Tis the Season…

… to be giving. And books make great presents. Our staff picks for December are books that we’ve given or are giving.

Cindy is giving The Abbey by James Martin, S.J. because “when I started reading this book I didn’t want to put it down; I’m planning on sending it to my mother.” (We *hope* Cindy’s mother isn’t reading the blog!)

Ed is giving Lila by Marilynne Robinson because it is on his wife’s reading list. (His wife *might* have chosen Ed’s staff picks without his knowledge this month.)

Carolyn suggests giving Dog-Kissed Tears by Lambert Zuidervaart because “I found this book comforting in the wake of losing my beloved dog. It is a lovely gift for anyone who is grieving the loss of a pet this Christmas.”

Heather recommends giving An Experiment in Criticism by C.S. Lewis because it is the perfect gift for reading friends as it is a Lewis work that few people have read. (And it is Lewis. How can you go wrong?)

Sheila regularly gives Becoming Human by John Behr because she loves the book and it has a great cover. (Fr. Behr’s books is not to be confused with the published Massey Lectures of Jean Vanier, also called Becoming Human.)

Connor is going to give Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl because, he says, it is “not cheery, but not to be missed: I’m giving a couple copies as gifts.”

And last but certainly not least,

Andrew suggests giving Terrapin by Wendell Berry, because “people don’t read enough poetry–especially modern poetry and especially modern Christian poetry.”

 

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December Picks — All We Want For Christmas

Our December staff pick theme has been Books We’d Like To Receive For Christmas. While it was difficult to limit the choice to ONE book, most of us managed a top choice.

Dr. Heather’s Pick: Deborah’s Daughters by Joy Schroeder

Carolyn’s Pick: The Collects of Thomas Cranmer compiled by C. Frederick Barbee and Paul F.M. Zahl

Sheila’s Pick: Faith in the Public Square by Rowan Williams

Rev. Heather’s Poetic Pick:

Connor’s Philosophic Pick:

Ryan’s Pastoral Pick:

Our fearless leader couldn’t manage just one pick. Watch for her list in an upcoming post.

Christmas music?

Here at Crux we’ve begun listening to Christmas music. Yesterday we had a lot of Santa-music from the mid-twentieth century. Today we are tuned into a more classical/choral/orchestral station. The 12 Days of Christmas is a perennial play-list choice. So here is the question: What is your favourite seasonal song, the one you don’t mind hearing again and again? Tune in through the month as we interview Crux staff for their favourites and possibly their unfavourites.