Gretchen's Christmas Reading Picks

Here it is! My choices for the best books you can buy this year for Christmas presents. Some are new books, some are older, just new finds to me! I tried to make suggestions for all ages and genders. Even though I have all the titles linked to Amazon, I want to encourage you to buy your books from a local bookstore -- independent, if possible. I like Amazon as much as anyone, but supporting local bookstores helps ensure that in the future, people who love to pick up books and browse through the selection, reading snippets and examining the artwork will be able to continue doing so.

Stepping off that soapbox now . . .

For Kids:

1.The Little Lights Series by Catherine MacKenzie in this series are short biographies of Corrie Ten Boom, Amy Charmichael, Hudson Taylor and George Mueller. I love Catherine MacKenzie's God-centered books published by Christian Focus. I would call them early readers, but they have pictures on every page, so they would make great read-alouds.



2. The Story of the Treasure Seekers by Edith Nesbit or anything else by her. In case you are a new reader of my blog, you can read a review of that delightful book here. Really, this book would be great for anybody who likes to read.



3. The Dangerous Book for Boys .

I liked this one so much better than its companion, (The Daring Book for Girls) -- because it is just so BOYISH. The back cover says it all: "Recapture Sunday afternoons and long summer days. The perfect book for every boy from eight to eighty."



4. The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. I know, I know. Same tune! I cannot pipe up about this enough! If you do not have this Bible get it (unless you are a person I am buying for this Christmas, in which case, one might be on its way!). If there is a child in your family, church, neighborhood, they need it. :) Here is my long ago post about my favorite ever storybook Bible. Perfect "Family gift" for those relatives who don't get so juiced about another ornament or fruitcake. Ha ha!





For grownups:

1. Shopping for Time by Carolyn Mahaney. This light book is aimed at the heart, and the perfect present for a woman of any age or position of life. Who doesn't need to learn how to better manage their time? How can I not recommend this book that has changed my life?



2. Hind's Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard. I first heard this book mentioned by Mrs. Mohler when she spoke on the subject of worry, but I have been intrigued by it ever since. It is an older book (like the era of Christian's Secret to a Happy Life), and tells the allegory of characters like "Much Afraid", trusting the Shepherd as He leads them to the high places. I have not actually read this book yet; it's sort of a Christmas hopeful for me, too!



3. Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon. Some mornings at work we read the day's selection from this book, and I have been so blessed by each little devotional by the eloquent Spurgeon. This is perhaps the new book I want most of all, to read each morning and evening.



4. The Gospel and Personal Evangelism by Mark Dever. This new little book is both practical and theological, on a subject that is rarely done well (not over-simplified, or over-analyzed). The author, Mark Dever, dedicated this book to my children's ministry director, Ryan Townsend, because Ryan was the fruit of Dever's personal evangelism. Knowing Ryan and what he used to be and who he is now is sort of "proof in the pudding" for me, and I am eager to listen to what Dever has to say about living the life of an evangelist.



5. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This classic edition makes a great gift for a book collector or avid reader.