Don’t forget to scroll down to the very bottom to enjoy this long, enticing list. The order links are at the end.

Of course we booksellers think it is never too late to buy books. They pair nicely with anything. With the twelve days Christmastide soon upon us, I suspect there will be lots of occasions to give more gifts. I know that some of you, like our family, give gifts on Epiphany; it’s the day that started this whole gift exchange thing during Christmas. Saint Nicholas sharing with the poor is a good model, too, but the wise men bearing gifts from afar really is a great basis for our own giving presents. So you’ve got some time to stand in the tradition of the famous, Biblical wise guys. Get some more gifts to give (from Hearts & Minds, please.)

Here, then, with little time for lengthy reviews (your welcome) here are a bunch of random books that might capture your attention or that could be fun for somebody you know.

ALL ARE 20% OFF.

We don’t have lots of some of these so send us an order soon. For now we have to say “while supplies last.” Please use the order form link at the very end of this BookNotes. Here we go.

Anne of Green Gables: The Complete Novel, Featuring the Character’s Letters and Mementos, Written and Folded by Hand L. M. Montgomery (Chronicle Books) $40.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $32.00

Oh my, this package, curated by Barbara Heller, is the newest in the stunning “Handwritten Classic” series. It includes tipped in letters and announcements (like the official program of the Debating Club) paper mementos, notes, and recipes (for raspberry cordial and currant wine, of course) and replicas of 13 items from the story “recreated with charming handwriting and loving attention to historical detail.” This deluxe edition of the novel is a new way of experiencing it which will transport readers to Prince Edward Island.

Why We Love Football: A History in 100 Moments Joe Posnanski (Dutton) $30.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $24.00

Posnanski is considered by some to be the greatest living sportswriter. Everybody raves about his writing skills as an outstanding journalist (and “the best pure long-form sportswriter in the land” according to the Chicago Sun-Times.) We sold a bunch of his Why We Love Baseball, not to mention The Baseball 100. This new one should have been flying off the shelves this fall.

Even if your not a big fan you will remember at least hearing about some of these 50 sporting events. Number 3 (which I would have said should be higher on the list) is “Johnny U and the Greatest Game” and the Number 2 spot is a much discussed play in a college game on November 20, 1982, the chapter called, “The Play.” Number one? Madden’s last game. I read the first paragraph on why Madden announcing his last game was so beloved, I was touched, and I hardly care about Madden. What a book! I bet you know a football fan, don’t you? It’s not to late to give them a happy gift.

How Women Made Music: A Revolutionary History from NPR Music edited by Alison Fensterstock (HarperOne) $40.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $32.00

Okay, now we’re really talking my language and I bet I’m not alone. There are probably hundreds of truly great books on rock and roll, and a few are among my all time favorite reads (Robbie Robertson’s autobiography, Testimony, Bono’s Surrender, Jenn Wenner’s Like a Rolling Stone and several by Steve Turner from the UK.) But this — wow. Sheila Weller, of Girls Like Us: Carol King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon and the Journey of a Generation, says it is, “Essential, definitive reading for anyone who listens to music or cares about women.”  Much could be said about it’s many short entries, its format and all that it so wonderfully covers. What a blast. Enjoy!

Tolkien’s Faith: A Spiritual Biography Holly Ordway (Word on Fire) $34.95 / OUR SALE PRICE = $27.96

What can we say about this brilliant illumination of the life of faith of the great novelist and essayist. Carol Hostetter (editor of T’s The Nature of Middle-Earth) says it is “the first systematic, book-length exploration of the influence and importance of the Christian faith in Tolkien’s life..” Most know about his Catholicism, but here you will learn so much about his faith and convictions Bradley Bizer of Hillsdale (author of the famous Tolkien’s Sanctifying Myth) insists it is “extraordinary” and says he “savored every word.

 

Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien John Hendrix (Abrams) $24.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $19.99

We have sold a number of these, purchased by all sorts of folks, indicating there is still a great love for the generative relationship of Tolkien and Lewis. This could be given to teens or those just learning about the amazing friendship of these two storytellers and thinkers. Obviously, it will be cherished by anybody who loves the writings of either of these two gents.

Here’s the thing, though: this is like no other book on the market on this topic (and that is saying a lot.) It is a graphic novel style, illustrated expertly with sophisticated and well-designed cartoon illustration. Hendrix is a serious thinker and excellent artist (you may know his graphic biography of Bonhoeffer called The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler and this is as thoughtful and insightful. A fun read, it does explore how JRR and CS created an aesthetic of myth-making that contrasted with the secularity of 20th century modernity. Highly recommended.

The Message of Jesus: Words That Changed the World Adam Hamilton (Abingdon Press) $19.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

One of the most esteemed popular preachers these days who has thoughtful, accessible books on all manner of Biblical stuff. He’s a big church United Methodist pastor and carries endorsements from unique thinkers like Thomas Jay Oord and evangelicals like Scot McKnight. Will Willimon writes,, “Looking for an engaging means of introducing others to the message that revolutionized the world? Here’s the book.”

 

The Shape of Joy: The Transformative Power of Moving Beyond Yourself Richard Beck (Broadleaf) $25.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $20.79

I want to say that everyone should buy this book, study this book, ponder its deep insights and multi-dimensional approaches, but, to be honest, I’m not sure it is for everyone. Beck is a provocative therapist, a theologian, a Christian thinker who knows ancient theology and the latest neurological science. He’s a great writer, too, as those who have read his other books know well.

“Our joy has a geometry, a shape,” he says. Interestingly, we have to look outside ourselves to find it.

This book is a scathing critique of “the failing mental health ecosystem” and, as one writer puts it,  he“reveals the toxic cultural soil in which we all are planted.” If you worry about our social decline or wonder about this “complicated intersection” of psychology and spirituality, The Shape of Joy will be a very rewarding read. It is a good guide to better living, but not quite like you’d expect. In a society laden with cultural pain and trauma, we need something bigger than we know. This would make a great gift to deep thinkers longing for a better way…

Ingrained: The Making of a Craftsman Callum Robinson (Ecco Press) $30.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $24.00

Man-o-man, this would be a perfect gift for somebody that is both literate and good with their hands, people who work in the trades and like good writing. It’s not quite as philosophical as the classic Shop Class as Soul Craft but if you or someone you knows appreciates that, this is a book that is both a memoir, a father-and-son story, and Ian Bill Buford puts it, “an apprentice’s learning of an exotic craft, a hub to the eternal mystery of trees, and a tribute to the flat-out joy of gifting.”

Yep, with tones of (as one reviewer put it) James Herriot and Anthony Bourdain (!), this enchanting, smart book is about trees and woodworkers and vocation and so much more.

Break Blow Burn & Make: A Writer’s Thought on Creation E. Lilly You (Worthy) $27.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $21.60

Inside the front flap it says, “When a writer and the Creator work together, the universe is set in order.” Can good writing and good fiction go together? I had this book displayed at an event —Christian lawyers, of all people — and esteemed artist and writer Makoto Fujimura happened to be in the hotel, and he realized we were there so he came by, and immediately exclaimed how glad he was that we had this new book. Ends up he has a blurb on the back, raving about it. As Mako notes, E. Lilly Yu deftly weaves together beekeeping, catching trout, Rilke, Milosz, and Christ, sometimes in a single breath.” Wow.

I was writing this in an email to a recent customer and he assured me that a prestigious writer he heard had highlighted it a The Glen workship (sponsored by the great Image Journal folks.) This is serious stuff, beautiful and vital by a serious writer. Another contemporary novelist called it “a masterpiece.”

Prayers from the Cloud: 100 Prayers Through the Ages Pete James (Eerdmans) $22.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $18.39

This brand new paperback is a lovely book, just simple enough to be given to anyone, but profound enough that serious people of faith will be amazed. James is an evangelical who has served in the PC(USA) most of his career — he started ministry in the 1970s doing campus ministry with Pittsburgh’s CCO — and now, in retirement serves a a chaplain at a major seminary. He has released this lovely set of just 100 prayers, with a bit about the person who wrote and prayed this prayer on the facing page. This project started out during Covid when a person who was quarantined and very ill needed a pastoral visit and asked Pete for a written prayer. He did a few and sent them as email. He did a few more. He eventually published them in a blog and became a virtual hero to many. A number of good folks realized that this needed to be a book and we are pleased to have it, just now. What a great, great, resource.

There are prayers here from Julian of Norwich and Issac Watts,  Augustine and Aquinas, Dorothy Sayers and Reinhold Niebuhr. A few are from third world faith leaders whose names you may not know, while others are world famous, from John Calvin to Karl Barth to Sojourner Truth. What a fabulous, ecumenical resource, to learn much and pray well. Lovely.

Reconciliation in a Michigan Watershed: Restoring Ken-O-Sha Gail Gunst Heffner & David P. Warners (Michigan State University Press) $29.95 / OUR SALE PRICE = $23.96

Since this is on a scholarly, academic press, my fear is that many ordinary bookstores (let alone so-called Christian bookstores) might not carry it. And since it is about a decade-long project of learning about and forming coalitions to care for a very polluted Western Michigan waterway, it might seem too local to gather wide interest. But I am here to say — as I have before — that this book is so thoughtful and interesting and universally applicable that anyone who cares about earthkeeping or creation-care, or watersheds or community-based activism will love it. It was one of my favorite books that I read this year and I think you could give it not only to ecologists or community organizers or those doing service in their locale, but to anybody that likes the drama of a good story.

In this case, two Calvin University staff set out to recruit students and local church groups to clean up a polluted river that flows through Grand Rapids, Michigan. Once they learned the history of the place, why it was called by settlers Plaster Creek, the stories of the indigenous folks who have lived there for centuries (and named first named creek the delightfully evocative Ken-O-Sha), and discerned much about the nature of the pollution causing the problems (and the worldviews that generate those problems) they found the strength of nurturing community assets which took their clean-up efforts to a whole new, multi-dimensional level. They are, in fact, nationally recognized leaders in what some call reconciliation ecology.

This is a great read, an admirable book about a wonderful project, and would make an excellent, inspiring gift.

Life in Flux: Navigational Skills to Guide and Ground You in an Ever-Changing World Michaela O’Donnell & Lisa Pratt Slayton (Baker) $19.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

I raved about this when it first came out — I admire so much the one author (Michaela O’Donnell, a known leader in the faith and work movement and author of the great Make Work Matter and I love the other author, Lisa Pratt Slayton, a long-time friend and customer from Pittsburgh who has proven herself a pastoral presence, a leader and helpful guide to many in the business, work, or nonprofit settings. Between the two of them they have created one of my favorite self help books, a practical guide that is so detailed and useful that nearly everyone could benefit from it, but yet rooted in a  big picture of God’s redemptive work in the world and healthy notions of vocation and calling.  They draw on authors from the deeply wise and eloquent Steve Garber to other important writers, inviting us to do the hard inner work while we live in a time of change.

I love this book and you can give it to anyone facing changes, struggling with chaos or anxiety, or who wants wise consultants to offer good guidance on daily growth and personal flourishing. Maybe it should be the first book you read in the New Year. You won’t regret it.

Catching Whimsy: 365 Days of Possibility Bob Goff (Thomas Nelson) $22.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $18.39

If you don’t know our friend Bob Goff, you should. Read all his books. It’s that easy, starting with Love Does and then Everybody Always and on to the others. You’ll laugh, maybe cry, and be delighted even as you are compelled to “leak Jesus” on others, as he playfully puts it. He’s adventurous, funny (really!) and knows the Bible well, even if his focus is on these whimsical capers that allow us to find new ways to love others.

This brand new devotional about catching the spirit (Spirit!) of whimsy and realizing the possibilities of a life lived with adventure is worth every penny.

Buy a couple to give away — your friends will love it! I promise.

Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human Cole Arthur Riley (Convergent) $22.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $17.60

Beth and I talk often about this book and it’s lovely, generous author, and we wanted to list it here, now, to remind you of the times I’ve written about it and how we think it is so very, very well done. In a way, the first half is comprised mostly of meditations and reflections, memoir and story, testifying and inviting. What good prose from a sharp thinker and important young, black voice. (You should read her memoir This Here Flesh if you have not.) The second part of this handsoe hardback is a devotional, including short readings for the church calandar, inspired by black writers. All of the citations and quotes and hymns and resoures are from black literature, making this a treasure chest of insight, compiled so nicely, integrated into her own wise and capacious faith. Exceedingly important scholars like Imani Perry have endorsed this (calling her writing beautiful and full of “moral clarity, tenderness and wisdom.”

Thriving on a Riff: Jazz and the Spiritual Life Bill Carter (Broadleaf) $26.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $21.59

I hope you recall the big review I did of this at BookNotes or my reflection on the lecture / concert he did for us as we hosted him here in the York area this past spring. Bill is an old friend, an admired Presbyterian pastor, and a great jazz musician. (Tune in to his stuff at Presbybop, his very cool jazz band.)

This book, as I explained, is a bit about the history of jazz, his own growing into an appreciation of the arts and of music, particularly, written as a mainline denominational pastor. He is convinced that the arts, generally, and jazz, quite specifically, is a gateway to knowing the God of the universe, and that an artful God authorizes us to have a blast playing great jazz songs. If you know anybody who loves jazz (older and newer) and might be open to a theological reflection on it all, this is the book for them. It is wise and good, fun and inspiring. It’s one of our favs of the year and you could give it to any number of people and they would, I’m sure, dig it.

The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World Robin Wall Kimmerer (Scribner) $20.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $16.00

This hand-sized book would make a perfect little present as a housewarming gift or a “just because” to anybody who cares about the natural world, who likes nature writing and the spiritual / social /cultural philosophical pondering that emerges from a close attention to, in this case, one particular thing in nature.

Robin Wall Kimmerer should be a household name — her famous Braiding Sweetgrass — continues to sell and is the sort of book that is at once unforgettable and nearly transformational. She is a Native American, and here, like in Braiding, she combines natural history and a grounded spirituality of creation and an ecologist’s glory in the details of land and place with excellent writing that is both informative and heartwarming.

Flourishing, she tells us, must be mutual. This small book ends up being about gratitude and common grace, inspired by the simple serviceberry.  One serious writer says her book is “a hymn of love to the world.”

 

Backroads and Better Angels: A Journey into the Heart of American Democracy Francis S. Barry (Steer Forth Press) $35.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $28.00

Do you recall me writing about this before? I should devote a whole column just to this wondrous, funny, inspiring, earnest, and brilliant book, but for now I’ll just say this. Barry is a Democrat who went to work for a Republican candidate. He started writing columns in the Bloomberg journal (yes, Michael, the NY mayor and millionaire, offers a lovely endorsement of this audacious book.) As you might guess, Francis is a good guy, caring about both sides of the political aisle and what seems to me to be a conscientious objector in the culture wars. He wants to know what keeps us together, what common ground our polarized culture might have. He wants to know if local folks are neighborly and, frankly, if focusing on the local history of their towns and places, can help bridge the divides and lead us to be open to our better angels.

Better angels? It’s a line from Lincoln, of course, and he is captivated not only by Abraham and his civic vision, but of the great American highway named after the President. Yep, this book is a road trip where Francis and his wife take off from Manhattan and through the Lincoln Tunnel and head out in their RV to follow the Lincoln Highway all across the country. They tell fabulous stories of local history and funny stories of people they meet along the way, day by day. They visited my own church and learned about efforts of racial reconciliation in York, Pennsylvania when they passed through here, right before Gettysburg. It’s fun seeing people and places we know in a major published work. This big book is a great, great read — give it to anybody that likes good storytelling, local history, travel, civic conversations, and the adventure of following our better angels on some pretty amazing backroads of the U. S. of A.

Abraham Kuyper: A Short and Personal Introduction Richard J. Mouw (Eerdmans) $17.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $14.39

I wanted to list this lovely little book about a person many of us have been influenced by, almost by osmosis, in part due to his famous quote about Christ — the resurrected and ascended Lord — pointing down fro heaven at “every square inch” of creation and claiming “Mine!” Yes, indeed, it was a great line from a great speech in the late 1880s. Jesus is more than a personal savior but the One who inaugurates (and gives his life for) the Kingdom of God. Kuyper was ahead of his time in seeing the relationships between the good creation, scared and distorted by sin, but being fully redeemed and restored by the God who “so loves the world.”

He was deeply pious as a public leader, and as Prime Minister of the Netherlands in the early 1900s, having already started a uniquely Christian poltical party, a daily newspaper, a college free of constraints church or state, formulated innovative industrial policies including worker’s rights, and lead a renewal of the Calvinist churches who were often confused about public life in Holland. That “every square inch” line gets a lot of play; our beloved Jubilee Conference in Pittsburgh is using it as a theme this February, as it undergirds efforts to think well and live for the common good, even celebrating common sorts of grace as we try to shape culture in faithful, healthy ways. Mr. Kuyper — converted by reading a novel — was larger than life, a provocative public intellectual and, yes, a Prime Minister. It has been said that he challenged Queen Victoria to undo some of the unjust trading patterns that the East India Trading Company unfairly foisted on the poor Indonesia. (If only he was as astute in dealing with South Africa!)

Anyway, this is the easiest, most intereting, shortest guide about the sort of neo-Calvinism that Kuyper unleashed and whether one is Kuyperian or not, it’s a grand little book about a faithful statesman. Frustrating the left and the right, Kuyper’s worldview stretches us to new vistas, and this little book by the always charming Rich Mouw, would be just the thing to give to somebody who is frustrated with current political options or who wonders how Christians might be more thoughtful in their public engagement. Short, sweet, nicely done. Hooray.

Myth America: Historians Take on The Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past edited by Kevin Kruse & Julian Zelizer (Basic Books) $32.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $25.60

This is another book — a hefty collection of readable but well informed essays — that I could write about in greater detail. Every chapter is a different (often prominent) historian writing about a certain myth, “punching through the information overload with clear-eyed analysis, research rigor, and stylistic verve” (as Margaret O’Mara, author of The Code puts it.) This really is a fabulous collection.

Naturally, no historian has a God’s eye view on things and each has their own biases, presumptions and worldviewish assumptions; nobody is neutral in scholarship. So it is not like that standard texts and viewpoints are the true ones, objective and unbiased, and this new generation of critical theorists are biased and opinionated, no. That’s not how it works. All the stories we’ve learned in schools are biased (as is every news report and column) and may or may not prop up certain ideologies and may or may not be, actually, true to what happened. We see through a glass darkly as God told the great apostle to write. Some of the deconstruction in this book about some classic myths about America is really, really informational, and very inspiring, actually. Are they all fully correct? I don’t know. But they do (in the words of David Blight Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Frederick Douglas) “take direct aim at the lies that are the lifeblood of the myths that grip American culture and politics today.” It’s worth considering.

Blight continues,

This book is a collective work of courage in a time when ‘truth’ and ‘fact’ have never been so widely abused; if we believe in our craft as public historians and journalists, Kevin Kruse and Julian Zelizer show us the way.

Defiant Hope: Essays on Life, Faith and Freedom Michael Gerson (Simon & Schuster) $28.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $23.19

Maybe you recall that I highlighted this not long ago, a great collection of pieces by the late political speech writer and public essayist, Michael Gerson. Gerson was a Wheaton-educated Christian public thinker who ended up working in the Bush White House. When he couldn’t abide supporting candidate Trump, he wrote in his regular column in The Washington Post about his concerns and both inspired many conservatives who resisted Trump but also took the ire of many. He held to his faith and in this collection of essays he writes about everything from his friendship with Presidents, African politics and his hope for public virtue, his cancer diagnosis, to the love of his pet, his family, and his hope in Christ.

The fabulous and lengthy introduction by David Brooks (in which he writes about the “life of astonishing moral coherence and grace” that Gerson lived) is so wonderful that I knew that this book would be a winner. I hope that many will find it balanced, eloquent, challenging, prophetic even, wise, and gracious.

Go Forward in Love: A Year of Daily Readings from Timothy Keller Timothy Keller (Zondervan) $26.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $21.59

I can just say it as clearly as possible: there are two sorts of people who will appreciate this book: those who know Keller and so would love a greatest hits collection to dip into day by day and those who do not know him, who will find this a perfect introduction to his extraordinary written work.

The late Keller was a hero of ours (even if we did not agree with everything he believed or that his denomination stood for.) I met him more than once and he was always alert and stimulating and thoughtful (if a bit shy.) I saw him talk with or interview N.T Wright, Bryan Stevenson, Miroslav Volf, John Inazu.  In any case, he was not only an urban pastor and well-loved evangelical leader, he was a writer who brought wisdom and erudition to the genre of Christian popular writing and many grew to deeper faith because of him. Not unlike his beloved C.S. Lewis, his work is perfect to share with seekers and those unaware of intellectually rich evangelical faith. This new one is a great place to start (or ideal for fans.) I’d get a few to have around…

Ordinary Saints: Living Everyday Life to the Glory of God edited by Ned Bustard (Square Halo Books) $24.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $19.99

Speaking of Keller (above) I believe that it was Square Halo Books that published his first written piece in a real book. (It was in their classic It Was Good: Making Art to the Glory of God.) Years later, Square Halo manager invited a bunch of people to do what Keller always did: thoughtfully bridge the seeming divide between the so-called sacred and secular and tell how they find God in the ordinary. Reformed people, especially, make a big deal about glorifying God in all things (from the arts to work, sexuality to scholarship, eating meals and suffering loss.) How does all this play out, Ned asked, and these fabulous chapters are the answers.

You will enjoy chapters on taking care of chickens and taking care of grand babies; on work and on play, or playing music and reading books, on cooking and knitting and making love and reading poetry. From Malcolm Guite to Calvin Seerveld to Margie Haack, Bruce Herman to Diana DiPasquale to J. Mark Bertrand, to, yes, me, Byron Borger, on working in retail – the chapter isn’t as good as Tom Becker’s on roller skating or Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt on going to museums — it has gotten some good feedback. Enjoy, for God’s sake. This book is not as known as it should be and if you give it as a gift I am sure the receipt will dip in and have a blast. And, who knows, maybe just come to see their whole ordinary life in a new way.

Faith Embodied: Glorifying God with our Physical and Spiritual Health Stephen Ko (Zondervan) $19.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

If you enjoyed thinking about Ordinary Saints — and the joyous testifying chapters about common stuff that ordinary saints do — this book will flesh out the theological and Biblical foundations of an embodied and down-to-earth faith. Ko is the senior pastor at New York Chinese Alliance Church but, previously, was a CDC medical officer and has taught at Boston University. It is delightful to have someone so fluent in theology and faith formation and medicine. This tells his powerful story from pediatrician to public health officer to a pastor of a large Chinese church. He understands the implications of what it means that we are made — even our bodies! — “in the image of God” and how our senses (that’s right –  sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste) can be understood Christianly. This is a book about incarnational theology and the relationship of daily living and Kingdom worship.

My, my, this is great, deep and yet so practical. I’m sure you will know theological types who need to bring their ideas down to Earth, and you may know health-conscious homemakers who would appreciate a solid foundation for their stewardship of their bodies. This is about experiencing God in all things. It is  about breathing and moving, resting and how love can impact our very selves. Want greater integration with faith and life? Want to understand our bodies and link physical and spiritual wellness? This is one of the best books we’ve yet seen on this practical topic that we all should care about. Science, faith, nutrition, neurology, play, and health, all for “a full-orbed embodied life.”  Hooray.

Cup Overflowing: Wine’s Place in Faith, Feasting, and Fellowship Gisela H. Kreglinger (Zondervan) $22.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $18.39

I mentioned this in the latest “Three Books from Hearts & Mind” podcast as it seemed like a perfect time to celebrate — after the longing, even anxious, time of somber Advent — the feasting and celebration of Christmastime that most likely will include some glorious tasting of the fruit of the vine. For some of us it is a hobby — learning the tastes and aromas and pleasures and even history of foods and beverages, from quality coffee to craft beer to tasty cheeses or delightful peppers. How about wine?

Kreglinger told her story in a somewhat more broad, theological memoir (The Spirituality of Wine) published by Eerdmans which we have happily sold. This new one is a bit more Biblical, showing the many places wine is discussed and celebrated (and occasionally warned about) in Holy Scripture. It’s so good.

We have all three of her books and this new one is perfect to give to someone who cares about the theological and Bible basis for enjoying a fine bottle of wine. As my friend Winn Collier puts it in a back cover blurb, this book can even lead us to “wholeness and abundance.”

Becoming By Beholding: The Power of the Imagination in Spiritual Formation  Lanta Davis (Baker Academic) $27.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $22.39

I suppose you’ve noticed the number of books we’ve recommended as quick, last-minute gifts are about creativity and the arts, writing and music and such. I know you’ve got friends who would love to know that God cares about the creative life and that there is a Christian engagement with stuff like jazz music (see, above, Thriving on a Riff or writing, like Break, Blow, Burn, and Make.) This is one that invites us to this embodied, creative, imaginative life as a way to behold the Bible. Yep, this is about a transformative view of reading the Bible and — as the subtitle nicely puts it, “the power of imagination in spiritual formation.” This is one of the great books of the year, spelling out what seems to be a growing consensus among many of our smartest Christian minds and best writers, that merely learning the Bible’s truths in conventional ways is not as formative or transformational as it would be if we only added the imagination and not mere cognitive facts.

This title itself says so much, it is worth having the book just to gaze at its cover and title, wondering what it all means.

As we explained in a good review earlier this fall, this recent work is nothing short of spectacular, inviting us to behold (as C.S. Lewis put it) and allow that deeper way of knowing to shape how we are formed by the Biblical story itself. I bet you know somebody that would’ve this kind of approach. This is one of the great books of 2024, so you’ll be hearing a bit about it again when I do that list. For now, why not buy it as a gift for somebody who would appreciate it.

Prayers for the Pilgrimage: A Book of Collects for All of Life David O. Taylor with paintings by Phaedra Taylor (IVP) $25.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $20.00

This is one of the most lovely books on this whole list, a great house warming present or stocking stuffer or end of the year blessing to someone who needs a little gift. It is a whole bunch of very solid, if creatively written, prayers to the Triune God of the Bible, done with down-to-Earth insight about God’s care for, well, everything. From the hurts of the heart to the joys of the family, from the fears or pleasures or hopes or dreams, Prayers for the Pilgrimage offers poetic collects, enhanced by allusive, gentle, earth-toned water colors.

Douglas McKelvy (author of the three Every Moment Holy prayer books which, of course, we carry) calls these “perceive petitions and sensitive paintings.” Poet Luci Shaw and spiritual writer Richard Foster both rave, Malcolm Guite says it is “memorable, beautifully crafted little prose poems that will stay with the reader long after they have been prayed.”

Present in Prayer: A Guided Invitation to Peace Through Biblical Mediation Jennifer Tucker (Thomas Nelson) $19.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

I think sometimes the look of a book and its attractive design is part of the joy of sharing it and, certainly, a handsomely designed little volume will lure some to take a second look. This is a very good book on prayer — to quiet the noise within and around you, to be “fully present in prayer as you allow the Holy Spirit to speak through God’s Word.” That is, this is an easy to read, upbeat, gracious book about Christian mediation.

There are thirty beautifully illustrated mediations that call us to silence, prayer, mindful reflection on a Biblical passage using the framework of lectio divina.

Perhaps it is designed mostly for women but anyone who likes flowers and lovely design will appreciate this very attractive, slightly smaller than typical hardback. Nice.

Ordinary Mysticism: Your Life as Sacred Ground Mirabai Starr (HarperOne) $26.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $20.80

Okay, I’m just going to say it. This book isn’t for everyone and while she is an amazing and generative spiritual writer, it is not exactly a Christian approach. Her view of mysticism is generously interfaith and while she may be what some call a reliable guide, I’d say, for the record, that her other works are more rooted in the ancient Christian saints while this one is a bit more broad, spiritual but not religious. The person now known as V (formerly Eve Ensler) says it is “a shimmering call to reclaim our direct connection to the sacred and the beautiful.”

This deep and affirming writing could be just what somebody will really appreciate, or, for others, it might be a lifeline to the spiritual life that isn’t tied to creeds or doctrines or church life. It isn’t my own cup of tea, but we are glad to suggest it here, for that person who might approach her invitation to be full who they are, and to attend to their soul in honest, mystical ways. It is a welcoming book, hospitable, and generous.

Flannery O’Connor’s Why Do the Heathen Rage: A Behind the Scene Look at a Work in Progress Jessica Hooten Wilson (Brazos Press) $24.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $19.99

I think when I first announced this at BookNotes I said something breathy like “a literary event” and suggested it would surely be one of the most talked about books of the year. I don’t get out much in literary circles but I sure do know that if you know anybody that likes O’Connor (or who has watched the much-discussed film that came out this year) Ms Wilson’s extraordinary effort to retrieve this unfinished novel — now in print for the first time ever — this book would be a perfect gift. Wilson here both publishes the never-finished book from the great Catholic novelist (she died in 1964 at the age of 39) and explores a bit about why it was not finished, what was going on in it, and what impact it might have had.

Esau McCaulley nicely says that it is “part detective story, part examination of “O’Connor in the context of a changing American (especially racially), and part exploration of one of America’s great writers in the process of creation.”

There are some great (and perfectly illuminating) woodcuts by the great Steve Prince. New York Times bestselling author George Saunders has a back cover endorsement. Man, I was right: this right here is one of the great publishing events of recent years. Kudos to Wilson and to Brazos. Spread the word.

Reading Genesis Marilyn Robinson (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) $29.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $23.20

Speaking of literary events, this, too, was nearly one. The Pulitzer-Prize winning novelist (and essays and magazine journalist), has given us a rumination on the first book of the Bible. Robinson is so esteemed in the literary world that folks who might not ordinarily care about the Bible have taken this up and found it enchanting. The review in The New Republic said her work is “capacious and wondrous like the night sky; it deserves our attention.” Roger Kimball wrote in The New York Times Book Review that it is “a goad to renewed curiosity.” We could pray that it would be, drawing many into Holy Scripture as if for the first time.

In our circles my sense is that many who might have a fairly conventional Christian reading of Genesis — either a fairly evangelical view or a more liberal critical view — all agree that we could use a fresh take, and that her talent for beautiful prose makes this a no-brainer. That is, give it to anyone, believer or otherwise. She’s working on one on Exodus, I’ve heard. Hooray.

Zero at the Bone: Fifty Entries Against Despair Christina Wiman (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) $30.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $24.00

I hope you know of Wiman, the Texas Baptist boy who became an elite scholar and poet, got a terminal diagnosis which generated a renewal of faith, told beautifully in the much-lauded My Bright Abyss. He has written about faith and the arts (in He Held Radical Light which one reviewer called “soul-searing… a magnificent, radiant memoir.”) Of course he is known for many books of poetry and he is, truly, one of the important writers of our time. Not unlike Marilyn Robinson, above.

This 2024 book will be on our “Best Books of the Year” list (if we do one in the next weeks) but for now we wanted to suggest it would be a good gift for anyone who has had a rough go of it this past year. For anyone who has experienced a “blue Christmas” or who wants to think hard about suffering and even despair, this unique book — sort of memoir, lots of essay-like ruminations, some fine quotations and poems included — will be a provocative balm for many. Thoughtful, (dare I say intellectual) and allusive, these brief pieces fit together to push back against despair. Wow.

Evangelical Zen: A Christian’s Spiritual Travels with a Buddhist Friend Paul Metzger with Kyogen Carlson (Cascade) $29.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $23.20

Oh my, you know who to give this to, I’m sure. Anybody who is interested in interfaith conversations, anyone who believes that Christians can appreciate Zen, anyone who wants to see a generous evangelical become a friend and search for common ground with a friend who is a priest of another way. You have to know somebody who would like this, right? In this increasingly diverse world, we all know people who are into either a pop, new-age sort of Buddhism or those who are, in fact, serious Buddhists or serious practitioners of the customers and dispositions of Zen. This book, written from a mature and solid evangelical position, is nothing short of ingenious. We are doing a webinar with Paul Metzger (who I admire greatly and would read anything he writes) later this winter. Stay tuned for that.

Evangelical Zen is partially related, I’d say, to Metzger’s previous, serious book on interfaith conversation called Connecting Christ: How to Discuss Jesus in a World of Diverse Paths which I think is very strong (and comprehensive) for those eager to share Christ well in a globalized, multi-faith world. Paul is Christ-like and focused on His Kingdom, is generous and kind, open and thoughtful, seeking common ground with his long-time friend, Kyogen Carlson. I love the subtitle to this new, updated edition of an earlier version of the book, “A Christian’s Spiritual Travels with a Buddhist Friend.” Exactly.

Paul Louis Metzger, an evangelical Christian theologian well-versed in Japanese culture and customs, has written a thought-provoking book that provides helpful insights for both Americans and Japanese. His years of interaction with a Zen Buddhist priest have enriched his learning and this book.  — Kiwa Fukushima, chief priest, Genshoin Zenkoji Temple

When it comes to inter-religious interchanges, theology often gets more attention than relationships. That’s not true of Paul Louis Metzger’s Evangelical Zen. Although filled with stunning theological insights, it models how evangelical Christians and Zen practitioners can and should be in relationship. An inspiring read. — Terry C. Muck, co-author of Christianity Encountering World Religions: The Practice of Mission in the Twenty-First Century

Keys to Bonhoeffer’s Haus: Exploring the World and Wisdom of Dietrich Bonhoeffer Laura M. Fabrycky (Fortress) $25.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $20.79

I am sure you’ve heard reports — good, bad, mixed — about the new Bonhoeffer film (that was not made with any nationalist motivations and with which controversial MAGA ideologue Eric Metaxas had no connection.) Still, there have been more heated debates about the reception of and use of Bonhoeffer than there have been for a long time. Maybe I’ll do a whole BookNotes about that, but, for now, if you want to give a book to somebody who has some interested in the German pastor who died under Hitler, this truly lovely (and truly wise) memoir by an American working in the famous haus — the home, now museum, in Berlin, would make a fantastic gift. You can take a tour of Bonhoeffer’s world and, as the back cover puts it, “discover how his life matters for how you live your own.”

That is, she isn’t quite so interested in the battle for Bonhoeffer, but she wants to know how encountering the man, his literal stuff, and his books and his life, might make a difference in our own lives. It is, as Richard Mouw puts it, “marvelously engaging” and it helps us all not only see behind the scenes of his ordinary life, but invites us to ask “what difference does knowing this make.” Which is to say, she is asking one of the biggest questions any morally serious person can ask: what does it mean to really know something and how does what you say you know actually inform your life? As Anne Snyder puts it, this book can offer keys to “private sanity and civic hope.”

I’d give this to anyone who has watched the movie or read any of the many books, or dipped into Cost of Discipleship or Life Together.

We Become What We Normalize: What We Owe Each Other in Worlds That Demand Our Silence David Dark (Broadleaf) $26.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $21.59

I have written about this before and have invited readers to consider if this book would entertain them (I think it would — David is such an energetic writer and interesting storyteller) or challenge them (it surely will — he is nearly undaunted in his (humble) invitation for all of us to explore what is really going in in our lives, in our circles of friends, in our systems and in our government, operating in our name and on our dime) or inspire them (it just might; he tells stories of those who have stood up and spoken out, paid the price of not being complicit in social evil.) Entertaining and challenging and inspiring? Will it provoke? Yep. WIll it cause you to scratch your head? Yep, and that’s not a bad thing, like reading poetry. This is a one-of-a-kind book, one of the most curious and affecting and I think important volumes of 2024. Get one and see who you might share it with. Or buy two, in good faith, knowing that somebody you know will dig this. For some, it will be, appropriately, an epiphany.

The Sacred Chain: How Understanding Evolution Leads to Deeper Faith Jim Stump (HarperOne) $29.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $23.99

Really sharp folks I admire — Curtis Chang, for instance, or Francis Collins — have raved about this, not only because it is well written and very accessible, but also for its astute Christian philosophy and generous, upbeat faith. Stump offers a fairly personal narrative, here, interweaving his own insights and discoveries with solid science and the latest findings. Can a book about the contested spaces of science be joyful? Yes!

 

The Age of AI: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity Jason Thacker (Zondervan) $19.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

I bet you’ve had family conversations — maybe arguments? — about this recently. Right? Who isn’t aware of and somewhat concerned about the ups and downs, the possibilities and troubles, of this new age of artificial intelligence? Thacker is a solid theologian and thinker (who works for a Baptist think tank and is a swell guy) who wrote this book before AI became a household conversation. Rich Mouw liked his work so much he did a great foreword, noting the wisdom of Thacker’s approach (neither demonizing it nor making it into an idol) and deeply committed to the truth of humans being made with dignity in the image of God. It has recently been reissued in paperback and we think it is the best book to frame the ongoing conversations.

We have plenty more on this, with more to come, but I’d recommend this for Christian wanting a solid starting place.

A Literary Field Guide to Northern Appalachia edited by Todd Davis, Noah Davis and Carolyn Mahan (The University of Georgia Press) $24.95 / OUR SALE PRICE = $19.96

Those who aren’t interested in Appalachia— and in this case the northern tier of that big chain mountain that extends right up into Pennsylvania, even New York and New England — might still enjoy this, the second in a set edited by a poet and environmental studies prof (at the Altoona campus of Penn State) and his son, raised along the Allegheny Front. Dr. Mahan is also a prof of biology and environmental studies at Penn State Altoona and here the three editors have brought together in a stunning, beautiful volume, both art and science, natural history and ecological poetry. The first, similar volume, was A Literary Field Guide to Southern Appalachia, and both offer poems and writings, and fascinating descriptions of habitat, range, and ecological contexts. Is this a science-shaped poetry volume or a poetic science volume? There are illustrations, too, with wonderful guides to trees, shrubs, wildflowers, birds, mammals, amphibians, and fungi. I didn’t know most of the contributors, the naturalists or poets, except I smiled to see a piece by former Messiah University prof, (and very highly acclaimed poet) Julia Kasdorf. This is a great book to study or to browse through at your leisure.

Undivided: The Quest for Racial Solidarity in an American Church Hahrie Han (Knopf) $29.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $23.99

It isn’t every day that a major, respected publisher does a gloriously researched and beautifully written study of Christian folk who are involved in the hard work of building a better world, in this case, trying to be a multi-cultural congregation with integrity. Undivided is a truly remarkable book (what one reviewed noted contained both “elegant storytelling and rigorous research.” It is a book that is compelling, and, frankly, a wonderful reminder not only of the importance of racial reconciliation, but how central the church can be in this hard project.

This book offers hard tales and good stories, laden with informed insight about the complexities of grappling with racial justice, especially in a largely white, non-denominational, evangelical church. (The church is in Cincinnati and the black pastor is Chuck Mingo.) One could hardly find a better study of the dynamics of organizing for real change. I know some people at this church, in fact, but even if I did not, I’d be raving about this “richly informed reflection on the problems and possibilities of faith-based, community-rooted solidarity.”

Maybe you have read the amazing, powerful, complicated, riveting, and deeply troubling book by Pulitzer Prize winner Eliza Griswold, about the radical house church that eventually fell apart — in part of racial justice questions — called Circle of Hope. That was an important read (and, again, I knew some folks in that congregation, and, in fact, preached there early on.) If that book left you depressed or discouraged, this, too, unpacks some of the complicated relationships that develop as Christian congregations get serious about being transformed into a community of justice, but it might make you take a bit more courage and a bit more inspiration. Circle (which we reviewed at BookNotes and still have on sale) was a must-read and tragic morality tale, while Undivided is more, perhaps, bearing light and a signpost of hope.

Bone of the Bone: Essays on American by a Daughter of the Working Class Sarah Smarsh (Scribner) $29.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $23.99

I highlighted this when it came out this fall and noted, of course, that we loved Heartland (which was a National Book Award finalist) and that I truly adored She Come By It Natural  which was a short and remarkable book on Dolly Parton. The New York Times Book Review called Heartland “ a deeply humane memoir with crackles of clarifying insight… and in this new anthology she only underscores her keen insights about rural life, mid-America, and her damn good prose. This book will resonate with all sorts of readers, but especially for those wondering about flyover country, about why the Trumpian right is appealing there, and how class issues are perennial in this land of possibility and injustice.

These are pieces from more than a dozen very different publications — McSweeney’s Texas Observer, The New York Times, The Guardian, Columbia Journalism Review, The Atlantic, Aeon, Harpers, Oxford American, and more. These are pieces I bet you’ve never seen. Somebody said she brings her graceful storytelling and incisive critique. More than thirty essays.

Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work or Watch or Weep Tish Harrison Warren (IVP) $22.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $18.39

Most of what I’m suggesting for these 12 days of Christmastime gift-giving are new books, some quite new. I feel compelled to share this older one, though, as it is a prefect gift for nearly anyone, but certainly to those who wonder if, well, to put it starkly, “they an “trust God in the dark?”  Although this excellent book is framed around the nighttime prayer of Compline (that is, literally praying at night) it is, more metaphorically, about praying during times of doubt and sadness. In this stunning work she “navigates themes of human vulnerability, suffering, and God’s seeming absence. “

This is one of my favorite books, ever, for a number of reasons, and I often sense a certain holiness when I recommend it.

My friend Karen Swallow Prior says,

“I know of few writers today who write as pastorally, prophetically, and poetically as Tish Harrison Warren. I know of few writers of any time who write of the deep dark stuff of life with as much hope, grace, and beauty as you will find in these pages.”

This book — written, as Andy Crouch puts it “by the light of an ancient nighttime prayer” — walks a line between an overly stark relishing of doubt and pain and (on the other hand) a cheesy, upbeat call to happy faith. No, it offers a wise and sensible and raw call to real attend to our real hurts with what faith we can muster by following the old prayer, honest and orthodox. It is just about perfect, as a vision, as a help, and as a captivating read.

To Be Made Well: An Invitation to Wholeness, Healing, and Hope Amy Julia Becker (Herald Press) $17.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $14.39

I could say much (and have, actually) about this mature, honest, raw, hopeful book about healing and wholeness, about chronic pain and finding personal, spiritual, even social healing “as we reconnect with our bodies and souls, with God, and with our communities.” In our self-help section we have some very, very good books about personal growth and about coping with anxiety and hurt, about trauma, about physical pain and emotional baggage, about stress or lonliness, abuse or illness. This is one of the best of them all in the way it weaves Biblical stories with the authors story and with our own emotional pain, shame, guilt, and the like. The Bible stuff isn’t simplistic or glib, but interesting and insightful.

This is a transformational book by a very good writer who has seen some stuff. Give it to anyone who wants to be equipped for the journey to wholeness or to be a agent of care for others. I highly recommend this for our readers and those wanting help in their struggles.

The God of Wild Places: Rediscovering the Divine in the Untamed Outdoors Tony Jones (Rowman & Littlefield) $24.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $19.20

This book would make a great gift to anyone who enjoys the great outdoors — and I mean hiking, fishing, hunting, taking long excursions into the wild. Jones is a former churchman, an energetic leader (and author) trying to help the too-often dry or strict evangelical movement to emerge into better, deeper, more gracious ways. As he forthrightly tells it here, he mostly got tired of all that and both burned out and frankly, reconsidered his faith, taking up questions to live into them in fresh ways.

He still sees himself as a follower of Christ, of sorts, at least, but mostly worships the Divine in the outdoors. I say that less as a criticism (although I don’t buy it) but to note that there is some theological stuff here that suggests that faith is personal and does not need to be expressed in a conventional congregation. Agree or not with that viewpoint, Tony’s description of the glories of creation, the very real possibilities of finding God in the outdoors, the Biblical teaching about the wilderness and the value of wild places makes this a fabulous and, for some, a life-giving read. Yes, you can find God in the untamed wild spaces — if Tony is right, maybe more so than in the safe confines of a typical worship space.

Barbara Brown Taylor says, “I have read a lot of books in my life, but never one like this.”

Brian McLaren says:

“I love this book. I love its tenderness, its craft, its settings, its quests and questions, and the profound misters toward which it bows. It takes you places you need to go.”

Word Made Fresh: An Invitation to Poetry for the Church Abram Van Engen (Eerdmans) $26.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $21.59

Holy smokes this is a great read, important and lovely, intellectually stimulating and spiritually refreshing. I say that, actually, as one who does not read much poetry and who may understand its importance but still avoids it more often than not.

Which is to say this great book is ideal for poetry lovers and literature types. And, maybe even more, it is a life-line to the art form for those who don’t care much about poems. The book is so good that it really could make a difference for those who need a nudge.

Van Engen is a professor in the Humanities and chair of the English department at Washington University in St. Louis. He is passionate, he tells us, about teaching poetry to a wider audience. Importantly, he is the director of the Carver Project, a Christian project that aims to connect the university, church, and society. I love that.

The blurbs on the back indicate, by the way, that this isn’t exactly for the church leader, not about integrating poetry into worship or church study (although that isn’t a bad idea.) It is good for any person of faith regardless of their role in a congregation.

Those blurbs, by the way, are from the great Christian Wiman and the wise James K.A. Smith.

Like the Ancient Mariner, I will be grabbing people by the lapels and pressing this book into their hands: Here’s why poetry is the song you didn’t realize your heart wants to sing.

Water, Water: Poems Billy Collins (Random House) $27.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $21.60

Speaking of poetry, one can hardly go wrong with the well-loved Billy Collins. He is respected, mostly, among the serious critics, but is even more-so loved by ordinary folks who like a good word.

He is understandable and pleasant, fun and funny, serious, and wise. These brand new poems are mostly about the goodness of nature and ordinary experiences and I”m sure many will take great pleasure in it.

 

Another Day: Sabbath Poems, 2013 – 2023 Wendell Berry (Counterpoint) $27.00 / OUR SALE PRICE = $21.60

I am sure I don’t have to explain the appeal of Berry’s esteemed poetry, let alone his sabbath-day poems, but for those who have not tried them, this new handsome hardback collects a decade’s worth. His novels and short stories and essays are all stellar, urgently important, some would say, but these relaxing, allusive, spiritual poems are nearly musical, laden with themes of goodness, rest, and love for creation. As one critic notes, Mr. Berry is indeed “the poet laureate of America’s farmland.”

 

Same Old, Same New: The Consolation of the Ordinary Mike Mason (Friesen Press) $19.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

Do you know Mike Mason, the wordsmith who wrote one of the very best books about marriage, The Meaning of Marriage, one glorious one about children, another about joy, and the big Gospel According to Job, as well as some very cool YA novels? I sure hope so. We’ve carried these all for decades and they remain some of the finest writing in the broader Christian community we have seen. Eloquent and sensible, Mike Mason is a writer to read and admire.

This is a collection of random essays, pieces which, it is said, “straddles two worlds, the quotidian and the eternal.” As Ron Reed (founding artistic director of Pacific Theatre) notes, “Of course those two worlds aren’t separate worlds at all — and the reality of that intermingling, that co-existence of the mundane and the mystical, is perhaps the recurrent theme of Mason’s writings.”

We have a whole section of “the spirituality of the ordinary” and it is lovely to have this beautiful, evangelical writer (who for a while was mentored by J.I. Packer) chime in with these luminous essays about the commonplace. Give this to anyone who likes good writing or who needs to be reminded of God’s common grace for everydayness.

The Mother Artists: Portraits of Ambition, Limitation, and Creativity Catherine Ricketts (Broadleaf) $28.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $23.19

Cole Arthur Riley, herself quite a wordsmith and memoirist, says this is “skillfully traveling through the wisdom and stories of female artists” and that Ricketts “has offered us a labor of both love and loss, grit and frailty.” Another astute friend, James K.A. Smith, notes that, obviously, it is for mothers who are artists, but, more, he says, “read this if your human and hope for a different world.”

When Cole and Jamie says to read a book we should listen. If this unique work of art history and memoir and cultural criticism and invitation to creativity is as good as it seems, it will be great for anyone wondering about the intersections of caregiving and creative labor. Sarah Sentilles says it is a tour de force. Maybe you know somebody who needs it now.

Wild Things and Castles in the Sky: A Guide to Choosing the Best Books for Children edited by Leslie Bustard, Carey Bustard and Thea Rosenburg (Square Halo Books) $29.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $23.99

I have highlighted this often and want to suggest it again as a book for parents or grandparents (or teachers or anybody who cares about the imaginative lives of children.) You know, we’ve got tons of books on marriage and family and parenting. We’ve got all sorts of speciality topics and we could tell you about many. But I am sure of two things, at least: better than nearly any self-help, “how to” book is this wonderfully visionary and deeply caring resource about all kinds of kids books and how to choose good books for children of all ages. A large group of sharp moms and dads, educators and scholars, teachers, and grandparents all chime in here sharing their insights on different kinds of books and different sorts of kids. This is a majesterial book, excellent done by people I trust. I look stuff up in it often and it would seem every church library (and every bookstore) should have it. Maybe you should share it with somebody you care about…

Make a List: How a Simple Practice Can Change Our Lives and Open Our Hearts Marilyn McEntyre (Eerdmans) $16.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $13.59

This compact sized, easy to read, utterly profound prayerful, guidebook is a surprisingly fascinating read and would make a lovely little gift for anyone thinking about new habits and fresh plans for the new year. We have some hardbacks we’re selling at the paperback price, and this is a great resource to have around when you need just that special gift — nothing too heavy, but, not trivial.

You probably know how we love Marilyn McEntyre — her Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies is one of my all time top ten books — and her other work is beautifully crafted and vital. This one, also, is smart and helpful. It is a simple practice and, as Lauren Winner puts it, it is “life-giving and edifying” as it refames a simple habit into a spiritual practice. It will remind you of the power of language and the joy of playing with lists, corem Deo. 

Rocky Mountain High: A Tale of Boom and Bust in the New Wild West Finn Murphy (W.W. Norton) $27.95 / OUR SALE PRICE = $22.36

Sometimes you might just want a rip-roaring read, a clever telling of an amazing story, full of fun and moral lessons, adventure and touching concern about the world. A blue-collar philosopher, former truck driver and very interesting writer, Finn is a guy whose books I love. I can’t wait for another, no matter what it is about…

The first was a heck of a story about being a truck driver (The Long Haul) but this one — oh man — it is about leveraging it all and buying up a Colorado hemp farm. Several years ago the feds and all sorts of folks were pushing this new gold rush, encouraging people to buy up land and put in non-hallucinogenic pot plants to sell to the growing hemp business. For medicinal and textile use, this was going to save the agricultural problems of our frontier and, well, uh, well, it just didn’t work out so well. For a whole bunch of reasons.

As Jessica Bruder (author of the wonderful Nomadland) says,

Finn Murphy’s misadventures on the wild hemp frontier brim with wit, pluck, and hard-won wisdom. Rocky Mountain High is a roller-coaster ride through the green gold rush, a rollicking cannabis caper full of dissolving profits and indelible characters.

I certainly couldn’t have put it so well, but Bruder’s comment makes you want to read it, doesn’t it? I know as a businessperson, I sure related, even though the book biz is a bit more quaint than his pull your self up and figure it out world. This isn’t your typical entrepreneur book full of hip success and tech-savvy genius extolling the glories of  self-made profiteering. This is about immigrant workers and the working class guys taking big risks and wondering what the hell happened. What a book!

God Has a Name John Mark Comer (Thomas Nelson) $25.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $20.79

The most popular book on spiritual formation this year has been Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer and we have been thrilled to recommned it (and the excellent, fully free streaming courses they have on line.) With the enthusiasm for his work they re-issued an older one of his with a slightly different format with a new section on the practice of Christian meditation. It’s a great introduction to God, to knowing God, to living in ways that make sense of this fundamental truth of the universe.

It has as a new subtitle “What you believe about God will shape who you become.”  I believe this is absolutely so, and while it is not the only thing, it is the most foundational. And one of the key things the Bible teaches is that God has a name. This has huge implications. This cool book would make a great gift to anybody who is seeking, new to faith, or hungry for deeper practices of spiritual formation. It is fun, interesting, and utterly compelling.

What If Jesus Was Serious About the Church? Skye Jethani (Moody Press) $14.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $11.99

Maybe in your travels and conversations this week someone has brought something up about church. It happens, right? Ha — you know. Maybe you’d like to share just a small book, not too heavy, just a fun invitation to remember the important of a local faith community. It doesn’t make much difference if your non-denominational or Anglican, Mennonite or Lutheran, Pentecostal or Presbyterian (or even Catholic, these days) people are lax about their involvement in their local congregation. We all need a little reminder, not too threatening, not too heady, but a interesting call to take Jesus seriously about being a community.

This What If Jesus Was Serious About the Church book is small and full of cartoon-like illustrations, charts, pictures, jokes, even. It is part of a rather whimsical series of four others (with a fifth on the way I’m told.) This one is really important, and a great reminder of the need for a serious understanding of what the local Body is to be about. The subtitle reads “A Visual Guide to Becoming the Community Jesus Intended.”  Hooray for this. Give ’em away to folks you know – cartoons are for grown-ups, too, ya know.

Learning for the Love of God: A Student’s Guide to Academic Faithfulness Donald Opitz & Derek Melleby (Brazos Press) $19.99 / OUR SALE PRICE = $15.99

I mention this from time to time and it often generates some good discussion among customers who know college students and hope for them that they’d deepen their faith in their college years in such a way that they relate their convictions to what they are learning, to think well, to imagine their careers as holy callings, to pursue what these clever and upbeat authors call “academic faithfulness.”

You may know students who are all fired up about their Christian fellowship group on campus. We are glad for that but they need a book like this to relate their religious zeal to their studies and future careers. Or, you may know collegiates who are frankly turned off by zippy evangelical groups and want something more integral to their vocation as students. In either case, this book invites college students to a life of learning, for God’s sake. The book is dedicated to me which is one of the great honors of my life by two friends who have spent much of their adult lives investing in the wholistic discipleship of young adults. This is a great book to give to a student heading back to campus in January.

+++

TO PLACE AN ORDER 

PLEASE READ, THEN SCROLL DOWN TO CLICK ON THE “ORDER” LINK BELOW.

It is helpful if you tell us how you want us to ship your orders. And if you are doing a pre-order, tell us if you want us to hold other books until the pre-order comes, or send some now, and others later… we’re eager to serve you in a way that you prefer. Let us know your hopes.

The weight and destination of your package varies but you can use this as a quick, general guide:

There are generally two kinds of US Mail options and, of course, UPS.  If necessary, we can do overnight and other expedited methods, too. Just ask.

• United States Postal Service has an option called “Media Mail” which is cheapest but can be a little slower. For one typical book, usually, it’s $4.83; 2 lbs would be $5.58. This is the cheapest method available and sometimes is quicker than UPS, but not always.
• United States Postal Service has another, quicker option called “Priority Mail” which is $8.70, if it fits in a flat-rate envelope. Many children’s books and some Bibles are oversized so that might take the next size up which is $9.50. “Priority Mail” gets more attention than does “Media Mail” and is often just a few days to anywhere in the US.
• UPS Ground is reliable but varies by weight and distance and may take longer than USPS. Sometimes they are cheaper than Priority. We’re happy to figure out your options for you once we know what you want.

If you just want to say “cheapest” that is fine. If you are eager and don’t want the slowest method, do say so. It really helps us serve you well so let us know. Keep in mind the possibility of holiday supply chain issues and slower delivery… still, we’re excited to serve you.

BookNotes

SPECIAL
DISCOUNT

20% OFF