperback copies of Mark of the Raven and Flight of the Raven by Morgan L. Busse.
Favorite Covers 2023
Mary also won the paperback copy of In the Shadow of the River by Ann H. Gabhart.
Favorite Book Titles 2023
askew001 won the paperback copy of The Sound of Light by Sarah Sundin.
Have you picked up copies of the free reads from this year’s Annual Book Awards posts? (Be sure to double-check the prices before downloading!)
If you enjoy holiday reads of hope and inspiration, now is a great time to pick up copies of a couple I’ve written!
A Christmas So Real
A holiday love story
World of Joy
A small-town romance
And that’s a wrap for this year’s Annual Book Awards season. Here’s to a great upcoming year of reading, fellow book lovers!
Yes, I know— “a rose by any other name…” and sometimes different books’ names are the same. 😀 Even so, it’s something when the very sound of a book title makes a remarkable impression on me. Here are the books I read over the past year with titles that most stood out to me. They’re listed in the order I read them.
Readers: Don’t miss the free reads to pick up at the end of the list!
Passing
Nella Larsen
•
Classic Literature
Two childhood friends, now grown women—and one has severed ties to her past.
I hadn’t heard of the book before. Didn’t know about the movie. Hadn’t even seen a book cover yet. It was my first time hearing the title—just the title. And I knew.
They Called Her Mrs. Doc
Janette Oke
•
Christian Historical Fiction
Maybe her doctor husband will change his mind about the frontier…
This title has such character. So fitting for this kind of “life on the prairie” story.
The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man
James Weldon Johnson
•
Classic Literature
A journey through the strata of Black society at the turn of the century—with a man whose light skin enables him to “pass.”
Man. To be “ex-colored.” And the irony of naming a work of fiction an autobiography.
Dancing on the Moon
Linda Leigh Hargrove
•
Christian Contemporary Romance
Her provocative past could threaten her high school teaching job.
I read the title, saw the jubilant laughter of the heroine on the book cover, and I immediately heard the upbeat music and bright lyrics to “Dancing in the Moonlight.”
The Sound of Light
Sarah Sundin
•
Christian Historical Romance
Germany’s 1940 invasion of Denmark. A woman physicist. And a legendary courier.
Sound. Light. Hearing. Sight. This title is such a lovely mix of the senses.
Price of Silence
Judy Baer
•
Christian Young Adult Fiction
Her friends at school urge her to expose the harassment problem on her job.
This YA novel’s title is a haunting one, yes. And it’s spot-on.
D-Dames
Laura VanArendonk Baugh
•
Historical Fantasy Short Stories
Four women resist the Axis forces with elemental magic in World War II.
This title’s play on words is as on point as anything.
Where Love Is, There God Is Also
Leo Tolstoy
•
Classic Short Story
A shoemaker is in for an exquisite lesson.
Oh, I know the English title of this classic tale is a translation. And it’s the beautiful truth anyhow.
She Deserves Better:
Raising Girls to Resist Toxic Teachings on Sex, Self, and Speaking Up
Sheila Wray Gregoire, Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach, and Joanna Sawatsky
•
Christian Social Issues
It’s time to replace harmful messages taught to girls in Christian communities.
For real. Better is what she deserves. This title tugs on my soul for every “she” out there.
Crowned with Glory:
How Proclaiming the Truth of Black Dignity Has Shaped American History
Jasmine L. Holmes
•
Christian Social Issues
Their personhood. Their inalienable rights. A narrative of their own voices.
“What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
“For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.”
~Psalm 8:4-5, KJV
Small Things Like These
Claire Keegan
•
Literary Fiction
Christmastime. An Irish family man. And his disturbing discovery in the town church.
“Small things” indeed. Especially when they may not be…entirely small.
Entries for 2023’s Favorite Book Titles giveaway are now closed, but comments on the post are remaining open.
Giveaway is open to U.S. residents and mailing addresses only in the contiguous U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii. Entrants must be 18 years of age or older. One randomly determined winner will be notified by email on Saturday, December 9, 2023. If the winner does not respond by Sunday, December 10, 2023, a different entrant will be selected. Add p[dot]prospects[at]live[dot]com to your address book to ensure that a giveaway notification isn’t sent to your junk mail/spam box. For additional giveaway terms, see the Blog Giveaways and Giveaway Privacy information on my Policies page. Entering the giveaway indicates your agreement to the terms.
Click the book covers below to pick up free Kindle copies of two of my picks for Favorite Book Titles. Be sure to double-check the prices before downloading!
He’s a man remade, yet with something to prove.
Thinking up titles for my own stories can be quite the task sometimes. And for me, this one hit just the spot I wanted it to. Pick up a FREE ebook copy of this love story of priceless grace:
Show Me Silver.
I received complimentary copies of some of these books for honest reviews of their content, which is separate from my personal assessment of their covers here.
I’m not strictly a “judge a book by its cover” kind of reader. Still, I have an appreciation for cover art as a part of the overall reading experience. Here are covers that particularly stood out to me from books I read this calendar year. The books are listed in the order I read them.
Authors and cover designers of these books: If you’d like a medal for making the list, see the bottom of this post.
A Duet for Home
Karina Yan Glaser
•
Middle Grade Fiction
Will these children’s families be forced out of the shelter before they’re ready?
The bluish, early-evening tones outside, the warm light glowing from the windows, the smiling faces of neighbors, and the little girl waving down to her returning peers looking up at her… Everything on this illustrated book cover drew me in and made me think of “home.” In more than one way.
Saturday Night
Marjorie Holmes
•
Vintage Young Adult Fiction
This high school junior is hoping to finally have a beau of her own.
It’s Saturday night on main street! The evening streetlamps are on, there’s some bustle down the sidewalks, and the laughing guy and smiling gal here are dressed up to do the town. The small town, mind you. That dusty light blue, lime green, and tones of gray are all this illustrated cover needs, the whole scene giving off plenty of vintage malt shop fiction feels!
Senior Trip
Marjorie Holmes
•
Vintage Young Adult Fiction
The senior class wants to go to D.C.! On a dollar and fifteen cents?
Yup! More vintage YA featuring a smiling gal and guy on the cover. These two are out on the deck of a dinner cruise ship, with dark blue and mauve tones in the starry sky above them and the lights of their nation’s capital city across the water from them. Such an evening has got to be magical!
Deadly Intent
Carolyn Keene
•
Vintage Young Adult Mystery
A kidnapped rock star. A Who’s Who list of suspects. And a music industry conspiracy.
Jump back into the ’80s with The Nancy Drew Files, folks! This illustrated cover drew me just as it would have back in my adolescence, with its red violet tones, the cityscape in the background, and Nancy in the foreground in trendy ’80s fashion, appearing as if she’s either going to burst into suspenseful action or bust a move. I mean, a dance move wouldn’t be inappropriate, ’cause, you know—the whole “rock star” part.
Sky Man
Stacie Johnson
(pen name for Walter Dean Myers)
•
Vintage Young Adult Fiction
Can their team become state champs if their star player flunks out of school?
As you can see, vintage YA fiction has been winning for me this year. The cover of this fifth book in the groundbreaking multicultural series called 18 Pine St. is my favorite of the series. The colors, the triangular shapes, the hair, the clothes, the classroom setting, the characters’ facial expressions: If it doesn’t all shout “American high school kids in the 1990s,” I don’t know what does. That picture of Sky Man gladly refusing homegirl’s serious offer of a textbook looks like it could have been snapped right smack in the middle of a ’90s teen sitcom.
D-Dames
Laura VanArendonk Baugh
•
Historical Fantasy Short Stories
Four women resist the Axis forces with elemental magic in World War II.
I knew I wanted to read this short story collection the minute I saw the title and book cover. The vintage image of a serious woman in uniform, standing at attention, ready to serve, as warplanes fly overhead and the hazy image of a battleground appears behind her. It all effectively sets the tone for stories of valor.
In the Shadow of the River
Ann H. Gabhart
•
Christian Historical Romance
A palatial showboat, and a renewed threat to the life of a young actress.
Repeated appearances of this historical novel’s lovely cover before my eyes urged me to try out this ChristFic author for the first time. I was drawn in by the visual blend of the woman peeking through the red theater curtains, the glimpse of the auditorium beyond, and the showboat at the bottom, gliding on the river. The atmosphere, and the stage, are effectively set.
A Match-Made Christmas
Susanne Dietze
•
Christian Historical Romance
Yuletide. An expected betrothal. And a Star of Wonder necklace gone missing.
Ah! That elegant, deep green, off-shoulder gown worn by the serious heroine is quite fitting for this Victorian Christmas romance with a thread of mystery. The glimpse of deep red brocade behind her adds a tasteful touch, right on theme.
Fair Mountain Christmas
Heidi Eljarbo
•
Historical Fiction
(Gentle Read)
Her winter writing retreat becomes an emotionally challenging encounter.
The soft pink and light blue, orange, and purplish tones on this snowy and subtly sparkling book cover may as well be a generous scoop of holiday sherbet. The snow globe with a woman and a mountain cabin tucked among evergreen trees inside is like a Christmas dream, just waiting to be realized.
Entries for 2023’s Favorite Covers giveaway are now closed, but comments on the post are remaining open.
Giveaway is open to U.S. residents and mailing addresses only in the contiguous U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii. Entrants must be 18 years of age or older. One randomly determined winner will be notified by email on Saturday, December 9, 2023. If the winner does not respond by Sunday, December 10, 2023, a different entrant will be selected. Add p[dot]prospects[at]live[dot]com to your address book to ensure that a giveaway notification isn’t sent to your junk mail/spam box. For additional giveaway terms, see the Blog Giveaways and Giveaway Privacy information on my Policies page. Entering the giveaway indicates your agreement to the terms.
‘Tis her season to reclaim her name.
Given that Christmas is, hands down, my favorite holiday, it delights me that the covers of a few of my own books get to represent Christmas! Take a look at this sweet holiday romance,
World of Joy.
Congratulations, authors, and thank you for writing your books! If yours has one of my favorite covers this year, you’re welcome to a complimentary medal to display on your website, blog, social media—wherever you wish. If you know the artist who designed your cover, feel free to pass on the word about the award. The artists are welcome to display the medal as well. Click the image below and contact me to receive a full size PNG medal. Thanks again!
Prismatic Prospects 