Since this week officially kicks off holiday buying season, I thought I’d offer some ideas for the readers on your lists. Please add your own to the comment section.

Advent
Sarah Arthur, Light Upon Light. A different kind of Advent book. Delicious poetry, fiction, and prose from some of the most gifted writers of our time. A beautiful anthology.

Art/Photography (Disclaimer—I don’t own any of these books, but I’d like to. HINT. HINT. As such, I do not know if they contain any images which might be troubling or offensive, such as dead animals or naked bodies.)
Sebastiao Salgado, Genesis: “Salgado created a collection of images showing us nature, animals, and indigenous peoples in breathtaking beauty.” (black and white)

Art Wolfe, The Earth is My Witness: “This lavishly produced work spans the globe, bringing the beauty of the planet’s fast-disappearing landscapes, wildlife, and cultures into stunning focus.”

Nick Brandt, On This Earth: Photographs from East Africa. “Nick Brandt depicts the animals of East Africa with an intimacy and artistry unmatched by other photographers who choose wildlife as their subject.” (more by Nick Brandt, A Shadow Falls)

National Geographic, Stunning Photographs. “Shot by National Geographic’s most renowned photographers and peppered throughout with inspiring quotations, Stunning Photographs is a vibrant tapestry of images that showcases the medium’s ability to reveal extraordinary moments of wit and discovery, harmony and intimacy, energy and joy.”

Nicholas Nixon, The Brown Sisters. Forty Years. Beautiful portraits of the photographer’s wife and her three sisters taken over a 40 year period. Simple and elegant.

For more ideas, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/11245831/Christmas-Books-2014-best-photography-and-art-books-to-read.html

Biography
Karen Swallow Prior, Fierce Convictions. Just watch the trailer. You’ll be hooked. “The enthralling biography of the woman writer who helped end the slave trade, changed Britain’s upper classes, and taught a nation how to read.” Prior is one of the most thoughtful, gifted writers of our time.

Fiction (Disclaimer—I rarely ever read fiction. Here’s why. It’s like crack cocaine to me. I don’t want to hear, see, or interact with anyone until I finish the book. Not very helpful to family dynamics. These suggestions are from friends who read and write fiction so titles only.)
Sue Monk Kid, Invention of Wings (I did read this one in 2 days. See note above. It’s utterly amazing.)

Emily T. Wierenga, A Promise in Pieces

Susan Meissner, A Fall of Marigolds

Anthony Doerr, All The Light We Cannot See

Margaret Philbrick, A Minor

Karen Schreck, Sing for Me

Terri Kraus, The Project Restoration Series

Healthy Living and Cookbooks
America’s Test Kitchens, The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook. I admit I never thought I’d see GF and America’s Test Kitchen in the same sentence let alone as the title of a book. It has the best GF pizza crust we’ve found so far.

Cooking Light, Gluten Free Baking. I am a Cooking Light fan so I did not need much persuading to buy this one. It does a great job explaining how to combine flours for the best results and has a plethora of wonderful baked goods.

Stacy Stowers, Eat Raw, Not Cooked. I felt so convicted by her evangelism that I decided to go raw. I lasted for 3 days. The book is worth buying simply for some of her dressings. And we would all benefit from eating less processed food more often.

Dr. David Permutter, Brain Grain. I admit it. This was published late in 2013 but it’s a must read for anyone who is struggling with health issues of unknown etiology, that manifest as neurological issues such as headaches, memory loss, tremors, etc.

Maturing in Our Faith
Jen Michel, Teach Us to Want*. One of the most beautiful and truthful books I’ve read in years. “The story of each person is a story of want—desires unmet, hopes dashed, passions pursued and ambitions fulfilled. Our wants cannot be ignored. But when desire is informed by Scripture and re-formed by our spiritual practices, it can root us more deeply in the fundamental belief that God is good and generous and can invite us into active kingdom participation.”  (Read my blog post on this book.)

Marlena Graves, A Beautiful Disaster*. Another stunner by first time author Marlena Graves. “Interweaving biblical insights and personal narratives, this eloquently written book shows how God often uses suffering and desert experiences to form us into Christ’s image. Marlena Graves shares her experiences of growing up poor in a house plagued by mental illness as a means to explore the forces God uses to shape us into beautiful people in the midst of brokenness.” (Read my review on Her.meneutics here.)

Amy Simpson, Anxious*. Simpson does a fabulous job on a sensitive topic. Too often, Christian leaders and writers communicate that to free yourself from anxiety and fear, you simply have to have more faith. Simpson gets that it’s not so simple. Worth the price of the book solely for chapter five.

Michelle Van Loon, If Only: Letting Go of Regret*. “Regret is never, ever, meant to be a destination in our lives.” For many of us, it’s not only a destination, but a way of life. Van Loon understands the power of regret and vulnerably shares some of the choices that she has made throughout her life which have contributed to her own wrestling matches with shame. She drills down into this powerful emotion with wisdom, authority, and humor. She also happens to be quite funny.

Leslie Leyland Fields, Forgiving Our Mothers and Fathers*. Not a new topic for me but Fields presents this biblical concept in a gracious but convicting fashion. If you have struggled to let go of bitterness, anger, or unforgiveness with one or both of your parents, you will be encouraged and challenged by this offering.

Vivian Mabuni, Warrior in Pink*. Mabuni not only battled cancer but the cultural barriers that are part of her Asian heritage. She had been taught not to “rock the boat” and that “the nail that sticks out get hammered down” and these lessons “amplified [her] struggle of not wanting to bother people with [her] problems.” Somehow, she had the wisdom and courage to understand that she needed to make a different decision: a decision to invite others into her pain and need. Read with a box of tissues nearby.

Margot Starbuck, Not Who I Imagined: Surprised by a Loving God*. Through sound psychology, sociology, Scripture, and personal story, Starbuck leads us on an adventure of discovering the prodigal love that our God holds for us.

Environmental Issues
Leah Kostamo, Planted: A Story of Creation, Calling & Community*. I am so encouraged by the growing commitment inside to step up to the plate and assume our role as stewards/caretakers of the earth. “Avoiding simplistic prescriptions or clichéd platitudes, Leah wrestles with issues of poverty, justice, and the environment through the narrative of her own life experience.”

Kristin Ohlson, The Soil Will Save Us*. Much like Kostamo’s book, this is not blame and shame journalism but an eloquent and hope-filled plea to turn the corner. “In The Soil Will Save Us, journalist and bestselling author Kristin Ohlson makes an elegantly argued, passionate case for “our great green hope”—a way in which we can not only heal the land but also turn atmospheric carbon into beneficial soil carbon—and potentially reverse global warming.”

Social Justice
Nell Bernstein, Burning Down the House: The End of Juvenile Prison*. Normally, I blow through books in four to five days. I had to continuously put down this book because it was so devastating. It sets the events of Ferguson in context and is deeply convicting and troubling. That our country could allow such intense breaches of basic human rights (i.e. abuse of solitary confinement, sexual abuse by the guards) to happen to our youth is staggering. Bernstein is a great journalist, has tremendous empathy for these young adults, and somehow avoids spiraling into despair.

Theology and Church Leadership
Burden, Sundberg, & Wright, Reclaiming Eve: The Identity and Calling of Women in the Kingdom of God*. A clearly written theological offering which affirms that God created women and men to be equal partners in the gospel.

Chris Smith and John Pattison, Slow Church*. “Cultivating Community in the patient way of Jesus.” If you are quiet as you read you can hear sacred cows toppling.

Lisa Washington Lamb, Blessed and Beautiful: Multiethnic Churches and the Preaching that Sustains Them. I don’t typically read books on preaching but Lamb’s insight and sensitivity on the topic of multiethnicity made it a compelling read. “While keenly aware of the complex dynamics involved, Lamb ultimately gives pastors and other church leaders a glimmer of hope as they seek to build reconciled communities of faith.”
 
Natalie Wilson Eastman Women, Leadership, and the Bible: How Do I Know What to Believe? A Practical Guide to Biblical Interpretation. Eastman’s work convicted me that I am simply too lazy when it comes time to studying the bible. Like many other believers, I have been far too content to let pastors and leaders “chew my food for me.”

Bishop N. T. Wright, Surprised by Scripture. On the last few drives to NJ, I listened to back to back to back N.T. Wright sermons. I never get tired of his wisdom or humor. In this book, he tackles several polemic topics such as women’s ordination, the environment, and heaven. Bishop Wright is always worth your time.

And if you happen to live in the Bay Area and enjoy hiking, I have to include my sister’s book, 60 Hikes within 60 Miles.

The books marked with an * have a reviews on my Goodreads page.

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Have a wonderful holiday season.