We’ve made it to the second month of 2015! And with this new month comes some brand-new Amish/Mennonite books from Harvest House Publishers for your reading pleasure.

Which one(s) are you most excited to read?

New Amish Fiction

The Amish Clockmaker (Book 3 in The Men of Lancaster County series)

Purchase your copy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook.com

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Miriam’s Secret (Book 1 in the Land of Promise series)

Purchase your copy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook.com

 New Mennonite Children’s Books

When School Bells Call (Book 3 in the Farm Life series)

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook.com

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Autumn Days (Book 4 in the Farm Life series)

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook.com

New Amish Nonfiction

The Amish Book of Prayers for Women

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook.com

(P.S. Don’t forget that you can enter to win a copy of The Amish Book of Prayers for Women by clicking HERE and leaving a comment on that post! Winner to be announced February 13th.)

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Our Amish Values

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Christianbook.com

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Elva Hurst, Esther Stoll, Jerry Eicher, Lester Beachy, Mindy Starns Clark, Monthly Gathering, News, Susan Meissner by Amber | AmishReader.com
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‘Tis the Christmas season, and such a wonderful time to gather together!

Gathering has a few different meanings, including “an assemblage of people” and “a collection, assemblage, or compilation of anything.” (Definitions taken from Dictionary.com.) So let’s gather together to enjoy this gathering of Amish-related posts and books! This is your chance to revisit your favorite AmishReader moments from the previous month, catch up on any features or book releases you might have missed, and share your own book reviews.

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A Gathering of Posts

NEW Social Media Page!

• AmishReader on Pinterest:
  • Amish “Trailers”
  • Curious About Amish Culture
  • Gather with the Authors
  • Helpful Reading
  • Reviews from Amish Readers
  • Simple & Tasty Cooking
  • Simply Great Deals
  • Stories We Love
  • Sweet Giveaways & Freebies
  • Take a Trip to Amish Country

Author Spotlights:

• Go Behind the Scenes of the New Beginnings Series with Mary Ellis

Discussion:

• Grateful for Amish Fiction (what we love about this genre)

Featured Fiction:

• An Unexpected Match by Gayle Roper (includes discussion about unexpected blessings)

Recipes:

• Turkey Supreme

Facebook Highlights:

• Amish rider photo from Tim Irvin
• Plain Answers about the Amish Life: Why the Amish Came to America
• Discussion about current reads
• “Stories We Love” Pinterest board discussion
• Votes for the recipe of the month
• Amish girls photo from Tim Irvin (Thanksgiving post)
• Christmas ebook deals

Shared Links:

• Jennifer Beckstrand: Favorite Thanksgiving Traditions
• Amish America: 100 Amish Shovel Snow in Blizzard-hit Buffalo
• Vannetta Chapman: A Plain & Simple Thanksgiving
• Not Quite Amish: Gotta Love One Another (making friends with the Amish)
• Vannetta Chapman: Giving Thanks
• Vannetta Chapman: Thanksgiving Grace
• Not Quite Amish: Simplifying Christmas

Newsletter:

• November 2014

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A Gathering of Books and Reviews

Now it’s your turn! Tell us about any new Amish releases you’ve come across or reviews you’ve written this past month for Amish books. Let’s make this a true gathering of thoughts and Amish-book readers!

We’ve got some Christmas-themed fun coming this month! Will you be reading any Amish Christmas books this season?

Filed under: Monthly Gathering, News by Amber | AmishReader.com
6 Comments »

Gathering has a few different meanings, including “an assemblage of people” and “a collection, assemblage, or compilation of anything.” (Definitions taken from Dictionary.com.) So let’s gather together to enjoy this gathering of Amish-related posts and books! This is your chance to revisit your favorite AmishReader moments from the previous month, catch up on any features or book releases you might have missed, and share your own book reviews.

***

A Gathering of Posts

Author Spotlights:

• Visit Shreve and Fredericksburg, Ohio with Mary Ellis

Featured Fiction:

• A Plain Man by Mary Ellis (includes discussion about “home”)

Recipes:

• Corn chowder

Facebook Highlights:

• Plain Answers about the Amish Life: Shoes
• Amish phone shanty photo from Tim Irvin
• Plain Answers about the Amish Life: Restaurants
• Plain Answers about the Amish Life: Food
• Votes for the recipe of the month
• Plain Answers about the Amish Life: Communion
• Amish buggy ride photo from Mindy Starns Clark (includes discussion about Amish country)
• Plain Answers about the Amish Life: Taxes

Shared Links:

• Amish Wisdom: Kathleen Kerr – Amish Christmas Cake
• Amish Wisdom: Patrick E. Craig’s Apple Creek Dreams
• Amish America: Amish Firemen in New York

Newsletter:

• October 2014

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A Gathering of Books and Reviews

Now it’s your turn! Tell us about any new Amish releases you’ve come across or reviews you’ve written this past month for Amish books. Let’s make this a true gathering of thoughts and Amish-book readers!

More Amish-themed fun to come in this new month…

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Monthly Gathering, News by Amber | AmishReader.com
4 Comments »

Gathering has a few different meanings, including “an assemblage of people” and “a collection, assemblage, or compilation of anything.” (Definitions taken from Dictionary.com.) So let’s gather together to enjoy this gathering of Amish-related posts and books! This is your chance to revisit your favorite AmishReader moments from the previous month, catch up on any features or book releases you might have missed, and share your own book reviews.

***

A Gathering of Posts

Author Spotlights:

• Interview with Mindy Starns Clark about The Amish Groom
• Interview with Susan Meissner about The Amish Blacksmith

Recipes:

• Amish Coffee Cake
• Stovetop Breakfast Casserole (shared on Facebook)

Facebook Highlights:

• Votes for the recipe of the month
• Amish farm photo from Mindy Starns Clark
• Amish schoolroom photo from Mindy Starns Clark

Shared Links:

• Amish Wisdom: Bake a Loaf of Amish Bread with Georgia Varozza
• Amish Wisdom: Travel to Amish Country with Jerry S. Eicher
• Amish Wisdom: Read the First Chapter from The Amish Blacksmith
• Amish Wisdom: Gayle Roper: The Colors of the Amish
• Novel Crossing: Gayle Roper: Emma and Me

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A Gathering of Books and Reviews

Now it’s your turn! Tell us about any new Amish releases you’ve come across or reviews you’ve written this past month for Amish books. Let’s make this a true gathering of thoughts and Amish-book readers!

More Amish-themed fun to come in this new month…

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Monthly Gathering, News by Amber | AmishReader.com
2 Comments »

Gathering has a few different meanings, including “an assemblage of people” and “a collection, assemblage, or compilation of anything.” (Definitions taken from Dictionary.com.) So let’s gather together to enjoy this gathering of Amish-related posts and books! This is your chance to revisit your favorite AmishReader moments from the previous month, catch up on any features or book releases you might have missed, and share your own book reviews. 

***

A Gathering of Posts

Author Spotlights:

• Article on the Amish and musical instruments by Kelly Irvin
• Interview with Vannetta Chapman

Featured Fiction:

• A Plain Love Song by Kelly Irvin
• A Wedding for Julia by Vannetta Chapman

Recipe:

• Fresh Peach Muffins

Facebook Highlights:

• Discussion about current Amish reads
• Back to school photo from Tim Irvin
• Votes for the recipe of the month

Newsletter:

• September 2014

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A Gathering of Books

Harvest House Publishers has three new Amish-related releases this month!

An Unexpected Match by Gayle Roper

The Amish Baking Cookbook by Georgia Varozza and Kathleen Kerr

Finding Love at Home by Jerry S. Eicher, Book 3 in “The Beiler Sisters” series

Have you read any of these? Are any on your TBR (to be read) piles? 

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A Gathering of Reviews

Now, its your turn! Have you reviewed some Amish books this past month? Consider sharing a link or two (to your recent review(s) on your blog) in the comments section. You can also share about some other Amish book releases you know of for September. Let’s make this a true gathering of thoughts and Amish-book readers!

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Monthly Gathering, News by Amber | AmishReader.com
4 Comments »

Gathering has a few different meanings, including “an assemblage of people” and “a collection, assemblage, or compilation of anything.” (Definitions taken from Dictionary.com.) I think the term fits well with our community theme, in addition to giving us a way to organize book- and blog-related news. (more…)

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Monthly Gathering by Amber | AmishReader.com
7 Comments »

Community is the cornerstone of Amish life. This is based on biblical precedent such as that in Acts 2:44: “All the believers were together and had everything in common” (NIV).

—Plain Answers about the Amish Life by Mindy Starns Clark

Community. It’s a blessing valued by the Amish, and it serves as the basis of AmishReader.com. I’m so thrilled to be joining this particular community of Amish fiction readers and Amish culture admirers, and I’m happy to announce that we’re revitalizing “Amish Reader” in all of its forms: blog, Facebook page, and Twitter account. This doesn’t mean we’re getting all fancy, as the designs should stay the same for the time being. (We appreciate simplicity here, right?) But it does mean that there should actually be some new content headed your way!

In case you were wondering, my name is Amber Stokes, and I’m the new content writer in the marketing services department at Harvest House Publishers. I’m an avid fiction reader, so I’m very excited to be a part of this online Amish fiction (and nonfiction) home.

I just wanted to send a little greeting your way and let you know that plans are in the works for a more regular schedule here on the blog and on our social media sites. You can expect more author posts, more recipes, more fiction spotlights, the occasional giveaway, and some chances to share your own Amish-themed blog posts.

Tell me, which Amish books have you been enjoying this summer? I’ll be sharing about one of my recent reads here on the blog next week… Hope to see you then!

Filed under: News by Amber | AmishReader.com
9 Comments »

Each year we Englischers love to make resolutions, no? And so I’ve come up with three that I’ve learned from the Amish. After interviewing, researching, and then writing about the Amish in my novels I’ve found my life has changed under their influence. Although I must add, I must reconfirm these three every January.

First of all: Slow down. Whether driving, talking or eating dinner, a person enjoys the event much more if they take it easy. I once thought if I didn’t rush, I would never finish everything I needed to in a given day. That’s not true. Whoever said “haste makes waste” knew what she was talking about. Secondly, make do with less. An Amish woman’s entire wardrobe hangs on hooks in her bedroom or can be folded neatly into one or two dresser drawers. Do I really need another pair of black heels or another summer dress? Women often buy because it’s “too good a bargain to pass up.” What a waste. I now shop with a list such as “new jeans” and won’t buy anything else, no matter how great the sale price. Thirdly, don’t compare yourself to others. There is little competition in the Amish world. We will always find someone smarter/prettier/richer/more talented than us.

And here’s a bonus resolution: Don’t over-plan life. The best opportunities come up spur-of-the-moment. If we map out our entire future (or at least try to) we’ll miss the valuable chances God drops in our path. Trust Him in all matters. As a Christian, I have witnessed His awesome power to change lives.  I hope your 2013 is filled with love and blessings from above.

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Mary Ellis, News by Mary
No Comments »

Lancaster, PA

The Amish and Reality Television

Is Amish Mafia real? It’s a question I’ve heard buzzing around lately. The Discovery Channel series premiered on December 12th, and it’s caught the attention of millions of viewers. If you click over and read the description of the series, it certainly sounds real enough.

“This is a side of Amish society that exists under the radar, and the Amish church denies the group’s existence. Amish Mafia provides eyewitness accounts of the incidents, misdeeds and wrongdoings within the Amish community …”

There you have it! Eyewitness accounts. It must be real. Maybe. Or maybe not. The Washington Post spoke with Ira Wagler, author of Growing Up Amish in this article. Ira says no. It’s not real. Sam Stoltzfus, of Lancaster, PA, wrote his editor and said “Those characters are not Amish.”

I have published 5 Amish books and have 8 more contracted for the next 3 years. Some of those are romances and some are murder mysteries. Murder? Yes . . . because no community is perfect. They are stories of mystery and grace and forgiveness. While researching, I’ve visited Amish communities in Indiana, Wisconsin, Texas, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. I’ve been to Amish homes, Amish barns, and Amish stores. I’ve eaten dinner with Amish families, Amish bishops, and Amish children. I don’t know all there is to know about the Amish, but I do know that they are what they appear to be–people living a simple life, committed to the Gospel of Christ.

And I can tell you I’ve never seen anyone even remotely resembling Amish Mafia.

Perhaps the simple, plain life we see is too calm, too perfect, almost too boring, if you only look on the surface of things. Maybe that’s why a producer in New York or LA came up with the idea of an organized group of men who “protect and maintain peace and order within the Amish community.” A fictional story line? I think so. Maybe it’s poor reporting, but for some–it’s good entertainment.

Vannetta

Filed under: Amish Fiction, News by vannetta
52 Comments »

The National Cathedral

We’ve just returned from two weeks on the East Coast and all I can say is – wow!  In two weeks, we visited or drove through a total of nine states, spending most of our time in Vermont, Washington D.C, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

We’ve faced 94-degree weather and thundershowers, long lines, heavy traffic, a chirping GPS, really good pizza, really cranky innkeepers (not ours, thankfully!), clam chowder, pomp, circumstance, and big giant robots.

And no, I’m not kidding about the big giant robots.

My favorite part?  Visiting the National Cathedral (above).  I took 174 photos there – and about 1,000 for the entire trip.

I think I’ll be sorting through photos for a while.

Also discovered this –

They know ice cream in North Carolina.

It’s the lovechild of the bowl and the waffle cone – the waffle bowl.  I love the idea.  Tricky to eat, but sometimes that’s the way conceptual art works.

The best news?  Simply Sara is done.  I know I said she was done before, at least I think I did.  But now she’s really done, going to print done, completed acknowledgements and final edits done.  I’m a little delighted.  And VERY excited thinking ahead to the next book – I’ll keep you posted on that!

So the big giant robots?  Well…I don’t have pictures.  They confiscated my camera at the BMW factory in Spartanburg, SC.  But they were big, and giant, and they threw sparks when they welded, and I won’t ever, ever forget them.

I did get this photo in the museum though –

A BMW airplane engine.

Thanks again for all of your entries for the Simpy Sara Baking Contest!  They were tons of fun to look through, and I absolutely love Rhonda’s winning recipe – I can’t wait for you to see how it works in the book!

That’s it for now – I think my sweet hubby’s woken up from his nap

Filed under: Amish Fiction, Hillary Lodge, News by Hillary
1 Comment »