Inspirational Fiction

Poetry, like religion, is the practice of wonder—a way of being open, a way of reaching out to touch the hem of the world’s garment. Like the great spiritual teachers, poetry invites us to be radically present, to inhabit the world a little more closely, to attend a little more lovingly, with an awareness beyond the mere mind. The numinous shines right before our eyes, nonchalantly hidden, poorly disguised. God lurks in the shadowy places.

Invictus is stoicism encapsulated in a poem. It is a potent piece by William Ernest Henley, first published in 1888. The poem is short. yet highly motivational. It oozes gems pertaining to perseverance, willpower, and an unconquerable spirit. A powerful pithy poetic pep talk.

Korey Bontrager knows he’s been an immature dummkopp. When his widowed dad remarried, Korey was unwelcoming to his kindhearted stepmother. Then he became estranged from his older brother. But after fourteen months in Ohio, God called Korey back to Pennsylvania. Easier said than done. Back home, Korey feels left behind by his family and friends, who want to see him also happily married.

Donna VanLiere's books movingly portray ordinary people reaching for more meaningful lives. In The Christmas Promise, she follows two seemingly separate individuals and shows how their lives intersect. Chaz McConnell realizes that his life is empty—and he's made it that way. He goes home every night to a bare apartment. For the first time in his life, he's working at a job that will last more than a few weeks, as security for Wilson's Department Store. Trying to reach out, he befriends 4-year-old Donovan, whose mother is part of the janitorial team at Wilson's.

Summer is a busy season at the inn, so proprietor Jo Marie Rose and handyman Mark Taylor have spent a lot of time together keeping the property running. Despite some folks' good-natured claims to the contrary, Jo Marie insists that Mark is only a friend. However, she seems to be thinking about this particular friend a great deal lately.

I present thee with the life and death of Mr. Badman indeed: Yea, I do trace him in his life, from his childhood to his death; that thou mayest, as in a glass, behold with thine own eyes, the steps that take hold of Hell; and also discern, while thou art hearing of Mr. Badman's death, whether thou thy self art treading in his path thereto.

With her election to the vice presidency, her election to the US Senate, and her position as attorney general of California, Kamala Harris has blazed trails throughout her entire political career. But how did she achieve her goals? What values and influences guided and inspired her along the way? In this young readers edition of Kamala Harris’ memoir, we learn about the impact that her family and community had on her life and see what led her to discover her own sense of self and purpose.

Since the recent death of her husband, Maisie’s world has been bleak and grey. Now a widow, her two young daughters are the only things that still bring joy to her life. But with winter approaching, Maisie knows she must make a change to her situation if her family is to have a chance of surviving the harsh months ahead.

Kira Detweiler doesn’t plan to be in Lancaster County for long. She’s left her family in Indiana to help her aunt after the birth of her fourth boppli. Or at least that’s what she tells people. Deep down, she’s trying to escape the heartache of a broken engagement and has no plans to date again anytime soon.

Evelyn Schrock has dismissed the attempts of every young man in her small Amish community to court her. She’s willing to wait for a suitor who shares her curiosities about life and faith. The only reason Jayce Clarkson is in Amish country hefting equipment for his famous father’s movie production company is for the paycheck. The homestyle cooking at the Peony Inn is a perk though, as is his friendship with Evelyn Schrock.

Crystal Glick is grateful to live with her brother’s family since her father died and her fiancé, Owen, broke their engagement. Crystal loves her bruderskinner and cheerfully helps her sister-in-law through a difficult pregnancy with babies number seven and eight, but she yearns for a husband and children of her own.

Nathan Andrews is now a man; his greatest wish is to be a doctor. But beyond his studies of medicine, Nathan realizes there are still things to be learned about faith, blessings, giving, and sacrifice. Lessons he will learn from a young woman with a disease that seems hopeless. But hope can exist in the darkest places, and love is always the greatest gift of all.

This is a story about how two men from different walks of life learn that neither robes of honor nor the total renunciation of worldly life is required to enjoy the most fundamental human desire—happiness. Happiness is not a philosophical enigma, but an attainable state of the mind and everyone can cherish the greatest joys through the simplest and smallest acts of daily life.

Ruby Jane never thought she'd meet the man of her dreams while running from the police in Russia. That he'd steal her heart on a train to Siberia. But loving a former CIA officer comes with a price...a life of danger. A life of high stakes. A life where he simply disappears....

At an intimate, festive dinner party in Seattle, six women gather to celebrate their friend Kate's recovery from cancer. Wineglass in hand, Kate strikes a bargain with them. To celebrate her new lease on life, she'll do the one thing that's always terrified her: white-water rafting. But if she goes, all of them will also do something they always swore they'd never do-and Kate is going to choose their adventures.

Grieving but feisty widow Vivian Laurent is at a late-in-life crossroads. The man she loved is gone. Their only daughter is estranged and missing. And the assisted-living facility where her husband died is going into quarantine. Living in lockdown with only heartache and memories is something Vivian can’t bear. Then comes a saving grace.

The Sugar Creek Gang's school gets a new teacher - a man. And that spells trouble. When their old teacher shows up to surprise them with a midday sleigh ride, things start looking up for the boys - until Bill Collins throws a snowball that accidently hits Mr. Black, the new teacher. Learn the importance of self-sacrifice as Little Jim offers to take Bill's punishment, even though he doesn't deserve it.

Fresh off the heels of a bad breakup, Chloe Anderson poured her heart into penning the perfect boyfriend—and the result was an off-the-charts debut beach read that resonated with women worldwide. Now, Chloe’s scripted hero is headed for Hollywood, with her book destined to become a major motion picture.

Two years after her husband’s death, Amanda Whittier has two children to raise alone, an abandoned dream of starting a business, and a fixer-upper cottage by the sea. She has no room in her life for anything else and little interest in moving on after losing the man she loved. Paul Grant is a relative newcomer to the area, and his work with former military dogs needing rehabilitation has been good for the town. Though he loved once before, he’s convinced he’s not suited for romance and is determined to find meaning - alone - through his work and role in the community.

In poems that can turn from laugh-out-loud funny to deeply moving, Wendy Cope offers reflections on love and life. From the joy of falling - and being - in love to ways to help you deal with a painful break-up or the memories of people loved and lost, this is an audio edition to savour and share with all your friends.