Welcome to Five Fall Favorites 2025! What is Five Fall Favorites, you ask? It’s a party where a lot of bloggers get together to share book recommendations, free books, and a giveaway. In other words, it’s a lot of fun and a great fall tradition! And this year, it’s extra special because it’s the tenth anniversary!
Today, I’ll be sharing five books that I’ve found through FFF. Please note that while I enjoyed each of these books, my listing them here does not mean that I agree with everything in them. Oh, and this is my second time participating in FFF, and I tried not to repeat any books I chose the first time, with one exception on Wednesday’s post.
I’m so glad you’re here for the party and hope you have a wonderful time. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll be writing a post like this from the goodies you’ve found this year! Make sure to read to the bottom of the post so you can enter the giveaway!
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
1. Bless the Lord: The 103rd Psalm by Johannah Bluedorn
Bless the Lord: The 103rd Psalm, is the second in the Illustrated Psalm series by artist Johannah Bluedorn.
This beautiful, hardcover book features page after page of intricate color paintings illustrating the words of this much-loved psalm. It also sets the Psalm to music.
Psalm 103 is one of my very favorite psalms and has been such a comfort and encouragement to me. So when my friend, Bethany Willcock, shared this book in Five Fall Favorites, of course I wanted it! I put it on my wishlist, and my parents bought it for me as a present. It has such gorgeous pictures to illustrate the verses of Psalm 103! And now I want to pull it out and read it again very soon.
2. Jack and Jill by Lousia May Alcott
This charming, children’s story begins by mirroring the nursery rhyme. Jack and Jill are childhood friends who find their lives interrupted by a terrible sledding accident which leaves both of them invalids.
As they recover together, they and their friends learn important lessons about responsibility, giving and friendship.
I listened to this book on audio earlier this year and thoroughly enjoyed it! The health struggles aspect of the story was relatable to me, and there were so many fun characters to get to know and spend time with. It is a very cozy story but also has some intense moments.
3. Enemy Brothers by Constance Savery
British airman Dym Ingleford is convinced that the young German prisoner, Max Eckermann, is his brother Anthony who was kidnapped years before. Raised in the Nazi ideology, Tony has by chance tumbled into British hands. Dym has brought him back, at least temporarily, to the family he neither remembers nor will acknowledge as his own. As Tony keeps attempting to escape, his stubborn anger is whittled away by the patient kindness he finds at the White Priory. Then, just as he is resigning himself to stay with this English family, a new chance suddenly opens for him to return home—to Germany!
After hearing about this book from Rebekah Morris’s FFF post a few years ago, my sister read it. She enjoyed it so much that she bought the audiobook, and we listened to it with our mom. We loved it! It’s such a heartwarming story and the type that you could read or listen to over and over again and never get tired of it. Oh, and you want to know something that makes this World War II story different from most others? It was published during the war!
4. All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor
It’s the turn of the century in New York’s Lower East Side and a sense of adventure and excitement abounds for five young sisters – Ella, Henny, Sarah, Charlotte and Gertie. Follow along as they search for hidden buttons while dusting Mama’s front parlor, or explore the basement warehouse of Papa’s peddler’s shop on rainy days. The five girls enjoy doing everything together, especially when it involves holidays and surprises. But no one could have prepared them for the biggest surprise of all!
I saved this book on Goodreads after seeing it recommended in FFF. Then some friends loaned us their copy. Mom read it aloud to the family, and we really enjoyed it. It’s such a sweet story! I haven’t read any of the other books in the series yet, but I’d like to at some point.
5. Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio by Peg Kehret
Acclaimed author Peg Kehret has written the true story of the year when she was twelve and stricken with polio. At first paralyzed and terrified, she fought her way to recovery, aided by doctors and therapists, a loving family, supportive roommates fighting their own battles with the disease, and plenty of grit.
With the humor and suspense that are her trademarks, Peg Kehret vividly recreates a year of heartbreak and triumph.
This story is especially interesting because it’s a true story written by a lady who had polio as a child. While my own health journey has been very different from Peg’s, I could still relate to some of her experiences, and that made it more meaningful to me. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the audiobook and would like to hear it again sometime.
It’s giveaway time! A lot of the bloggers participating in FFF have contributed books. Since there were so many books donated, this year, we have not one but two giveaways! And yes, one of the books in the second place prize is Willow, by yours truly. (Please note that I have not read all of these books, so this is not an endorsement of their content.)
Are you ready to continue the party? There are a lot more books being recommended today! If you’d like to find links to guide you to all of the participating blogs, you can do that at Kate’s blog, where she is co-hosting FFF. And please check out the other blogs on my team and see what books they’re recommending! I’ll be joining you over there.
Let’s Chat!
Have you read any of the books I mentioned in today’s post? Was there one that you think you’d like to read?
Until next time, keep trusting in the Lord and letting Him direct your steps!
In Christ,
Bethany
Oh, these are all on my TBR except J&J, which I love, and YOU ALSO MENTIONED ENEMY BROTHERS!!!! <3 <3
That’s so fun they’re already on your TBR list, Katja! That should help it not grow quite so much this week. 🙂 And yes, Enemy Brothers is definitely too good to not mention!! I loved it so much!
[…] RhysHannahSavannahEllieCateBethany […]
I’ve read all these books except the last one! So happy to see such lovely books being shared. 😀
Thanks for being a part of this year’s FFF, Bets!
That’s so fun that you’ve read most of these too, Bekah! Such good books. There’s a reason they’ve been recommended at FFF before. 🙂 Thank you for inviting me! It has been a lot of fun already.
Thank you, Bethany! I would be interested in reading The Enemy Brothers and One-of-A-Kind Family.
It’s always a blessing to learn about new books!
You’re welcome, Luba! I hope get a chance to read them. They’re both really sweet stories! And yes, I love discovering new books worth reading!
All-of-a-Kind Family is an old favorite of mine! It’s been too long since I thought about that book!
Abigail @ https://authorabigailkay.wordpress.com/
That’s so fun, Abigail! I didn’t grow up on it or it probably would have been a childhood favorite. It’s such a sweet story! Sounds like you might be due to curl up for a cozy re-read. 🙂
My mother read All-of-A-Kind Family aloud to me and my sisters, and I loved it! And, I keep seeing Enemy Brothers recommended! I’m researching WWII for my writing and really want to get my hands on a copy of it!
Aw, I love that your mom read it aloud to you too, Savannah! Read-alouds are the best! I hope you get a chance to read Enemy Brothers! You can read it for free on Archive, though I know it’s not the same as holding it in your hands. It’s a really sweet story! And that’s so neat that you’re working on a WWII story!
[…] Team Oak: Rhys-Marie, Hannah, Savannah, Ellie, Cate, Bethany, and Rebekah […]
I grew up on All-of-a-Kind Family! It meant so much to me as someone with so many sisters and one brother, and the Jewish traditions were cool too since I’m Jewish. Have you read The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser? It’s another family story with similar vibes and really sweet characters.
Thanks for joining the party!
That’s really neat, Kate! Stories about your heritage are extra special. I haven’t read that one, but I just saved it on Hoopla to try. Thank you for the recommendation and for hosting the party!
So glad you’re back!! Looking forward to seeing all your recs. <3
Enemy Brothers, yes!! 😍 And I'm soo happy you were able to get Bless the Lord! It's such a beautiful book.
Added All-of-a-Kind Family to my TBR!
Thank you, Lyds!! It’s really fun to be doing it again and especially so because it’s your first time blogging it! Yes, Bless the Lord really is a beautiful book, and it’s a blessing to have a copy. I hope you enjoy All-of-a-Kind Family!
(continues adding to my TBR) Lovely, Bethany! ❤
Thank you for stopping by, Olivia! Glad you’re finding more goodies for your TBR!
So glad to see you back at FFF, Bethany! Bless The Lord’s illustrations look so pretty.
Thank you, Lily!! It has been nice blogging FFF again. And yes! The illustrations are gorgeous! I’ve gotten my copy back out this week and have been savoring it.
Awwwww you got it! I’m so happy you were able to find “Bless the Lord” from my previous rec! Yay!
Thank you for recommending it, Thanny! It’s such a gorgeous book. I got it back out again this week and have been slowly looking through it, soaking it up.
So glad you’re doing FFF! Did you and Hannah consult about Enemy Brothers or did you both independently think of it? XD
It’s so fun doing FFF with you again, Faith! I think Hannah may have mentioned Enemy Brothers when we were comparing notes. 🙂 It was a little challenging coming up with 5! I’ve saved a whole lot of books from FFF, but I haven’t read nearly as many as I’ve saved.