I didn’t grow up in a Christian home, so didn’t read a lot of Christian books as a child except for the illustrated Children’s Bible my aunt bought me when I was around eight.
I didn’t read a lot for pleasure during university, even though I lived relatively close to an excellent Christian bookshop.
In hindsight, lack of funds might have had something to do with that …
However, once I started work, I also started visiting the Christian bookshop at lunchtime. And that introduced me to Christian fiction, which I have read voraciously ever since.
Here are three of the earliest Christian novels I remember reading:
This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti (recommended by the aunt who bought me the Children’s Bible), which opened my eyes to the realities of spiritual warfare.
A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers (recommended by my pastor), which my pastor loaned me, and which got me completely hooked on Christian fiction.
Search for Tomorrow by Mary Hawkins, the first Christian novel I read by an Australian author, and one of the first Christian romances I ever read. I guess that means I can credit/blame Mary Hawkins for my subsequent addiction?
I had a couple of Christian high school friends who I stayed connected with after school and we used to devour those historical drama series by Michael Phillips and Judith Pella. Grand. Historical. Epics. With multigenerational sagas. I was used to Historical epics in the secular canon as well.
I remember reading The Russians series by Michael Phillips and Judith Pella and really enjoying them. I later got the chance to visit St Petersburg, which reminded me of many of the stories.