I’ve enjoyed several fun lists of the best book covers of the year. (Go ahead and Google it and you’ll see lots of quirky lists and cool covers. Of course the biography of Jobs. A few artfully designed book jackets for important novels. What’s with that Tina Fey cover, eh?)
Most of us who sell books know that a good–or mediocre, or bad–cover can make or break a book’s success. And, of course, there are those of us who believe that God cares about good design (see, oh, for instance, Rainbows for the Fallen World by Calvin Seerveld [Toronto Tuppence; $25.00], or any of the dozens of other books we have about aesthetics and creativity and beauty and such.) Nice covers–and the design of pages, spine, heft and texture– can enhance the reading experience but a book doesn’t get a chance to charm if it isn’t picked up. A nice cover may lure the hapless bookshelf browser to select a title in the first place. If you like this kind of stuff, we stock a book from a few years ago that looks at a few book covers, church brochures, bulletin covers, ministry publications, choir music folios, church signs, para-church flyers, religious magazines, and all kinds of really great graphic design work. Our friend, Square Halo honcho, Ned Bustard, had a piece chosen to be shown in it. See Graphic Design and Religion: A Call for Renewal by Daniel Kantor (GIA Publication; $39.95.)
It’s hard for those of us not schooled in design to even know what to look for when offering acclaim about attractive, artful bookcovers. So these choices are just my guess, and not at all comprehensive. Not “the” best, just a bunch that I thought did the job well.
By the way, I don’t think the norms or principles for a book jacket design are the same as for any painting or picture. That is, a good art piece may be fabulous, but not work as a book cover. Some of the prizes for best cover go to pieces that seem like very good art, but not so good as book jackets. And don’t even get me started about typography and fonts, a topic about which there are some very cool books. 

It is complicated for me to think about cover art and back jacket design apart from the context of whether or not I like the book. But, for now, the book’s content or writing quality isn’t quite pertinent (except insofar as the design of the book must allude to or evoke something of the substance of the book, right?) I do not, though, show here any books we despise or disapprove of and most are actually pretty great. A great cover, finally, can’t redeem a bad book.


Lastly, I’ve chosen non-fiction books mostly from religious publishers; some faith-based publishers are still way behind their general market counterparts and some are down-right scholocky. (At least they aren’t as bad as the notoriously goofy new age and metaphysical marketplace which are often just laughable!) I am sure others have given honors to books in the Christian market, but I’ve not seen any such lists. So here are a few from mostly Christian publishers in no particular order, taken from our Dallastown shop shelves. What do you think?
Of course, if you want to decorate your loft with cool looking books, give us a holler. We appreciate your support.
A Kingdom Called Desire: Confronted by the Love of a Risen King Rick McKinley (Zondervan) $14.99 cover design by Aaron James, The Math Department. I wish you could see the back cover where the black magic mark underlines and crosses out stuff in stark scribble. Is there some hipster modern artist doing this kind of stuff? Very cool, although not everyone seems to think so.
Sects, Love, and Rock & Roll: My Life on Record (Cascade) $23.00 cover design by Jim Tedrick If you’ve ever held black vinyl, you know how great this is.
Your Neighbor’s Hymnal Jeffrey F. Keuss (Cascade) $17.00 cover design by M Stock Another music themed book from the same publisher, the plain but expansive red of the sleek couch, the hardwood floor, the lower case font, the extension of his arm. The back cover is a bit busy, but the front, well, it rocks.
Surprised By Laughter: The Comic World of C.S. Lewis Terry Lindvall (Nelson) $16.99 cover design by Charles Brock, Faceout Studio I think the scribbled title might be a bit too bold, but the muzzy and goatee on old C.S. is just perfect. No, it does not make him look like Salvador Dali, but it is good of you to wonder. There was an earlier edition of this out years ago (and they lose points for not noting that anywhere!) and that cover wasn’t funny at all. Yippee.
Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help Robert Lupton (HarperOne) $22.95
Theirs is the Kingdom: Celebrating the Gospel in Urban America Robert Lupton (HarperOne) $13.99 covers designed by Gia Giasullo.
I love it when publishers re-issue an older book with a new cover that somehow matches the newer one. The yellow and the strips tie these together, and I love them both. The unique vantage point of the camera capturing the drum circle on the older one relays energy and urban movement. The b/w piciture of the cross hanging from the dashboard on the hardback cover of the new Toxic Charity is somehow ominous. If this doesn’t win awards, I don’t know what should.
Ir-rev-rend: Christianity Without the Pretense. Faith Without the Facade Greg Surratt (FaithWords) $19.99 cover designed by Gearbox If you don’t know these old wooden boards in traditional churches you may not get it, but I thought it was pretty clever…
Awaken Your Sense: Exercises for Exploring the Wonder of God J. Brent Bill & Beth A. Booram (IVP) $15.00 cover design by Cindy Kiple I am a sucker for warm Earth tones, but the extra touches in this–showing the thorn, the bite out of the pear–make it extra interesting. Nice touches on the back, too, making it a delight to view. As it should be.
Abundant Simplicity: Discovering the Unhurried Rhythms of Grace Jan Johnson (IVP) $15.00 cover design by CIndy Kiple A perfect use of a clean font and two gentle hues on the print. And that exquisite swan, so naturally centered. This wonderful design matches the book so well.
Flunking Sainthood: A Year of Breaking the Sabbath, Forgetting to Pray, and Still Loving My Neighbor (Paraclete Press) $16.99 cover design by IHS Designs One of my favorite books this year and you get the idea perfectly from the cover (at least if you’ve know what a typewriter is and how old-school corrections worked, ink hand-scribbled over the typing paper.) The hilarity continues a bit on the back, too. Love it.
Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday Work Tom Nelson (Crossway) $15.99 cover design by Tobias’ Outerwear for Books Well, this effort could have flopped but I think they pulled it off. Clean, intriguing, making the point. The light green of the authors name pulls it together, too… Do you like?
The Cross and the Lynching Tree James Cone (Orbis) $28.00 cover design by Valentin Concha-Nunez The designer also did the actual art that shows the cross in the shadow of the tree, making a stark and notable statement about the book’s claim. The dust-jacket’s flaps are adorned with elegant quotes and there is a classic photo of Dr. Cone on the back, offering a traditional look that works wells for this esteemed if provocative scholar.
A Place at the Table: 40 Days of Solidarity with the Poor Chris Seay (Baker) $13.99 cover design by Jay Smith-Juicebox Designs The hand-lettering by Kristi Smith is brilliant. The soft beige and blue hues, the hand-lettered font continued a bit on the back, it all works for a very contemporary feel. The DVD cover art matches, too.
A Year of Plenty: One Suburban Family, Four Rules, and 365 Days of Homegrown Adventure in Pursuit of Christian Living Craig L. Goodwin (Sparkhouse) $12.95 cover design by Alisha Lofgren The best use of color of any book about basic Christian growth we’ve seen in years. I guess it isn’t hard when you have a close up of a rooster, vibrant wildflowers, and a sweet kid holding giant vegetables. Spectacular.
I Am Second: Real Stories. Changing Lives Doug Bender & Dave Sterrett (Thomas Nelson) $19.99 cover design by Thomas Nelson Inc. White on white is a bit risky, but it worked. The inside of the hardback covers show bunches of quite striking photo portraits, and there are some interestingly posed photos throughout, making this a very handsome package, just the right weight and feel and look. The honest and raw stories needed extra visuals; well-done.
Wisdom & Wonder: Common Grace in Science and Art Abraham Kuyper (Christian’s Library Press) $14.99 cover design by Brandon Hill Most heavy theology books (especially from a hundred years ago) aren’t that artfully designed and I’ve noted in each of my reviews of this historic release that it is, indeed, an allusive delight. You have to look closely, but the dirt under the tree has an (upside down) urban skyline. Are the potentialities that have allowed us to create culture grounded (in seed form) in the goodness of the very creation God made? A beautiful, suggestive image of a key Bible doctrine opened up by the Dutch neo-Calvinist. The image continues on the back, the font is clean–I love the fluid ampersand between the crisp words. And why are the leaves blowing from the tree? Kudos to everyone involved in making this obscure but important work available in such a pleasant, aesthetically-pleasing way. I’ve heard they’ve done a hardback edition as well, which I haven’t seen.
Mud & Poetry: Love, Sex, and the Sacred Tyler Blanski (Fresh Air Books) $16.95 cover design by Left Coast Design Okay, the coffee spills and rings have been done before, but this messy cover works so well; it would have been too obvious to use mud. Good mix of upper case/lower case lettering. The visual tone is a bit bohemian and moody, which, of course, is as it must be. Very cool. The skyscape is Minneapolis, by the way.
Naked Surrender: Coming Home To Our True Sexuality Andrew Comiskey (IVP) $16.00 cover design by Cindy Kiple Comiskey works for Desert Stream Ministries and offers a Biblically-grounded, conservative vision of healing sexual brokenness and pain. Some may find this a bit too stark, but the type design and white space and b/w photo make this very striking. Strong and artistic b/w photos on the back, too, tie this together as an excellent cover. I wonder if they worried that it was too sensual?
The Grace Effect: How the Power of One Life Can Reverse the Corruption of Unbelief Larry Alex Taunton (Nelson) $16.99 cover designed by Thomas Nelson Inc. This is a fairly traditional design but the upward sweep and shadows and the perfect contrast of the deep orange creates a mature, classic look.
Tutu Authorized Alister Sparks & Hpho Tutu (HarperOne) $29.99 cover design by Cameron Gibb We all know that the estimable, smiling Archbishop is famously photogenic, but this shot knocks me out. There is a picture of him dancing on the spine, and one of him in prayer with a Bible on the back, but this close up is so striking. Glad they kept the text sparse.
Winter Light: A Christians Search for Humility Bruce Ray Smith (Kalos Press) $12.95 David Bedsole This under-stated, warm, cover uses light calligraphy in a way that really works—not every calligraphed cover works so well! Even their logo on the back enhances the cover. This paperback was made with that slightly waxy stock, thick ink, making it so nice to hold. Is the top half a very close up of ice crystals? I think. Kudos to a new, indie press, committed to excellence.
Shaped By God: Twelve Essentials for Nurturing Faith in Children, Youth and Adults edited by Robert J. Keeley Note the collage of words (as if from newsprint, or Sunday School worksheets or Bible pages) that form the watering can and sprinkle out. In lesser hands it could have been cheesy, but I think this is artful without being didactic or clumsy. I wish you could see it up close. Very creative.
Hell Is Real (But I Hate to Admit It) Brian Jones (Cook) $14.99 cover design by JWH Graphic Arts It’s been done on album covers and ads and I’m sure bunches of horror books, which works, here, eh? Not too many words and nothing else, but… that red arrow sets it off, I think, and the red comes in to play on the back. Is it the devil’s tail?
Words Made Fresh: Essays on Literature & Culture Larry Woiwode
(Crossway) $24.99 cover design by Gearbox Studio When I gave this a
rave review in an September BookNotes I hinted that it seemed almost too
good for a Mid-Western religious publisher as it could have easily
worked on any of the top-shelf literary houses from New York. The cover
design, also, stand head and shoulders above typical evangelical books
and Crossway obviously went the extra mile with some whimsy and yet
small touches of collage. The dust-jacket is on a high quality, heavy, textured stock; if
only it had deckle edged pages. Double kudos.
Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian John Piper (Crossway) $22.99 cover design by Josh Dennis I think this is one of the most striking covers in years! The smooth texture, the red line, extended around the back. The nearly painful gravitas of the topic demanded a serious look, and this excels.
Make College Count: A Faithful Guide to Life & Learning Derek Melleby (Baker) $12.99 cover design by Lookout Design You know that we’ve promoted this widely, our store and BookNotes gets a shout out, and we think it is the best graduation gift to any college-bound senior. We had read the manuscript and knew it we’d be pressing it into the hands of many, so it had to look sharp. This little hardback, sans dust jacket, succeeds wonderfully, with odd little plus signs and a rich fall color scheme that invites you right on campus. The typography uses slightly different colors (and that plus sign is used as an ampersand.) These nice touches and the bright spine shows off a very intentionally created cover. Good design inside, too. Just great!
Jesus, My Father, the CIA and Me: A Memoir… of Sorts Ian Cron (Nelson) $15.99 cover design by Christopher Tobias It is risky to use a photo by the author of a book, but here it is essential: the wonderfully-written prelude is a moody and somewhat mysterious meditation on the old Polaroid. This is one of the years best books and after reading the first few pages you won’t imagine the book with any other cover. The red is nice little touch that makes it pop, as they say. Top notch.
Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life Richard Rohr (Jossy Bass) $19.95 cover design by Rule 29 The clean lines of the simple chairs and table, placed interestingly, the earth tones, the smaller chunky size for a hardback make this one of the most handsome books of the year. Look how the subtitle is positioned between the two words of the title. I love the look, the feel, the way it invites you to the gentle spirituality this Franciscan author offers. Very nicely done.
Faith and Culture: A Guide to a Culture Shaped by Faith edited by Kelly Monroe Kulllberg & Lael Arrington (Zondervan) $14.99 cover design by Extra Credit Projects I raved about this when it was out in hardcover, with a slightly different title (they pitched it as a devotional — God bless ’em for trying) and a less splashy look. Sorry about the pun. Just look at that cover! A fabulous young design, fun and alluring (The splashing paint seems thick and liquid up close, the title situated vertically is a great call.) If the previous “devotional” sub-title didn’t bring in the right readers, let us pray that this does. A great effort at repackaging a great book.
Mathematics Through the Eyes of Faith James Bradley and Russell Howell (Harper) $19.99 cover design by Stefan Gutermuth A profound, readable book on how religious commitments effect the ways we consider math, the philosophy of science, knowing, numbers and such—how in the world to you design a cover that isn’t blandly plain or overtly obvious (a page of numbers and equations?) An abacus! Give these guys a medal of honor: it’s the best shot of an abacus I’ve ever seen, making this fresh, and yet tied in to the design format of the other Through the Eyes of Faith series.
A Public Faith: How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good Miroslav Volf (Brazos) $21.99 I wished the good folks at Brazos would have credited the designer; the use of the stunning photo of a sea of candles (FrancePhotos–Homer Sykes/Alamy) fits so well, and coupled with the large type font, creates a very fine cover. Granted, this is fairly standard design and was reluctant to show it here, but I keep enjoying it, happy to display it, not only because it may be the book of the year, but because of this great, appealing cover design. Am I just a sucker for candles, or is this really a very beautiful jacket? (By the way, this on-line copy doesn’t do it justice…sorry. It really is stunning.)
Red Like Blood: Confrontations with Grace Joe Coffey & Bob Bevington (Shepherd Press) $13.95 I love the choice of font, the crisp typography, but different weight, over the slightly swirly red. I’ve seen the swirly, diffused color thing done before, but rarely to such good effect. A brighter shade blood, of course, would have been needlessly gruesome…well done.
One.Life: Jesus Calls We Follow Scot McKnight (Zondervan) $14.99 cover design by Curt Diepenhorst The moment I saw this I was struck; it feels so sleek and modern, with that period there and the terse subtitles. Very hip. And the book is pretty darn great, too. Makes a perfect gift for any younger Christian concerned about vocation, discipleship, the integration of faith and life. One-Life. Get it? The dot is just a little bit of extra awesomeness.
Plowing in Hope: Toward a Biblical Theology of Culture David Bruce Hegeman (Canon Press) $12.00 cover design by David Dalbey This second edition of a long-time fav is a bit whimsical (on the back there is a Brussels sprout on a Greco-Roman pedestal) and the close up of a picture frame and a shovel is nicely suggestive. The white space inside the frame was a risk, and is very cool.
Surprised By Oxford: A Memoir Carolyn Weber (Nelson) $16.99 cover design by Christopher Tobias This story of Weber’s important time at Oxford could be have imaged in up close cheesiness of a professors stern look or they could have gone big with the building, all turret and spires and wrought iron. The expansive use of sky strikes me as a classy design (although the early version didn’t have the endorsing blurb up there. Shoulda put it the back) and the french folds give the paperback an elegant feel.
Contemplative Vision: A Guide to Christian Art & Prayer Juliet Benner (IVP) $17.00 cover design by Cindy Kiple I told myself that using art books isn’t quite fair but then I noticed how many that use wonderful, classic art still somehow fall short. The font, the color, the design or angle of text and how it is placed near or over the visual all matters so much. This just works. A lovely book, with full color inside, to match the luminous gentle writing. A treat to behold.
Recovering the Real Lost Gospel: Reclaiming the Gospel as Good News Darrell L. Bock (Broadman Academic) $16.99 cover design uncredited This publisher has some real doozies, and, like most academic publishers, lots of bland stuff. But several are great. This is one of the most striking ones in their catalog. The lime green books could have been lined up evenly, all the same size. The Bible could have been too worn. They all could have had antiquarian leather covers. What could have been a cliche is serious, classy, and just a bit surprising. Well done.
DVD CURRICULUM
It is hard to beat the very sleek and modern design (and the very well done staging and filming and the extraordinarily important content) of The Prodigal God DVD by TIm Keller, which should have been given awards galore last year.
This package, though, is creative and allusive and very well designed, I think, don’t you?
DVD Stuck Jennie Allen (Zondervan) box set $39.99
DVD Stuck Participants Guide (Zondervan) $9.99
SPECIAL AWARD OF HONOR
Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City used to be one of the most fuddy-duddy-looking, old school publishers around, reflecting their pietistic, Nazarene tradition. They have kept their Wesleyan heritage but have entered the 21st century with such pizazz that nearly every new release in the last few years has had a keen look. Their catalog that shows forthcoming titles is itself a work of art. Their radical youth division, Bare Foot (who publish the journal immerse) and their House Studio have done edgy, provocative pieces too. Their DVD packages of Shane Claiborne (The Economy of Love), Stanley Hauerwas (Sunday Asylum) and Walter Brueggemann (The Psalmist’s Cry) are stylistically postmodern and
nearly disorienting to many viewers over 50. Their participants guides are full color and graphically over-the-top. For attention to contemporary design, they deserve some attention from somebody more important than we. I hope you don’t mind me using my friend Steve Lutz’s book on campus ministry as an example of a recent title. What’s with the scribble you say? If you have to ask, you may need the book more than you know.
SPECIAL AWARD FOR CURRICULUM PACKAGING
This is a hard category to discuss as there are so many pieces created every season by many companies. Most are pretty extravagant, a few quite cool. I love, though, this corrugated cardboard look with red ink and the clean logo and thematic approach throughout this big boxed set, the workbook, posters and DVD cases (even a hand stamp.) They invite you to “gather the whole church around the whole story” as they introduce a faith nurturing experience for the entire church family.
We (Faith Alive) $149.00 Sorry, I couldn’t on short notice determine who designed this; some of the Christian Reformed Church stuff is very classy, and I apologize for not offering due credit to artists and graphic designers behind this kit. Check it all out at wecurriculum.org. Do let us know if we can help you understand it further — the content is very good, but for now, I’m wishing I could show you the cool cardboard look of the whole project.
TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING
I was taken by one of these strong, creative designs when I ordered it; the other had a different design, and I ordered it, too. Both are great authors. When they both arrived from the same publisher, the very same day, I had to scratch my head. They have different designers, but one of them had a cover design change from what was initially shown. Somebody ought to get spanked, I’d say. But here’s the thing: these are both tremendously written, great, great, (unrelated) books and you should own them. Give one away if it freaks you out.
Or is it just me?
TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING REDUX


I called the publisher to complain about the cover of Erasing Hell, a quickly released book against Rob Bell, in what I took as a blatant, cheesy allusion to an earlier Rob Bell book, Jesus Wants to Save Christians. I really trust the well-respected editor who pleaded ignorance, but I suspect the design team knew exactly what they were doing. Hmmm. Homage? Mean-spirited? Clever? Dumb? Freudian slip? Who knows?
REALLY REALLY CLOSE BUT…
I love the fashion-plate colors, the TULIP joke (the acronym for the so-called “five points of Calvinism”) and the clean, uniform (but sligh
tly different) companion editions thing that’s going on. Very fresh (especially given the dense content.) What’s wrong with a great concept? I think that the drooped tulips on Against… just aren’t eye catching and more than one person thought it seemed somehow biased. What do you think?
CLOSE BUT…
A cool photo, a nifty idea and a heckuva good bit of writing, but somehow this fell flat. Maybe
if the sign had a hand-scrawled look—hasn’t the designer ever been to a real protest before? That the placard seems photo-shopped in doesn’t help, either. Sigh. This book means a lot to me, though; we really recommended it when it first came out. And the cover is a clever idea…anyway, still highly recommended.
NOT EVEN CLOSE
Tweet If You “Heart” Jesus: Practicing Church in the Digital Reformation Elizabeth Drescher (Morehouse Publications) $20.00
Really? They couldn’t even use the image of a real smart phone? And they had to use the “heart” emoticon, as if it were a 11 year old girl on myspace? They deserve credit for trying, messing with the standard format of a cover, but look: this is a remarkably serious book (and I’m glad they didn’t want it to look boring, since it is not.) But is anybody with an ipad who is half-way serious about blogging or using the twitter platform going to take this seriously? I’ve been mocked all fall taking it to gigs where even old people rolled their eyes. (If you are under 30, I’d bet you wouldn’t even pick it up, presuming it is goofy.) Yet, this is very thoughtful book, believe it or not, by a serious, good writer, who, I would guess, wouldn’t “heart” Jesus for a hundred bucks. She might pray the hours on line and study semiotic theory as it relates to virtual community… let’s hope they repackage this, and soon.
Well, I do believe there are norms and principles for aesthetics so beauty is not “in the eye of the beholder.” But, let’s face it, this is pretty subjective stuff, and I share these choices–I could have shown others that struck our fancy– as a bookseller, not an design expert or artist. I do have opinions, though, as others do as well. Here are the winners the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association award, and I am unconvinced about one, think another is terrible, and the third, Joel Salatin’s award-winning funny one with a chicken and giant egg, sorta creeps me out which maybe is as it should be. Folks, This Ain’t Normal is one of the best books of the year, no matter if you like the cover or not. Go figure.
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true in Jesus. We hear it in Handel’s Messiah and we hear it in the other ancient texts we read as we prepare to hear the nativity story from the gospels. Yes, indeed, Jesus is the One who brings peace. Swords into plowshares. Every army boot used in battle shall be burned up in the Lord’s zeal. “No one will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain.” And the angels, who we have reason to suspect were in on the cosmic implications of the unfolding story, sang “peace on Earth.” Good will to all. Jesus is, indeed, the Prince of Peace.
Story of God, The Story of Us: Getting Lost and Found in the Bible Sean Gladding (IVP) $17.00 When studying any specific topic it is always wise to see it in its broadest Biblical framework and this creative book shows–with very colorful writing (and a pretty edgy little six session DVD curriculum)–reminds us that the whole Bible is an unfolding narrative including creation-covenant-freedom-descent-reconciliation and the like. God is bringing Christ’s Kingship to bear, reconciling all things. We get to play a part. Being a blessed peacemaker is only one part of our calling, but if we don’t know the big picture of the Bible, we won’t take up our callings as we point to His redemptive work in the world. Nice. I’m hearing strains of Silent Night–that line that Christ brings “the dawn of redeeming grace.”
Salvation Means Creation Healed: The Ecology of Sin and Grace Howard Synder & Joel Scandrett (Wipt & Stock) $31.00 I’ve promoted this handsome, over-sized book before, but think it a fine place to start to get at this topic of peacemaking. Snyder & Scandrett insist that God created the world and has no intentions of destroying the works of his hands, that which God spoke into being. No, in Christ, creation is healed, restored, regained, sin is defeated, not the goodness of God’s realm. Snyder is a Wesley scholar and offers serious explanation why we still find it hard to imagine this “new creation” vision. As many have explained, ideas that aren’t consistent with the major teaching of the Bible (about heaven, for instance, or total destruction of the cosmos or a rapture) were introduced early to the church and we’ve mis-read the Bible on this hugely important cornerstone of a Christian worldview ever since. If we don’t think God is going to heal the planet, how will we ever get to think he could heal the enmity between tribes or nations? 
Reconciling All Things: A Christian Vision for Justice, Peace and Healing Emmanuel Katongole & Chris Rice (IVP) $15.00 The whole set of six books from the
(The others, include a study of weakness (including what we can learn from those with disabilities) called Living Gently in a Violent World by Stanley Hauerwas & Jean Vanier, a great book on forgiveness (with some stunning stories about gang violence and urban reconciliation) a book on racial justice by John Perkins and Charles Marsh, and a must-read on hospitality, friendship, and mutuality called Friendship in
Old Testament Ethics for the People of God Christopher J.H. Wright (IVP) $30.00 I a glad this big tome was just released in paperback. At over 500 pages it is, as one Cambridge reviewer said “truly a magnum opus.” John Goldingay notes that Wright “has been one of the most significant writers on Old Testament ethics in recent decades.” This opens up the ethical principles embedded in the Older Testament narratives by using a three-fold framework (theological, social, and economic.) There is a broad spectrum of relevant texts (and contrasting opinions of their relevance and/or application) and Wright does a spectacular job navigating the rough wars. Again, it seems to me that exploring peacemaking in the Bible must, by necessity, be seen as part of a broader social ethic, related to the whole counsel of God. There is good stuff in here on politics and peace, justice and human rights and such, but it’s strength is the big picture, the methodology, the helpful way it points us towards living faithfully as the people of God in a broken world. “The chains shall he break for the slave is our brother, and in his name all oppression will cease.”
Neglected Voices: Peace in the Old Testament David Leiter (Herald Press) $16.99 Thank goodness for this kind of illuminating Biblical research on peace in the Hebrew Scriptures. Too often we say that the Old Testament has wrath and war, but the New Testament is full of peace and love. Not true (on either simplistic account.) Yet, it is true that many simply haven’t plumbed the depths of the seeds of peace in the Older Testament. In this splendid work, Leiter shows four different sorts of peacemaking texts in the Old Testament, introducing us to several “ideologies” of peace. As Sister Patricia McDonald (author of God and Violence, a book I reviewed years ago) writes, “Leiter opens up the Old Testament as a significant resource for those committed to making peace. (He) demonstrates that the theme of peace cuts across the literary genres of narrative, prophecy, legal texts, proverbs, and psalms, and offers an unexpected range of strategies for raising consciousness and posing questions about social justice.” 
Peace (Understanding Biblical Themes) Walter Brueggemann (Chalice Press) $24.99 Published decades ago under the title Living Towards a Vision, this book is a collection of 16 chapters, grouped in four sections. Part One is “A Vision of Shalom” followed by “A Vision of Freedom”, “A Vision of Order” and “The Shalom Church.” Fascinating, evocative, beautiful, this is vintage preaching and Biblical exposition from one of the most interesting and generative Bible scholars of our generation. He has a way with handling texts, relating them creatively, doing serious cultural background work, and saying it in evocative ways that simply is not matched. It isn’t a Christmas study, of course, but we know that hymn, don’t we, that reminds us that “His law is love and His gospel is peace.” Maybe this is a good study for after Christmas. 
Laying Down the Sword: Why We Can’t Ignore the Bible’s Violent Verses Philip Jenkins (HarperOne) $26.99 This is a very new study, a careful analysis by a thoughtful, popular Episcopalian, who thinks it isn’t finally helpful to ignore the violent texts of the Bible (or the Quran.) But how do we deal with them? I’ve reviewed this earlier and promoted it all around this fall. It’s good even if I may not have said everything the way he did. This is not the final word, but it is an important contribution, by a very impressive scholar and churchman who is mostly known for his academic work on the multi-ethnic growth of the global church. He’s a historian, too, and knows that relative peace and proximate justice can be achieved. In his recent work Jenkins has traveled widely and seen all manner of goodness and all manner of gross mayhem all over the world, so he knows what is at stake. Endorsed by a range of thinkers, from Islamic peacemaker Eboo Patel to mainline church scholar and social historian Diana Butler Bass to esteemed evangelical Bible scholar Ben Witherington. 
God Behaving Badly: Is the God of the Old Testament Angry, Sexist and Racist? David T. Lamb (IVP) $15.00 I gave this a big thumbs up when it first came out—folks I deeply respect (like Scot McKnight, John Goldingay, Alan Hirsch) raved about it and a number of young adults I know have told me that Lamb is the real deal. He had a scholarly book on Oxford University Press, but here he takes his erudite thinking and offers pastoral wisdom and good insight, walking those with struggles through these very tough passages. This is obviously very important, close to the concerns that Jenkins raises, and answered with evangelical thoughtfulness. Very nicely done.
Christ and Violence Ronald J. Sider (Wipf & Stock)
Killing Enmity: Violence and the New Testament Thomas R. Yoder Neufeld (Baker Academic) $22.99 For anyone studying peacemaking in the Bible, the quandaries are not only how to understand and interpret the violence of the Older Testament, but also in the Newer. This new book is truly amazing, very learned, theologically rich and altogether rewarding. You may not agree with all Neufeld writes but, as Andrew Lincoln (himself a renowned New Testament scholar) says, “Readers will find it an insightful and indispensable guide.” (I’ve read another important book of his, too, Recovering Jesus, and have browsed his commentary on Ephesians and assure you he is serious, provocative, compelling, and informed. A good writer for this sort of thing, too. Very highly recommended.) The cover art may not be clear enough here but it is a Christ-like crucifixion sculpture made by a Paraguayan artist who fashioned it out of real “shivs” given to Pastor Jonathan Beachy by the prisoners of a notorious prison upon their conversion to Christ and their being “conquered by divine love.”
A Peace Reader edited by E. Morris Sider & Luke Keefer, Jr.
Christian Peace and Nonviolence: A Documentary History Michael Long (Orbis) $40.00 This is nearly magisterial in scope, offering a reader a collection of primary sources on the topic unlike any I’ve seen. This collects excerpts of peacemaking exegesis, sermons, speeches, letters, and essays by folks throughout all of church history. We’ve got other anthologies about nonviolence, and some are quite interesting, but this one is extraordinary. Here is what the publisher says: “From the Sermon on the Mount to the twenty-first century, this comprehensive reader recounts the Christian message of peace and nonviolence.”
name just a few. It offers pieces by medieval figures like St. Benedict and St. Francis, and Erasmus, and offers some of the famous “Truce of God” documents from the 9th and 10th centuries, which are more significant than many people realize. It naturally offers writings of several Anabaptists (for instance, Conrad Grebel’s letter to Muntzer, and Menno Simon’s defense of the false charges made against him.) As the book moves into the modern period, starting with the 1600’s, there are letters from George Fox and the under-appreciated William Penn, and other Quaker abolitionists. And you will be moved to read Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth. 
Okay, I know we are not supposed to overdo the gift giving thing. We needn’t fixate and certainly shouldn’t spend more than we can afford. Yet, the opportunity for giving meaningful gifts–books and items that can truly help people live their lives or bring them literary pleasure to enlarge their heart and mind—is upon us and it seems like a shame not to (in an unfortunate turn of phrase) exploit it. What I mean to say is that it isn’t just every day you get to give away stuff to people, even faith-based books and helpful resources, without seeming a bit pushy or pesky. So go for it. Use this cultural window of opportunity to talk about carols and tell about Jesus and offer gifts that point people to the Way. Give gifts during the 12 Days and certainly on the gift-givers holy day, Epiphany (when the whole Christmas gift-giving thing got starter, after all, what with those Wise Men splurging so…)
really great gift and you need it now. Enter our last Advent list, the “when you really gotta wow ’em” list of pretty cool suggestions. Of course, we think nearly anything we’ve listed the past few months would do, but there are some books that have particular whimsy, rarity or a certain kind of glory. Enjoy browsing. Give something like this and I betcha somebody out there is gonna thank you.
Start Something That Matters Blake Mycoskie (Spiegl & Grau) $22.00 I sure hope you know the story of Toms Shoes. He gives a pair to kids in poverty with every pair sold. His story of getting this project going is nothing if not inspiring, and he invites us all to do something important with our lives. With every book you purchase, a new book will be provided to a child in need, too, through their One to One program. Better yet, give them the book and order a pair of Tom Shoe’s. Cool idea, eh?
The Four Holy Gospels illuminated and illustrated by Makoto Fujimura CEV (Crossway) $149.99 We have written about our respect and appreciation for the luminous, glittering abstract art of New York modern artist and thoughtful Christian art critic Mako Fujimura. This is the first time a Bible has been seriously illustrated with abstract paintings, all prayerfully created for this glorious work. We’ve joined with reviewers world wide to acclaim this one-of-a-kind edition of the gospels. What a gift this would make for someone with exquisite, contemporary tastes. Finely printed on heavy stock paper, by the way, The Four Holy Gospels come slip-cased in a sturdy cloth box. A truly exquisite artifact, the sort of thing that you purchase for those most rare occasions.
Indescribable book and DVD Louie Giglio & Matt Redman (Cook and 268generation) Deluxe hardback coffee table book ($24.99), paperback book ($14.99) and DVD ($7.99) You may know the popular Passion conference talk that Giglio did; the DVD shows him live, while showing the amazing slides from the Hubbell spacecraft and beyond as he preaches about the grandness of eternity, the awesomeness of God and the great grace that would extend love to the little speck that we are. That DVD became the 
book (deluxe hardcover or cheaper paperback) with fabulous pictures and they’ve changed the packaging of the DVD to match the book covers. So, you could get the hardback + DVD or the paperback + DVD, depending on your budget. Awesome. Hey, I ought to be in marketing to think of this nifty combo. The re-packaging of the DVD is what makes it! Let us know what you want. Some sciency wanna be astronomer is going to be dazzled. More importantly, they will be drawn to God. 
The Legacy of Sovereign Joy: God’s Triumphant Grace in the Lives of Augustine, Luther & Calvin .
I Lay My Stitches Down: Poems of American Slavery Cynthia Grady,
The NIV Audio Bible (Zondervan) $79.99 You may know that after years of wrangling with various schools of thought and translation options (remember the TNIV?) the most popular Bible translation in America has been re-done, finely edited with care and relevance. There are all sorts of new editions of the re-edited NIV (including the newly enhanced NIV Study Bible, done with full color…call us for prices and colors!) This, however, is the very first audio edition of the “new” NIV. This complete set is done with a single voice recording (George W. Sarris) and includes 66 CDs in a black carrying case. There are track breaks at every chapter making it easy to find and keep your place. This is a great idea!
ESV Study Bible (Crossway) $74.99 There is little doubt that the English Standard Version is one of, if not the most accurate Bible translation on the market. It was modeled somewhat on the old RSV so retains some classic rhetoric and rhythms. It is contemporary but not trendy or simplistic. The poetry reads like poetry, the tone is reverent. Besides the conservative translation itself, the ESV study notes are thoughtful, evangelically orthodox, helpful, often with a Reformed tendency. There are more than 20,000 notes making this a tremendous resource for serious Bible students. The 200 full-color maps are very useful, the concordance excellent, there are 80,000 cross-references. The construction of these durable leather editions are the best in the industry, setting high standards of craftsmanship and elegance. You should take a look at the 
NLT Parallel Study Bible (Tyndale) $74.99 This is the world’s first parallel study Bible with two study Bibles side by side! That’s a whole lot of notes! The New Living Translation is a personal favorite, upbeat and contemporary and informed by excellent ecumenical scholarship. (A hero of mine, who knows 14 languages and has an academic book on the Dead Sea Scrolls–in Italian!– Al Wolters, led the team that translated Job on this; Marianne Meye Thompson, Raymond Van Leeuwen, Tremper Longman, D.A. Carson, F.F. Bruce, and other amazingly smart folks worked on it as well. It is not related to the old Living Bible paraphrase so don’t let anyone suggest it isn’t a serious translation from the Hebrew and Greek.) The two study editions in this dual-core edition are the Life Application Study Bible (with its practical, useful insight) and the somewhat more scholarly NLT Study Bible. The NLT Study Bible notes are, like most study Bibles, strong on good data, explanatory facts, background meanings, including cultural and literary insights. The Life Application notes, as I’ve suggested, are all about the daily living applications. I love the timelines and inspirational overviews of each book of the Bible, making the practical Life App a personal fav for study. Combining it with the more studious NLT Study makes this big ol baby a spectacular resource. Give this and they’ll say “didn’t see that coming!” Why didn’t somebody think of this sooner? 
The Spirituality of Bread and The
The Spirituality of Nature Jim Kalnin (Northstone) $37.00 Already have the Bread or Wine ones in this voluptuous series? There is one on grandparents, one on pets, one on art, and this one, for instance, on the wonders of God’s good creation. It is evocative and glorious (not terribly avant garde, just very, very nice photographs.) These are not heavy-handed with pushy religion so wouldn’t be off-putting to anyone, except maybe to those who don’t believe that what the Bible itself declares: that the creation itself declares the glory of God. How ’bout those Northern Lights on the cover? Soli Deo Gloria.
Awaken Your Senses: Exercises for Exploring the Wonder of God J. Brent Bill & Beth Booram (IVP) $15.00 I had a very early version of this and was so taken with it I told a few folks this summer that it will be one of the books of the year. Alas, it arrived yesterday! These two Quakers walk us through an array of wonder-full meditations and experiences that combine a sensuous engagement with creational givens—taste, hearing, touch, smell, seeing—and ways these activities can help us know God. There are two things going on here, it seems—helping us be attentive to the world around us, practicing a sensuous worldview and embodied sort of discipleship, and the ways in which this sort of attentiveness can facilitate a deeper relationship with God. Beautiful! I’ll bet you know somebody for whom this will be a godsend. It’ll wow ’em, for sure. You might even couple it with one of the aforementioned Spirituality of… gift books. By the way, I have read books by both of these authors, and both are wonderful writers, good souls, fine Christian leaders. And that cover—you have to see it “for real.” Splendid. Kudos, again, to InterVarsity Press.
From Beginning to End: Creation, The Ten Commandments, The Apostle’s Creed, The Apocalypse Anneke Kaai (Piquant Editions) $29.99 This hard-to-find art book is imported from Holland (and the cover doesn’t do justice for the allusive, moody art that captures in col
Images of God for Young Children Marie-Helene Delval, illustrated by Barbara Nascimbeni (Eerdmans) $16.50 One of the more playfully artful children’s books about God that we’ve seen in several years. Each colorful scene explores a metaphor or image for God, all from the Bible. I like the bold statement on the back cover: “It is impossible to know what God looks like. But the Bible describes many other ways that God is revealed to us. God is joy and wisdom. God is light, and bread, and breath. We have seen God’s face in Jesus Christ. This book uses simple language to hep young children discover these images of God in their world.”
Brother Sun, Sister Moon: Saint Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of the Creatures re-imagined by Katherine Paterson, illustrated by Pamela Dalton (Handprint Books/Chronicle Books) $17.99 You know of course the prayer of Saint Francis. And you know Saint Katherine, kid’s author extraordinaire. You may not know Dalton, but she has decorated other books with her truly stunning Pennsylvania Dutch paper-cutting art of scherenschnitte which is a 16th century German/Swiss paper-cutting art. On a striking black background she offers her intricate art with much to look at, much to notice, much to gush over. Paterson’s retelling of the classic celebration of creation is lovely. What a gift this would be, new, unexpected, beautiful, true, and good.
On the Incarnation Athanasius (St. Vladamir’s Seminary Press) $15.00 You know somebody that wants to keep Christ in Christmas? 
CD Celtic Christmas various (Putumayo) $14.98 Okay, our
CD Fragile Incarnation Bill Carter and the Presbybop Quartet (Presbybop Music) $15.95 You aren’t going to find this in many stores, but it is genuine jazz, very well done, a bit of mellow stuff, but mostly the real big deal. Be-bop and more. There are twelve smokin’ instrumental jazz versions of standard carols/hymns and two originals, including Welcome Home, a song that I heard made Walt Brueggemann get all choked up. This would make a great gift for jazz music lovers. Combine it with his double disc set inspired by the Psalms and a trip to Iona, Psalms Psalms Without Words (Presbybop Music; $20.00) and you’ll have good stuff to talk about for months. 
week it releases? You just make a little card, maybe cutting out a picture of the cover.
readers to enjoy giving last year. Basically, you make your own tonight and give it to your loved one tomorrow. Send us their name and the amount for which you’d like it be. Send us your cc at our secure website order form page and we’ll record their gift certifica
books. Through Jim’s help we have some of the excellent book he wrote on Havel in 2001, Vaclav Havel: The Intellectual Conscience of International Politics: An Introduction, Appreciation & Critique. 
losers?) that feeling of being just stumped. Social convention or genuine desire to give a gift to another has us thinkin’ and browsin’ and frettin’ as the hour grows neigh. Some people are just hard to buy for, as the saying goes. 
Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Enuma Okoro (Zondervan) $24.99 I raved about this when it came out, just one year ago and are pleased to be in touch with some of the communities that gave rise to this wonderful book of prayers, Scripture readings, collects, and songs. From the well-worded ecumenical prayers, the hints of social justice, the artfully enhancements of engravings and woodcuts, the ribbon marker—this is the real deal, a useful resource that has a tone and Biblical basis that is just right. Highly recommended.
Socrates in the City: Conversations on “Life, God, and Other Small Topics” edited by Eric Metaxas (Dutton) $27.95 In what is surely one of the finest books of the year, Mr. Metaxas collects lectures that have been given in his wonderful New York lecture series from which he draws the title. (And he introduces each speaker with verve and joy.) In fact, Eric asks “Who said that the exploration of the Big Questions and fun can’t go together? It was probably La Rocherfoucauld, but who cares what he thinks. Seriously, I think that the fun we have is vital to what we do. We know that no matter how serious the subject (suffering, evil and death, for example) we will enjoy ourselves. We hope we’ve captured something of that juxtaposition between the covers of this book.” He certainly did. Find here excellent pieces by Os Guinness, Sir John Polkinghorne, N.T. Wright, Jean Bethke Elshtain, Francis Collins and others. Eric’s chapter on Bonhoeffer is a brilliant summary of his massive book on the German martyr. This is a very great, handsome gift for the educated reader of excellent taste. THIS WEEK ONLY WE HAVE THIS AT AN EXTRA DISCOUNT, 30% OFF THIS ONE.
Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind Mark Noll (Eerdmans) $25.00 Our store was a huge promoter of Noll’s very important Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, published a decade ago. This is more than a sequel to that significant work but it is at least that. If your gift recipient has followed any of the discussions around the integration of faith and learning, or the lack of serious intellectual contributions by evangelicals, especially, this Trinitarian, Christological perspective on thinking well will be much appreciated. If you aren’t aware if they have followed all that, no problem; this is a fantastic way to inspire new thinking about the life of the mind, the role of the scholar, the task of thinking or writing or teaching or learning. Highly recommended. THIS WEEK ONLY WE HAVE THIS AT AN EXTRA DISCOUNT, 30% OFF THIS ONE.
With Sacred Threads: Quilting and the Spiritual Life Susan Towner-Larsen & Barbara Brewer Davis (Pilgrim Press) $25.00 Bet you didn’t know about this, didja? As it is put by Rev. Dr. Howard Friend—himself a radical writer about the integration of contemplative spirituality and social action—“a quilt will no longer be merely a collage of color or a tasteful arrangement of fabric once you have read With Sacred Threads...” Much like scripture, a quilt tells a story and echoes of voices far beyond what a mere hasty glance reveals.” Know a quilter who is also a “meaning-seeker”? Or, as one UCC leader writes, it may help those who “doubt the proximity of play and prayer.” Pretty to look at, too, on glossy paper, with lovely reproductions and a good design.
Tutu Authorized Alister Sparks & Mpho Tutu (HarperOne) $29.99 You know, I heard a number of people at our book displays at events this fall tell us that they hoped somebody would get them this for Christmas. It is just that kind of a book, a lovely cover, a hefty feel, an enormously important figure, and a light touch in telling the tale. Nelson Mandela once said about Tutu, “Sometimes strident, often tender, never afraid, and seldom without humor, (his) voice will always be the voice of the voiceless.” The forward is by Bono, who calls Tutu his boss. Where does Tutu get this compassion and humor and hope? What a story!
Curiosities of the Civil War: Strange Stories, Infamous Characters, and Bizarre Events Webb Garrison (Nelson) $19.99 This is a 550-page hardback and this quirky study of odd backstories will give your friend a deepened understanding of the war and the real people that engaged in it. For instance, readers will discover the first sitting president to be exposed to enemy fire. What badgers, pigeons, and bear cubs had in common during the war. Which of Stonewall Jackson’s limbs received its own proper burial. The turtle-shaped ship designed to douse its opponents with boiling water. Which Confederate general was responsible for introducing camels to the Southwest. You can’t make this stuff up.
Traveling at Home Wendell Berry, wood engravings by John DePol (Counterpoint) $22.00 This was an older poetry book of Mr. Berry now gloriously reissued in a gorgeous, thin hardback with great woodcuts. Fifteen poems and one essay (previously published) was issued as a limited edition in 1988. Cheers!
At Home With God: A Complete Liturgical Guide for the Christian Home Gavin Long (Paraclete Press) $26.99 Endorsed by the likes of Michael Card and Scot McKnight, you can be assured this isn’t anything odd or off-base. Phyllis Tickle notes “Too many of us have been removed for too long from the discipline of family prayers and the grace of domestic worship. May this life-giving manual be the first of many that herald the re-introduction of those ancient ways into our future.” If Phyllis Tickle’s words will appeal to the people your thinking of, buy them this and give it before the New Year. 
The Bible Story Handbook: A Resource for Teaching 175 Stories from the Bible John Walton & Kim Walton (Crossway) $24.99 This isn’t about parenting, or even home life, really, but any parent wanting to do Bible study at home could use this educators guide to how to faithfully explore key Bible stories. Home schoolers or others who want a bit more than a typical inspiration meditation will appreciate the seven elements examined in each story. Happily, as Starr Meade writes, it goes beyond thinking of Bible stories as “stand alone episodes that provide moral instruction based on imitating human characters in the stories.” No, God is the key actor here, and the plot pushes us to see the history of redemption unfolding to it’s climax in Christ. Very useful.
Heroes & Villains of the Bible: Real Stories (Tommy Nelson) $14.99 I suppose many families have those hard-to-sit still boys (usually boys, I guess) who light up most when something gross or weird happens. They love daring and adventure, treachery and heroism. The Bible can be misused along these lines, so parents should be careful but there is a sense in which these adventure tales do teach us important insights. The graphic novel type artwork and the conversation starters at the end of each story makes this a possible gift for a kid who just might not pick up any other sort of Bible story book. The Biblical text is the easy to read CEV.
A Place at the Table: 40 Days of Solidarity with the Poor Chris Seay (Baker) $13.99 On the heals of the Advent Conspiracy, Seay went deeper into the journey of caring for the poorest of the poor. This takes readers on a journey of self-examination (drawing on the Biblical themes of wilderness and temptation and the practice of fasting) inviting us to use these Scriptures to eat less, serve more, and prayerfully read through this guide to the needy around the world, country by country. There will be a DVD curriculum that some will be hearing about, no doubt, but you can bless your friend that has a broken heart for the poor and honor the refugee Babe whose birth we celebrate. What an appropriate, challenging gift. I hope you know somebody who cares about this and that you are able to share this new resource as a way to affirm their passion or interest.
Teaching and Christian Practices: Reshaping Faith & Learning David Smith and James K. A. Smith, editors (Eerdmans) $22.00 Several years ago social researchers and theologians Craig Dykstra and Dorothy Bass placed the word “practices” on the table of Christian conversation and in recent years there has been much consideration about what Christians habitually do as we practice our faith. Then, James K.A. Smith wrote one of the most talked about religious books in years, Desiring the Kingdom, wondering how liturgies (secular or faithful) shape our habitual practices as we embody our worldviews. Here, beloved Calvin College educator and foreign language professor David I. Smith and philosophy prof James K.A. Smith lead a gang of a dozen philosophically minded Christian college professors to reflect on how Christian practices of embodied discipleship actually influence how they teach. Dykstra & Bass join with a forward, noting how their work on practices has been received and advanced in this remarkable symposium on teaching practices to college students, and how spiritual practices effect the art of teaching well. A rave blurb on the back is from Perry Glanzer, the well known educational academic from Baylor. 
Folks, This A
Food Rebels, Guerrilla Gardeners, and Smart-Cookin’ Mamas: Fighting Back in an Age of Industrial Agriculture Mark Winne (Beacon) $24.95 hardcover, $16.00 paperback. Okay, not everybody wants to take on the system, work for social change, or analyze every aspect of their daily shopping, eating, consuming. But a lot of people do, as this amazing book attests. This is fun, feisty, revolutionary, a manifesto for ordinary folks who are both foodies and perhaps also interested in making a difference in sustainable ways. Yeah! You have to know somebody like this, don’t you? Google Mark Winne and watch his youtube videos about the book and you’ll want one for yourself, too. 
A Time to Plant: Life Lessons in Work, Prayer, and Dirt Kyle Kramer (Sorin) $15.95 Rooted in the Benedictine traditions of physical labor, this farmer shares his stories of prayer, hospitality, and, as the title says, dirt. This is humble, graceful writing, the sort that leads writer Scott Russell Sanders to say “one comes away feeling it was love that set Kramer’s words flowing—love for a place, for his wife, and their young children, for good work, and for the mysterious ground from which everything rises.” Catholic spirituality about making a living off the land.
Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual Michael Pollan, illustrations by Maira Kalman (The Penguin Press) $23.95 You may know this charming and very helpful pocket guide that Pollan did after his mega-selling Omnivore’s Dilemma. This new enhanced hardback version has illustrations, heavier paper stock, and a new introduction. Makes a really nice little gift.
Banaras Sari Quilt Journal (C & T Publishing) $19.95 These are elegant, 8 1/2 x 11 journals, crafted beautifully, collaged with silk brocades from recycled saris in the ancient city of Banaras, India. These are made from sari’s, which themselves were once made on handlooms in the region) and each one is different. They are vividly bright, sparkly, even–stunning. This is a wonderful example of fairly traded items and job creation. The sturdy journal includes good paper, 160 pages, about 2/3 unlined, about a 1/3 small graph paper. Very cool. 
And God Spoke to Abraham: Preaching from the Old Testament Fleming Rutledge (Eerdmans) $30.00 This ought to be called “sermons from the Old Testament” as it isn’t really about how to preach, just a huge collection of great messages on the Older Testament. Rutledge is respected Bible scholar, Episcopal priest and elegant communicator. No one who loves the Bible will fail to find great insight here and hours of study and enjoyment. A new collection of sermons or essays by Rutledge is nearly a publishing event and this just-released 420 page paperback would make a fantastic gift.
Old Testament Wisdom Literature: A Theological Introduction Craig Bartholomew & Ryan O’Dowd (Baker Academic) $30.00 I raved about this when it first came out and it is certainly the most interesting, illuminating–dare I say wise?–study of the important wisdom literature I have yet read. The first over section is just brilliant and I’ve read it more than once…very useful for anyone interested in Proverbs and Psalms and such. A helpful blend of scholarly research and some practical application, with a good sense, too, of how these portions of the Older Testament fit in with the rest of the redemptive narrative of Scripture. 
Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Cultural Studies in 1 Corinthi
A New Testament Biblical Theology: The Unfolding of the Old Testament in the New G. K. Beale (Baker Academic) $54.99 Okay this isn’t for any simple Bible reader and won’t fit in most normal stockings, either. But under the tree, this tome will be the highlight of somebody’s day–of somebody’s year–if they are serious about this sort of top-notch, heavy-duty, intellectually rigorous evangelical scholarship. Greg Beale is a genius, no doubt about it, and this is a long-await resource that was just recently release. A very important subject, too, about which not enough is written. Excellent. 
Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian John Piper (Crossway) $22.99 This is one of the most moving, thoughtful, and important books of the year. John Piper is one of the most important voices of the seriously Biblical, evangelical movement and a well respected Baptist pastor, author, and speaker. Here he names racism as a sin, reflects on ways to bring Godly reformation to society, and shows that the gospel of Christ is the only answer to the quandaries of racism and other social ills. He hits this hard, repents of this horrific sin, and calls his readers to be agents of gospel-centered reconciliation. 
Generous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes Us Just Timothy Keller (Dutton) $19.95 Readers of BookNotes know of our respect and appreciation for Tim Keller and his fruitful work in New York. Surely one of the finest evangelical writers of our time, this little hardback makes a great gift, perfect to show that those who make most of the cross of Christ should also be those who live out the gracious doctrine of justification by being agents of justice. Solid, orthodox, reasonable, but a very compelling call to social engagement, civic service, cultural renewal and concern and action for the poor and oppressed. Excellent.
The Love Wins Companion Rob Bell & David Vanderveen (HarperOne) $13.99 Rob worked with his friend David to pull together this remarkable study guide, a companion volume that has extra bonus material for each chapter of Love Wins, a good reflection by Vanderveen (basically, this is what Rob was getting at in this chapter and here’s some ways to think about it) and a good article by another person that ties in to the theme of that chapter. (Having these great pieces in one place is worth the price if the book and includes articles or excerpts by Pope Benedict XVI, Cathleen Falsani, Donald Miller, RIchard Mouw, Frederick Buechner, Oswald Chambers, N.T Wright, Anne Lamott and more.) There is a Bible study for each chapter, and then helpful group exercises and lots of discussion questions. This is not a simple little discussion booklet, but a major resource, helping you understand Bells’ main claims and other teachings, work through his argument in the book, and talk through (civilly) the contentious theological stuff that has caused such a furor. There is a little interview with Bell, an appendix of quotes from church history, and everything you need for a more fruitful study of the book. This could be volatile, so choose carefully. Maybe add some Christmas candy to sweeten the deal. 
Life in God: John Calvin, Practical Formation, and the Future of Protestant Theology Matthew Myer Boulton (Eerdmans) $28.00 This brand new books overturns the common assumption that Calvin was austere, strictly intellectual, arguing that for Calvin, theology is properly conceived and articulated primarily for the sake of everyday spiritual formation. He opposed the monasteries in order to “democratize the spiritual disciplines.” This is a strong and weighty book, making a case that worship, prayer, delight, and spiritual formation are at the heart of the best theology. 
Letters to a Young Calvinist: An Invitation to the Reformed Tradition James K.A. Smith (Brazos) $14.99 This pocket paperback is a wonderful stocking stuffer for someone (perhaps a student) who has become enamored of a strident sort of Reformed thinking, and who defines that only in doctrinal terms about predestination and such. Smith has been there, too, a rather belligerent convert to Calvinism, but he slowly grew more aware of the broader tradition, how to be more ecumenical, and, particularly how to plumb the depths of generous Reformed thinking to equip folks to live well, serving God graciously in all of life. Very, very nice, written as a series of pastoral letters. Well, mostly pastoral emails. Somebody will thank you if you offer this gentle guide to greater depth.
Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life James Martin (HarperOne) $25.99 Yup, this is a winner. And, it is the first book I’ve
Nature as Spiritual Practice Steven Chase (Abingdon) $18.00 The close up photo on the cover shows a flower and it draws you to attention. Which is as it should be as this is a thick, rich account of paying attention to nature, to being in creation as a way to grow in faith and maturity. This includes quotes from nature writings and classic spiritual writers. Beldan Lane (the genius behind the impressive book on deserts and wilderness, in his hiking and in the Bible, The Solace of Fierce Landscapes) writes that these great lines are “full of riches both thoughtful and practical.” SPECIAL SALE DEAL, THIS WEEK ONLY: Chase has a companion volume, A Field Guide to Nature as Spiritual Practices which is thinner but includes a very nice set of devotional experiences. WE WILL GIVE YOU ONE OF THESE FREE WITH A PURCHASE OF Nature as Spiritual Practice. An $8.00 VALUE.
Water, Wind, Earth, & Fire: The Christian Practice of Praying with the Elements Christine Valters Painter (Sorin) $14.95 Organized around the “Canticle of the Creatures” by St. Francis of Assisi this Benedictine Oblate offers very concrete ways to explore the symbols of creation, the mystery that holds it all together. Very nicely done, reflecting on nature in a deeply Christian way. 
Testing Scripture: A Scientists Explores the Bible John Polkinghorne (Brazos) $17.99 Sir John is surely one of the major thinkers of our time, with degrees in physics and theology. As an Anglican priest he has written much about the faith-science conversation (and won the Templeton Prize in 2002.) Here, as the title suggests, we have Polkinghorne’s view of the Bible, its themes, ambiguities and truths. Brand new.
Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women George MacDonald (Hendrickson) $19.95 There has been a paperback or two of this vivid, poetic novel from the late 1800s—it enthralled many, most notably G. K. Chesteron and C. S. Lewis, but this is a very handsome, approximating, it seems, the look and feel of an original illustrated hardback of this sort. The text is in colophon, the 33 historic illustrations by Arthur Hughes, newly colorized in a gentle pastel. The back covers suggests this will “transport readersinto a world between dreams and reality where splendor andhorror battle for the human heart.” Very impressive. 
The Invention of Hugo Cabret Brian Selznic (Scholastic) $24.99 This is the highly acclaimed, much-loved, respected, Newbery award-winning novel (complete with drawings) that led the extraordinary director Martin Scorcese to do his first family film, out now. Throw in some movie tickets with this book and you’ll have kids saying you gave them the coolest gift yet. We have his brand new one, too, Wonderstr
Sketchy Behavior Erynn Mangum (Zondervan) $9.99 It asks on the back if this character is “drawing conclusions or drafting disaster?” Ha–this story is about a 16 year old gal with two notable talents: art and sarcasm. Her excellent drawing helps police find a murderer and she goes from local hero to possible nexxt target. This is a snarky drama, a bit of a crime story with some typical teen shenenagins along the way. Fun. 
There You’ll Find Me Jenny B. Jones (Nelson) $12.99 This is considered juvenile fiction but the themes are fairly heavy. There is grief, a journey to Ireland, love. A character who is a teen heart-throb is (yes) filming a vampire movie. The main character is not impressed. There is a reading group to help readers explore the story and message.
Black, White, Other: In Search of Nina Armstrong Joan Steinau Lester (Zondervan) $15.99 This is a very good novel, seriously written in a way that allows readers to really understand the feelings of the main character. Her name is Nina and she is bi-racial, which causes serious confusing and perplexities in her idenity, even as racial tensions swirl around her. She discovers the story of a great, great, grandmother who was a runaway slave which helps her find her own “true North.” Ms Lester is herself a consultant on ethnic diversity, is often heard on NPR and was a finalist for Barbara Kingsolver’s Bellweather Prize. Very, very impressive. 
A Girl Named Mister Nikki Grimes (Zodervan) $7.99 This just came out in paperback and we are glad to offer it—Grimes is quite prolific (she has written over 50 books) and has been a winner of the coveted Coretta Scott King Award and has been cited as a Notable Book author by the American Library Association. This story unfolds as a set of poems — it is ingeniously done. It is the story of an African American teen who gets pregnant and, in her crisis, discovers the story of the Biblical Mary, who is also young and oddly pregnant. Feeling abandoned, Mister (whose real name is Mary) is drawn to Mary’s story As it says on the back “together both young women discover the depth of God’s love and the mysteries of his divine plan.” This would appeal to those who may like the form of poetry to tell a cohesive story, or about how a teen in a very contemporary situation can find comfort in an ancient, Biblical story. Kind of a Christmas book too. 
Cliques, Hicks, and Ugly Sticks: Confessions of April Grace K.D. McCrite (Nelson) $9.99 Readers loved April’s earlier book (The Confessions of April Grace: In Front of God and Everybody) and this will be a similiar winner. Light-hearted, well written with an interesting plot (a grandma stuck in a love triangle, a church pageant run by a dictator, and a mom who is acting very mysterious) and very funny, junior high April mostly has to cope with a clique of mean girls and doing algebra homework
Pilgrim’s Progress John Bunyan Retold Gary Schmidt, illustrations by Barry Moser (Eerdmans) $16.50 Which this was a large sized picture book it received so much acclaim for it’s contemporary retelling and striking art. Now it has been reissued as a smaller, hand-sized hardback. Stunning, full of verve and energy and mature insight, this is truly a re-telling (not just an adaptation) and the pictures are sometimes a bit strange. Love it!
Okay for Now Gary D. Schmidt (Clarion Books) $16.99 What a great gift this would be for anyone who loves good writing and a good story, but it is especially good for young fellas. Doug Swietech calls his new place “The Dump” and he isn’t happy that he moved to upstate New York. Some readers will remember Doug as a minor character in Schmidt’s award-winning The Wednesday Wars (which is fantastic, by the way!) It is now the summer of 1968 and Doug discovers something very special in a local library, which unlocks a whole new world and leads to a handful of fabulous adventures. (Hint, it isn’t just a book, but a special part of a historic book: he sees the plates to John James Audubon’s Birds of America.) What a wild and wacky and profoundly good story. Three cheers for this national treasure (and professor of literature at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI.) Schmidt’s Newbery Award winning Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, by the way, is now available in a very sharp mass-market paperback. ($6.99) that would fit in any stocking. And should — it is wonderful. 
The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic Jennifer Trafton, illustrated by Brett Helquist (Dial) $16.99 We love it when thoughtful, young Christian friends make their way into the mainstream world of art and letters. In this case, Jennifer has gifted us all with a splendid, uproarious first novel, a fantasy story which is about “a mousy-haired girl with a Big Imagination.” She has to make an entire island believe the impossible…before it’s too late. When a Newbery Award Honor writer (Ingrid Law) loves your work, this is good. She writes that the language “trips and dips and twirls and swirls off t
Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow Daniel Nayeri (Candlewick Press) $19.99 Daniel is a friend of the store and he has gotten some serious acclaim for his hip updates of classics, Another Faust and Another Pan . In this thick book he offer four eccentrically written stories, glorious in their playing with four different genres — a sizzling Western, a wild sci-fi, piece, a hard-boiled detective drama, and a grimly humorous Shakespearean an love story who has to cope with Death. It has a few instances of some spicy language, and it clearly not for very young readers. Yet, this odd work is compelling and exceptional. Newbery medalist Linda Sue Park writes “I’m so impressed by the ingenuity of the project as a whole…sheer genius. I can’t remember the last time I’ve read such a clever and successful plotline.” Gary Schmidt, two-time Newbery honoree uses the word virtuosity. Is Nayeri a modern day Lewis Carroll? You will want to give this as a gift to somebody who is up for the challenge given by Schmidt: “Dare to read this.” Then be prepared for some conversation.
Apricot Jam and other Stories Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (Counterpoint) $28.00 After years of living in exile, Solzhenitsyn returned to Russia in 1994 and published a serious of eight powerfully paired stories. These inter-connecting works were called ground-breaking, shifting in setting between pre and post Soviet Russia. Available this fall for the first time in English. 
The Blind Contessa’s New Machine Carey Wallace (Pamela Dorman Books) $23.95 This is a smallish-sized hardback from a prestigious imprint, but the story has a big, big heart. It is “vibrant, aching” and “magical, rich, and daring.” Ms Wallace is a fan of Hearts & Minds and we respect her work (and her band that plays songs about books, but that is another story) and the faith of her family (her mom has written a book about coping with pain when one has chronic illness, like Lyme Disease.) The “new machine” of this luminous story is the first typewriter. So it is a historical work, a romance, and a book about an artist. One critic wrote “This is a novel that, like the contessa’s dreams, casts a spell of ethereal beauty.” You might know someone looking for that artfully told tale that will carry the away in wonderful prose. This is it.
The Seraph Seal Leonard Sweet & Lori Wagner (Nelson) $15.99 This book is a bit hard to explain, making it a natural choice for any eccentric fiction readers you know. It is fantasy, it is. Yet it is about an ancient prophecy that is unfolding (in 2012!) as the world accelerates its descent into massive chaos. Apocolyptic? Sure. Yet there is a journey of love and discover that I can only say blurs the line between fact and fiction. There are some sidebars and teaching parts scattered through as clues are uncovered and next pieces of the puzzle are put together. You may know Sweet as a postmodern evangelist, a Biblical storyteller and student of the times. Wagner is a poet and novelist who has a scholarly interest in (amongst other things) science and culture. Soooo, this is one heckuva ride. Give it to somebody that likes a page-turner, who likes to think, and who will appreciate the cryptic codes and deeply Christian insights. If they have a weak heart, though, go back to the previous novel. This one could be dangerous.
The Saint John’s Bible (Liturgical Press) see below for prices A lavish, special gift that will be remembered for a lifetime? I trust you know that the 
few people that we’d like to share some love with are, well, tricky, if not prickly, about what they might like. Ergo, you need some help on the book front. We can ship promptly, gift wrap if you’d like, tuck little notes in saying that the package is from you. Call us if you want to chat. Some of these described below are brand new, most are new this season, but a few are not. This is Part One. Part Two (including some fiction, youth books, and other great categories) will come in a day or so.
Beyond Boundaries: Learning to Trust Again in Relationships Dr. John Townsend (Zondervan) $24.99 His best-seller Boundaries has been a staple, wisely offering insightful ways to say no, protect oneself, use prudence and savvy to take control of your life. This new book is about moving forward, next steps, learning to trust after painful relationships. Stephen Arterburn of the New Life Live! radio talk show says “…a must for everyone who read Boundaries. This is his best book yet.”
Happiness Joan Chittister (Eerdmans) $20.00 How to describe an elegant and thoughtful extended rumination on the meaning of happiness written by one of the most esteemed religious writers of our time? Sister Joan has been writing for years and some suggest this is her very best. She explores 
Left, Right & Christ: Evangelical Faith in Politics Lisa Sharon Harper & D.C. Innes (Russell Media) $22.99 I reviewed this 
Branding Obamessiah: The Rise of An American Idol Mark Edward Taylor (Edenridge) $17.99 We got these on a bit on sale allowing us mark them down lower than other on-line dealers. We are eager to let folks know that this is a fascinating study of how faith-like impulses and inspirational stories were knowingly used by Obama’s marketing team. This is a helpful and very well documented study of how media works, how candidates are promoted, how stories are told that frame a candidate in nearly sacred terms. I think you could safely give this to two sorts of people: those that don’t like Obama and want information about his back-story, his candidacy, his image that was pretty creatively created. Or those who do like much about his Presidency but are eager to see the background of his campaign, who he hired to create what sort of perceptions. This drifts into critical mode at times but it isn’t really a book for or against the policies of the current administration, but a helpful look at the role of media, how political mass marketing happens these days and ways that image and symbols and values are influential in telling the story of a candidate or a movement. Interesting.
Grand Entrance: Worship on Earth as in Heaven Edith Humphrey (Baker) $22.99 Dr. H. is a stellar prof at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary who moved from the Anglican communion (she’s Canadian, a graduate of the prestigious McGill) to become Orthodox. She gets worship. This is a serious book, but beautifully written—deep and wise and good. 
The Collected Sermons of Walter Brueggemann (WJK) $30.00 This big hardback is a treasure chest of some of Walt’s best sermons. It is a sturdy hardback and includes 67 sermons, in nearly 360 pages. (There is a useful Scripture index, too.) A few of these are old–one from 1972, and a few from the 1980s. A few of the concluding ones are very recent. An introduction to theme highlights some of the themes of Brueggemann’s preaching, and a small forward that he wrote is eloquent and itself quite inspiring. This collection is in the series of other uniform hardbacks that includes sermons of William Sloan Coffin, William Willimon, Fred Craddock….a wonderful gift.
Daily Feast: Meditations from Feasting on the Word Year B edited by Kathleen Bostrom & Lib Caldwell (WJK) $25.00 This oh-so-soft, brown, leather-like devotional makes a great gift for any pastor or preacher (or anybody who cares about the lectionary readings for each Sunday.) These good editors adeptly choose sections of the highly acclaimed lectionary preaching commentaries (Feasting on the Word) and arranged some of the more pithy portions to read for each daily reflection. Contributors are a who’s who of mainline denominational traditions, such as Barbara Brown Taylor, Ruth Boling, Kathleen O’Conner, Lee Barrett, Martin Copenhaver, Michael Lindvall, Cynthia Rigby. Contributors are from a variety of perspectives, there is good multi-ethnic representation, and each day’s readings are faithful to explore the lectionary reading, with a helpful response and prayer. 
Taking Your Soul To Work: Overcoming the Nine Deadly Sins of the Workplace Paul Stevens & Alvin Ung (Eerdmans) $15.00 We have many books, many good, good books, on a basic Christian philosophy of work. It is a topic that too few buy books about, so giving a gift of this sort might be very special. There are many that we admire, many that an interested person would enjoy—call if you’d like. I list this one because it may be that you’ve had conversations with someone lately about their struggles, about character formation, about the hardship and joys of being faithful in what for some is a hard place. This book not only looks at the seven deadly sins, but also at matching virtues, all explore in the context of modern jobs. Very useful; sure to be appreciated.
Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who he Was, What he Did, and Why He Matters N.T. Wright (HarperOne) $24.99 As Lauren Winner writes about it, it is “erudite (and yet also entertaining) and decidedly thoughtful-provoking…Somewhat to my surprise, I felt that, in reading Simply Jesus, I was really coming to know Jesus better; I actually felt Him near.” Excellent. Can’t say enough about this, although we have literally dozens of other serious books about Christ. Have anybody on your list who is going on about “keeping Christ in Christmas”? Help ’em out and let them study up.
The Rage Against God: How Atheism Led Me To Faith Peter Hitchens (Zondervan) $22.99 hardback or $14.99 paperback In light of the very recent death of raging atheist Christopher Hitchens, I had to include this fabulous work by his less famous brother. A year ago the British Education Secretary wrote “The two best written books this year were Christopher Hitchen’s memoir Hitch-22 and his brother Peter’s The Rage Against God.” Peter writes, “On this my brother and I agree: that independence of mind is immensely precious, and t
A Jane Austen Devotional and A Charles Dickens Devotional (Jack Countryman) $15.99 each. These just arrived, handsome hardbacks with textured fabric covers, each one offering excerpts of the historic writings of these enduring authors. On the facing page after the excerpt there is a devotional meditation, drawing Christian insights from the passage offered. Very, very nice.
Praying for Strangers: An Adventure of the Human Spirit River Jordon (Berkley) $24.95 Earlier in the year I linked at BookNotes to a fabulous “trailer” for this where the novelist Ms Jordon tells of the funk she was in when her grown son was in Afghanistan and the other in Iraq. She concluded she needed to focus on others, learning to pray for the needs of other people. She takes up the task of praying daily for someone, and then this true life tory unfolds, complete with amazing connections, serendipitous meetings, divine appointments and mysterious coincidences. What a story–learning to trust, learning to pray, learning to care, in a well-crafted memoir.
Flunking Sainthood: A Year of Breaking the Sabbath, Forgetting to Pray, and Still Loving My Neighbor Jana Riess (Paraclete) $16.99 I’ve raved about this all fall and laughed myself silly through much of it. Each chapter is her telling of a tale of woe as she tries, and usually fails, to read a spiritual classic each month (and, man, don’t get her started on the aforementioned St Therese who she calls a drama queen!) She has a spiritual practice to do each month, so in a manner something like The Year of Living Biblically by the humorist A.J. Jacobs, this experiment ends up being a time of goofiness and Godliness, failure and insight, writing about the very real ups and downs of the intentional spiritual life. Ya gotta love a smart gal (she went to Princeton Seminary) who knows how to admit she doesn’t have it all together, and can tell you about it with so much gusto. There is more I could tell you, but I suppose I should say that this isn’t for everybody on your list. Only those with some interest in spiritual formation and silly reporting about an oh-so-ordinary life and an open-minded sense of humor. It’s that good.
Raised Right: How I Untangled My Faith from Politics Alisa Harris (Waterbrook) $14.99 I reviewed this as soon as I finished it, a fine memoir by a good writer who was raised in an exceptionally far-right-wing family, strictly fundamentalist and active in conservative political activism. Long story shot, she becomes a journalist and drifts from her parent’s ideology, shifts a bit in her understanding of faith, becomes a progressive voice for social change and is still on a journey, trying to figure it all out. This tale moves from truly upbeat, fascinating, to troubling, to perplexing. What a story. What a book. For anyone who has lived through some of the rise of the religious right and has moved away from the it (or for anyone who wants to understand that world) this memoir is a treat. 
The Ethical Vision of Clint Eastwood Sara Anson Vaux (Eerdmans) $24.00 This brand new release reminds us that when Eerdmans does a book about popular culture it is weighty, impressive, insightful, and well-researched. This is magisterial, a “lavish and articulate hymn of praise to one of Hollywood’s greatest film directors.” Jolyon Mitchell (Media Violence and Christian Ethics) says it is “engaging, fluent, and original, this book is a “must read” for film scholars, movie enthusiasts, and anyone interested in Clint
Broken Hallelujahs: Why Popular Music Matters to Those Seeking God Christian Scharen (Brazos) $17.99 Scharen has written other good books; one about how pastors can equip folks for living integrated lives in public and another is a study of the band U2. This new one is a thoughtful study of why even the less-than-happy songs of broken people matter–it is well written and will appeal to anyone who is interested in the interface of pop culture and Christian faith, or anybody interested in thoughtful rock music. There is an amazing chapter on Leonard Cohen, too, by the way. And my friend Ken Heffner of Calvin College is mentioned for the good work he does bringing in interesting artists to young adults, for those of you who have followed his ministry there. Excellent.
Close Enough to Hear God Breath: The Great Story of Divine Intimacy Greg Paul (Nelson) $15.99 I raved about this previously, as I have his first two passionate books (about urban ministry and his holy friendships with the poor.) Here he walks us through the many ways the Bible can come alive, pointing us to a God who comes close to us, and how God reveals God’s own love through the unfolding drama of the story. From Genesis through the fall, through promises and incarnation, especially, we know that God wants to be in relationship with us. This fine writer helps us embrace that. Len Sweet (who reads a lot more than most) has said that this book has a heart that “beats louder than most any book you’ll ever read.”
Abundant Simplicity: Rediscovering the Unhurried Rhythms of Grace Jan Johnson (formatio/IVP) $15.00 I think the beautiful cover itself will draw oohs and ahhhs when this is unwrapped. When they start reading it, they will be drawn in–who doesn’t want the virtues of simple living, less-draining days, character formed around trusting God for enough. This is an amazing book of small experiments, and will be appreciated by somebody you give it to.
I Am a Follower: The Way, Truth, and Life of Following Jesus Leonard Sweet (Nelson) $15.99 I like that this brand new books suggests that Sweet gives us “a colorful melange of practical applications, imaginative metaphors, and probing biblical expositions.” That’s putting it mildly. Sweet is a master of storytelling, of the off-hand quip, of schemes and dreams of making a difference as we live into the ways of God’s Kingdom. What an author! Here he deconstructs notions of leadership and points us vividly to followership. The summons of Jesus isn’t to imitation but to incarnation. We must move from a leadership cult to a followership culture. Whewie! If you have any Leonard Sweet fans in your circle of friends, this brand new book would be a surprise to them, I bet. His last book, by the way, was a novel, The Seraph Seal. That is pretty darn cool, too…
Jesus + Nothing = Everything Tullian Tchividjian (Crossway) $18.99 This is written by the amazingly thoughtful grandson of Billy Graham who is now the pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian in FL. He is a great writer, meaty and solid and engaging. This, as you may guess, is about the gospel, what it means to be “gospel centered” and to realize that all of life is a response to God’s grace and Christ’s goodness. We don’t add works or techniqu
Practicing the Way of Jesus: Life Together in the Kingdom of Love Mark Scandrette (IVP) $15.00 Looking for a challenging Christian book to give a somewhat edgy young person, somebody in need of a fresh take, a powerful call, a whimsical yet fully serious invitation to whole-life discipleship. This has endorsements by some hipster leaders (Debbie Blue, Shane Claiborne, Michael Frost) but is also remarkably solid. Called a “beatnik Tolstoy” Scandrette runs ReImagine, a center for spiritual formation, and the Jesus Dojo. Told you. This is very good on daily living in the way of Jesus, resisting temptation, living in community, exploring creative discipleship. This may be too cool for some on your list, but for somebody, it may be just the thing.
Loving To Know: Covenant Epistemology Esther Lightcap Meeks (Wipf & Stock) $49.00 The heavy title and salt price might be the first clue that this is, in fact, real philosophy, done by a working scholar. Esther is a friend and this book is a gem, an in-depth follow up to her lovely introduction to the work of Michael Polanyi for ordinary folks entitled Longing to Know: The Philosophy of Knowledge for Ordinary People. This new one is well worth working through, and broaching an essential topic for Christian thinkers: if we reject as unsound the Enlightenment ideal of secular facts known rationally in the brain, how do we know, Biblically speaking? If “to know” something in the Bible is yada–intimate, personal, relationship with something–then we need a “covenantal epistemology.” My friend Steve Garber has a beautiful blurb on the back, alongside a rave from Yale scholar Nicholas Wolterstorff, and another from James K.A. Smith. Highly recommended.
Common As Air: Revolution, Art, and Ownership Lewis Hyde (Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux) $26.00 I suppose this solid hardback could be called “cultural history” and Hyde could be seen as the Pied Piper of a new vision of art as gift, given to the community for the common good. (I hope you know his amazing paperback, reissued in an anniversary edition, The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World. That, too, would make a great gift, but those who read in this field may have it.) Here in this more recent work, he has written what one astute observer called a “stunning book” which draws on science art, politics and all sorts of thinking about who owns art and ideas. Brilliant, if a bit heavy.
Rumors of Water: Thoughts on Creativity and Writing L.L. Barkat (T.S. Poetry Press)15.00 Barkat, the founder of this poetry publisher and a curator of poems and writing at several internet locations, is one of our favorite memoirists (Stone Crossings.) Here she offers a “page a day” sort of approach, with clear stories and examples of her own creative process. Gordon Atkinson writes “A few brave writers pull back the curtain to show us their creative process. Annie Dillard did this. So did Hemingway. Now L.L. Barkat has give us a thoroughly modern analysis of writing. Practical, yes, but also a gentle uncovering of the art of being a writer.” Or, better, as Leslie Leyland Fields puts it, “This is not just a book about writing well, it’s a book about living well.”
The Art of Guy Chase edited by James Romaine (Square Halo Books) $19.99 Guy Chase was an evangelical leader in the modern art world and an active friend of groups like CIVA (Christians in the Visual Arts) and IAM (International Arts Movement.) 
Indescribable: Encountering the Glory of God in the Beauty of the Universe Louie Giglio & Matt Redman (Cook) $14.99 paperback or $24.99 deluxe hardback This coffee table book is one of our favorites of the season, laden with color photos from the Hubbell telescope, offering amazing views of the grandness of the cosmos, the smallness of us all, here. The text is a bit of science and a lot of inspiration, reminding us to join in the creational song, declaring God’s glory and realizing that the God who made this amazing beauty loves us so. The paperback itself is splendid, a call to worship (based on the popular talks Giglio gave at the Passion conferences and on the best-selling DVD Indescribable.) What a great book, and what a great coffee-table edition.
The Birds Our Teachers: Collector’s Edition: Biblical Lessons from a Lifelong Birth-Watcher John Stott (Hendrickson) $24.95 We’ve reviewed this before, loved selling it several years ago until it went out of print. A year ago it was re-issued and we are so glad—the thoughtful, late, evangelical statesman was not only astute theologically, a spiritual leader and cultural activist, he spent a life-time learning from the birds he so loved to observe. There is a DVD here with amazing footage of Stott traipsing around looking at snowy owls, migrating storks, even Penguins in the Falkland Islands. A very nice and rather rare gift for backyard birders, ornithologists or John Stott fans.
A Bee in a Cathedral And 99 Other Scientific Analogies Joel Levy (Firefly) $29.95 This big hardback includes nifty analogies and cool graphics to explore scientific stuff you simply ought to know. Or at least will enjoy knowing. This demonstrates basic scientific truths and principles using metaphors and similies to “describe the unbelievably massive, the inconceivably tiny, and the unfathomably complex in intuitive terms that we can all understand. This is “info-graphics” at its finest, with good stuff about physics chemistry, biology, astronomy, the human body and more. By the way, don’t you have somebody on your list that would want to know that “if galaxies were the size of peas, there would be enough to fill a large sports arena.” Or, the human heart’s capacity to pump blood is such that i would take less than 18 days to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool.” What a gift for that geeky loved one or anybody with a natural curiosity!
The Outrageous Idea of Academic Faithfulness: A Guide for Students Donald Opitz & Derek Melleby (Brazos) $14.99 You surely have read my raves about this in the past, extolling it as one of the most important books any young student can read. If your freshman has already read the primer, Making College Count, then this is the next step, altogether interesting, fun, funny, and very wise, this invites students to this “outrageous” idea that God wants you to learn much, study well, think in Biblical categories, see life through the lens of the gospel and discern ways to relate faith and learning, making college-life an act of worship and discipleship. These guys are very good friends and this is a Hearts & Minds favorite. Give it to your collegiate and if they don’t like it, I’ll find them a better book for them. A great little gift idea to fill that freshly laundered, home from college stocking.
25 Books Every Christian Should Read: A Guide to the Essential Spiritual Classics selected by Renovare (HarperOne) $18.99 A team of wonderful leaders such as Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, Phyllis Tickle, and Richard Rohr (and others) give explanations and overviews of 25 great classics. There are selections from these chosen classics, discussion questions, and helpful testimonies by the editors as to why these books remain vital. Along the way there are sidebars of the favs of other authors, of various theological persuasions, and these fun lists are a great part of t
Besides the Bible: 100 Books That Have, Should, or Will Create a Christian Culture edited by Dan Gibson, Jordan Green, John Pattison (Biblica) $14.99 I’ve named dropped this before, suggested it as a general gift when folks don’t know what other book to give, and highlighted it as a great guide to over 100 different short book reviews that these authors (and a batch of guests) want to suggest “besides the Bible.” Did I tell ya that I’ve got a chapter in there, saying what my one most-recommend book is? Come on, don’t you know somebody to whom you’d like to introduce a wild and wooly collection of favorite titles? This is a rare find, and will bring a huge smile to the face of anybody who is committed to life-long Christian reading. 
your friend or loved one—that is, to whom you want it made out, and the amount you prefer. We can send it to them on your behalf (if so, just be sure to tell us how to write your name–first or last name or nickname or whatever, their address,and if it for Christmas or some other occasion.) Of course, if time permits, we can send it to you directly. Give us the details, we’ll take care of the rest.
talking about. If you don’t, you’ll learn soon enough as I tell all about why the brand new Kicking at the Darkness: Bruce Cockburn and the Christian Imagination by Brian J. Walsh (Brazos; $18.99) is a work I’ve been so eager to see published. I hope to get this serious review up soon, but for now, please know three simple things:
Kicking at the Darkness: Bruce Cockburn and the Christian Imagination Brian J. Walsh (Brazos; 2011) $18.99 I’ve never agreed with those who say that Bruce Cockburn, the award-winning, internationally-known, Canadian pop star, went through a “Christian phase” and then entered his “political phase” but eventually left that to write in a romantic period. Brian Walsh’s breathtakingly thorough and very rigorous, close reading of the body of Cockburn’s work shows us that faith and spirituality, politics and cultural change, sexuality, the search for meaning and the demand for justice in the face of global inequities, have always been interwoven artfully in all of Cockburn’s 40-year’s worth of recordings. True, Cockburn cited C.S. Lewis and seemed more overtly Christ-centered in a few albums in the late 70s, and, after working in refugee camps and seeing gross injustices in Central America in the 1980s he wrote some fiery songs of liberation theology, including a lovely, if romanticized hope for the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua. And who else has written a blazing rock song about the International Monetary Fund? Agree with Cockburn’s social analysis or not, he is informed by his charitable work on nearly every continent and a deep longing for a world mad
I have been a fan of Margot Starbuck since her stunning memoir, Girl in the Orange Dress: Searching for the Father Who Does Not Fail (IVP; $16.00) which I raved about in a June 2009 
exactly snarky, as that may imply a cynical or mean tone, and she certainly doesn’t write like that. She’s playful, punchy, upbeat, and really fun to read.
care for the poor, for the unnoticed or needy, no matter if that is an tough urban kid who needs a tutor, or a nearby lonely neighbor who needs a shoulder to cry on. Yes, she’s got an endorsement on the back from uber-radicals like the Shanester and her new monastic Durham pal, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, but she is, well, pretty normal. She talks about her kids, car payments and school loans, ordinary work-a-day jobs and middle class churches and buying outfits to wear on special occasions. I can’t imagine Shane Claiborn mentioning T.J. Maxx. She cites her share of visionary social thinkers, and tells of her inner city work (as a college student) with the amazing Camden NJ ministry of Bruce Mains and Urban Promise. Heck, she even briefly tells of going to a trip to South Africa (“while Nelson Mandela was still imprisoned on Robbins Island”) but at the end of the day, she’s a middle class mom with a heart the size of, well, the size of some pretty big state. Texas? “Let’s not overstate that,” she might say. The point of this book is to do, as Mother Teresa famously said, small things with great love.” Or, as Margot might say, even a little bit of love. We aren’t the saviors, here, people–I can almost hear her saying–so lighten up a bit. We can make a big difference wherever we find ourselves, but we just have to take baby steps.
And she knows about that. She tells good stories from her not-so-dramatic life, and mocks her own ordinariness. It is disarming. I can do this, you might think. I should do this. I was all enthusiastic, telling Beth about this, how funny it was, how interesting, how she has this gift of really stretching folks, inviting us to be more kind and caring, without laying a guilt trip on anyone, how she is, is…”Convicting you?” Beth inserted.
like our shop, who are part of our family of friends and fans. Most of you who are reading this seem to appreciate our blend of titles and authors, our world-and-life per
It’s Time to Sleep, My Love is written by Eric Metaxas and illustrated by Nancy Tillman (Feiwel & Freinds.) This lovely book has won numerous awards and can honestly be called beloved. It is obviously a lullaby, wooing a child to sleep. The rich hues of the very moving watercolor artwork catches your eyes first, and then the wonderful cadence, the sweet (and very interesting) little story unfolds. Eric is a smart guy, and a funny guy. Who knew we could craft such romantic, poignant lines? (Nancy Tillman, you may know, illustrated the beautiful On The Night You Were Born, which also has won much acclaim. She is a master at her craft and Eric is perfectly paired with her here.)
The hardback regularly sells for $16.95 
Song of the Stars: A Christmas Story Sally Lloyd-Jones, illustrated by Alison Jay (Zonderkidz) $15.99 We have easily declared this to be the best holiday children’s picture book of the year! The illustrations are amazing—done in a crackly kind of painting that makes it seem old, like Grandma Moses or some European fresco. The scenes are oddly stylized, with all manner of cool animals, but not so much as to seem weird. The fabulous illustrations are mostly of animals and creation, all on tip toe awaiting the great thing about to happen. The writing is good, the theology wonderful as Lloyd-Jones captures the sense that Jesus’ birth is not just for humans, but for a whole creation that awaits rebirth and renewal. Christ is declared the Rescuer and Prince of Peace. Of course, Sally is the beloved author of a bunch of kids books, most significantly, our favorite young children’s Bible, The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name (Zondervan; $16.99) The exalted view of Christ is clear even in the last line of this new Christmas story as it sings “Heaven’s Son/sleeping under the stars/ that he made.” We are so grateful for this simple text, these moving paintings, this vital and worldview- shaping vision: Christmas is indeed, for the whole cosmos; it is a song of the stars! Highly recommended. 
Mouse Tales: Things Hoped For: Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany Ruth L. Boling, illustrated by Tracey Dahle Carrier (WJK) $16.95 We announce this every year and are sad that it is no longer printed. (We still have some and can sell them while supplies last.) This brings to life the church mice from the lovely little A Children’s Guide to Worship and the colorful big book on the liturgical seasons, Come Worship With Me: A Journey Through the Church Year (WJK) which simply a must-have resource for mainline churches or others who want to pay even scant attention to the church year. Here, the mice are introduced in full color to Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. Come on, don’t you want your family and children to have more than the shopping days before Christmas? Live the full story, joining with Christians from every place and time. Wonderful!
Mary’s First Christmas Walter Wangerin, illustrated by Timothy Ladwig (Zonderkidz) $19.99 You may know Ladwig for the extraordinary work he has done illustrating an urban view of the 23rd Psalm or his brightly rendered story about a black family and a lost medallion that opens up The Lord’s Prayer for children. Here, he offers lush close ups and moving portraits coupled with novelist and storyteller Walt Wangerin’s moving rendition of the role and viewpoint of Mary the mother of Jesus. The story includes up to the youthful Jesus learning some skills in his father’s carpenter shop. Wangerin’s artful use of words, his cadence and rhetoric and storytelling power is clear in this tender, good telling, perfect for any family who wants to hear the story afresh. By the way, I hope you also know the companion volume Peter’s First Easter. 
The Lion Storyteller Christmas Book Bob Hartman, illustrated by Krisztina Kallai Nagy (Lion) $19.99 The British press Lion has long been one of our favorite British publishers, especially since they produce high quality, thoughtful books and Bible storybooks for children. This includes Christmas tale and legends and is well suited for reading aloud (although there are great illustrations throughout.) What a great custom to read aloud over the holiday. Using this will allow you to dip in to Bible stories of the Old and New Testament, Christmas legends from around the (mostly) European world such as “Old Befana” from Italy, “Kind Bishop Nicholas” from Turkey, “The First Tinsel” from the Ukraine, “The Little Fir Tree” from Denmark, “The Little Lambs” from Arabia, and so forth. 
know it, but I’m a true-blue fan of the wacky post-Veggie Tale Phil Vischer production ![smackdab_thumb[3].jpg](https://www.heartsandmindsbooks.com/images/old/smackdab_thumb%5B3%5D.jpg)
Smack-Dab in the Middle of God’s Love Brennan Manning & John Blase, illustrated by Nichole Tedgell (Tommy Nelson) $14.99 This sweet book is ideal for anybody that wants to see God’s love in action, especially as care is shown for poor children, as it tells the story of Willie and Ana Juan; and one needn’t know much more than that. There are colorful pictures, tons of happy children, and this sense that we are always “smack dab” in the great love of God. The back story is this: the parable of Willie Juan was one of the first published works of mystic-servant-saint-ragamuffin Brennan Manning, based on a story he used to tell. It was later republished as The Boy Who Cried Abba: A Parable of Trust and Acceptance (Page Mill; this is selling for like $79 at other online places: we’ve got some for $10.00) and this is the colorful children’s picture book edition of that beloved tale. Willie Juan and Ana’s home is always full of neighborhood children, laughter, and love, and he teaches them about how deep and wide and endless is the love of God. Three cheers for Brennan Manning for children!
Goodnight Angels Melody Carlson, illustrated by Sophie Allsopp (Zonderkidz) $15.99 I adore the lovely, crisp illustrations from this seasoned Brit artist and the realistic custom and cadence of a child saying goodnight to everything the child cares about. Okay, it is really derivative. Perhaps the author should have thanked MWB. Still, this is a very nice book, and makes a huge point: as the child says goodnight to the things he likes, he remembers to thank “Father-God.” And then to the angels “watching over me.” Awww. 
Meena Sine van Mol, illustrated by Carianne Wijffels (Eerdmans) $17.00 
The Barber Who Wanted To Pray R.C. Sproul, illustrated by T. Lively Fluharty (Crossway) $17.99 This is a rich, serious book, with lavish, thick oil paintings, capturing with some intensity the drama of the Reformation-era struggles and the passion of the great Martin Luther. I don’t know when I first heard of Luther’s famous letter to his barber, but this tells the story of how it came to be, and a bit about it– a children’s tale about Martin teaching his friend how to pray. It’s like a three-fold strand, you know… good for older children, even. By the way, Sproul did a few other good kids books which we like, offering substantial theology in nice story form.
I’m Like You, You’re Like Me: A Book About Understanding and Appreciating Each Other Cindy Gainer, illustrated by Miki Sakamoto (Free Spirit Publishing) $14.99 Free Spirit has been a leader in books about kid’s life issues, an early press for gifted students, and helpful, playful, guides to getting along and forming character. Simple words and goofy illustrations invite children to notice, accept, and affirm individual differences and similarities. Conservative critics may mock this as PC but we think it is not only charming, but hugely important. Includes an activity guide for adults.
Library Lilly Gillian Shields, illustrated by Francesca Chessa (Eerdmans) $16.00 All right, let me just say this (please!) There is going to come a time, because of the perfect storm of some of our neighbors not caring about reading, and others of our neighbors going utterly digital, that books are simply not going to be as known, as used, as given, as they once were. Now is the time to celebrate the book, to give books to immerse our little ones in stories about books. And then there is this: some of our neighbors are also agitating for greater budget cuts by the government and, sadly, libraries will be among the institutions hurt. Lovely library Lily is today’s unsung super-woman, a gal who loves books and finds ’em in the library. You want a better story than that? Well, read what Ms Shield does this with fun tale! Lily meets a friend (Milly) who doesn’t like to read much, but shows the bookish Lily that life an be lived in the outdoors, outside of the pages of a book. Oh yes, this is true. But wait, there’s more. Yay for Lily and Milly, for readers, players, and writers, too. Maybe their book will end up in a library some day!
I See the Rhythm of the Gospel (w/bonus CD) Toyomi Igus, illustrated by Michele Wood (Zonderkidz) $16.99 We raved about this last year and named it one of the best books of the year, a colorful study of the history and development of African American spiritual music. Okay, so it isn’t exactly new, but it hasn’t caught the attention it deserves, so we’re announcing it again. Do see our BookNotes rave review 
Dragon Slayers: The Essential Training Guide for Young Dragon Fighters, Based Wholly on the Practice of the Great Dragon Slayers of Old and the Wisdom of Their Ancient Manuel Sir Wyvern Pugilist //aka Joyce Denham (Paraclete Press) $23.99 This is one hard book to describe, but once you see it, feel it’s texture and heft, see the full color maps and spooky pictures–the illustrator must have been studying old Tolkie
Ambrose and the Cathedral Dream Margo Sorenson, illustrated by Katalin Szegedi (Liturgical Press) $16.95 The Liturgical Press, an academic Roman Catholic publisher, is located at St. John’s Abbey, and this gives them an angle into the visual arts, but they still don’t do many children’s books. When they do one, it is usually beautiful, interesting, rooted, as this one is, in a medieval Catholic sensibility. This little mouse longs to follow in the tradition of his mouse family and help build a cathedral. Good for helping inspire children to hope in their own dreams. By the way, this is the second one in which little Ambrose appeared, and the second collaboration of Sorenson/Szegedi. An earlier one was a Christmas title, Ambrose and the Princess, also published by Liturgical Press.
Shoebox Sam Mary Brigid Barrett, illustrated by Frank Morrison (Zonderkidz) $15.99 I can’t tell you how cool and moving this grand story is. Kudos to Zonderkidz for doing such wonderful picture books with healthy, nuanced stories. I’ll quote from the book flap: “Down at the corner of Magnolia and Vine, you’ll find the shop of Shoebox Sam—where old shoes become like new again and anyone in need finds a friend. Delia and Jesse spend Saturdays with Shoebox Sam, helping him with customers, rich and poor. They learn about giving and caring, loving and sharing. Then one day, when a customer notices a prized pair of shoes, they uncover the greater lesson of all.” Ms Barrett is an award-winning author is president of the National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance. The illustrator, who does a fabulous, rowdy, colorful job here, has won a Coretta Scott King Award for his artwork for Jazzy Miz Mozetta.