New Summer Read!
Engaging Clean Fiction
Do you ever find it difficult to discover engaging novels that are clean? I do. Some stories are squeaky clean, but dull — with flat characters, lame plots, and boring storylines. Others feel impossible to put down, but are filled with immoral subject matter, so I have to put them down! That makes me feel cheated. Do you struggle with this?
Since summer is a great time for laid-back fiction reading, we’re going to have a light read this summer here at Tea, Talk & Tattered Pages. Our quarterly book selection is: The Body in the Transept by Jeanne M. Dams, available for free on Kindle Unlimited, or for $15.00 at the link above if you prefer to hold the book in your hands.
“Fans of the English cozy will put the kettle on, snuggle under a lap rug, and sigh contentedly.” ~ Kirkus Reviews
When I read fiction, I want to be pulled into the story. Do I want to escape from reality? Maybe, sometimes. But did you know that research shows that just six minutes of reading reduces stress by 68%?
Experts say that we enjoy reading mysteries because they are usually solved in the end. There is a neat solution, in which order is restored, and justice is done. The complexity of the story is explained, and the bad guy is punished. In this life, we rarely find such satisfaction so easily, from the comfort of our armchair or hammock.
If you haven’t tried a mystery before, maybe try reading one with us this summer! If The Body in the Transept, about a sixty-something widow who moves to England and stumbles over a body in a picturesque Anglican Cathedral, isn’t your speed, then how about these:
A Beautiful Blue Death: the first Charles Lenox Mystery by Charles Finch
The Mysterious Affair at Styles: the first Hercule Poirot Mystery by Agatha Christie
The Complete Father Brown Mysteries by G.K. Chesterton
A Test of Wills: the first Ian Rutledge Mystery by Charles Todd
Murder by Matchlight: A Traditional Detective Mystery by E.C.R. Lorac
Aunt Dimity's Death by Nancy Atherton
Dead as a Scone by Ron and Janet Benrey
These are just a few of my favorite mysteries — I’ve read so many over the years! Mystery is my go-to fiction genre, if I can find one that is clean, well-written, with strong characters and a good plot. What’s your favorite genre? What’s your favorite novel? Let’s talk fiction!
I'm not usually a fiction fan, but this one looks really interesting! I just ordered it, so we'll see how it goes.
Growing up, I loved the Anne of Green Gables series. As an adult I have thoroughly enjoyed Marilla of Green Gables: A Novel by Sarah McCoy. 💙
I also did historical fiction CS Lewis tangent. Becoming Mrs. Lewis and also Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan. Leah Boden also came out with a YA biography Chronicles of Wonder: The story formed life of c.s Lewis.