Five Fall Favorites: Love

Good morning, and welcome to a very special week at SAW Publishing! The Five Fall Favorites blog party is here!

Some of you who have been with us for a while may remember that we participated in this event back in 2020. I’m going to be honest—I way overdid it that year. Not only did I highlight five books a day, like the rest of the FFF bloggers. I wrote a full-length, detailed review—presented as a completely separate post—for every book as well.

2020 happened to be an extremely rough fall for my personally. I was struggling hugely on a bunch of different levels, and it is quite possible that the pressure and nonnegotiable deadlines associated with getting those outrageously detailed posts out on time was a kind of lifeline. It was something that kept me working on a productive project, no matter how miserable I was feeling inside.

However, This Isn’t 2020 Anymore!

Nor am I the same compulsively detailed book reviewer I was back then.

This year, I’m excited for the opportunity to participate in Five Fall Favorites once again—this time with a fraction of the stress level and a lot more emotional bandwidth for enjoying the party.

For those of you who are curious, no I am not embarking on a full-length review of every title I showcase this week. I am planning on a nice little couple of paragraphs for each title. If you’re curious about more info on a given book, there are Goodreads links right there for every one of them.

And Now for the Theme

I’ve got to hand it to Kate Willis, our Five Fall Favorites coordinator. Her theme for this year’s blog party has caused me to look at familiar books in a totally new way.

Because instead of assigning a genre to each day, Kate has opted for a Biblical theme: the fruit of the Spirit. Each day, we’re going to be highlighting a different fruit. If you haven’t tried compiling a top five list like this before—let me tell you, you’re brain is going to need some practice. Most of us are just not used to grouping books together this way.

It’s been a cool experience though.

Cool—even when it means we get to dive off the deep end here and start the party out with a list about . . .

If your mind went to romance—and cringed—then you’re not alone. I will freely admit that my relationship with love in literature has been historically an uneasy one, at best. This past year, I feel like God has been changing my perspective on this theme. Hence the (startling!!!) truth that you will find some romance—even some modern-written romance—on this list. You’ll also find some other kinds of love, as well.

So, without further ado, here are five of my top pics when it comes to books where love plays a central role.

Yours is the Night

By Amanda Dykes

Yes, this WW1 story is a romance—it’s also so much more than a romance. In fact, maybe the most powerful part of the story centers around self-sacrificial love that has nothing to do with romance. Vividly tackling not one but five first-person POVs, this has got to be one of the most immersive stories I’ve ever read. I’m pretty picky when it comes to modern-written historical fiction, but this one definitely made the A list!

Yours is the Night does have some gritty moments and some touchy-feely moments. (Whether those are pros or cons might depend on your personal reading preferences!) It’s also a story that tackles some hard topics with honesty—although also with sensitivity and grace. I’d recommend checking out a few of the Goodreads reviews if you’re a sensitive reader. That being said, in my opinion Yours is the Night is definitely a thought-provoking, challenging, and inspiring historical read.

A Brother is Born

By Angie Thompson

If you’re looking for a fun-packed, feelgood story about found family—with some thought-provoking messages slipped in to challenge your own heart—this is a novel you won’t want to miss!

Foster care, sibling relationships, and the reality that love isn’t always expressed the way we expect it to be are all themes that are explored in this thoroughly wholesome, family-friendly story.

I also love the homeschooling backdrop. It’s not the focal point of the story—it’s just the world the characters happen to be in. I love watching a new generation of authors give this kind of validation to the homeschooled kids of today!

The Anguish of Love

By Edith Witmer

I know, I know! The title’s enough to scare you away without even reading the book blurb. But despite its harlequinesque name, The Angish of Love isn’t a trashy romance. In fact, it isn’t a romance at all. (Unless you want to count the widow and widower who get married to set the story up.)

Rather, it’s a compelling chronicle of the struggles and adjustments that come with acquiring a stepparent—and a pair of step-siblings—as a teen. Michael is such a perfect POV for this story. He is a genuinely likeable character, while still facing genuine confusion as he navigates divided loyalties, complex emotions, and—ultimately—comes to grips with the practical reality that love has room for new family, without robbing us of our love for the family we may have lost.

Pride and Prejudice

By Jane Austen

We did have to do one classic romance, right? And Pride and Prejudice remains one of the most classic classics of all time.

There have been volumes of praise, critique, and analysis directed at this single novel for the last two hundred years. I’m not going to give you a synopsis or a content review—both are easy to find if you do want them. Instead, I’m going to head down a personal bunny trail and tell you that there is, in my opinion, one make-or-break-it literary effect when it comes to romances.

A successful relationship in fiction means the characters give us something greater when they’re together than they do when they’re apart.

In addition to all the humour, all the priceless one-liners, and all the genuinely intriguing thoughts about the two theme words (pride and prejudice) this is a story where the hero and heroine have genuine literary chemistry. I loved Pride and Prejudice when I first read it in high school. And it’s a novel I still love, today!

Just the Way You Are

By Max Lucado

I thought it would be fun to include one picture book in each of my Five Fall Favorites lists.

Just the Way You Are captures a beautiful lesson about the kind of love God has for us—and the simplicity and singleheartedness of the love He values from us, too.

Max Lucado is a master of story. Just the Way You Are has all the charm of a classic folk tale, along with a message that’s reaches the grownup reader even more potently than the child!

Those are my Five Fall Favorites—What About Yours?

What are your favorite books that incorporate love? Go ahead and share them in the comments section below.

After that, head right over to Once Upon an Ordinary to check out more great book recs, giveaway details, and fall fun. The Five Fall Favorites party has only just begun. We have an exciting week of reading ahead!

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