Written Megan Ryan

Some of my favorite topics for novels are writers, books, and libraries, so I’m sharing more of my recent top reads in this category. They come from a variety of genres, time periods, and markets, but they all have a common thread of writers and stories.

To see my earlier recommendations, check out these posts:

The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip by Sara Brunsvold

This contemporary Christian novel is an extremely moving story about a young journalist who is given the assignment to write an obituary for hospice patient Mrs. Clara Kip. Mrs. Kip is a stubborn and independent woman who is struggling with her new physical condition.

She’s also disappointed to not have a more interesting death (leading to the plural in the title), but her faith, and the impact of her life, is inspirational. Of course, the book deals a lot with death, but it’s also about how you live along the way.

I don’t reread books very often anymore, but I recently read Mrs. Kip for a second time. I might have enjoyed it (and cried) even more this time around. Mrs. Kip is one of my favorite characters ever. I’m grateful Christian PEN member Sara Brunsvold shared her with the world.

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin

Grace moves to London on the eve of WWII, hoping to work in a stylish shop. But the only job open to her is as an assistant at an overfilled, dusty bookshop. Grace is determined to show her worth by getting the shop running more smoothly and attracting more customers. While she doesn’t particularly care for books at the start, she quickly discovers their delights, especially as Britain enters the war. I enjoyed seeing this change in Grace through the book.

While there is a romance element to the story, it does not play a major role. It is not a Christian book, but the language is clean, and there is no intimacy on or off screen beyond a kiss. There is also some gory description of bombing victims in a couple places.

The Unraveling of Emlyn DuLaine by Lindsay A. Franklin

This is a clean, Christian worldview YA fantasy about a teenager whose sister disappeared several years ago. Emlyn is sure she saw her sister, Camille, literally unravel that day in the park. Though young Emlyn loved telling and writing stories, she stops after that traumatic event.

When she reopens her childhood notebook, she starts a series of events that leads to her arrival in Rivenlea, the world Emlyn thinks she created for her stories. There she finds herself part of a team that fixes stories that have broken.

I enjoyed the fantasy elements in this book as well as the place of honor given to stories in the world of Rivenlea. The Wizard of Oz plays a prominent role, but other classics pop up as well. The story ends on a cliffhanger, so you might want to have the sequel, The Restitching of Camille DuLaine, ready to jump into as soon as you finish.

The Collector of Burned Books by Roseanna M. White, 2026 PENCON keynote speaker

This Christian historical fiction with a strong romance thread is set in Paris during WWII, where German writers had created a library for the books the Nazis were burning. Corinne has been reading and caring for this collection of books and even using them to send coded messages to others in her network—until the Nazis arrive to impose their views on France’s libraries.

Christian is a reluctant party member who is sent on this mission to weed out undesirable books. He doesn’t hold to Nazi principles, but he’s trying to protect others and do as much good as he can from the inside.

The characters are Catholic, which feels appropriate for the setting. I enjoyed the way that freedom of ideas was promoted, and I appreciated the chance to consider the choices Christian had to make. I’m not sure I agree with each one, especially later in the book. But it felt worthwhile to think it through, and I could understand how he got there.

An Overdue Match by Sarah Monzon

This Christian romance features a small-town librarian named Evangeline. She’s convinced she’s not main character material because of the total hair loss she’s experienced from alopecia. Since romance doesn’t seem to be in the cards for her, she decides to play matchmaker based on residents’ library checkout histories.

After tattoo artist Tai saves her from following through on an ill-advised match, she finds herself in his company regularly and begins to wonder if she is a heroine after all. I found Evangeline to be relatable, and it was fun to think about what our borrowing habits reveal about us.

There is some kissing, but no intimacy beyond that. This is the first book in the Checking Out Love series, so if you enjoy sweet library-based romances, you’ll probably like them all.

Nonfiction bonus: Jane Austen’s Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney

Rebecca Romney is a rare book expert and collector (you may have seen her on Pawn Stars) who set out to read the books and writers that influenced Jane Austen. This takes her on a journey to discover when and why these fellow women novelists were largely forgotten, except for their connection to the beloved Austen.

I found it fascinating to learn about book collecting, what gets included in the canon, early women novelists, and the ways Austen was influenced by these literary figures. While I had already decided to finally read The Mysteries of Udolpho (which is important to Austen’s Northanger Abbey), I am now inspired to read novels by several of the other women Romney brought to my attention.

Megan Ryan copyedits and proofreads to give authors confidence about sharing their writing with the world. She has copyedited and/or proofread more than 200 books for self-publishing authors and hybrid publishers. She also serves as assistant director of the Christian Editor Connection and volunteer coordinator for the Well Conference.

Megan lives in Michigan with her husband and three children, and she enjoys holding babies in the church nursery and riding her bike in nice weather. You can contact her at mryanediting@gmail.com or find more information at https://mryanediting.wixsite.com/mryanediting.