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Uplifting Reading & Viewing Suggestions

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Ever buy a book that disappointed you? Or sit down in the evening to scroll through the shows and movies available only to struggle to find something good to watch? In general, I try not to watch too much tv, but when I do, I don’t want to watch something I’ll regret. So, I thought I’d share a few of the books and shows I’ve been reading or watching lately that have been positive and uplifting during some cold, bleak winter days. Here are a few titles I can recommend to you:

And a few shows (secular, with some minor language) that will still leave you happier than when you started them:

What uplifting books and/or shows would you recommend? Leave a comment and I’ll pick a winner to receive the three books shown above. Thank you!

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Julie Klassen

JULIE KLASSEN loves all things Jane—Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. She worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full time. Three of her novels have won the Christy Award for Historical Romance. Julie and her husband have two sons and live in St. Paul, Minnesota.

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Comments

  2. I just read the Moonlight School…by Suzanne Woods Fischer (Im not home so I’m not 100% sure of the name of the book and author), but it was an excellent book! I don’t watch much tv, but I did watch All Creatures Great and Small and absolutely loved it!!

  3. I really liked Miss Scarlet and the Duke and the British show The Big Family Cooking Showdown because I enjoy cooking shows.

    I just started branching into Native American books and just finished Lori Benton’s Pathfinder series as well as April Gardner’s captivating saga.

  4. Thank you for the suggestions! We’re always looking for something good to watch. Any book by Grace Livingston Hill will be old-fashioned and sweet. And for a feel-good show, you can’t beat The Kindness Diaries!

  5. You’re the 3rd person to recommend “All Creatures Great & Small” recently. We were watching the Marvel movies through in order during lockdown, introducing them to my nephew.

  6. For TV shows, I agree that All Creatures Great and Small is a great show to watch…they had the season finale this past Sunday, so if you haven’t watched it yet, you can watch all of them together…. the same goes for Miss Scarlett and the Duke.

    There are soooo many great books and authors out there that I can’t name just one… some of my favorite authors include Julie Klassen (of course!), Roseanna White, Jen Turano, Karen Witemeyer, Michelle Griep, Elizabeth Camden, Connilyn Cossette, Jocelyn Green, Rachel Hauck, Lynette Eason, Lynn Austin…..

  7. While I watch very few shows on television because I prefer to read, my husband and I have watched All Creatures Great and Small and have loved it. We were delighted to learn that more episodes will be added to the series. Another series I loved is Call the Midwife; I read the books and watched the series.

  8. Hi Julie! I recently read Whose Waves These Are by Amanda Dykes and thought it was a wonderful debut novel. Very uplifting and spiritually encouraging. I don’t watch much t.v. and can’t think of anything uplifting I’ve watched recently.

    Thanks for the opportunity to win the books! I’ve read The Edge of Belonging but have been wanting to read the other two you’re offering. 🙂

    • Thank you, Deena. You’re my winner! Please contact me via FB or julie(at)julieklassen(dot)com to arrange to receive the 2 books you haven’t read. 🙂

  9. Thank you, Julie. There are allot of “cornhusks” with which to feed our souls. We must be cautious what we take in through our eyes.

    “Larks Rise to Candleford” was excellent on PBS. We surely have to dig to discover wholesome books and programs/films. “All Creatures Great and Small” is surely refreshing.

    I so appreciate all your books!!!

  10. I have loved Signed, Sealed, Delivered on Hallmark, along with (of course) When Calls The Heart, When Hope Calls, Lark Rise To Candleford, and many of the movies made from books by CF authors. Thanks for the giveaway! Your books are amazing!

    • Signed, Sealed, Delivered is a favorite of mine as well. Martha Williamson writes some amazing shows.

  11. Anne of Green Gables is one of my all-time favorites to watch! There a new version on Netflix. I like the original one on PBS the best though! I am currently reading Stay With Me by Becky Wade and it is very good! One of my favorite books that I’ve ever read was Lady of Milkweed Manor by Julie Klassen of course!!

  12. We have enjoyed the series All Creatures Great and Small also. I remember reading these books too.

  13. I just finished The Sowing Season the other day. It’s a wonderful book! I haven’t yet read the other two but have heard good things about both. One of the books I would recommend is Joanna Politano’s The Love Note. It’s packed with some powerful themes and was very encouraging to me. I don’t watch a ton of TV but do recommend Hallmark’s Signed, Sealed, Delivered. Martha Williamson (of Touched by an Angel fame) truly is a master at creating uplifting stories. The show is quite unique, even to Hallmark, in that it often mentions and quotes God. I’d highly recommend it.

  14. After watching All Creatures Great and Small, I decided to reread the series of books. Other books are Once Upon A Dickens Christmas by Michelle Griep and waiting in the wings is The Bridge to Belle Island by J. Klassen. I highly recommend Art Detectives and Father Brown on PBS.

  15. I watch very few TV shows but enjoyed All Creatures Great and Small also Cranford on PBS. I enjoy the Hallmark series When Calls the Heart. Julie you are one of my favorite authors. I recently completed The Ivy Hill series including making the Honeycroft Honey-Spice Biscuits (delicious). I am currently reading A Castaway in Cornwall – very good. Too many favorite authors to list but a few are Katie Ganshert (especially No One Ever Asked enlightening), Sarah Loudin Thomas (especially The Right Kind of Fool), Deborah Raney, Becky Wade.

  19. The Love Note by Joanna Davidson Politano and The Way it Should Be by Christina Suzann Nelson were both inspirational stories for me.

  20. I’m not much on movies, but I found that Amanda Dyke’s two books, Whose Waves These Are and Set the Stars Alight to be vey uplifting and the dual timelines made them even more intriguing.

  21. I would recommend All Creatures great and small, Chicago med and as well as Nurses. I found myself hooked on the show Nurses after watching 1 episode( it is in its first season) and I have been enjoying chicago med(currently in its 6th season) after starting with the first season!!
    As for books, I would recommend An appalachian summer by Ann Grabhart, The librarian of boone’s hollow by Kim Vogel sawyer and also piecing it all together by Leslie Gold.

  22. All month we have eagerly awaited All Creatures Great and Small on Sunday nights. My husband and I and the vet across the road read the books as they came out in the 70’s. Our children watched the first’ Herriot’ shows with us a few years later.
    This show has been the best winter activity during this winter of covid!
    All of your book choices look wonderful!

  23. I’m so pleased to see you found The Sowing Season uplifting, Julie, thank you so much for including it in your recommendations! My day is officially made.

    I recently found Amanda Wen’s book Roots of Wood and Stone to be uplifting.

    All Creatures Great and Small is our favorite show.

  24. I really enjoy Call the Midwife. There’s plenty of difficult moments, but it is filled with so much goodness and hope, so I find it a very uplifting show. 🙂

  25. I’ll have to add those books to my list, but oh how we loved those two shows! We are huge fans of the old All Creatures Great and Small, so we went in with trepidation. But while it is somewhat different, it is also very recognizable from the old series and the cast and scenery are fabulous!

  27. I’ve been trading Irene Hannon’s Hope Harbor series. They are sweet, wholesome, and I love the characters. Highly recommended!

  29. I haven’t watched anything uplifting on TV lately or read any uplifting books as I tend to choose thrillers, but Little House on the Prairie is very uplifting to me and I watch all the old episodes and read all of the books when I was young.

  30. The Love Note by Joanna Politano, Wrapped in Rain by Charles Martin, and Heart of the Crown by Hannah Currie are three uplifting books that I have read recently.

  31. We’ve really enjoyed All Creatures Great and Small too. I’m going to subscribe to Britbox so we can watch the old ones! Currently listening to Distant Dreams (Judith Pella/Tracie Peterson) and reading A Castaway in Cornwall 😁

  33. All Creatures Great and Small is a wonderful series! I also remember watching it as a kid.

  34. I’ve been a long time viewer of “Masterpiece” since the late 90s. I enjoyed “Miss Scarlet & the Duke” and “All Creatures Great & Small” and previous posters did too. Both seasons are confirmed for 2nd season! Because of covid, production for both series currently are on hold in the UK.

    Too many authors I’ve enjoyed reading–including a few of them named earlier. This one probably hasn’t been mentioned: the “Lady Darby Mystery” series by Anna Lee Huber. It’s set in early 1830s Scotland although the locations change as the two lead characters solve mysteries.

  36. I’ve been watching “Good Bones” on Hulu. A home renovation show… so not something that has a beautifully crafted storyline, but it’s family-friendly, entertaining, and my favorite part is that every episode has a happy, feel-good ending. 😉

  37. A Wreath of Snow by Liz Curtis Higgs. The first book I’ve read from that author. I also watched “The Dig” a wonderful movie on Netflix about a famous archeological find on a manor estate in WWII England.

  39. May I suggest an old 6 book series (late 1970s into 80s) by M.C. Beaton, called “A House for the Season”. Regency setting, easy reading w/lots of humor. I read it every few yrs. A great escape! Just enuf sentimentality w/o going overboard, gentle (& genteel) romances.
    It’s no wonder readers looking for romance throw-back to when holding hands was a BIG deal! I like leaving lovers at the bdrm door — I’ve got a good imagination! 😊

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