Recommendations
Every title below was read in full by the festival reading team. No sponsored slots, no placement fees — just books we would hand to a friend.
Staff picks
Thriller · 384 pages
James Nathaniel Miller II
A relentless chase novel that keeps its heart intact. Miller writes action the way a pilot flies — economical, precise, never showy — and the moral weight of every choice lands before the next chapter starts.
Read alongside any faith-and-grit thriller; best consumed over three long evenings.
Crime / Mystery · 18 chapters
Ramón Bassons Baña
Eighteen chapters built like eighteen holes of a golf course — each one a self-contained puzzle that quietly changes the shape of the whole. Inspectors Gallego and Laredo are the most human detective pair we have featured.
Perfect for readers who want European procedural craft with a wry sense of humour.
Inspirational Memoir · 246 pages
Curtis Pennyman
A generational story told without bitterness. Pennyman moves from ancestry to boardroom without ever losing the thread of protection, purpose and persistence.
Ideal for book clubs that like discussion questions built into the reading.
Christian Fiction · 312 pages
Brent Ladd
Quiet, patient storytelling. Ladd trusts his reader, and the payoff in the final third is earned rather than engineered.
A slow Sunday read; keep a notebook nearby.
Contemporary / Coming of Age · 298 pages
Chynna McLean
Sharp, modern and unafraid. McLean's dialogue is the strongest we read this season — every character sounds like a specific person, not a narrative function.
Recommended for younger reading circles and campus book clubs.
Inspirational · 204 pages
Cynthia Elder
A gentle opening volume that does the hardest thing well — it makes you want the next book immediately.
A great first pick for a brand-new reading group.
Shelves
For readers who measure a book by how late it keeps them awake. Every title here was nominated by a festival reading host.
Titles our audience returns to more than once — books that work as well on a second reading as a first.
Sentence-level pleasure. These are the books our editors quote from memory during panel sessions.
First books from authors who joined the festival within their debut year. Read them now; you will want the origin story later.
From the festival floor
James Nathaniel Miller II
Award-winning author, pilot, speaker and entrepreneur. As seen on NBC & CBS, a heart-pounding thriller of faith, courage and redemption.
Ramón Bassons Baña
Madrid (1963). Author of urban fantasy, police and thriller novels. Inspectors Gallego and Laredo No. 1 — eighteen chapters, like eighteen holes of a golf course.
Curtis Pennyman
A Classics Book Club spotlight feature — a story of advancement, faith and the belief that the Most High is always with you.
Cynthia Elder
A timeless tale of family, love, duty and a life at sea.
Brent Ladd
International Impact Book Awards winner from Amazon best-selling author Brent Ladd.
LJ Ross
The multi-million bestselling author joins the festival reading programme.
Book clubs
Week one: read to the midpoint and note one question per chapter. Week two: finish the book and mark three passages. Week three: discussion night with the author's recorded interview. Week four: written reflections shared to the club board.
Ask what the character wanted on page one and whether they got it. Ask which scene you would cut. Ask who in the book is telling the truth to themselves. These three questions carry an hour of conversation on almost any title.
Every recommended book is read in full by at least two festival readers. We look at craft, clarity, emotional honesty and whether the book delivers what its cover promises. Payment for participation never buys a recommendation slot.