The house lights are blinking on and off, friends, a sign that the intermission is over and we’re starting up the ceremony again.
Welcome back to PART TWO of the Hearts & Minds Best Books of 2014 awards show. (See Part One here, if you missed it; our BookNotes reviews are all archived at www.heartsandmindsbooks.com.)
Part Three will be posted soon, too. There’s a lot more to come.
Enjoy the show.
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BEST BOOK OF GLOBAL CONCERN
The Locust Effect: Why The End of Poverty Requires the End of Violence Gary Haugen & Victor Boutros (Oxford University Press) $27.95 There is little doubt that Mr. Haugen, who founded the International Justice Mission (IJM) and helped put sexual trafficking and contemporary slavery on the modern-day map, and has valiantly worked to liberate untold thousands, knows as much about structural evil and systemic violence than anyone on the planet. A thoughtful, prayerful, bold Christian, he has lead IJM to partner with lawyers, courts, police and governments throughout the world to work for reform of policies and enforcement of laws protecting the vulnerable. In the magisterial Locust Effect, with the help of a young activist-scholar, they lay out the bigger picture, the need for the rule of law, the relationship of injustice and disorder, and how to establish greater public justice in places that are desperately in need of shalom. This book is one of the finest examples of thoughtful, accessible, inspiring, social justice advocacy, and a major contribution to the fields of global poverty and justice. From one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious academic presses, too. We were thrilled to be among the very first to review this (see my BookNotes review, here.) Surely this is one of the most important and best releases of 2014.
RUNNER UP: BEST BOOK OF CHRISTIAN GLOBAL CONCERN
Occupied Territories: The Revolution of Love From Bethlehem to the Ends of the Earth Garth Hewitt (IVP) $16.00 A friend got to me an advanced copy of this manuscript earlier in the year, and I zoomed through it, eager to learn more of this amazing story. What a book! Garth Hewitt is a global justice advocate and peacemaker (working worldwide through his human rights organization, the Amos Trust) and I am thrilled that this book came our way. It is very compelling. He is also a great singer-songwriter who I discovered decades ago (maybe alongside Mark Heard, or shortly thereafter.) He has served on the board of the world famous Greenbelt rock music festival in the UK and is a canon of St. George’s Anglican Cathedral in Jerusalem. When he is in London, he serves as an associate priest of St. Clement’s Eastcheap. You can even hear him on the BBC (Pause for Thought.) Which is all to say he is a tireless Christian servant, commitment to public justice work, but deeply connected to the local parish and to worship, even while he spends time touring, researching, serving, speaking out, working into his calling as a “folk theologian” and human rights activist. Occupied Territories documents how this “revolution of love” works, as he draws attention to the plight of those in poverty, violence, and repression. Hewitt’s is not a partisan political project, nor is his mission work driven by trendy causes or ideology. In Occupied Territories he is clear about Christ, about deep things of faith, and about how discipleship calls us into the fray, leading with love to build a new way. There are powerful stories here, excellent Biblical exploration, and useful study questions to help reader process this call to live out the gospel in relevant, healing ways. This would be great for a book club, for a discussion group, for a Sunday school class. And it is perfect for a Hearts & Minds Best Book of the Year Award — we honor this with great gratitude that there are people doing this kind of work, sharing their stories, and offering their faith to inform and inspire us. Artist Cindy Kiple who designed the book cover, too, deserves a special award — just wonderful! Cheers! Check out his website, here.
BEST BOOK FOR NURTURING PASSIONATE SOCIAL ACTION
Overrated: Are We More in Love with the Idea of Changing the World Than Actually Changing the World Eugene Cho (Cook) $15.99 In Part One of this Best of 2014 list, we touted the very sober, practical, useful guide to sustaining social activism by my friend Ben Lowe, Doing Good Without Giving Up. It deserves its good place on this award show, and we think it is very wise, and a much needed companion for many. Overrated by the hip Seattle pastor Eugene Cho is similar, but deserves its own moment in the sun. It is exceptionally passionate, really strong, and explains how God does indeed expect us as Biblical people to stand for the poor, resist oppression, and commit ourselves to being servants of others, involved in projects which show charity and even become advocates for social reform. So it does that well, really well. It’s genius, though, is its generosity, its humble, almost comical tone — “a confession, painful and honest,” Cho says. But yet, this guy understands our dilemma: it is harder to live this stuff out than it is to just talk as if we’re doing something. Sure, who doesn’t want to make a difference, leave her mark, serve the poor, fight the powers. But how do we do that? Start by knowing what the Bible really teaches, and this is a nice intro to good theology. Then get serious, even as you have fun being challenged and recharged. Lynen Hybels, who has been on quite a journey herself of late, says, “I read every word and pondered what I read. Overrated challenged and chastised me, inspired and energized me. I highly recommend it.” No “hipster coffee-shop talk of justice” here, says Shane Claiborne. Cho “dares you to dive into the trenches and do something…” Let’s not just talk about a better story, let’s actually live a better story. Fantastic. See his organization One Day’s Wages for lots of great ideas and ways to join a network of grassroots activists against global poverty.
MOST INTERESTING BOOK OF POLITICAL THEORY
The Hobbit Party: The Vision of Freedom That Tolkien Got, and the West Forgot Jonathan Witt & Jay W. Richards (Ignatius Press) $21.95 I will have a brief review of this published shortly in the Center for Public Justice’s Capitol Commentary and there I note how very interesting this is, how persuasive it is at times, and yet hint at how it finally fails as uniquely Christian theoretical work. That is, while it is exceptionally fluent in classically understood conservative Catholic social theory, and how The Lord of the Rings and other Tolkien masterpieces assumed and imagined a world that is shaped by this sort of worldview, it is less than clear why this is, in fact, the most theologically-sound, Biblically-warranted orientation. These brilliant writers are passionate about all things Middle Earth and that makes The Hobbit Party well, a party, almost; it is not only delightful to read, but very helpful, since they can help us appreciate the social, political, economic, and ecological views that informed the Shire, and the hobbit journey towards freedom. I enjoyed this book, learned much, commend it to others – perhaps especially those who haven’t grappled with the serious, freedom-loving localism of the sort explained here – even though I may not fully agree with their nearly libertarian worldview. Agree or not, this is a book to enjoy, to ponder, to discuss, to help us more accurately understand the fantasy novels that some say are the most important literary works of the 20th century, and to understand how to think creatively about communicating theories of natural law, public justice, cultural renewal in a post Christian society such as ours. If only other political theory books would be so interesting! Kudos.
HONORABLE MENTION: A VERY NOTABLE TOLKIEN AWARD
Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien (HMH) $28.00 At last, 2014 saw the legendary and long-awaited release of JRR’s translation of this great Anglo-Saxon classic. Perhaps you, like me, didn’t get this as a high school kid. Perhaps you loved the passionate re-telling by Irish poet Seamus Heaney. Perhaps you just want this great classic in your library, but never knew which edition to purchase. Well, this is a handsome, must-read version for those who want to understand the epic poem — more than half the book is commentary! And, I suppose, it is also nearly a must-read volume for any true fans of the learned, pipe-smoking Inkling. Hear, hear.
HONORABLE MENTION: AN EXQUISITE, LEARNED BOOK ON BOOKS & WRITERS
Beauteous Truth: Faith, Reason, Literature and Culture Joseph Pearce (St. Augustine’s Press) $30.00 Speaking of exceptionally learned, very conservative, radically insightful Roman Catholics, Pearce is, for some, nearly an acquired taste; he is so profoundly, classically trained that many will see him as beyond a curmudgeon and anti-modernist. But yet, despite his quirks that some might think to be “so medieval” and anti-popular culture, this book is not only wise, it is fun; Thomas Howard gets it just right when he says it is written with brio. What a joy to read such elegant and exquisite prose, in such a very sturdy, handsome volume.
In this great work he offers short essays about writers, writing, theology and philosophy as seen in literature, some of which were published in First Things, The Chesterton Review, and the Saint Austin Review.
BEST BOOK OF POPULAR CULTURE STUDIES
The Stories We Tell: How TV and Movies Long for and Echo the Truth Michael Cosper (Crossway) $15.99 There have been oodles, just oodles of books in recent years about Christian engagement in film, video games, TV, rock music and the like. Popular culture and media studies remain large sections of our store, and we are noticing an increasingly specialized bit of work coming out, seriously Christian and deeply studious; a few of these are a bit obtuse, though. So it is just lovely, and very, very helpful, to have a really good, entry level, thoughtful, fun book by a theologically reliable author, ruminating about our love of TV and movies. Why do we tell stories? How can the popular art of modern media inspire us? (Should it?) And how might it be a distraction, or worse? From the good and the bad, including the very bad, to the wise and the cruel, from the ponderous to the funny, this book really gets our deep desire to connect to stories, and to be entertained by our modern digital storytellers. I loved this book, appreciate it’s fine and faithful intentions, and its upbeat writing style. The author isn’t a scholar of postmodern literary theory, he isn’t a media professor – in other words, he’s not like the guy in the famous movie line in Annie Hall that pontificates loudly about all manner of abstract stuff (until Marshall McLuhan himself steps in and rebukes him!) Yep, this is fun, funny, entertaining, and calls us to a Godly, wholesome, good appreciation of modern popular culture. A very impressive foreword by Timothy Keller is wonderful. This is a fantastic book. Cheers!
HONORABLE MENTION: BEST PRACTICAL CHRISTIAN BOOK OF FILM STUDIES
When the Lights Go Down: Movie Review as Christian Practice Mark D. Eckel (Westbow) $19.95 You gotta love a book about a guy who yells at the screen in the darkened theater, embarrassing his wife or kids. You gotta love a book by a guy who loves movies so much he has a endless repertoire of examples, case studies, scenes and stars, to make any number of helpful points. You gotta love a book by a fellow who teaches film in a local community church Sunday school, teaching church-going evangelicals how to understand narrative and script and lighting and such. This is not an overly pious handbook of what to watch and what not to watch, it is a Biblically-rich, worldviewish companion to nurturing the art of thoughtful Christian engagement. As a Christian practice. As Eckel reminds us early on, “A projector’s light can reflect light from heaven.” Not only does he offer succinct introductions to various philosophical matters below the surface in most films, he gives clear-headed and often fascinating points to ponder, and guidelines to consider as we attempt to relate our faith and our movie-watching. Throughout When the Lights Go Down he also has interviews with serious film scholars, critics, and film makers. What a treat. This is an entertaining study, well designed with plenty of good information, inspiration, and Biblical wisdom. Oh yeah, and did I say he shouts at the screen sometimes? This guy loves going to the movies, and he helps us enjoy it all the more, too. Soli Deo Gloria. Thanks, Mark.
BEST TEXTS OF MISSIOLOGY – A TIE
Theology of Missions: A Believers Church Perspective John Howard Yoder (IVP Academic) $45.00 Despite the outrage over grave injustices perpetrated by this Mennonite scholar in his lifetime, there is no doubt that he was a world-class thinkers and made decisive, important contributions to 20th century theology; his more popular works, like The Politics of Jesus, demanding as they were, have inspired many to a more robust, radical discipleship in the ways and politics of Jesus. I value his work a lot. When I announced this major new text at BookNotes earlier in the eyar, I noted how many have raved about this significance of this volume. Indeed, William Willimon says, “The discovery and publication Yoder’s notes on mission is one of the great events in the history of the church’s missionary impulse.” His “Believers Church Perspective” is well worth reading.
Introduction to Christian Mission: Scripture, History and Issues Michael W. Goheen (IVP Academic) $30.00 If the above Yoder volume brought a feisty, political, even anti-empire, and clear Christological contribution to missiology, this neo-Calvinist – informed with shades of Kuyper – scholar brings a contemporary, missional (even Newbigin-esque) take, giving the standard missionary topics a world-changing ethos. Goheen has co-authored book on the drama of Scripture, on worldviews at the crossroads of modernity and postmodernity, and has an amazing way of seeing the interconnections of these themes with global mission theory. It is comprehensive historical, naming all sorts of good stuff that ought to be covered in an introductory text like this. Rave reviews from across the theological spectrum grace the back. This is not only one of the best missions books published this year, it is one of the best missions books in many a year.
BEST MISSIONS-ORIENTED BIBLICAL STUDY
God Dwells Among Us: Expanding Eden to the Ends of the Earth G.K. Beale & Mitchell Kim (IVP) $17.00 I don’t know if this is to be shelved among other missionary books, as it isn’t exactly a book to inspire missions or to propose new missionary strategies. But yet, it is clear that the author’s heart beats with a concern about unreached people groups, and the book opens and closes with breath-taking data about how many people groups have yet to have the Bible translated into their own language, who have yet to even hear the gospel in any kind of culturally-relevant manner. This major Biblical study is framed by God’s own missionary impulse, and this is clear. In fact, this is the very theme of the book: from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22, it is God’s intention to establish and spread God’s own rule, and the Kingdom of God is seen to begin in the beginning. The “great commission” is clearly linked to the “cultural mandate” and from epoch to epoch, book to book, chapter by chapter, these authors use their painstakingly diligent attention to detail to show how God’s dwelling, God’s temple, God’s Immanuel, is the point of the whole grand love story of the Scriptures. God Dwells Among Us is honored on the back cover by rave blurbs by rigorous thinkers such as John Frame and Michael Horton. It is a work of genius, not least because it takes a massively, exceptionally scholarly tome, The Temple and the Church’s Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God (which is nothing short of brilliant) and made it more accessible, usable, helpful. The insight about the Scriptures are palpable, the implications notable, and we are sure we must name this as one of the Best of 2014.
BEST WORLD MISSIONS BOOK
Overturning the Tables of the Industrial Mission Complex Scott A. Bessenecker (IVP) $16.00 Well, well. Well. Should I award this a Best Book of 2014? Does a thorough-going, serious, feisty critique of established Western mission work (and it’s unseemly connection to late-model capitalism) need to be so publicly esteemed? What if it just feeds cynicism or drains needed resources from the unending task of world missions? What if people think I’m just stirring up trouble? I worry about these things – can passionate protest backfire, with unintended consequences? After careful consideration, I am convinced that from my own comfortable, small town perch, I nonetheless discern that this book is spectacular, and spectacularly urgent. It is mostly right, and fully honorable, mostly wise and fully faithful. I’m sure of that. As Paul Borthwick writes, “Scott Bessenecker’s prophetic words and warnings will challenge and threaten, but they are desperately needed…” and notes that we need to be willing to do some “ruthless self-criticism.” Right or not about all the details of his call to the reform of how the West sends, funds, and manages our organizations committed to working out the Great Commission, Overturning the Tables is a book that we simply must grapple with. One friend says “it is some of his best work yet.” There have been large rumblings about these concerns for decades, of course, and this is the best summary and manifesto I’ve yet seen. Our little award is given with the hope that Overturning the Tables is taken seriously, and that because of it, God’s good work in the world is reconsidered and reformed and made more faithful.
BEST MISSIONS BIOGRAPHY
You’ve Got Libya: A Life Serving the Muslim World Greg Livingstone (Monarch Books) $16.99 I suppose we all have heard of, if not actually seen, the iconic scene in Casablanca where Bogart tells Bacall “We’ve always got Paris.” I can’t stop thinking of that, although Greg Livingstone “has” Libya in a very different way than those expat Americans, who only have romantic memories. For those that don’t know, Greg Livingstone pioneered one of the most exciting and urgent mission fields of the 20th century, taking the extraordinary work of William Carey further, wanting to reach Muslims with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Along with the likes of George Verwer and Phil Parshall, Livingstone was a quintessentially passionate late 20th century mission leader, educator, organizer. And this book tells it all, the joys and jokes, the struggles and frustrations, the plans and prayers. And lots of stories. Amazing stories. Those who have been privileged to hear him, know some of them, and this book will inspire you with others.
Once he was with some high level Muslim leaders in an Arab country who wanted to build a family friendly theme park, and needed a wholesome engineer with experience in designing Disney World-level rides. They wondered if he could help. As a country closed to missionaries, of course, this was a natural “in” for Greg and his ministry, and he prayed God would help him find a “tent-maker” who engineers carnival rides and had a heart to share the gospel contextually in this repressive land (and, oh yes, would be willing to move there as an undercover missionary.) On the plane, on the way home, as he shared his missionary calling with a seat mate, the man said to him “that is so exciting, I’m a Christian, too, and I’d love to be able to use my own skills as a missionary, but no one would ever need me. You see, I design and install high end amusement park rides.” Yeah. So there’s that.
If you like stories that inspire you to live dangerously for God, if you want to be a Christ-centered peacemaker in a world of anti-Islamic fervor, if you want to hear how 21st century missionaries work all over the world, from hospitals that treat radical warriors to diplomats who are open to the gospel, to village projects teaching girls to read, this moving life story of one of the amazing people I’ve ever met takes you from Penn State and Colorado to Afghanistan, North India, Libya to Kuala Lumpur, you won’t believe this fascinating journey. will be hard to put down, and harder to forget.
BEST BOOK OF URBAN MISSIONS
God Is in the City: Encounters of Grace and Transformation Shawn Casselbery (Mission Year) $17.00 We are proud to note that this book isn’t widely available in many stores, as it is self-published by Mission Year themselves; we are fans of their urban work, and we are glad to help sell their stuff, so we were thrilled to tell you about it when it came out this fall. (Their handsomely designed pocket-sized book by their former Director, LeRoy Barber, The New Neighbor is also a true delight.) God is in the City is very, very special, and is very moving. It brings to the plethora of books about the urban scene an upbeat and positive tone, a celebration, even. It is easy to wring hands about gangs and thugs and drugs and police harassment, ghettos and absentee landlords. Yes, Mission Year folks lives in community in very hard places, caring for neighborhoods that are broken and hurting. And this book tells that story. But inner city neighborhoods and the lives of those who abide there are more than their problems and God is at work, also in the iconic urban ghetto. This is a book that offers a bit of a framework for seeing the city in its strengths and weaknesses, and which celebrates God-showings even in very poor neighborhoods. And it does tell some great stories of ordinary volunteers and what God has done in and through them. It is well considered, well written, and much needed. I commend it to anyone who cares about urban life, about home missions, and about holding up the dignity of people who struggle against hard odds, and sometimes seem to show remarkable goodness and grace. God is, indeed, in the city, and this book helps inspire us to shout it out. We’re glad to honor it as one of the fine books of 2014.
BEST BOOK OF MISSIONAL THEOLOGY
Incarnate: The Body of Christ in an Age of Disengagement Michael Frost (IVP) $16.00 I could rave about this book for pages, telling why it is so very thoughtful, culturally important, theologically generative and a great example of the best ways missional theorists have applied thinkers like Newbigin (and others) to better understand the culture of the West, and embody the gospel in effective ways within this culture. Can missional church leaders inspire their congregants to go deeper than merely starting a wholistic outreach, being more externally-focused (praise the Lord if they can get that far!) and do serious, theologically-astute cultural criticism? To be wise about the ways of our culture, and wiser about the deep truths of the gospel of the Kingdom? To repent of how we ourselves have helped construe things in ways that haven’t been helpful? Can we embrace new practices by rethinking things? Indeed, we must, and we can, with the help of books like this. Incarnate is the best example of the best kind of missional church book–even if it is philosophically a bit more demanding than some that just coax us to care about our needy neighbors in our local parish. In a very quick nutshell (the book deserves so much more) this explores the doctrine of incarnation, rejects as unbiblical a “body vs soul” dichotomy, and holds up incarnational ministry in its most profound and sustaining way. But not only does an incarnational theology deconstruct our goofy pietism that fails to adequate attend to our bodily natures, but the large press from the digital culture, too, increasingly allows us to be, as Frost terms it, “disincarnate.” With chapters on our rootlessness, our “schizophrenic sense of self”, and our aimless wondering “in moral minefields” and the subsequent moral ambiguity, this really does provide expert cultural criticism that every church leader needs. I really value this book, and it stands as one of the prolific Aussie’s very best. Kudos to the Praxis imprint of IVP for releasing books like this, and kudos to those who buy these kinds of books that have the possibility of transforming our vision, re-embodying our discipleship, and reforming our congregational lives. Stunning. That cover is pretty striking, too…
BEST BOOK OF CULTURAL STUDIES
How (Not) To Be Secular: Reading Charles Taylor James K.A. Smith (Eerdmans) $16.00 I suppose you would guess that we’d honor Jamie Smith for this book, since I reviewed his work and told about this book with such gusto, here. I admitted I was in waters more deep them I’m used to swimming, and I again acknowledge that this book isn’t simple, and isn’t at all simplistic. But, having said that, I must underscore it’s utter significance, its amazing relevance, its vital role as a bit of prophecy, even, about the nature of the alleged secularism of our time. Charles Taylor is one of the preeminent philosophers of our time, a writer known for being heavy, ponderous, turgid, even. Wading through his massive arguments and dense prose takes some specialized knowledge, and Dr. Smith, philosophy professor and gifted teacher that he is, is our man. This book, then, is a book about a book, a literal guide to the insight and relevance of Charles Taylor’s big Harvard University Press tome, A Secular Age.
If we were giving awards for some of the coolest things we’ve done this year -selling books with lawyers in Boston, with leaders of small rural churches in Western Pennsylvania, serving the CCO at Jubilee, traveling to Montreat College to speak to students and sell books to faculty, hosting an evening with Jeremy Courtney and his Preemptive Love Coalition here in York, and so much more —hosting the third annual Hearts & Minds Pittsburgh Summer Lecture with James K.A. Smith surely deserves some kind of award. We are still thinking about the great joy of hanging out with Jamie and his wife, and his two stunning lectures in Pittsburgh. And (if I may cut to the chase, here) his lecture offering explanations of How (Not) to Be Secular reminded me of just what a remarkable scholar and popularizer of serious scholarship he is. Smith is a fine writer, a learned philosopher, a passionate preacher, and a good communicator. He really gets this Taylor book, he helps us get it, and insofar as Taylor’s theories provide us with windows into our contemporary world, it is very, very valuable stuff. Work through How (Not) to Be Secular carefully, perhaps with others. You will be reading what is surely one of the most important books of 2014, and it will pay off in important, quiet ways.
HONORABLE MENTION – CULTURAL CRITICISM
The Glass Cage: Automation and Us Nicholas Carr (W.W. Norton) $26.95 I will admit that this has been on my “must read” list for a month, now. The late fall is very, very hectic for us, and I’ve gleaned bits and pieces from reviews, interviews, and my own surreptitious time with a few pages here and there. Alas, I’ve not read this carefully. But I am sure that it is an exceptionally interesting, well written, and important contribution to our study of what our times are like. You should know Carr’s very impressive, and exceptionally important book about reading, The Shallows. The Glass Cage: Automation and Us is a bit of a follow up to that heavy critique of how “google is making us dumb” and how our reading habits are being eroded by our use of the internets. Look: every award show has its moments, and stuff happens that is off script. Maybe it is ghastly to award a Hearts & Minds win to a book I admit I haven’t read yet. Okay, get over it. Or tweet about it. I’m just doin’ it. Call it the best book I’m the most ashamed I haven’t read yet. Whatever. A new book by Nicholas Carr is a very big deal, and it is certainly a book that I’d regret not naming. Read the Books & Culture review by Alan Jacobs, here (although skip their amazon link, automatons that they are) and tell me you don’t agree. I am quite personally naming this one of the most notable books of 2014.
HONORABLE MENTION – CULTURAL CRITICISM – RUNNER UP
The End of Absence: Reclaiming What We’ve Lost in a World of Constant Connection Michael Harris (Penguin/Current) $26.95 I’ve been wanting to shout about this for some time — I read an advanced copy in a leisurely season last summer — and am still thinking about it even now. Harris is a good writer, great at times, thoughtful, luminous, a fine storyteller. (He isn’t writing for a religious audience, of course, so his language can be a bit spicy. Sigh.) Still, this book has a profound moral center, and it is inviting us to consider “what we’ve lost.” Can one know what one has lost? (As Joni Mitchell sang, “you don’t know what you’ve lost ’til it’s gone.”) This book isn’t about paving paradise, but it is about somehow acknowledging that our 24/7 all-on digital lifestyles are hugely troubling to the human soul, and that, as Barry Schwartz (author of the brilliant Paradox of Choice) puts it on the back cover, “the digital revolution that envelops us contains traps that can lead us to understand less even as we seem to know more.” The cultural sociologist and author of Much Depends on Dinner, Margaret Visser says “Everybody over sixty should read this book. The rest of the population will need to urging, unless they are too far gone to read anything longer than a blurb.” Cynical as that may be, I do think it deserves careful pondering, as it is a beautiful work. Douglas Coupland notes it is “clear, truthful, and free of vexation. A true must-read.”
MOST ENJOYABLE BOOK OF BASIC CHRISTIAN GROWTH
Learning to Walk in the Dark Barbara Brown Taylor (HarperOne) $24.99 In Part One of this awards list, I named a few books that are utterly solid, theologically clear, useful, upbeat books that can help followers of Jesus grow in their faith and discipleship. I don’t like the category of “Christian living” that so many Christian bookstores employ as it implies that the other parts of the store – shelves of politics, film studies, food and cookbooks, art, business, sexuality, farming, family life – aren’t “Christian living.” So we aren’t always clear what to call this category of non-academic books designed to help ordinary folks live out their faith. Basic Christian Growth seems to work a bit, I guess. Well, this one by the always elegant Barbara Brown Taylor is certainly the book in this genre I loved the most in terms of its fine writing, its artful style, its mature storytelling, its provocative theologizing. As in her wonderful An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith she not only uses beautiful wordsmithing but helpful theology and a bit of Bible study to remind us that God cares about life, all of life. She realizes, in her liberal Episcopalian way, the doctrines of calling and vocation, and realizes we all can find, and even be, an altar to the Divine, right smack in the ordinary world. Ahh, but here is the rub: why do we fine it easier to see this in the sensational (a beautiful sunset) or the “still, small voice” but less so when in the dark, when there is no voice, not even a small one? This fascinating book holds up the goodness of the dark, literal and metaphoric, and it honors those times in our lives when God seems silent. She invites us to a nocturnal faith, and she is critical of our too glib literalism in clinging to the Bible’s own teaching about light, without an equal admission that God is also in the dark. What a fascinating, fun, provocative, literary, artful book, as she takes us on midnight walks, a retreat without electricity, a frightening experience in a pitch-black cave. I was sad when it was finished, as I wanted to keep reading. Agree or not with her conclusions, this is one very fabulous read, one of the best of 2014.
BEST BOOK OF PRACTICAL SELF-HELP GUIDANCE
Toughest People to Love: How to Understand, Lead, and Love the Difficult People in Your Life Charles DeGroat (Eerdmans) $14.00 There are tons of good books that serve as resources for those who need information and inspiration, some grandmotherly advice or some new data about stuff we need to know. We sell books for those going through divorces, about bereavement and grief, about sexual addictions, about coping with family difficulties, those who have loved ones with mental illness, with disabilities, who wonder about death and dying. From finding a new job to learning to cook gluten free, from learning to study better, from losing weight to learning to date well, from coping with pain to learning about better conversation styles, we’ve got lots. And many are truly fine. But — wheeee — a few truly stand out, and become personal favorites, books that are so well written, are so thoughtful, so full of grace and insight, (without seeming overly didactic) that we just have to tell folks about them. Chuck DeGroat is one of these kinds of writers – his Leaving Egypt (published by Faith Alive, the CRC publishing house) is a tremendous and moving book about those in transition, needing to move on, towards grace and freedom – and we were thrilled to know he had written a new book this year. We knew it would be creatively written, graceful and good. Toughest People to Love is for anyone, and we’ve recommended it widely, although some of it is aimed at church leaders, pastors, and others who have to work with those who are hard to really love. Frankly, I am glad that I don’t need this book myself, and I wondered early on if it is as good for those with hard-to-love people in their organizations or families as it seemed. Well, I quickly found out, as a few pastors and others who needed just such a book have told me it is in fact fantastic and it significantly helped their own awkward situations. Yes, yes, this is really good stuff, wise and solid and helpful and eloquent. Kudos.
BEST BOOK ABOUT MARRIAGE
A LifeLong Love: What If Marriage Is About More Than Just Staying Together? Gary Thomas (Cook) $18.99 Despite the rather technical-looking, grey cover, this book is beautifully crafted, a wonderful, chatty, charming bit of writing that can help anyone who wonders how to make their marriage more meaningful, more alive, more intimate, truly lasting a lifetime. I’ve often said that Gary Thomas is one of my favorite writers, and we stock all of his books – mostly on spiritual formation and discipleship (Holy Available) although he has a great one on exercise and health (Every Body Matters) and one called Pure Pleasure on why we should take pleasure in the goodness of God’s creation. We adore his reflective, useful, deeply spiritual book Sacred Marriage (now only available in a gifty hardback that includes the 52 week devotional with it.) I suppose this new 2014 book could be seen as a sequel to that beautiful meditation. Like that one, Thomas reminds us in LifeLong Love that our sacred unions are not so much for our own pleasure or self-actualization, but are means of grace, avenues of pursing holiness. Is God in your marriage? Do you want to practice the presence of Christ in the ordinary ups and downs of an ordinary marriage? This lively book will help. It helps you live out his big themes of the spirituality and holiness of family life. It isn’t abstract or too detailed, neither a textbook or a workbook. It is just right, interesting, informative, but well worth mediating on. This is one of the Best Books of 2014, which will be a blessing to many for years to come, whatever season of marriage you are in.
BEST BOOK – FAMILY MEMOIR
Father Factor: American Christian Men on Fatherhood and Faith edited by R. Anderson Campbell (White Cloud Press) $17.95 Perhaps you will recall that I announced this with great joy earlier in the fall — the editor is a friend, and at least four of the 33 chapters are written by personal friends. (One of the biggest Hearts & Minds fans in the world, Ethan Bryan, is in here — he usually writes about baseball, but here he is writing about his own dad, a topic about which he has his own book coming next year.) Or, perhaps you will recall our reviews of a previous volume Talking Taboo about Christian women in this “I Speak for Myself” series, which similarly included short auto-biographical pieces by great young writers. Here, we have a few famous authors, and a lot of unknown guys, each penning wonderful, moving essays about their own fathers, or about their own story of being a father, or there understanding of God as father (or all three, perhaps.) Dr. Campbell, who used to work for the CCO, is an Assistant Professor of Christian Studies at George Fox University in Oregon. He is a good thinker and fine writer. He collected these essays together and each one is excellent, and the collection includes all sorts of angles, plots, insights, and stories. Wow. A few moved me to tears. Together they are not only enjoyable, but worthy of deep consideration. As Richard Mouw writes, “These wonderfully readable accounts of father-son relationships are both candid and inspiring, exploring issues that touch many of us in deep ways. But they prod to go even deeper, point us to the ways our relationships with our human fathers shape — and all too often distort — our conceptions of the One who we have ben taught to address as Our Father…” Sarah Bessy says it well when she notes that Father Factor is “sometimes hilarious and sometimes heartbreaking, this tender collection of stories from fathers opened my eyes and my heart anew. Thank God for men like these!”
There hasn’t been a book about family life that I’ve loved as much as this in years. I am positive that I want to honor this as a Best Book of 2014, and hope it gets a very wide readership.
BEST BOOK ON FOOD ISSUES
The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food Dan Barber (The Penguin Press) $29.95 When I read an advanced excerpt of this hefty, handsome book, I was deeply moved, and when I read the advanced blurbs and endorsements, I knew it would be a major work, esteemed, reviewed, commended and talked about. We were happy to review it when it first came out, on a list with other such books. Barber’s Blue Hill farm-to-table restaurant is legendary among foodies,
and here you can see that he’s not only a great chef, but why he does
what he does, his vision for a reformation of the food system itself. And he is an intersting, vibrant writer. Malcolm Gladwell says “I thought it would impossible for Dan Barber to be as interesting on the page as he is on the plate. But I was wrong.” Similarly, Bill McKibben says that he is “as fine a thinker and writer as he is a chef — which is saying a great deal. This book uses its ingredients — the insights of some of the finest farmers on the planet — to fashion something entirely new: a recipe for the future.” Ruth Reichl, of course, raves, as does Eric Scholosser. Elizabeth Kolbert says it is “one of those rare books that are at once deft and searching — deeply serious and equally entertaining.” The Third Plate is, indeed, one of the Best Books of 2014. See his ThirdPlate website, here.
HONORABLE MENTION: A GREAT COOKBOOK AND FAMILY MEAL IDEA
The 52 New Foods Challenge: A Family Cooking Adventure for Each Week of the Year, with 150 Recipes Jennifer Tyler Lee (Avery/Penguin) $20.00 Jennifer Thler Lee is a mother of two and the creator of the award-winning nutrition game Crunch a Color. Our kids are all grown up, and we’ve wondered if this would have worked for us. (Answer: we may not have been organized enough to fully embrace it, but it would have been fun to mess around, trying some of this with all due haphazardness.) For those who share our predilections to resist campaigns and organized plans, this could still be fun. The suggestions are hilariously interesting, the new foods and suggested recipes a surprising delight. Some you surely use, others maybe not. (Edamame? Avocados? Quinoa?) The focus on one item a week is low stress, really, and the recipes look fantastic. I like how she shows how to make it fun, how to boost variety, and her invitation to cook together. This inspires your child’s creativity, passes on solution-based ideas with thoughtful information and lots of optimism. She is gentle but aware of some of the dangers of chemicals and GMOs and the like — some food items really are ruined by typical industrial practices, we believe, and Ms Lee isn’t unaware (see the discussion she has with her kids about corn, her concerns about “the dirty dozen” and the need to eat wild caught fish, given how much junk they put in farm-raised.) This is a fine, fun book, carrying an endorsement on the back by Jamie Oliver. Check out her website at www.52newfoods.com. Very nice.
BEST BOOK OF 2014 – SPIRITUAL FORMATION
I had to list three here, since there are so very many good ones. These are, I think, accessible for most readers, delightful and good. I’ll list a few more in another category that is somewhat more academic in nature, and I’ll list a few more in yet another category that I’ll call Spiritual Memoir. Look for that in the Best Books of 2014 Part Three, coming soon. For now, start with these.
Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You John Ortberg (Zondervan) $22.99 Any year that a book comes out by John Ortberg, we are grateful, and break into a happy dance. His books are nearly perfect for most readers – thoughtful, entertaining, well-written without being too artsy, just a great blend of pastoral care, visionary insight, and helpful storytelling. He takes very mature stuff – often about the inner life, practicing spiritual disciplines, allowing God to work in our lives so that we might serve the Kingdom with great winsome zeal – and makes it accessible to read, and do-able. I recommend his work, all of it, to almost everyone. Soul Keeping is another great book from this Presbyterian pastor and “mystic of the mundane” and we are very happy to honor it as one of the best books of 2014. It was an especially nice read, having come out shortly after the death of Ortberg’s friend and mentor, Dallas Willard. In Soul Keeping Ortberg starts each chapter with a story about Willard, whose home he would regular visit. Is this a tribute to Willard? Not precisely, although it honors him, well — it does draw on his key insights about the divine conspiracy of God in our lives, the ways the Spirit can transform us into Christ-like people. How do we tend the soul? What does all this spirituality stuff really mean, and what does it look like? This is a great, great book, and we’re very happy to honor it.
Life Together in Christ: Experiencing Transformation in Community Ruth Haley Barton (IVP) $18.00 Ruth Haley Barton, like Ortberg (with whom she once worked at Willow Creek, developing spiritual formation resources), has a natural gift, it seems, to be full of grace and charm and is able to take fairly deep, even mystical stuff, and help readers come to appreciate and imagine the plausibility of their own encounters with having this deepened nature. Her teaching (see her great DVD series Sacred Rhythms) and her writing is profound yet clear. What a gift, to be able to inspire folks to want more of God, to teach the classic, ancient disciplines, to be ecumenical and evangelical, and to actually guide readers into better ways of life, a true spiritual life. I read a lot of contemplative and devotional classics, and, to be honest, often return to Barton’s books, and always, always, recommend her to those interested in spirituality. So, yes, she’s a personal favorite, and any new book from her is sure to be a winner. This one, though, which I reviewed here, is fantastic – a must-read. It is about how spirituality is deepened in community (and how authentic community can be the perfect soil for deepening growth in our relationship with God.) This is titled perfectly: we are in Christ, and we are living life together. This is not a “how to” book for better small groups, but I commend it to small group leaders. More, it is a course on spiritual formation for small life groups. And a much-deserving Best Book of 2014.
Allow me to say this, too: the last two great books released by Ruth Haley Barton have been for ministry leaders (Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership) and for church leaders wanting to experience practices of communal spiritual discernment (Pursuing God’s Will Together.) In a way, those two were each aimed at a specific audience, and this new one may be a more general read for any of us, and certainly for any of us wanting to be involved in transformational communities. Life Together in Christ is without a doubt one of the best books of the year! Congratulations, Ruth, and thank you for sharing your heart, your life, your wisdom, in ways that help us find a transforming center.
Sacred Fire: A Vision for A Deeper Human and Christian Maturity Ronald Rolheiser (Doubleday) $25.00 I suppose if you are familiar with contemporary spiritual writers and guides to the deeper life, you will know this fine Catholic priest and eloquent scholar. We take his books to any place where we display these sorts of topics. Many of us have been blown away by his extraordinary books (The Holy Longing is a true modern classic, now available in paperback.) In some ways, Sacred Fire is a sequel to Holy Longing and while it does stand alone, might be best read as a part of his larger body of work. This has been a long-awaited work, and, among other things, explores stages of faith development, and what it means to live well, even in service (“blessing”) others, giving our lives away. It came out in early 2014. I believe it will be enduring and it surely must be named on this listed, and celebrated as one of the most significant religious book published this year.
BEST BOOK ON PRAYER
Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God Timothy Keller (Dutton) $26.95 There have been a handful of books on prayer that I most always recommend, and for those who only intend to read one or two, I have been suggesting the same few for years. I am not sure this outstanding new release is going to supplant those simple, clear, useful books (Too Busy Not to Pray by Bill Hybels; Prayer by O. Hallesby; The Praying Life by Paul Miller; Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home by Richard Foster; in case you wondered.) But there is no doubt that of all the books on praying that have come out in the last few years, some serious, some silly, some clear, some weird, this is the most sound, the most mature, the most helpful, and the most commendable.
Here are the main sections, which Keller explores conscientiously and warmly with several good chapters under each: Desiring Prayer, Understanding Prayer, Learning Prayer, Deepening Prayer, Doing Prayer. It is, as you might suspect (since you surely know we are fans of the smart, evangelical, Reformed, Manhattan pastor and cultural leader) one of our favorite books of 2014. It is also one of the very best.
A SPECIAL AWARD OF MERIT FOR A VERY SPECIAL DVD and BOOK
DVD Living in Christ’s Presence Dallas Willard & John Ortberg (IVP) $30.00 I should equally celebrate and honor the fabulous hardback volume Living in Christ’s Presence (IVP; $20.00) which includes the transcripts – expertly edited into a wonderfully-written book – of the live conference where these two soul friends lectured and shared deep conversations. The DVD is fantastic, mature, thoughtful. Willard was soon to be dying, we now know, and yet he retained his razor sharp logic and kindly wit, and Ortberg, ever humble and playful, teases out of the great thinker solid, useful guidance for wholistic discipleship and spiritual growth. It looks at what Willard teaches about the Kingdom of God, and the relationship between heaven and Earth. Here’s the simple format: Willard would present, and then Ortberg would interview him, drawing out with greater clarity the big truths about which Willard was so passionate. Then, in the next presentation, Ortberg would do a fabulous keynote talk, and professor Willard would then grill him, deepening the insight, drawing out the implications. Back and forth they go, one lecturing, the other responding. It is a truly great book, but you have to see it to more fully appreciate the blessed synergism of these two, the philosophy professor and the evangelical pastor. Thanks to those who turned this good event into a great book, and special thanks to those who crafted it into a fabulous video curriculum. One of the best DVD offerings of 2014. Thanks be to God.
BEST BOOK OF SPIRITUAL FORMATION BY A FIRST TIME WRITER
There are two lovely winners, here, a tie, as it were. I couldn’t decide, which was most deserving, but when I reviewed them both last summer, and I was very struck by both. They are both lively, will keep you engaged, and offer fresh takes on classic spirituality, lived out in the perplexities of the aching modern world. Congratulations to both authors.
Beautiful Disaster: Finding Hope in the Midst of Brokenness Marlena Graves (Brazos Press) $15.99 If you have been with us at any book display or event the second half of this year, you may have heard me speak of this book, and may have seen it stacked up at our book displays. Beth and I greatly admire this down-to-Earth author who has put herself bravely into this wonderful book, her first. Beautiful Disaster is honorable, so we honor it, and it is helpful, so we thank her. Her fine way of blending good memoir, fine writing, and good Biblical teaching with her own journey learning the classic spiritual disciplines, makes this a refreshing, edifying book. The main theme – in case you missed it from the allusive title – is about how we can cope with hard times by nurturing our inner lives, finding a deeper walk with God by developing spiritual practices that can sustain us in the wilderness times. Is this a self-help book about enduring hardship? Is it a book about how the Bible can sustain us during dry times? Is it a book about how a young woman grew up amidst rural poverty and racial discrimination? Is it about how spirituality can form us to be people of care and goodness and justice? Yes, yes, yes, and more.
The first half is about “this wilderness life” while the second explores “wilderness gifts.” The book is called Beautiful Disaster and while it is beautiful, it is certainly no disaster. It is one of the best books of the year!
Found: A Story of Questions, Grace, and Everyday Prayer Micha Boyett (Worthy) $14.99 I wonder if you’ve seen this here in the shop, or picked it up at any of our book displays, and noticed not only the appealing cover, but the stellar endorsements on the back. Mary Karr, the world-famous Catholic memoirist (who calls herself “a black belt sinner.) Addie Zimmerman, author of much-discussed When We Were On Fire. Rachel Held Evans. Ann Voskamp. Adam McHugh (Introverts in the Church.) Yes, there are some edgy, cool folks saying this is the best, so I’m not alone in raving. They are correct, Found is a great story, a compelling memoir-like journey into daily prayer, inspired by the author’s discovery of Benedictine spirituality. Just when you think there doesn’t really need to be anything more written on the worldly saint — I love Benedict and that Earthy sort of “pray and work” orientation to faith, of course — along comes this former youth minister, dyed in the wool member of the evangelical sub-culture, learning the quiet ways of grace and of ancient spirituality and everyday prayer. One reviewer wrote “If you are like me you’ve grown weary of a culture that demands the sensationalistic, the glamorous, the extraordinary. Micha Boyett is in search for the beauty in the everyday.” She has a lovely tone in this book, is a great writer, and Found is a fine, fine book, which we want to celebrate as one of the best of the year.
RUNNERS UP: HONORABLE MENTIONS FOR GREAT BOOKS ON CLASSIC CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY – WITH A FRESH STYLE
How does one say which book on the inner life is really the best? Each person may resonate with the writing, tone, and recommendations of an author quite differently. Others may like the author’s stories and illustrations, but not their practices. Others may be deeply moved, but may not motivated to put into practice new spiritual disciplines. Anyway, there are so many good ones, I had to list a few more that deserve very special honor. Here’s to celebrating these very good books which bring ancient insights to contemporary readers in a refreshing ways.
Beloved Dust: Drawing Close to God By Discovering the Truth About Yourself Jamin Goggin and Kyle Strobel (Zondervan) $16.99 These two young professors are theological Jedi knights, and I can’t believe the good stuff they’ve released (see below.) They obviously know the rich spiritual classics, have been thoughtfully engaged in nurturing a uniquely evangelical engagement with the very best writings across time. They have drawn on the best formation stuff (Strobel is an Edwards scholar, too, by the way.) But yet, they write in a conversational, modern style. This book offers a richer communion with God, a deep sense of God’s presence, that is explained in a super contemporary tone. To say this is a “cool” book is true enough, but it is also intelligent, wise, profound. It offers us the glory of God, known by us as we understand ourselves. Beloved Dust. That’s a winner of a phrase, eh?
The Making of an Ordinary Saint: My Journey From Frustration to Joy with the Spiritual Disciplines Nathan Foster (IVP) $14.99 I don’t dig the cover that much, but Nathan is an outdoorsy guy, so I guess it works. And the main title and the direct sub-title explains it all. Here is what you need to know: Nathan Foster has written in another book (Wisdom Chaser: Finding My Father at 14,000 Feet) about his drifting from the faith of his family, his awkward relationship with his famous father (Richard Foster) and his eventual, slow recovery of faith as a social worker among the hurting. The elder Foster — and others of us schooled by him in devotional classics and spiritual disciplines and devotional classics — may not realize (at first) how frustrating and off-putting some of this stuff is to many. It may be somewhat a generational thing, but I think it is more than that: as Nathan describes here, Christian discipleship and the inner transformation that comes from God as we open ourselves to Christ’s presence, isn’t a cookie-cutter thing, and no one book or guru or set of practices will work for everybody. We really need a fresh take on some of this stuff. Eugene Peterson notices about this fine book that it is written “not impersonally and objectively, but as a participant.” James Bryan Smith says it is “a voice badly needed today. He is a storyteller whose raw honest disarms… without fear of judgement.” Imperfect sainthood for you? This is a great book.
Christ-Shaped Character: Choosing Love, Faith and Hope Helen Cepero (IVP) $16.00 This book may not be written with as much elan and hip style as some by other contemporary dudes, it is nonetheless a sheer delight, a beautifully rendered book about taking ancient insights and spiritual disciplines and showing how they help us today, helping us be formed in the ways of classic virtues. Indeed, I have been known to say these past months that it is one of the best books I’ve seen on faith, hope and love. Helen Cepero trains spiritual directors and leads retreats and has written a previous little book (called Jounaling as a Spiritual Practice) which shows her own deep awareness of how spiritual practices can help us discern the presence of God in our lives. She is widely respected. Jan Johnson (who has written widely in spiritual formation) says “Cepero hasn’t just written about love, faith and hope, but about actually doing it.” Adele Calhoun (author of Spiritual Disciplines Handbook) writes, “Her gentle wisdom can help you choose life.” Cepero nearly apologizes at the end, noting that there aren’t prescribed pathways or simple road map, but we all know that’s not how these things work. The cover itself is fascinating, with nine nice photographs of different pathways. The way into love and hope, through deepening faith, is a journey. This great book is your invitation to walk it well. There is a great study guide in the back, too, so you can process the ideas, hopefully even with others.
A DISTINGUISHED HONORABLE MENTION: A LUMINOUS BOOK BY A SUFFERING SAINT
T
he Way of Grace: Finding God on the Path of Surrender Glandion Carney with Marjean Brooks Foreword by Richard J. Foster (Renovare/IVP) $15.00 I wrote passionately about this distinguished gentleman, a man who we’ve had the good fortune of meeting, and praying with, and I once again want to remind readers that this is a book that deserves our honor, and that it should be considered a very important book. It is the testimony of a leader within Renovare (the inter-denominational movement to explore spirituality founded by Richard Foster) written after the author learned he had Parkinson’s disease. Gary Moon has called him “one of the best spiritual directors I have ever known” and Jan Johnson shows how it matters: he is always “the ‘real deal.’ Anyone facing a seeming debilitating transition or walking alongside that person needs Glandion at their side, telling them both the truth and stories contained in this marvelous book.”
Yes, he tells stories — and they are lovely and sometimes gripping. Glandion grew up among the Black Panther 
movement in the Oakland Bay area, and he became a church planter for the CRC, integrating spiritual formation into the life of the local church. He’s served many organizations as a chaplain, bringing his blend of social concern and prayerfulness and pastoral care together with great grace. So there are stories, but most, now, are about his quiet struggles, day by day, even the struggle with despair. In The Way of Grace he tells humbly of our remarkable God, and the great virtue of surrender.
The first person I know who read this book told me he likened it to Jerry Sittser’s classic about bereavement A Grace Disguised. I see it. This book, like that one, should endure as a beautiful example of “poignant vulnerability” as brother Glandion travels into what he calls “a new land of amazing grace.”
Rev. Carney, until his retirement, was associate pastor of pastoral care at St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Birmingham. His co-author is a writer who is also a member of St. Peter’s. Join us in reading, sharing, and honoring this good man and this very wise book of spiritual practices that can carry us through difficult days. Cheers!
MOST BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED BOOK OF CLASSIC SPIRITUALITY
Art & Prayer: The Beauty of Turning to God Timothy Verdon (Mount Tabor Books/Paraclete) $32.50 I reviewed this at great length earlier this fall, and we have displayed it prominently in the store for months now. It is such a book-lovers delight to hold such a book, with glossy paper, exquisite full color printing of mostly older, classic artwork. Be aware, though, this isn’t firstly a book of art, but it is a reflection, even a teaching, on the classic essential art of praying.
Faith and prayer, Monsignor Verdon explains, “become creative responses of creatures made in the image and likeness of their Creator relating to him with the help of their imaginations.” This book on spiritual formation is aided by fine art (Verdon’s reputation as an art historian and curator in Italy is notable.) He shows here how images work as tools to teach us how to turn to God and explores in detail how prayer can become the fruit of a “sanctified imagination.” This is certainly one of the most artfully designed books on display this year, and it is one of the best on prayer and spirituality. We think the interaction of text and image deserves a special award, and we are happy to celebrate it here. A unique, special and very notable book of 2014!
BEST BOOK OF SPIRITUALITY – academic
There is a tie here, too — more winners than I can whittle down to just one. I couldn’t decide, but when I reviewed at least two of them last summer, I was very struck by both and have known for a while they are particularly significant. The third, by Maggie Ross, is a rare find, and a deep, profound work. These are each important, offering keen insight that we need to hear. Congratulations to the authors, writers of spiritual depth and theological integrity that they are.
Called to Be Saints: An Invitation to Christian Maturity Gordon T. Smith (IVP Academic) $26.00 Many folks enjoy “basic Christian growth” books, and read the relentlessly, and some are obsessed with using lovely reflections about the contemplative life, seeking mystical discernment of God’s presence. But what does, finally, religious maturity look like? What are the ends and goals of practicing the spiritual disciplines? What does it mean to be a saint, to be holy, to be faithful? I doubt if Smith sees himself as a pure academic, as he writes widely in spiritual formation, and does wonderful workshops for ordinary people in the deeper life of prayerfulness and discernment. Still, it is a bit more meaty than some, and it is rewarding for any that appreciate serious work As James Bryan Smith (of Renovare) writes, “This is a much-needed book today. It answers pressing yet almost forgotten questions by articulating how the sanctification gap came to be and how to bridge it. This book is a wise guide to abundant living, not through self-help techniques but by learning how to live an abundant life in Christ. Read this book, study this book live this book and you will find wisdom, goodness, love and joy.” That’s why it deserves to be honored as one of the Best Books of the Year.
Reading the Christian Spiritual Classics: A Guide for Evangelicals edited by Jamin Goggin & Kyle Strobel (IVP Academic) $24.00 I would like to quote some of what I wrote in a longer essay about this book last summer, which shows why I think it is so very important to honor it.
It offers clear-headed, centrist evangelical theologians offering their take on various sorts of great spiritual classics, giving ways to appreciate and benefit from this genre, even as some of the liabilities are named and exposed. This is generous, ecumenical work at its finest, affirming the best of other traditions, and yet reading them as evangelicals.
And whether you see yourself as an evangelical or not, this book will help you.
For instance, here you have weighty, good chapters by the likes of James Houston, Bruce Demarest, Gerald Sittser and Tom Schwanda, weighing in on their specialty areas. For Houston that is on the genre and use of classical literature; Demarest writes on Catholic Spirituality, Sittser on the Desert Fathers, Schwanda draws on the heavy (but often overlooked) mystical elements of the Puritans. (He has an entire book on that and it is amazing!) These essays provide so much meat that it is a virtual feast. It is delicious and very, very wise. Enjoy!
There are excellent chapters in this collection on how evangelical Protestants should appropriate the church Fathers and Mothers, good teaching on the Orthodox tradition, fine chapters on the monastics and why we should read them today (and with what sort of approach or bias.) Is there a uniquely evangelical way to read the spiritual classics? Must we be discerning as we read? This book offers not only the life-changing renewal that can come from engaging these old masters and their ancient writings, but helps overcome fears, offers insight into some of the foreign theological traditions from which they come, making them that much more approachable and beneficial.
Here is what J.I. Packer writes of it:
Here you have an absolutely unrivaled mapping by experts of the whole church’s rich, smorgasbord heritage of Christ-centered, sanctification-focused devotional writing, most of which will be unknown to most of us. What to do with it? Take it as your tour guide and start reading its recommended texts. You will be glad you did, I promise you. Wealth awaits.
Silence: A User’s Guide Maggie Ross (Cascade) $28.00 Ross is an Anglican solitary, and I have read other delightful, and deeply moving, books about her commitment to silence and solitude. This one isn’t precisely an academic text, though her astute scholarship shines through this project. It is a heady blend of deep writing about contemplative prayer, the history of thinking theologically about silence (Desmond Tutu says her bibliography is “formidable”) and yet speaks in hushed tones of the heart. Originally published in the UK, we are grateful that Cascade has reprinted it here. The impressive Diarmaid MacCulloch says Ross brings “an extraordinary combination of practicality, scholarship, and prayerful reflection to this remarkable book. Readers cannot fail to profit from its many explorations, which lead to a passionate, iconoclastic, and cheering affirmation of the centrality of silence in our meetings with God.” Yes, I do believe that this deserves a very special commendation. It is a major (quiet) contribution in this year of our Lord, 2014.
Okay friends, take a breather and watch for PART THREE coming soon. I’m going to be typing a lot, so get those credit cards ready. We want to honor, celebrate, and sell some books! Congratulations to the publishers, editors, writers, and you, the readers and buyers.
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Visions of Vocation: Common Grace for the Common Good Steven Garber (IVP) $16.00 If you subscribe to BookNotes or have heard me at nearly any place we’ve set up books these past 11 months, you’ll know that I’ve declared this the best, the most important, the most interesting, the most vital book, and my personal favorite book, of the last several years. We may have been one of the first places where one could pre-order it last year, and I explained why were were so eager, 
A New Heaven and New Earth: Reclaiming Biblical Eschatology J. Richard Middleton (Baker Academic) $26.99 Again, I’ve reviewed this at great length when it first came out, which I hope you saw (
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption Bryan Stevenson (Spiegel & Grau) $28.00 I wish I could award this spectacular book multiple awards, and it may be that it will be as enduring as other truly great books of our times. I’ve suggested out loud that I wouldn’t be surprised if this remarkable legal reformer who serves poor, imprisoned clients, gets the Nobel Peace Prize someday. This is a truly extraordinary story, a page-turner, a memoir unlike any I’ve read, truly one of the best books I’ve read in my life. One of the best of 2014? Oh my, my, absolutely yes! Please 
The New Parish: How Neighborhood Churches Are Transforming Mission, Discipleship and Community Paul Sparks, Tim Soerens and Dwight Friesen (IVP) $17.00 Another timely release in the IVP Praxis series, this extraordinary book brings together three very different thinkers and practitioners, each who have done excellent work in re-imagining the church in our post-Christian age, and have lived out the implications of a sense of place and a clear passion for Christ-like missional service. When reviewers as astute as Walter Brueggemann say that it is “teeming with fresh ideas and rich energy for the future of the church…this is hand-on missional ecclesiology in its most generative mode” you know you should read it. When one as widely read as Phyllis Tickle says “Hands down, one of the most sensible and simultaneously exhilarating books I have read in a long time” you know you will enjoy it. Three cheers for these three amigos.
Slow Church: Cultivating Community in the Patient Way of Jesus C. Christopher Smith & John Pattison (IVP) $16.00 If this book is any indication of the Praxis line of IVP, we can take much hope in the future of rumination on the state of the church and the art of missional ministry. You may recall that I raved about this, exclaiming that it was my personal favorite book in this category in years — and one of my personal favorite reads of 2014! — and that we brought one of the authors here to speak earlier this fall. Kudos to our friends who here relate “high speed internet, rapid rewards, quick trips, fast food, and… church?” Taking a cue from the slow food movement, they wonder what church might be like if they were inspired by the sorts of things the slow foodies think about. Brilliant, just brilliant! One of the Best Books of 2014 for sure.
Shrink: Faithful Ministry in a Church-Growth Culture Tim Suttle (Zondervan) $16.99 Chris Smith (of Slow Church fame, and a consummate reader and book reviewer himself at The Englewood Review of Books) says “Shrink is one of the wisest and most significant evangelical books that I’ve read in the last decade; it is essential for every pastor and church leader!” Stanley Hauerwas insists that if many churches have lost their way “Suttle helps us see how God in our time is making us leaner and meaner. I hope this book will be widely read.” 
Fail: Finding Hope and Grace in the Midst of Ministry Failure J.R. Briggs (IVP) $16.00 I have told you about this before, and I am struck by how this thoughtful book has sold well at clergy conferences and pastor’s gatherings; it resonates for several reasons. The book is excellently conceived and well written, it emerges from the authors own epic fail, and the subsequent shame and sense of rejection that comes with ministry failure, and it offers unique spiritual insights on coping with and drawing upon the lessons of ministry plans that were aborted or dissolved. The Alban Institute had a few monographs on closing a church and a few small books have appeared here and there, but this is doubtlessly the best I’ve seen on this urgent topic. With a foreword by Eugene Peterson (and a fine endorsement by Ruth Haley Barton and Leonard Sweet) you can see a number of solid folks have agreed. This book deserves its hard-won awards.
Evangelical Versus Liturgical? Defying a Dichotomy Melanie C. Ross (Eerdmans) $17.00 We have boldly touted this book since we first received it, writing about it, showing it off, explaining its rather rare qualities. Ross teaches liturgics at the prestigious and might I suggest somewhat high-brow and ecumenical Yale Divinity School, but is well-suited to write a book which studies less liturgically sophisticated, ordinary evangelical congregations. Can evangelical and low-church worship traditions see themselves as liturgical? Can those from higher church traditions of more formalize liturgy learn from the thinking and practice done in these kinds of churches? Anglican parishes and Evangelical Free churches and Lutherans, say, aren’t likely to have too many common worship experiences, let alone host panels and confabs and conversations learning from one another — except maybe at the 
City of God: Faith in the Streets Sara Miles (Jericho Books) $20.00 You may not approve of all of the beliefs and values of this outspoken Episcopalian activist, but if you know her other amazing books (Take This Bread and Jesus Freak) you know she is one of our finest, most passionate and powerful writers, with an amazing prose style and an entertaining eye for detail. Anne Lamott says it is “Gorgeous, gritty, profound… I love everything she writes, but there is some special about this new book.” City of God jumps back and forth with memories and flashbacks, and in many ways continues the journey of liturgy and justice, prayer and politics, so beautifully told in her previous books. But it mostly tells of three worship services experienced one Ash Wednesday, an traditional early morning service in the fancy sacred space of her church, the public action of offering ashes in the streets throughout the afternoon, in a public worship experience for the masses, and a reflection and debriefing at the end of this long, moving day. Even if you are not involved in urban ministry and even if you are not interested in liturgical acts like these, this is a poignant and profound “love song to her neighborhood” and a reminder, as one reviewer wrote, “how every ;moment of our lives is liturgy, and each and every liturgy we do if for the whole world which God loves so dearly.”
Oil and Honey: The Education of an Unlikely Activist Bill McKibben (Times Books) $26.00 I hope you recall my review of this (here) as I really, really loved this book. I won’t spoil it for you, but you should know that Mr. McKibben is a fine autobiography writer, a nature observer, a lay theologian, and one of the leading climate change activists in the world. In this behind-the-scenes story he gives the moment-by-moment telling of his year fighting the polluting and dangerous XL Pipeline from the dirty Tar Sands of the fields in Canada, including his organizing chapters all over the world, doing stressful travel and speaking and press work, and leading a campaign of civil disobedience at the White House to protest the Administration’s foot-dragging on global warming matters. This is elegant, moving, honest, and even if one doesn’t agree with level of urgency McKibben insists is needed, or much of his political organizing, it is a great glimpse into the life and habits of “an unlikely activist.” And here is what bumps this jump good to great: almost half the book is about his finding respite by learning from his Vermont neighbor the art of bee keeping. There is moral outrage, there is personal courage, there is astute policy advocacy, but there is the simple joy of caring for his corner of nature, and the fine art of learning pretty nifty skills of tending to the bees. Oil and honey, get it? What a book! Highly recommended!
Coming Ashore Catherine Gildiner (ECW Press) $24.95 This is the third installment of the life story of this truly amazing person, a Canadian psychologist and novelists whose literary gifts just shone in her first book, Too Close to the Falls which hilariously
told of her eccentric — precocious is putting it mildly — childhood working in her father’s pharmacy in Niagara Falls, and her second, After the Falls told colorfully and poignantly of her coming of age and living large in the 1960s, with crazy jobs, working as a white girl in the civil rights movement in Ohio, and of her odd parents and the debilitating illness of her beloved father. This last memoir tells of her early 70’s year in England as an Oxford University student, her return to life here, her falling in love (again), her on-going coping with aging parents, and some other stuff I just can’t say lest I spoil the surprise. 
Rumours of Glory: A Memoir Bruce Cockburn (HarperOne) $28.99 
From Every Tribe and Nation: A Historian’s Discovery of the Global Christian Story Mark A. Noll (Baker Academic) $19.99
(as scholars and teachers) as an expression of (and informed by) their own deep Christian convictions, but how this faith has changed over recent years as they’ve increasingly been exposed to Christians (and others) in the global South. I have raved about the first one in this series, a must-read memoir by Christian philosopher Nicholas Wolterstorff (Journey Towards Justice) and commend it again, now that there are others in this great series.
Rebel Souls: Walt Whitman and America’s First Bohemians Justin Martin (De Capo) $27.99 I knew I would love this from the first few pages, and a few more in, I was reading out loud to Beth for nights on end. I not only thoroughly enjoyed this delightful social history, but learned so very much. (Who knew that the first stand-up comedian, delivered what was called a “comic lecture” since they didn’t have a name for stand-up in the mid 19th century? Who knew that Whitman had these other folks around him?) This book explores a rowdy group of artists, writers, journalists, activists, and philosophers who gathered for years almost every night at an underground bar (Pfaff’s Saloon in Greenwich Village ) knowingly and intentionally trying to import to the US the new social movement and cultural philosophy of France, wanting to be known as bohemians. In a way, this biographical sketch of this crew, and their ideas, is a huge window into counter-cultural movements and fringe artists every since, and could be valuable for any who live and work in hipster circles or within those called to the arts. (Where did the idea come from that art, to be authentic, must somehow be shocking or against the mainstream tastes?) Seen another way, this is also a study of how any idea might be clarified, re-fashioned, embodied, and disseminated by way of relationships, networks, writing, using the arts, and strategizing how to reform civic institutions. And a couple of good “third places.” Yes, this looks at the famous poet, but more, it looks at his crew, those who gathered at Pfaffs, who caused the artsy, counter-cultural vision of bohemia to be spread into North American culture. I really loved this book, spanning from the last half of the 19th century — including some awful stuff about the raptures caused by the Civil War — and highly, highly recommend it.
Strange Glory: A Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer Charles Marsh (Knopf) $35.00 There have been many, many biographies of the extraordinary life of the German Lutheran martyr and pastor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and, to be honest, many were less than thrilling, dry, poorly translated and whatnot. Eric Metaxas’s splendid, lively, and deservedly popular Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy broke some odd barrier, and now Bonhoeffer books are truly in vogue, his work is studied, and the floodgates have been opened for new work on his life and times. Strange Glory: A Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer has been in the making for a long, long, time, and the meticulous research shows. Still, Marsh has been writing on other topics (including race and social change in the US and I admire his passionate books such as God’s Long Summer, The Beloved Community, and a recent one co-written with John Perkins, Welcoming Justice.) I am not qualified to adjudicate the controversies around various schools of thought regarding the best reading of Bonhoeffer or the details of his personal life. I still highly recommend Metaxas, which is so interesting and lively, although this moving new hardback book by Marsh is a weighty, serious, tome, and it is very well written, and deserves very special mention. It could be that it is the best, serious biography yet done on DB. The sober and quite wise and eloquent Alan Jacobs calls it “an extraordinary account” and says it is “profoundly researched and vividly imagined. Marsh has unearthed enough archival material to keep generations of Bonhoeffer scholars occupied, but, more important, has used his knowledge to weave a mesmerizing tale about one of the giants of the twentieth century. I can’t remember when I’ve read a more compelling biography.” Wow. 2014 has been a great year for good books, eh?
Fierce Convictions: The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More — Poet, Reformer, Abolitionist Karen Swallow Prior (Nelson) $24.99 
Forgive Us: Confessions of a Compromised Faith Mae Elise Cannon, Lisa Sharon Harper, Troy Jackson, Soong-Chan Rah (Zondervan) price $22.99 I wrote about this first for Capitol Commentary (an e-newsletter of the Center for Public Justice) and then again at BookNotes. 
Doing Good Without Giving Up: Sustaining Social Action in a World That’s Hard to Change Ben Lowe (IVP) $16.00 Just a few years ago I raved about a book that remains a companion for me, and should be in the backpack or end-table of any activist (or those who may not identify as an activist, but one who cares deeply about making a difference in the world.) That book was by Tyler Wigg-Stevenson and was called The World Is Not Ours To Save and it remains a very, very special book to me. Stevenson’s call to deep spiritual practices that allow us to be people of hope, to trust God with the rescuing of the planet, is mature and sound. And yet, there is a need for a companion volume to that, one that is, well, maybe just a wee bit more practical. As the kids say, we might wonder what it looks like to be an activist of this very sort, hopeful, working out of good motivations, not fearful or frantic or angry. How does one keep on, keeping on? It is a central theme of Steve Garber’s serious reflection (Visions of Vocation) but again, we need a clear guide, a handbook to accompany us along the journey. My friend Ben Lowe has given us just what we need and a great, great gift in offering a book just like this: here is what, indeed, a spiritually-wise, balanced, hopeful, engaged, Christ-centered life of world-changing activism really looks like. Lowe (who has even run for office, which gives him some nifty stories) offers profound ruminations on truly big stuff — avoiding idolatries, practicing repentance, building bridges with opponents, discerning one’s vocation around various causes and issues, and more mundane things for any of us involved in ministry or social change work, the small things that matter. This book includes practical advice, important guidance in living out the love of Jesus, doing the good and holy work of advocacy for change, and yet enjoying the ride. This is a book I have longed for in years past, and one I want to share with anyone who wants to persevere when, as he says, “the novelty wares off and our enthusiasm runs out.” Doing Good offers key practices for sustaining social action, and allows us to seek God’s Kingdom through faithful missional lives. Excellent. I am sure I will be talking about it, and recommending it, for years to come. 
The Way of Tea and Justice: Rescuing the World’s Favorite Beverage From It’s Violent History Becca Stevens (Jericho) $22.00 Perhaps you’ve read Steven’s other moving reflections about progressive Biblical faith, or her quiet little books of self-help spirituality. Her 2013 memoir Snake Oil was critically acclaimed and very powerful. This recent book does two things, at least: it tells the story of how their Thistle Farm ministry decided to open a (fair-trade) tea shop to supplement their job-training ministry with sexual abused, trafficked and addicted women, and it tells the story of how tea is grown, harvested, sold, and enjoyed over time and geography. What a pair of stories, the story of tea, and the story of the Thistle Farm cafe. As Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times writes, “Women served by Thistle Farms would be dead by now if it weren’t for the remarkable initiative by the Rev. Becca Stevens…” Yes, tea can be “a long journey into hope.” This inspiring book has down to earth advice, spiritual rumination, history, economics, and one heck of an wholesome entrepreneurial project at its heart. Steep some healthy tea, and as you read this, be glad for this kind of book in 2014.
The Unbelievable Gospel: Say Something Worth Believing Jonathan K. Dodson (Zondervan) $16.99 I like reading books about evangelism, and there are many that are really good. I find that most people — mainline liberals, progressive evangelicals, Roman Catholics, older-school fundamentalists, even — don’t know how to share their deepest convictions in ways that are natural and persuasive. We are either too pushy or, increasingly, at least in our circles, so understandably desirous of not seeming disrespectful, that we often stay quiet, even when opportunities present themselves to share the gospel. And then, sometimes, we do broach the subject of telling our story and we realize there is a huge disconnect between what we know to be gracious good news, and the typical unchurched person’s view of Christianity; or, there is a disconnect between what we want to say, what we believe deeply to be the truest truths, and our confusion and inability to actually say much coherent. No wonder we’d rather just nod and smile. 
True Paradox: How Christianity Makes Sense of our Complex World David Skeel (IVP) $15.00 We were pleased to promote this a bit when it very first came out while at the 2014 annual Christian Legal Society Conference this fall — what a trip to Boston, with thoughtful legal thinkers and Christian lawyers! Professor Skeel was not there, but many there knew of his astute legal mind, and his charitable, caring style. He is a rigorous thinker, and a good man, we’ve come to realize, and this book has been long-awaited for those of us who have followed him on line. The heart of this book is captured well in the title and in the reference to complexity in the subtitle — although my silly summary (that Christianity isn’t plausibly true only because of its tight, logical answers to tough questions, but because of its leaving room for weirdness) maybe works, too. That is, the Christian worldview offers a good account of a world where not everything can be easily explained, and its comfort with paradox and mystery is itself a good sign of its being attuned to reality. This is another book published by IVP in cooperation with the 
Charis: God’s Scandalous Grace for Us Preston Sprinkle (foreword by Tullian Tchividjian) (Cook) $14.99 There is a cottage industry of recent books that have “gospel-centered” in the title, and lots about the good news of God’s merciful grace. Sprinkle is a lively, hip author, with a cool writing style, which traces this key doctrine from the beginning of the Bible to the end of Christ’s life. So, yes, this is mostly a study of grace in the Old Testament. His insight is solid, his pastoral wisdom helpful, and his Biblical insight is at times nearly stunning, and delivered with some flavorful zeal. What a scandal, that almost all of us need to hear, week after week: God loves us and offers unmerited mercy. As it says on the back, “take a journey into Charis — where harlots are hugged, enemies are enjoyed, and really bad people receive really good things from a Creator who stubbornly delights in undelightful people. Like us.”
Playdates with God: Having Childlike Faith in a Grown-up World Laura J. Boggess (Leafwood) $14.99 I have only met this author once or twice, in passing, although I have come to respect her immensely. She is an excellent writer and a content editor at 
Real Christian: Bearing the Marks of Authentic Faith Todd Wilson (Zondervan) $16.99 Okay, I’ll admit: I love a book that is useful like this, with excellent discussion questions at the end of each chapter, a few Bible verses to read and reflect upon, some excellent and often serious books recommended for digging deeper after each chapter, and a few inspiring biographies to further encourage readers. The author loves classic, serious theology and knows how to recommend good books, at least for those that want to dig in. This plan for basic Christian growth isn’t nearly enough, of course (what one book would be?) but it is an excellent start for anyone that wants to be clear about first things, their own salvation and an assurance of God’s grace as they explore true Christianity, allowing the gospel to transform them from the inside-out. These lively chapters or well done and upbeat, but not too light-hearted. The author has a nearly palpable passion to help young Christians — or older ones — understand and embrace the central truths that can reform our affections and passions, offering us the graces of a Christ-centered life. With strong endorsements from Collin Hanson (who reads very deeply in this sort of thing as editorial director of The Gospel Coalition) and Timothy George and James MacDonald, you will realize that this is classic, evangelical theology, explained and applied to the heart of one that desires God. It is, in this sense, a primer on the Christian life. Dan Wolgemuth, CEO of Youth For Christ/USA says “Read this book. Soak in it. Savor each word like you would the bite of a fine meal.” He insists it is “strong, convicting, and inspiring.” We are glad for meaty works offered in contemporary packaging and with such accessible style.
Miracles: What They Are, Why They Happen, And How THey Can Change Your Life Eric Metaxas (Dutton) $27.95 Perhaps a few decades ago we here at the shop felt that there was maybe a bit too much being published about miracles, about charismatic renewal, about unusual spiritual experiences, books promoting a rather sensational view of life and faith. Now, with the odd exception of the spate of books about people who claim to visit heaven, it seems there isn’t nearly as much in mainstream religious publishing about these mysterious episodes. Maybe we need a dose of serious writing about mystery and miracle. Mr. Metaxas, a witty and winsome writer, with a PhD from Yale, is perfect for this large assignment, and he has delivered for our edification (and bafflement, perhaps) one heckuva a great book. 
God in the SInk: Essays from Toad Hall Margie L. Haack (Kalos Press) $11.95 A few years ago we eagerly awarded Margie Haack a best book of the year award, for her riveting, moving, gentle memoir, The Exact Place. Now she is back and this is nearly auto-biographical, again, although it isn’t structured as a memoir. This splendid book is a great collection of letters and articles Margie wrote to her supporters, donors and friends of the ministry of Ransom, which she and her husband Denis manage out of a home called Toad Hall. These essays were all from the “Notes from Toad Hall” magazine she sent out, and are honest (sometimes painfully so) ruminations, often including Biblical reflections, about her life and times, about ministry and homemaking, about being a wife, mother, grandmother, friend, and citizen of the great state of Minnesota. Margie is very honest about her fears and foibles, candid about the dumb stuff she sees (in her marriage, in her home, among those with whom she serves) and also sees the absolute glory of the quotidian. I have written at length about why you should buy this book, and why we love it so — 
Flunking Sainthood Every Day: A Daily Devotional for the Rest of Us edited and compiled by Jana Riess (Paraclete Press) $23.99 You may recall (we hope you do) Riess’s hilarious memoir of trying to work through spiritual classics called Flunking Sainthood; it is a refreshing and honest story of what she did (or didn’t!) get out of reading often-recommended, sometimes obtuse, spiritual classics. It really resonated with so many of us who wanted a light-hearted study of books by St. John of the Cross, Catherine of Sienna, Theresa, and those who right about centered prayer and keeping sabbath and the like. Now, she has given us “a daily devotional for the rest of us” and it has great quotes, blurbs, citations, offered one on a page along with her own prayers and proposals for how to apply this stuff into an ordinary life. Marjorie Thompson says it is “refreshingly realistic about our human imperfections and heartily confident of grace.”
Longing for More: Daily Reflections on Finding God in the Rhythms of Life Timothy Willard (Bethany) $16.99 First, I love Tim Willard. He co-wrote Veneer and proved himself a potent storyteller, with a keen eye of the holy in the mundane. Not only has he been in an indie rock band, he served for years for the Praxis Nonprofit Accelerator, a ministry somewhat affiliated with the glitzy Catalyst conference, which was an incubator for those starting social social initiatives. In this book, Willard offers daily reflections, with each week’s writings ruminating around a different theme — joy, love, newness, silence, work, trust, hope and the like. Every 12 weeks he offers a longer essay to ponder for the week, with appropriate reflection prompts. (He calls these “The Long Pause” which, again, is hoping to help one get into a broader rhythm and intention. The theme of all of these colorful, creative pieces is that our life should be alive and robust, with God in it all. If you are seeking the “spirituality of the ordinary” and wanting a devotional to invite you to be honest and real about your walk with God, this is interesting, often insightful, upbeat and contemporary. Willard is a young, hip, example of the newer generation of evangelical leaders, socially engaged, deeply contemplative, joyful and authentic. As his friend hard rocker Lacey Sturm of the band Flyleaf, (author of the moving The Reason: How I Discovered a Life Worth Living) writes,
Saving Grace: Daily Devotions From Jack Miller C. John Miller (New Growth Press) $19.99 I love this small sized shape for a book, a heavy hardback that is small enough to fit in your hand. The pages are dated and designed nicely, with a Bible verse and a brief reading for each day. You may know Jack Miller who founded World Harvest Mission and the network of New Life Presbyterian churches, a Reformed pastor, missionary, preacher, scholar, and activist whose son (Paul Miller) has also written very popular books (such as the wonderful book on Jesus, Love Walked Among Us and the great and important.) This book brings to you what you might call a “gospel centered life” and a daily reminder that Jesus is your saving grace. Blurbs on the back are from thoughtful and wise leaders such as David Powlison of CCEF, Joni Eareckson Tada, and Key Life Radio dude Steve Brown. This is a power-house volume, able to help you see how the gospel can transform your life, grace upon grace, from the inside out. Solid.
We Make the Road by Walking: A Year Long Quest for Spiritual Formation, Reorientation, and Activation Brian D. McLaren (Jericho Books) $25.00 I hope that you, like me, tire of the nasty or muddled over-reactions by some strident people regarding popular authors in faith traditions or “camps” with whom we may disagree. Rob Bell is either a heretic or walks on water; the emerging church is either neo-pagan or the faithful way of the future, McLaren is a textbook example of the complete loss of orthodoxy or the new Martin Luther. One doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry at such lack of nuance. (I wrote a longer piece about Brian and this book when it came out, if your interested, 
Exercising our Worldview: A Collection of Essays Charles Adams (Dordt College Press) $25.00 This is not exactly a daily devotional, but for those of us who use more conventional prayer books or who don’t do daily devos at all, this could be a resource to help you spend a brief, intentional time each day, or each week, thinking through the implications of the gospel of the Kingdom for daily life. And what a resource this is!
Sacred Pause: A Creative Retreat for the Word-weary Christian Rachel
The Invention of Wings Sue Monk Kidd (Viking) $27.95 This much-discussed book was one of Beth’s favorites this year, beautifully rendered by the talented author of The Secret Life of Bees. She could hardly tear herself away from it, or stop talking about it early this fall. Sue Monk Kidd’s writing is soulful and passionate, as it needs to be in this great story, loosely based on the Grimke sisters, revivalists and abolitionists of the early 1800s. This chronicles Sarah’s move to Philadelphia, and, in a parallel plot, traces the life of Hetty “Handful,” the slave she was given as a young girl. This is truly one of the great books of the year. Here is what it says in on the dust jacket:
The Art of Fielding Chad Harbach (Back Bay) $14.99 I know I’m a year late to the game, but I hadn’t read this last year, and wanted to wait until baseball season this summer to dive into this renowned sports story. As we all know, good novels are so much more than what they seem to be about. (Who was it that said something about how silly it is to think that Moby Dick is just a story about a whale?) This baseball story is set in the complexities of liberal arts colleges, and, in fact, the college’s sports teams are called the Whalers, since the great Herman Melville once visited the campus, and the campus President is a Moby Dick and Melville scholar. (This figures in just a bit — so fun!) The school’s baseball team goes to the playoffs, for the first time in years, due to the extraordinary gift of one very talented player. I can’t spoil all that goes on throughout that fateful season and those last games, as the plot thickens more than you can imagine, but the mentoring this young player received from an older team-mate becomes a much larger matter as, together, they try to figure out their young adult years, their futures, the women they love, loyalties and more. It has been positively reviewed from great sources, and called everything from “engrossing” “triumphant” “astonishingly assured” “intensely readable.”
The Signature of All Things Elizabeth Gilbert (Viking) $28.95 (hardcover); $17.00 (paperback) This is nothing short of stunning, an epic tale of a 18th century man who, through entrepreneurial ingenuity, courageous involvement with the likes of explorer Captain Cook and sheer dogged diligence, becomes a self-taught botanist and global leader in the commercial trade of early pharmaceuticals. He becomes very, very rich, known in the world’s of landscaping, gardening, and more, professional horticulture. He learns to grow medicinal pants, and becomes involved in global business. After marrying a Dutch wife and moving to Philadelphia, they raise two girls, one herself a young botanist, who, well… I can’t say, as I’ve not finished it yet, and don’t want to spoil anything. I am willing to say that Beth loved this book, despite some weirdness (I haven’t reached that part yet) and I am thinking it may be my favorite novel of the year. The prose is solid and weighty, almost old fashioned (not at all like Eat Pray Love, which I enjoyed, by the way.) This is a marvelous, learned, intriguing, captivating, mature book, playing with questions of what it means to truly know, the quest for knowledge, perhaps even questions of science and faith, data and magic, and certainly huge themes emerging from the era when the Age of Enlightenment gave way to the Industrial Revolution and the
romantics arose in response to the narrow vision of the rationalists. The hardback edition from last year has lush botanical illustrations in the inside cover, almost making it worth the investment to own this as a wonderfully-made hardback with deckled pages. It is now out in paperback.
Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good Jan Karon (Putnam) $27.95 This is one of those wonderful books to show customers and to sell — so many people adored the Mitford series and have been hoping for a chance to revisit that charming town, Father Tim, and all the others there. Does Mitford, to swipe a line from Bruce Springsteen, still “take care of our own?” Pastor Tim doesn’t have a pulpit any more, of course, but there is plenty for him to do, relationships to guide, tough stuff to explore; for instance there are serious troubles at the Happy Ending Bookstore. (Ahh a story where the plight of the beloved local bookstore figures in — wow.) As we had announced earlier, we acquired a few autographed copies, and we still have a few left. Nice.
Second Book of the Dun Cow: Lamentations and The Third Book of the Dun Cow: Peace at Last Walter Wangerin, Jr. (Diversion Books) $13.99 each Sometimes, we just throw back our heads and sing for joy. I didn’t know these two important, under-appreciated sequels to the National Award Winning fantasy novel, The Book of the Dun Cow, by the celebrated Lutheran writer, had been re-printed. You may recall the devastating battle with the Wyrm, Chauntecleer and his wife Pertelote who lead the animals from the Coop. Years ago somebody said this was a cross between Watership Down and Lord of the Rings; be that as it may, they are thrilling fantasy stories with a profound moral imagination. These two new editions have revised content, and matching covers. The first one has remained in print, but these two re-issued companions are great to see. 
Sister Eve, Private Eye: A Divine Private Detective Agency Mystery Lynne Hinton (Nelson) $15.99 We carry lots of books that are a bit lighter fare, too, interesting and hopefully inspiring. Ya gotta love the blurb from Publisher’s Weekly who named it a top ten pick in the religion category: “Get thee to a nunnery, Sherlock.” Ha. This story is, in fact, set in a New Mexico monastery; Sister Eve is the daughter of a police captain turned detective, so she knows her away around crime scenes and solving mysteries. This is a fun story, a nice bit of mystery, with soul-searching questions about vocation and calling and how to square her religious devotion with this rather chilling job. Hinton is an experienced writer, and does a nice job. A rave endorsement from her earlier book in this series came from Philip Gulley, quite a thoughtful writer himself, and a pacifist Quaker. So there ya go — this has something for everyone!
The Rosie Project Graeme Simsion (Simon & Schuster) $15.99 None of us here had read this, and then we saw the video where billionaires Bill and Melissa Gates interviewed the author and admitted to giving away dozens of this to friends and others who they thought might benefit from it. It was their novel of the year! Rosie has been a New York Times best-seller, an international sensation, on NPR, and widely touted as a well done, thoughtful bit of romantic comedy writing. (And yes, there’s a movie in the works.) Here’s the gist: Dan Tillman is a genetics professor, and he is getting married. Or at least he is confident that he will, once his sixteen-page scientifically valid survey yields a candidate, in what he calls “The Wife Project.” His questionnaire is, for this socially-challenged academic, the most logical method to find the perfect partner.
Lila Marilynne Robinson (FSG) $26.00 Will this get the Pulitzer? While she be nominated for a Nobel Prize in literature? You may know that Robinson is one of our finest essayists, and a John Calvin scholar, as well; she is most esteemed, though, as a mature, thoughtful, serious novelist. Gilead (for which she did win the Pulitzer) is the story of a small town, mid-Western pastor telling his life story. This fall I met a young college student who said (in what warmed my heart) that she was “obsessed” with this novel. It is that good. The sequel, you may know, was Homecoming and now we have the third, Lila. Lila is the wife of John Ames, the pastor in the town of Gilead, and she appears in the earlier novels. This is her story, and what a story it is. She was neglected as a child, homeless and desperate at time, crafted a life “on the run” quite unlike that of the man who marries her. Lila is a beautiful, intriguing story that you won’t soon forget. As Lev Grossman writes in Time, “As writers go Robinson is among the superpowered…” After noting her “beautiful work…” James Wood writes in the prominent The New York Times Book Review, “Robinson’s words have a spiritual force that’s very rare in contemporary fiction.”
To Rise at a Decent Hour Joshua Ferris (Back Bay Books) $16.00 Well, this may be the weirdest novel I’ve read all year — no, not as weird as Dave Eggers’ Your Fathers, Where Are They? And the Prophets Do They Live Forever that I read in one long sitting. That was the most provocative, odd story I’ve read all year. Ferris’ To Rise Again stunning, and, for all it’s odd-ball plot, I just couldn’t put it down. I guess that is why it has been so widely reviewed, with the author quite the star on the talk shows, NPR and the like. Here’s the short plot: the main character is a dentist, he hates the internet but somebody opens a website for him (without his knowledge) and then these weird religious passages — sounding like the Bible, but actually not — start appearing. His dental practice continues, his office staff are perplexed, we learn of his own religious views and escapes (some driven by, uh, romance, shall we say) and his longing to belong. I absolutely will not spoil this breath-takingly curious book by telling you the source of these religious testimonies, or how our faithful dentist deals with the religious proselytizing/harassment. It sounds weird, but I’m telling you. Sit back and open wide. Let this story wash over you; it’s funny and sad and you will see in this dislocated 21st century New Yorker something vital. At least I think so. What a book.
Neverhome Laird Hunt (Little Brown) $26.00 What a beautiful cover — just makes me want to hold it and carry it around for a while! This is a book I had hoped to have read by now — I read a chapter when if first came into our shop — but just haven’t gotten to it. The reviews of the writing have been so moving, so glowing, I obviously am interested; while Civil War books come in all varieties and styles, this looks to be literary fiction at its finest. It is about a woman who disguises herself as a man to fight. Have you heard of it? Here are some of the moving endorsements, that makes us want to sell it:
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As the mall tells the story, Xmas starts in the fall, and then goes full tilt from the stupid black Friday frenzy, ending abruptly, cynically, as quickly as they can stock the shelves with Valentine stuff. Then it’s on to the President Day sales! Whatever.
Saint Nicholas and the Mouse of Myra: A Graphic Novel Jay Stoeckl, OFS (Paraclete Press) $15.99 I suppose this compact graphic novel is a book for all ages, but I think smart kids would love it. Are the legends of St. Nicholas true? This is a vital and good question, and a way to navigate the Santa stuff, and this paperback is a great aid. For what it is worth, there is another book out now by a popular evangelical children’s writer and big time publisher and the cheesy art and glitter on the cover should have warned me away. That they have the legend of Nicholas in what looks like the Victorian era — he lived in Asia Minor in the late third century (and even attended the famous Council of NIcea!) — makes me crazy with perplexity. What was the author, illustrator, editor, publisher, and sales reps thinking? Ugh.
The Song of the Stars: A Christmas Story Sally Lloyd-Jones, illustrated with paintings by Allison Jay (Zonderkidz) $15.99 We have simply raved about this for two years, now, and it remains one of the best children’s books we’ve seen. The whole creation gets in on the action here in this gentle, serious, visionary, playful, subtle, artful rendering of the Nativity. I assume you know how much we esteem Lloyd-Jone’s wonderfully written, beautifully done, theologically sound Jesus Storybook Bible and the fabulous sequel Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing, both regular best sellers for us. She is such a reliable and helpful narrator for our little ones. There is proper Biblical language here — Christ is called “Our Rescuer” and it has the weight of glory. Simple, clever, solid, highly recommended.
Let There Be Light Desmond Tutu & Nancy Tillman (ZonderKidz) regular hardback book, $16.99; small board board, $7.99 When this came out a year ago, we raved. Beth continues to tell customers that it is one of her all time favorite children’s books. The combination of an esteemed, powerful, winsome, global Christian leader and one of our most lovely children’s illustrators combines for a truly beautiful, moving, happy story, an imaginative and even playful vision of the creation — with royal humans cavorting with animals of all kinds. Yes, that is a son of Adam writing an ostrich on the cover! You’ve got to see this close up to appreciate how great it is. We have a few on hand now for immediate shipment, and a few more coming in later in the week. Nice for little ones!
The Song of the King Max Lucado (Crossway) $17.99 You may know of the many beloved children’s stories of this master communicator, and you may appreciate his gentle way of telling a story which is a metaphor for things of God’s Kingdom. The back cover here states, “A timeless tale about the most important choice on your journey through life.” This is at first blush a story of a princess, brave knights that want to prove their worth, and with only the King’s song to guide them, they must overcome obstacles. “Who will be victorious? Carlisle the strongest, Alon the swiftest, or Cassidon the wisest?” Illustrated by Chuck Gillies, of Kendall School of Design and a popular illustrator for over 50 books. Ages 5 and up.
Andrew Draws David McPhail (Holiday House) $16.95 Wow — this is not only a charming little book, but a great conversation starter. On the first page, the child star of the book finds a crayon and starts to scribble on the floor and walls. His love of drawing is honed over the years, he becomes better and better and you realize this is a book about finding one’s passion, the power of art, the joy of creativity. It is simple, but good. But then one day he asked a someone what they would like him to draw and when she says a bird, he draws a nice on, and it flies right off the page on to her shoulder. He becomes famous for this, and soon the President of the US calls him, asking him for some help. What will he do? What does he draw, and for whom? What a great question? What might your child say? The crayon stub is almost gone, he’s got enough for one picture left. (Spoiler alert: he makes a drawing for himself. Which licks him, afterwards.)
The Magnificent Thing Ashley Spires (Kids Can Press) $16.95 Do you know any enterprising children who like to make stuff? Who are maybe even destined to be inventors? Or you might like a story of encouragement, even if things don’t work out at first? This little girl and her assistant (a odd little dog) are making the most magnificent things. She repurposes all kind of junk and almost makes a great thing, but, uh, well, it just isn’t quite right. But then she goes back to the drawing board and it ends up being just what she wanted. Fun for early elementary children. It notes on the copyright page, by the way, “The artwork in this book was rendered digitally with lots of practice, two hissy-fits, and one all-out tantrum.” The author apparently understands the “it turned out all wrong” frustration, and knows how to keep at it, with whimsy and joy. 
Love Letters from God Bible Stories written by Glenys Nellist, illustrated by Sophie Allsopp (Zonderkidz) $16.99 This is without a doubt one of the best designs in a children’s Bible story collection we’ve seen — it is colorful, fun without being cute, with a creatively designed part that sets it apart and brings it all home. Yes, it has engaging pictures, sidebars and graphic design on each two page spread; if that were all, it would still be much better than average and highly recommended. But there is also a little tipped in, lift the flap sort of letter or card, with a letter to the child in each one. In other words, it says in simple, personalized prose exactly how this passage teaches about God’s great love and faithfulness to the child. These notes are very colloquial, and talk about “being on Jesus’ team” 
and things being super-duper. It is child-like, just a little silly, even. This lift-the-flap feature isn’t so prominent as to distract from the pictures and the telling of the story, but is an extra, enhancing contribution. We love this book, and congratulate ZonderKidz for doing such fine work.
Sharing God’s Love: The Jesus Creed for Children Scot McKnight & Laura McKnight Barring illustrated by Dave Hill (Paraclete Press) $15.66 I hope you know the impressive, important, and very useful book about loving God and others simply called The Jesus Creed by the preeminent (and fun) New Testament scholar. There is a teen version of this book, and now a children’s book. This is a splendid resource, with pastel art and a gentle storytelling style (the co-author is Laura McKnight Barringer, Scot’s daughter, a kindergarten/first grade teacher and graduate of Wheaton College. The illustrations are not stunning, just straight on illustration which for this book is, I think, perfect. This book is more about the life-changing content then the story itself, although it does work nicely as a fun book to read with an elementary age student. 
My Librarian is a Camel: How Books Are Brought to Children Around the World Margriet Ruurs (Boyds Mill Press) $16.95 Any kid who goes to the library will be thrilled to learn how other children get their books. This shows bunches of libraries, some in, uh, surprising locations! How interesting, and what a testimony to the love (and value) of the printed page. This brightly photographed book has won a number of important awards — a “Notable Book for a Global Society” and was a “Children’s Crown Award” nominee for the National Christian Schools Associations. It’s sold from National Geographic to other prominent museum shops. This teaches about books, offers global awareness with a eye-popping multi-ethnic around the world journey. What a fun book, truly fascinating. Maybe adult book lovers will get a kick out of it, too. 
Whatever You Grow Up To Be Karen Kingsbury, illustrated by Valeria Docampo (ZonderKidz) $15.99 What a curious, wacky, fun, sentimental book this is! With zany pictures in each busy two-page spread, the mom wonders what the boy will grow up to be. Political leader, Fireman, Businessman, Rock star, husband? In each case, the dream is named, the ethical and noble way he will serve in that vocation simply described, and (of course) the big if. Perhaps this is a book for moms and dads — or grand-moms or grand-dads, since it ends there, actually. Fun for kids, fun for parents, fun for grandparents, to remind one and all about God’s plans for God’s own children, whatever they grow up to be. I have to admit, I was choked up as I read it, grinning.
As Good as Anybody: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Amazing March Toward Freedom Richard Michelson illustrated by Raul Colon (Knopf) $16.99 Is it the soon-to-be-released Selma movie that makes me want to name this book, or the troubles in Ferguson and beyond? We have stocked it for several years, and smile at the powerful story, hard as it is. It shows Martin’s youth anger, how he stepped into his father’s vocation of being a preacher, and, well, you know the rest. He gives out a call for other people of other faiths to join him at the bridge in Selma. Heschel is a notable, wondrous Jewish scholar — his book on the prophets and his book on sabbath remain true classics that we continue to sell! — raised in Poland. As a child, he, too, wondered if he as as good as others. You can imagine the horror. It shows him moving to America, and, as a young rabbi, taking up King’s call. The two men were good friends, Christian and Jew, black and white, leaders for peace and justice. We need to tell this story, and this book is a splendid way. 
Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Bryan Collier (Hyperion) $6.99 This slightly over-sized book has big pictures, exceptionally artful design, and a perfect use of vocabulary and text. It is no wonder it has been awarded for such excellence, over and over. Every child should see something like this, and it may be our favorite kids book on King. It offers a bit about his life, some of the key events, with a few good, actually quotes. (By the way, the same artful blend of text and image is found in the similar book Abe’s Honest Words about Lincoln, and other colorful bios of Teddy Roosevelt, Helen Keller, Jack Kennedy. Very nicely done!)
A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel Madeleine L’Engle Adapted and Illustrated by Hope Larson (FSG) $19.99 I wrote a bit about this last year when it first came out, and not only celebrated the brilliant idea of it, but its artistic excellence; I mentioned, importantly, I think, that the L’Engle family approved of this large project. We sold a few, then, and those who got it were astonished at how very cool it was. This is a contemporary classic, written by dear and wise Christian woman, and this new graphic edition — like a serious comic book, in a sturdy hardcover — brings it freshly. What a great gift idea this is! Popular YA author James Patterson insists it is “page-turning, eye candy of the highest order.” Yes!
Both of Me Jonathan Friesen (Blink) $16.99 When Zondervan, a large evangelical publishing house owned by Harper, announced a new project, an imprint of books called “Blink” folks wondered: they were up front that this was a line designed to reach out to the general teen market, sharing wholesome values, even Christian ideas, but without any obvious religious content. If this is an example of what they mean, I think we can all rejoice — this is a fine book, a handsome hardback with a provocative story, good writing, meaningful conversations about stuff that matters. The plot revolves around a teen girl and her mysterious friend, who has dissociative disorder (what used to be called “multiple personalities”) and one of his selves has some profound secrets. 
Remnants: Season of Wonder Lisa T. Bergren (Blink) $15.99 This is another one of the new and important releases for the new imprint of books called “Blink.” This is a YA/teen fiction line created by Christian writers, but muting the overt messages, making the stories more applicable for a wider market, longing for wholesome books with good writing, without some of the sex and violence and vulgarity that is prevalent in YA titles these days. This is a great example, Book One in “The Remnant” fantasy/adventure series, a not too distant cousins of The Hunger Games and the like. Yes, there are kids that have to save the world, but what else would you want? Right on! Ms Bergren is a prolific and award winning author, with most of her 40 books appearing in the Christian marketplace. Kudos to her, to Blink, and to the kids of The Remnants. As it is written,”our coming was foretold by the elders…”
Brown Girl Dreaming Jacqueline Woodson (Nancy Paulsen Books) $16.99 Not only is this a fantastic book by a great YA writer, it has won the National Book Award in her category. It unfolds as a story, written as a series of poems. Wow — so good. Here is what one reviewer wrote: “Jacqueline Woodson, one of today’s finest writers, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse. Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become.”
small Christian subculture, and his writing is sometimes exceptionally dense and often eccentric. Seerveld’s field, the field of the Lord in which he plays, is aesthetics, and his life-long project of developing a coherently, consistently Christian aesthetic theory, embedded in and emerging from a deeply Biblical world and life view, is seen by some to be esoteric. His artfully serious writings may seem obscure, even: digging deep into the philosophical assumptions embedded in and flowing out of a Rococo art piece, waxing eloquent with passionate insights about an off-off Broadway theater performance, detailing the good and bad, wise and deadly, of a scholar’s textbook, detailing the religiously-shaped ethics informed by particular art theories of a century ago. 
example of what we sometimes call a public intellectual. Common grace for the common good, indeed. 
are important to at least a few of our BookNotes readers. There is reprinted an important speech offered at the founding of a Christian college in Korea. It is amazing — “Why Should a University Exist?” If you are in higher education, this is well worth pondering.
and family documents, to contemporary scenes of the lively locations at Oxford or Cambridge or the countryside Kilns where he and his brother Warnie lived.
first hand interviews, some which were quite enlightening, some which were a bit light-hearted, and a few which brought tears. I wasn’t expecting these first-hand accounts, and was a bit surprised at how touched I was by this. Jack’s longing to enter the other country near the end of his life, and hearing testimony of people that were with him in his last days was deeply affecting to Beth and I.
apologetics as the subtitle of the DVD curriculum might lead you to believe. It bears witness to the life of this great man, a thinker, writer, professor of note, and that is enough. There does come with it a very thorough study guide, with discussion resources, reflection questions and Scripture verses, and it is clearly arranged (in eight lessons) for group exploration. The Leader’s Guide is well made and useful, but the sessions can be viewed almost back to back, like a series from PBS. 
dissection of Mere Christianity (although the backstory of the BBC inviting him to lecture live, and his voice becoming the second most famous voice in all of England, only surpassed by Winston Churchill, is great.) They interview a friend who told of how he wrote the whole first Screwtape letter in his head during a communion service (and show the church) and they show the pew in which he sat for morning prayer each day at Oxford. The interviews with a US friend of Joy Davidman was delightful, and a few of Lewis’s old friends who told of how he handled his grief when she died — on the page, in his writing, not in his public life — is all here. (Oh how he loved to write. “Ink,” he declared, “can solve anything.”)
What a great pairing of a contemporary voice and this glorious subject. To hear Dr. Guinness reading lines from The Weight of Glory or A Grief Observed or a great passage from Screwtape Letters — it is worth the price of admission, just for that. 
wonderfully-written, nuanced telling of a tale of girlhood in rural poverty, the memoir The Exact Place (Kalos Press; $13.95 — our sale price, $11.16) by our friend Margie Haack. It is a great, gentle story, enjoyable and profound, describing how her life was, and how her girlhood story unfolded amidst rural poverty and a less than ideal home life. We still recommend it often, and hope you know it.
tons of. If you want ’em, order quickly. These are awesome, for sure.
The History of the Book in 100 Books: The Complete Story, for Egypt to e-book Roderick Cave & Sara Ayad (Firefly) $35.00 This is a weighty, well-made book, with sturdy binding and glossy paper, over 360 pages, slightly over-sized. It should be well made, too, because — as you can tell from the title — it literally is a book about books. You may know the “100 items” craze (we have one on the Civil War, a new one on WWI) where 100 items are explored as significant examples of key markers, transitions, or signifiers of important points in history. Here you have museum-quality photographs of key books, both in how they developed from cave paintings, Egyptian cuneiform tablets, Burmese palm leaves, up to parchment scrolls to actual books. Here you will see and learn much about, obviously, the Book of Kells, Gutenberg, the controversies about Bible translations, the rise of all manner of printing and publication through the modern era and into the digitization age. This is a great, great overview of the rise of the book, but it is also a fascinating collection of dozens of book reviews. Do you know the first modern study of anatomy? Much about Johnson’s Dictionary? A “literary oddity that entranced Europe? Tristam Shandy! One of the very first children’s books published (does the name Newbery ring a bell?) Do you know who the first celebrity chef was? Or much about the publishing history of Diary of a Young Girl? 
One Hundred Portraits: Engraved by Barry Moser Barry Moser, with a Foreword by Ann Patchett (David Godine) $35.00 Godine remains one of the most reliably prestigious book publishers around, and this gift book, slightly oversized, brings together the exceptionally artful engravings of one who has been called “probably the most important book illustrator working in America today.” (And, hooray, I recall that Ned Bustard’s Square Halo Books has a paperback collection of essays by Gregory Wolfe, Intruding Upon the Timeless, that is nicely illustrated with Moser’s work.) In this magnificent new book you see Moser’s portrayal of writers, poets, theologians, scholars, leaders (and a number of people I’ve never heard of.) You’ll be thrilled to see full page (or sometimes half page) portraits of important figures such as Milton, Dickens, Twain, Auden, Frederick Douglas, Flannery O’Connor, Eudora Welty, T.S. Eliott, Herman Melville, Alexander Pope, Martin Luther King, and a must-see, wild woodcut of Chaucer — and so many more. In his own afterward he writes about his philosophy of portraiture, a bit about why he selected the visages he did, and grouped them a bit for our own background information. And how many books get an introduction by novelist, book-lover, and book seller, Ann Patchett? Very, very nice, lovely, striking, artful. 
Terrapin And Other Poems Wendell Berry, illustrated by Tom Pohrt (Counterpoint) $25.00 Tom Pohrt spent years gathering those poems of Wendell Berry that he imagined children might enjoy and appreciate. These are not written as children’s books, and aren’t new, but they are pleasantly set, one on a page with a large type font, making it look a bit like a very classy kid’s picture book. As it says on the dust jacket flap, “Over the past several years a dialogue has evolved in which the poet has come to advise the illustrator on the natural history of the animals and plants seen so intimately in the poems. Then came the august book designer David Bullen, who has been designing the books of Berry for more than thirty years.”
Written in Wood: Three Wordless Graphic Narrative George A. Walker, with an introduction by Tom Smart (Firefly) $29.95 This is an amazing undertaking, and we stock it as an example of what graphic novels can do, how visual art can itself form a story, and how woodcut art is so very, very powerful. Each of these is moving, and I think if you know anyone who enjoys graphic novels, these wordless ones will really captivate them.
Consider the Birds: A Provocative Guide to Birds of the Bible Debbie Blue (Abingdon) $16.99 This has been out a year or two, and we’ve carried it to various events, pressed it in to the hands of anybody that (a) likes birds, (b) likes Bible ruminations, (c) likes good sermons, creative, interesting, compelling, and (d) if they just love really good writing, a great, surprising book to enjoy. Blue is a great wordsmith, a really honest pastor, a preacher at the edgy House of Mercy, an emergent church in Minnesota. Lauren Winner said it was “the best book I’ve read all year” which speaks volumes. It has fancy french folds, giving the paperback a very handsome feel, it has woodcuts throughout, making it a tremendously nice book, a great gift. You should buy two, one for you to keep, and one to give away. And be sure to tell whoever you give it to where they got it, since, they, too, will then want to order more to give away. It’s that nice.
The Glory of the Tree Noel Kingsbury, photography by Andrea Jones (Firefly) $39.95 I have long been taken with trees, and love good photography of these glorious creatures. Some books art a bit too artful, some a bit too tedious, some more poetry than science, others just wooden lists. (Sorry.) This one gets it right — beautifully written, nicely designed, arranged showing ninety-one of the world’s greatest tree species; it describes their botany and origin, and of course, for each picture it explains the location, size, characteristics, and the potential age (which itself is great fun and mind-boggling!) I love this large book, glad for the vibrant color and the great photography. 
The Human Age: The World Shaped by Us Diana Ackerman (Norton) $27.95 This is by, quite frankly, one of the most important living nonfiction writers, a gracious and vital author, one that has achieved the sort of acclaim that only comes to the finest thinkers and wordsmiths. Her work here has blurbs on the back from luminaries such as Siddhartha Hukherjee (who won the Pulitzer for The Emperor of All Maladies), the notableTerry Tempest Williams, the Pulitzer-Prize winner Jonathan Weiner (who says she writes with “brilliance, zest, and high style. We need to hear this voice of affirmation. It is important. It matters.”) Another Pulitzer finalist says “with this stirringly vivid, darkbright manifesto, Ackerman summons us to the wager of sheer possibility: life against death, delight still (if only barely) trouncing despair.” You may have heard of her luminous book A Natural History of the Senses or her lovely The Moon by Whalelight and that she was highly rewarded a few years ago for the book that has been compared to “Schindler’s List”, about the Warsaw Zoo’s saving people from the Nazis, The Zookeeper’s Wife. 
ESV Readers Bible (Crossway) hardback, with slipcase: $29.99; brown/walnut Portfolio design in
TruTone faux leather: $44.99; black TrueTone faux leather: $44.99 We have so many BIbles, and so many are made with striking, nice covers, attractive fonts, and many have useful notes, helpful, insightful commentary, making Bible buying these days an art in itself. We could name many, but this new edition is worth crowing about.
Title Pending: Things I Think About When I Make Stuff Justin McRoberts (Justin McRoberts) $8.99 Funny, I thought “title pending” was literal, just what Justin was calling this project as he was working on it. Little did I know it was really the name of the book. Ha. McRoberts is fun, funny, and also really serious, as a follower of Christ, as a husband, father, pastor, friend, and as an agent of the reign and commonwealth of God; he is dedicated to being a good singer-songwriter, videographer and all around cultural creative. He’s an artist and he don’t look back, if you get my drift.
Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace Anne Lamott (Riverhead) $22.95 This is a wonderful collection of this fine writer’s best pieces on grief, coping with harder times, finding (spicy) grace amidst the brokenness of our screwy lives and oh-so-hurting hurting world. Most essays are gathered from other other collections, although one or two had only appeared in magazines, and there is maybe one new one. We so enjoyed hearing Anne at the Calvin Festival of Faith and Writing last spring, and had even asked to host here at the shop, thinking she might appear at a small indie bookstore. (Improbable, we knew.) She’s been out promoting this book a bit, and it deserves acclaim. It reveals her big spirit, her kind heart, her eccentric faith and her deep awareness of God and mercy and hope, and the joy of baby steps on the right road towards recovery. The jacket is especially handsome, the heft of the book is considerable (even though a handy size, like her other recent ones) and even the ink is colored on very nice creamy paper. This is clearly created to be a keepsake or gift book, and it is a nearly perfect design. 
When Holidays Hurt: Finding Hidden Hope Amid Pain and Loss Bo Stern (Nelson) $12.99 Every year we feature a book or two or three about this topic, and many respond by buying multiple copies; there is a real need for books likes this, and as we move through the longing and anticipating of Advent, it is a good time for all of us to be aware of the deepest “hopes and fears of all the years.” But sometimes, rather then experiencing quiet Advent longing and anticipation of redeeming hope that gives us room to mourn and space to be honest and raw, we end up with false faces, too much cheer, movies about romance, mistletoe, joy, joy, joy, joy. How in the world are we to cope with this cheeriness when our hearts are heavy from grief or loss? What resources are there for those who hurt? This book is arranged as a devotional, so the reader can reflect a little bit each day — not a bad idea! — but it also unfolds as the author tells her story of her husband being diagnosed with ALS, the pain of his impending death, and the struggle to connect the joy of the season with the suffering within their own family. You should be aware of this small, handsome hardback, and perhaps consider sharing it with somebody you know who needs some hope about coping the next few weeks.
My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Days of Christmas Illustrated by Scot McKowen (Firefly) $19.95 Perhaps you just need a little stocking stuffer, a handsome book without too much serious content, a nice gift, nicely made. Or something to kick off a new tradition of keeping Christmas alive for twelve more days, towards Epiphany! This is our favorite book with the odd lyrics, lyrics that are in fact full or religious symbolism. This is one of those nice clothbound books, rich, without a dust jacket, and great illustrations, more for adults than kids. Certainly you have a true love, no? This is really sweet.
