Welcome to Five Fall Favorites!  This week (Monday – Saturday), I will be sharing five books a day, each day in a certain category.  Today it’s books about neighborhood and community.  Be sure to come back tomorrow to learn about more of my favorite books!  Thanks to Katja and Kate (see their websites below) for graciously hosting this year’s blog party!  
(Links are for Goodreads unless otherwise noted.)

 
 

Loss. Desolation. Heartache. Will she ever discover her Best Friend?

For Libby Sutherland, life is starting to feel like one big loss. Loss of health. Loss of family. Loss of friends. She draws joy from the lives of the children in the daycare where she babysits and the horse therapy ranch where she volunteers.

But when her chronic illness takes a dive, even these are threatened. The one place Libby is able to share her grief is with her arms around the neck of her beloved horse, Willow. When Willow is suddenly out of reach, where can Libby turn?

Will she ever learn to confide in Jesus and truly know Him as her Best Friend?

Willow was the first contemporary fiction book I have read in probably over a decade, and my only regret was not reading it sooner.  Willow is the name of the horse on the front cover, and Libby is a volunteer at a ministry for people with health issues.  I like this book because when Libby seems to lose her community, God provides her with another one.  This book is highly recommended, and I look forward to read the sequel.
 
 
 
 
 
Dunstan and Grace King and their growing young family have been living in the mining village of Rocky Knob for several years. Now, it is time to build their permanent house and make it a home. They must find the right craftsmen who can make their dreams a reality, even as increased business at the mine keeps Dunstan busier than he and Grace would like. But with God at the center of their life and their friends from the village at their side, they end the first five years of owning Rocky Knob with hope and success.

Revisit the town and village of Rocky Knob in this third and final book of the Dunstan series!

Yes, this is the last book of the series, and it’s excellent.  I really loved how the people of the village were there for each other.  Plus, it was lovely to read how a home and garden were designed and built!  This entire series is simply lovely!
 
Purchase your copy here (series) or just this book.
 
 
 
 

Standing for truth could cost him his freedom. Fighting for freedom could cost him his life.

It’s 1771, and revolution is on the horizon. On one side stands the power of the Crown. On the other stands a man of daring conviction.

Former circuit rider Robert Boothe has spent the last four years leading the tyrant-hating Regulators against North Carolina’s corrupt British government. All he wants is a safe place for his little church of dissenters to worship God. He’ll do whatever it takes to protect his flock—and his wife and daughter.

But when Colonel Charles Drake arrives in town, Robert becomes a target. The Church of England wants him to shut up. The governor wants him dead.

With his church and family caught in the crossfire, protecting his flock means either fighting or fleeing. But truth is one stronghold Robert Boothe cannot surrender.

The historical drama of Johnny Tremain meets the courageous faith of men like John Bunyan in this engaging Christian historical novel. Read now and step into a nation on the verge of the American Revolution, where faith and freedom are both at stake.

 
My friend Bethany told me about this book.  After the reading the prequel, I immediately began to listen to the book.  It was a sobering account reminding me that there was not always religious freedom in America as we know it today.  The church was such a close community of people helping each other even when it was inconvenient or dangerous for them to do so.
 
 
 
A wealthy Christian merchant, his wife, a Christian doctor, and a couple young people care for several young men in the slums.  It’s a touching story of how to make an eternal impact on the lives of those around us.
 
You can listen to the book here.  (It is part of a series, though, and I would recommend listening to the series in order. 🙂 )
 
 

(photo from Goodreads)

Victoria Gracen’s life in middle age has settled into a round of club meetings and faithful attendance at her Presbyterian church. But all that changes when she invites her newly orphaned 16-year-old nephew (whom she’s never met) to come live with her.

Dick Gracen, a city boy from Chicago, finds life in the Gracen mansion, attended by servants, a startling change. He’s charmed by his lovely aunt who hopes to introduce him to boys of good character.

But Dick’s new friends turn out to be the small town’s “bad boys” and soon, Miss Gracen finds herself surrounded by a crew of delightful, totally misunderstood fellows. She’s invited to join in their hikes and sledding expeditions; through them, she’s introduced to the new ragtime music and she, in turn, shares her love of literature and classical music. In 1915 small-town America, “keeping the Sabbath” means no frivolity of any kind, the day of the week that all these boys dread. But soon “Miss Vic” dreams up weekly meetings at her house with appropriate activities that entertain and instruct. [summary from Audible]

When Victoria Gracen discovers that her nephew has been orphaned, she invites him to move to her city to live with her. Through his coming, she is able to form a community for the outcasts of the neighborhood.  It’s a beautiful story of how one person can make a difference in the lives of others.

You can read the book here.  It’s also available on Audible.

Please visit the other lovely ladies on my team to learn about more books about community!

Cate @ Southern Scribblings

Heather @ Heather Flynn – Author

Katja @ Little Blossoms For Jesus (co-host of the blog party)

Lydia @ Beyond History’s Page

Also, there is a giveaway on the hosts’ blogs!

Katja and/or Kate will be sharing daily in their posts which teams are offering freebies; feel free to hunt through the blogs for the books.

Also, there is a giveaway!  We will be offering one international and one U.S. prize. 

Here’s the giveaway link. You can enter only once, but you can earn extra entries throughout the week by commenting on the participating blogs’ FFF posts—one bonus entry per blog per day. Comments must be made under or signed off with the same name people use to enter the giveaway; otherwise bonus entries are null and void because they cannot be matched to a giveaway entry.

Oh, and one of the authors of the books shared today will be interviewed on my blog soon, Lord willing!  To be the first to learn about the interview, subscribe to my newsletter.  Just enter your email address below.  🙂  Also, I often have book recommendations in my newsletters.

Which of these books have you read?  Which ones will you add to your to-be-read list?

You may also enjoy these blog posts:

7 Benefits of Reading 

What to Do When the World Is in Chaos

5 Reasons I Enjoy Audiobooks