Happy Christmas season, my fellow book lover!
Chances are, if you are reading this, it’s because you enjoy a good book as much as I do, and giving books as gifts means that you want to find something just perfect for your loved ones. I understand that – I give books as gifts very often, and it’s always exciting to find one that I know someone will treasure.
The following list is expansive, segmented by topic, and carefully curated. I must also mention that it was published for the holiday season 2017, but I stand by each recommendation, and have since added quite a few more selections (those with an asterisk by them are some updated choices) , based on what I have read this past year. There’s over 100 books here, so my hope is you find something just perfect.
Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
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Every.Single.Christmas.Season I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about what gifts to give. I really do enjoy buying the perfect gift for my loved ones – something special that will uniquely fit a person’s personality and interests.
I had a flashbulb moment this year (and I’m not sure why on earth I hadn’t thought of this earlier). I was blow-drying my hair (when all my best ideas happen) and I thought, “This is the year of books! Everyone gets a book!” It’s a pretty perfect idea – I adore literature, and there really is a book for every person – opening a world of new ideas, opinions and thoughts. Books grow and teach us. They soften us. They are the perfect, thought-filled gift.
This year, in between shopping for my friends and family at the bookstore, I decided to also compile a book list for you. As with any booklist, mine is obviously not exhaustive. Many of the books dearest to me don’t even appear. It pained me to not include each and every amazing title that I’ve enjoyed or gleaned from, but it’s just not possible!
The books I selected have been read by me this year, or are those that I pick when asked for a suggestion in that specific category. It doesn’t mean they are the only suitable choices, simply my go-to’s and ones that have proved perfectly fitting. There are at least another 30+ I could add for each category (and hundreds more for history lovers, educators and children!) Alas, that wouldn’t help you much, would it? To that end, I endeavored to keep my selections to a minimum.
Again, there are so many others I wanted to add, and if you need additional selections, contact me! I’d love to help you find the exact book you are searching for.
ENJOY and here’s to reading!
Note: There is much crossover amongst the categories. Please take a look at each, for you might find something that suits a completely different person than suspected!
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For the student of theology and religious study:
- Church History in Plain Language
- Reformed Doctrine of Predestination (This is a topic I’ve long struggled with and am currently wrestling with. This book is very helpful)
- Knowing God (I believe this is a must-read for all Christians, new or veteran)
- Christian View of Man (Beautifully poetic and plain language)
- The Whole Christ
- Chosen By God (written by the late R.C. Sproul, it’s clear in the explanation of Reformed Theology and a subject many of us struggle with)
- Valley of Vision (A collection of Puritan prayers/devotions that cut you straight to the heart. Amazingly deep and beautiful)*
- How Should We Then Live (Schaeffer was so ahead of his time, no wonder his work was so controversial. One of my favorite reads of 2018)*
- Introduction to Systematic Theology: Prolegomena and the Doctrines of Revelation, Scripture, and God (This book is not for the faint of heart – super heady but extremely worth the time spent reading. The study of Revelation is new to me, and Van Til is a giant)*
For the homeschool mother:
- Mere Motherhood (I read this in 3 days. Heartwarming, healing and real)
- Teaching From Rest
- For The Children’s Sake (A classic that belongs on every homeschool mom’s shelf)
For the sports lover:
For the new-ish Elementary school reader:
- The Action Bible (My almost-11 year old finished this in less then a week)
- Homer Price
- The Trumpet of the Swan
- Because of Winn-Dixie
- Mandy (Perfect for little ladies, although my husband loved reading this aloud)
- The War That Saved My Life
- The Betsy-Tacy Treasury: The First Four Betsy-Tacy Books (just precious, all of them.)*
For the the food & feast lover/entertainer/hostess in your life:
- The LifeGiving Table
- The Gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World (Evaluating how important it is to open our hearts and homes to others in order to share the gospel. An important book.)*
- Life Together
- Next Door As It Is In Heaven (Re-framing our thoughts on hospitality)
For the political junkie and social issues aficionado:
- The Righteous Mind
- Democracy in America (every American should be required to read this.)*
- The Strange Death of Europe: Immigration, Identity, Islam *
- Them: Why We Hate Each Other–and How to Heal (I talk about Ben Sasse all the time. He’s an amazing U.S Senator & author. His books are must-reads, IMO.)*
- Democracy in America
- Christianity and Liberalism
- The Benedict Option (Eye-opening, compelling, convicting and a call to action)
- America at the Crossroads (Great for the stat and fact-loving friend, Barna is second to none)
- Black Rednecks and White Liberals (ANYthing Sowell writes is gold)
For the science-fiction/fantasy lover:
- Till We Have Faces (A beautiful work by Lewis – It really should be more popular)
- The Space Trilogy (Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength) (Did you know that Lewis wrote a science fiction trilogy? I didn’t either, but WOW!)*
- Planet Narnia
- A Shadow All of Light
For the hurting or grieving:
- A Grief Observed
- Walking With God
- Why Suffering? (Ravi is brilliant)
- The Problem of Pain
- Spurgeon’s Sorrows: Realistic Hope for those who Suffer from Depression (A beautiful look at the trials of one of the worlds most prolific preachers, and his struggles with depression.)*
For the dad who doesn’t have enough time to read:
- The Kite Runner
- David & Goliath
- Night (This book could easily fit in multiple categories and is in my “Top 5 books of all time”. It’s companion Dawn is also wonderful)
- The Book Thief
- Dad is Fat (It’s not what it sounds like)
For your husband:
- Church of Spies: The Pope’s Secret War Against Hitler
- The Vanishing American Adult (My favorite book of 2017)
- Tipping Point
- Deep Work (Game-changing for the social media over-user)
For the exhausted mom:
- Morning and Evening: A New Edition of the Classic Devotional Based on The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (Short morning and evening devotionals, taken from the sermons of Charles Spurgeon.)*
- Susanna Wesley: Servant of God (This woman’s story inspires me so much)
- Missional Motherhood
- Walking With God In The Season of Motherhood (Gifted to me by my friend April, this devotional has been a peaceful retreat, many times)
- The Mitford Series (A most simple and sweet book series for those difficult seasons)
- Honey For a Woman’s Heart: Growing Your World Through Reading Great Books
For the classically-inclined young lady:
- Little Women (All of LMA’s books are worth reading, but start here, and get ready to fall in love)
- The Door in the Wall *
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
- Caddie Woodlawn
For the middle schooler who isn’t completely won over by current YA fiction:
- The Anne of Green Gable Series (All 9 of them!)
- Inheritance Cycle 4-Book Trade Paperback Boxed Set (Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr) *
- Lad, A Dog (my 10 year old daughter just read this and absolutely loved it.)*
- Grandma’s Attic Series (Girls as young as 8 would love this perfectly innocent and sweet series. My 10 year old finished it all this year and enjoyed it.)*
- WONDER
- Bridge to Terabithia*
- The Chronicles of Narnia (A must read for EVERY person, no matter the age) Lemony Snicket and a Series of Unfortunate Events (The Netflix series is equally charming)
- Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor’s Story
- The Prince Warriors
- The 21 Balloons
- Igraine the Brave (the audio book is excellent as well.)*
- The Yearling
- Let the Circle Be Unbroken
- Because of Winn-Dixie *
For the young one in the family (picture books and short read-alouds):
- Walter the Baker (My Frankie loved this book)
- A Bad Case of Stripes
- Owl Moon *
- One Morning in Maine (Picture Puffins)*
- Ferdinand
- My Grandfather’s Coat
- The Very Hungry Catepillar (A classic for a reason)
- Last Stop on Market Street (Lovely illustrations and story of kindness)
- Ox-Cart Man
- Beatrix Potter and Her Paint Box
- Sayanora Mrs. Kackleman
- The Goodnight Book (I still have my copy from when I was little. The perfect book for bedtime reading)
- The Boy Who Drew Birds
For the skeptic:
For the eagerly-growing Christian:
- Made For His Pleasure (A pivotal book for me when I was in college and felt far from my faith)
- Grace Unknown (Extremely helpful on the topic of election, predestination and free will)
- Mere Christianity
- The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment
- For the Glory: Eric Liddell’s Journey from Olympic Champion to Modern Martyr
- Respectable Sins*
For the history buff:
- Grant *
- AMERICAN LION: Andrew Jackson in the White House *
- HeyDay
- The Federalist Papers: A Collection of Essays Written in Favour of the New Constitution*
- Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
- Under a War-Torn Sky (Perfect for teenage readers interested in military)
- First Women: The Grace and Power of America’s Modern First Ladies
- John Adams (Every book from this author is dynamite)
- Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglas (Would also make great reading for a high school student)
- Lusitania: The Cultural History of a Catastrophe
- The Triumph of Christianity: How the Jesus Movement Became the World’s Largest Religion
For the poetry/short story/essay lover:
- The Joy of Poetry
- My America (To share with your children)
- Selected Poems of Wendell Berry
- The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty
- Wind Sprints
For the older and wiser women in your life:
- Lord Peter: The Complete Lord Peter Wimsey Stories
- Murder On The Orient Express (And any other Christie mystery)
- Father Brown: The Essential Tales (One can never have too much Chesterton in their life!)
For your grandparent:
- The Time of Our Lives: Collected Writings (Who doesn’t love Peggy?)
- A Man In Full
- War and Remembrance
- (see above for Dorothy Sayers recommendation)
- Strong Poison
- Friends Divided
For that adorable pre-K/Kinder in your family:
- The Snowy Day (Ezra Jack Keats is a favorite in our home)
- The Very Hungry Catepillar
- Make Way For Ducklings (McCloskey is my all-time favorite children’s author. Every one of his books is worth owning.)
- Wait For William
- The Story of Ping
- Harold and the Purple Crayon
- Tiki Tiki Tembo
- Miss Nelson Is Missing!
- Caps For Sale (My husband loves reading this as much as the kids do)
- Ginger and Pickles (I recommend all BP books – this one just happens to be my personal favorite – and while they might not grasp the entire story, it’s good to introduce them to it early and the size of the books are perfect for small hands. Kids love to hold them!)
For the fiction-reader:
- Brave New World
- The Count of Monte Cristo
- A Man Called Ove (The film was also lovely and followed the book well)
- A Gentleman In Moscow
- Northanger Abbey (My favorite work by Austen)
- Hannah Coulter (My favorite book of all time.)*
- Jayber Crow (a perfect companion to accompany Hannah Coulter and some say it is better!)*
- Martin Chuzzlewit (Dickens said this was one of his finest pieces of work. Very long, but worth it.)*
For your sister:
- Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life (Admittedly, I haven’t read this yet, but I’ve heard it’s fantastic)
For the family who loves to read aloud together:
- On the Edge of the Dark See of Darkness (The entire series)
- Billy and Blaze
- Charlotte’s Web (If you haven’t read this book, drop everything and do so.)*
- The Green Ember (The entire series)
- The Horatio Hornblower Series
- Good Ol’ Archibald
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
- Carolina’s Courage (Sweet, simple, and short. A fine story of change and learning.)*
For the education-lover:
- The Well-Educated Mind: A Guide To the Classical Education You Never Had
- Booked: Literature In the Soul of Me (I found the author on Twitter and enjoy her many insights on feminism, literature and social issues)
- The Transformation of the School
- Caught Up In A Story
- Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition*
For the Gardener & Homesteading wannabe (after moving to a farm from the city, these books each came in handy!):
- Barnheart (A sweet book for anyone who has a burning desire for land, animals, and a barn.)*
- How to Grow More Vegetables *
- (A classic that is perpetually reprinted. Illustrations are awesome.)*
- Vegetables Love Flowers: Companion Planting for Beauty and Bounty*
- The Backyard Homestead: Produce all the food you need on just a quarter acre!*
For the advent-lover:
- Come, Let Us Adore Him: A Daily Advent Devotional *
- Love Came Down at Christmas: Daily Readings for Advent *
- A Christmas Carol (admittedly not an advent book, it truly captures so much of the meaning of life and goodness. One of my favorite books of all time.)*
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I hope this list proves beneficial. I had a wonderful time compiling it for you.
Merry Christmas!