Choosing the Best of Christian Books

I anticipate the “Best Books” lists released this time of year, not only for the books they bring to my attention but also for the criteria used to make these selections. What qualities do book reviewers think make an exceptional novel? That becomes clear in this year’s “Best Book” lists.

Christianity Today names its 2022 Book Awards in the January-February issue. The top fiction book (Revival Season, by Monica West) was chosen for “its overall mastery.” Judges cite its vivid description, vigorous pacing, and well-drawn characters among its stand-out characteristics. They don’t discount the importance of its plot, but they felt the story made a lasting impression because the author crafted it with genuine artistry. By the way, our own Cara Putman wrote the review for Sugar Birds, by Cheryl Gray Bostrom, which tied for CT’s Award of Merit.

World Magazine devotes its January 15 issue to landmarks of 2021, which identifies four novels from Christian publishers under the heading, “Family Dramas with Faithful Perspective.” At the top of the list is The Nature of Small Birds, by Susie Finkbeiner, the story of a Vietnamese refugee child in Operation Babylift. Reviewer Sandy Barwick writes, “Finkbeiner is a master of nostalgia and perfectly captures the nuances of the slang, clothes, and pop culture of each era.” Notice how she echoes CT’s praise of well-crafted fiction.

Some leading Christian periodicals, such as the Christian Century, do not compile “best book” lists each year. And some “best Christian book” lists, such as Barnes and Noble’s and the Gospel Coalition’s, included no novels this year. (If you’d like to see B&N’s list for 2021, click here. The Gospel Coalition’s list can be seen here.)

I’m curious to see the choices made by secular periodicals, too, so I was particularly interested to see “The 10 Most Heartwarming Books of 2021” in Book Page, the free distribution book review periodical that we find in most public libraries. Here's how they describe a heartwarming book:

Think about the way you feel after a delicious meal. Although you know there are dishes to wash and leftovers to put away and perhaps a long drive home or work in the morning, as you look around the table at the faces of the people you love, and for that one moment, your spirit feels full, safe, happy, loving and loved.

“Full, safe, happy, loving and loved.” If readers come away from my novels feeling that, I will have produced the best Christian books I could write, regardless of whether they appear on any annual list.

Joe Allison writes both fiction and nonfiction, and has been a member of the Indiana chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers since 2010. His most recent book is Hard Times (Warner Press: 2019). He lives in Anderson, IN, with his wife Maribeth.