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authors such as June
Masters Bacher and Janette Oke, to thrillers such as those written by Paul Meier and fantasy and science fiction titles by J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. In addition, many titles address issues of faith from unconventional viewpoints. Some readers may question the suitability of titles that do not fit their personal view of what constitutes inspirational fiction; we simply ask that you keep in mind that individual readers' tastes vary."
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major characters in order to inspire readers to make such changes in their own life. For example, one library explains its list of "inspirational fiction" books with the statement, "Any good book can be an inspiration, but many of these books highlight people overcoming adversity or reaching new levels of understanding. Whether they pull themselves up by their own bootstraps or have help from a higher power, these books will uplift and entertain you."
139:" or "inspirational writing". It has become more common for booksellers and libraries to consider inspirational fiction to be a separate genre, classifying and shelving books accordingly. Reasons for this include the increased popularity of inspirational fiction in recent years, and the appeal of inspirational fiction beyond readers of the genre that these books would otherwise be classified in.
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Due to the absence of strict rules for categorizing books as inspirational fiction, libraries often include explanations or disclaimers when using this category, such as this example: "Please note: The books listed here cover a wide variety of genres and types, from traditional inspirational fiction
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Another category that is sometimes associated with "inspirational fiction" is "gentle fiction" which is often used to identify works categorized by a lack of profanity and portrayal of explicit sex or violence, and which lull readers into a good, thoughtful read. Novels that explore with charm and
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While the subgenre of inspirational fiction is not considered a rigorous category by many libraries, it is frequently used. Possible criteria that have been suggested as categorizing a book as inspirational fiction include novels whose main purpose is depict an example of change in the life of a
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the term "inspirational fiction" is often used to refer exclusively to "religious fiction" "faith-based fiction" or more narrowly "Christian fiction", which focuses on
Christian values. Christian fiction is most frequently written for the evangelical Protestant market, although some examples of
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Classifying a book as inspirational fiction based on the effect on the reader is difficult since personal choice, taste and even personal beliefs are factors that affect the way a book can "inspire" a reader. For example, a study of inspirational literature by
Professor
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Libraries are increasingly recognizing and using the categories of inspirational writing and inspirational fiction, although there is no universally accepted definition for these categories. Some books obviously fit into the category of inspirational writing, such as the
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One library distinguishes between inspirational fiction and the smaller category of religious fiction by noting that "inspirational fiction is more broad based. Instead of dwelling on the religious aspects of faith, they emphasize morals, values and life lessons."
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lists "inspirational" as a subgenre in every type of fiction it discusses, e.g. Romance or
Westerns. Another method of categorization is to divide inspirational fiction into these subgenres, e.g. Inspirational Romance Fiction, Inspirational Western Fiction.
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is considered to be one of the earliest and most prolific of writers in this category. Her books often focus on individuals, very often pioneers in the early West, who must draw upon a sense and awareness of faith to overcome adversity.
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List of inspirational fiction by religious category -- Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Mormon, and others -- and non-religious, Provo City
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rather than descriptive, and it engages specifically with the theoretical ideas which underly and shape typical responses to
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humor the everyday joys, frustrations, and sorrows of lives quietly led are often categorized as "gentle reads".
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Joyce C. Saricks, The
Readers Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction, American Library Association, June 1, 2001.
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Some libraries have begun to classify some books written in other genres as inspirational fiction. The
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in 2006 revealed that gender may also be a factor in a reader's reaction to inspirational literature.
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inspirational fiction have been written to appeal to Roman
Catholic or Orthodox Christian readers.
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have been suggested for this category. Other authors associated with visionary fiction include
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series, which was explicitly written to inspire readers by means of true anecdotes.
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List of "Gentle
Fiction -- Not Religious", Public Library, Lansing, Michigan
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List of African-American Inspirational Fiction, Suffolk County Library, VA
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Adult Reading Round Table, Rolling Meadows Library, Rolling Meadows, IL
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InspirationalFictionforTeens.pdf Inspirational Fiction for Teens.
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List of Inspirational Fiction, Library Services, Irving, Texas
228:"is fictional writing which shapes people's attitudes towards
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LYRASIS Historical and Inspirational Fiction Readers Advisory
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Romancing God: Evangelical Women and Inspirational Fiction.
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Inspirational Reads, The Times Online, April 6 2006.
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Authors associated with theological fiction include
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is a sub-category within the broader categories of "
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409:Public Library of Charlette and Mecklenburg County
307:Authors associated with gentle fiction include
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508:University of North Carolina Press, 2006.
476:Adult Reading Roundtable - Genre meanings.
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120:Learn how and when to remove this message
388:City of London (Ontario) Public Library.
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58:adding citations to reliable sources
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593:"Definition of Visionary Fiction"
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275:The Miracle: A Visionary Novel
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458:Provo City Library, Utah.
151:Chicken Soup for the Soul
376:Appleton Public Library.
347:List of Christian novels
273:Books like Gurian's own
137:inspirational literature
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568:"Visionary Fiction.org"
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691:Fiction about religion
386:Inspirational Fiction.
696:Novels about religion
544:"Theological fiction"
133:Inspirational fiction
681:Christian literature
532:Janette Oke website.
518:Through Google Books
54:improve this article
352:Theological fiction
284:Golf in the Kingdom
225:Theological fiction
219:Theological fiction
492:2010-02-01 at the
463:2014-02-28 at the
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52:Please help
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252:C. S. Lewis
241:exploratory
230:theological
212:Janette Oke
670:Categories
618:Sage Books
603:2010-03-23
578:2010-03-23
554:2020-04-30
358:References
170:Sub-genres
80:newspapers
548:Knowledge
325:Jan Karon
110:July 2020
490:Archived
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331:See also
245:religion
233:beliefs
199:In the
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