Disclosure: I received these books to review. The post contains affiliate links; opinions shared here are 100% mine.

Looking for wonderful stories to warm up the cold November evenings? Stories of encouragement can be so uplifting during the busy days of the holiday season. These are just the ticket!

You can also earn FREE books with the Tyndale House rewards program. I signed up and did a few of the easy submissions (twitter, surveys, and birthday club sign-up) — within a few minutes, I had enough points to redeem for a copy of The Prayer Box! I had a copy of this book this summer but my sister borrowed it, so I got another one. I plan to send it to my grandmother who really loves Christian fiction. Getting books for free is like winning the lottery for me! After you sign up, just click “Earn Points” to find these easy entries. Then click “Browse” to see how you can spend your points. Do you see any books on the Tyndale Rewards site that you’d like to read?

If you want an interactive book to read with your child, consider Love Letters from God.  This book is perfect to share with your child over the holidays.  The pages are scrapbook-style with pretty clip art and illustrations.  It’s reminiscent of the flannel boards we watched the teacher use in Sunday School when I was a child.  Each letter from God is a lift-the-flap section with a blank.  This is important:  Before gifting this book, be sure to write in your child’s name in all the blanks!   See below…..

The letters are sweet and easy to read. They really present a conversational tone from God. It’s a wonderful way to establish the practice of talking with God, not to Him.  Love Letters from God is a good option for bedtime devotions. Start with the letter, then read the scriptural reference together.  The best part is getting to share the Bible in a new, interesting way.

At Bluebonnet Lake by Amanda Cabot is a cute story that will warm you up.  Set in Texas, the story revolves around a couple who ended up at a dilapidated resort in need of some TLC.  This book really hit home with me because it centers around a young woman, Kate, who has a deeply close relationship with her grandmother, Sally.  My grandmother is a very  important person in my life and I thought of her several times when reading the book.   At Bluebonnet Lake serves as a good reminder that things aren’t always what they seem. It also shouts out loud and clear, “It’s never too late to fall in love.”

There are some people whose very life must be a blessing to God. I imagine that their picture is on God’s refrigerator, bringing Him a smile each day.  In this case, it’s a couple who started a life-changing ministry.  Klaus-Dieter and Martina John took their medical skills and monstrously deep faith to the impoverished, needy families of Peru.  What struck me most as I read their story (I Have Seen God) was the way that God provided for their needs over and over again.  There are many photos embedded in the pages of this book that speak to the everyday circumstances the Johns family experienced.  Raising three children while on the mission field must have been a difficult situation, yet they put their trust in God and powered on.  The blessings didn’t just reach the people receiving the ministry, though.  Those who donated and served also found themselves blessed beyond measure.  I just love the way this story ties together God’s people and His everlasting bond of hope.

Although this isn’t a warm-and-fuzzy story of encouragement, My Battle Against Hitler: Faith, Truth, and Defiance in the Shadow of the Third Reich packs a powerful punch.  If you like to read books of substance, this one is for you. My husband watches lots of WWII and Holocaust documentaries, so I thought he’d enjoy this book by one of the period’s greatest voices against Hitler.  I have read a few books that were based on WWII characters so I knew just a bit about it.  My Battle Against Hitler is a memoir that you can’t easily forget.  It’s dry reading compared to fiction, so I lost interest more often, but the story is really emotional and sometimes heartbreaking.  I couldn’t help but feel so much compassion for Dietrich von Hildebrand.  He risked everything in order to fight for the truth.   So much of this book is applicable to our generation.  Would I have the same passion and conviction in his position?  I pray that I’ll never have to find out!