Historical dramas and modern-day thrillers have been singled out as the year's best Christian fiction by Library Journal.

Six titles are spotlighted in the Best Books 2011: Christian Fiction list by the publication, read by directors and staff in public, academic and special libraries.

Sandra Byrd's To Die For: A Novel of Anne Boleyn, first in the “Ladies in Waiting” series (Howard Books), “offers a sympathetic fresh take and adds depth and dimension to an often vilified woman.” Set in Rome in the days of the early church, T.L. Higleys's Pompei: City on Fire (B&H Publishing Group) is “suspenseful” and “an excellent sequel” to Higley's Petra.

Shadow in Serenity by Terri Blackstock (Zondervan) is “a crisp tale of redeeming love and forgiveness,” while Lion of Babylon by Davis Bunn (Bethany House/Baker Publishing Group) is “an intense, faith-based thriller with a strong sense of place.”

Library Journal reviewers cited Forbidden by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee (Center Street/Hachette Book Group)--first in the “Books of Mortals” series--for “compelling writing and great plot twists” that combine in “an outstanding thriller.” The Queen: A Patrick Bowers Thriller by Steven James (Revell/Baker Publishing Group) was “a pulse-racing, tightly woven conspiracy tale.”

Two evangelical publishers were also featured in Library Journal’s Best Books 2011: Spiritual Living list. Peace Be With You: Monastic Wisdom for a Terror-Filled World by David Carlson (Thomas Nelson) was “one of the most touching and surprising spiritual responses to a post 9/11 world.” Happiness by Joan Chittister (Eerdmans) was selected for its “fluent and charming prose.”

Meanwhile, several Christian titles were among the winners of the ninth annual USA Book News Best Books 2011 Awards. Children's Religious: Passport to the World by Craig Froman (Master Books/New Lead Publishing Group); General Fiction: The Daughter's Walk by Jane Kirkpatrick (Waterbrook Multnomah); Historical Fiction: Maid to Match by Deeanne Gist  (Bethany House); Religious Fiction: Embers of Love by Tracie Peterson (Bethany House); Visionary Fiction: Rooms by James L. Rubart  (B&H Publishing Group).

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