Thursday, December 19, 2013

Books I’m Not Recommending for Christmas


I’ve noted before that I don’t recommend books for Christmas. For me, books are personal, and about the only person who knows how to find a book that I’ll like is my wife.

That said. A lot of good books that I read were published this year, and some were published earlier but I only caught up with them this year. No surprise: the list is heavy on poetry. And my publisher would give me a dark look if I didn’t at least mention Poetry at Work, which would make a fine gift and a timely one, given that National Poetry at Work Day is Jan. 14.

So, I mentioned it. And here’s the rest of the list of books I’m not recommending for Christmas this year.

Poetry

Christian Wiman’s Every Riven Thing: Poems



Poet in New York by Federico Garcia Lorca

Bone Fires: Poems by Mark Jarman

Metaphysical Dog: Poems by Frank Bidart

99 Psalms by SAID


Weak Devotions: Poems by Luke Hankins


The Customs House by Andrew Motion

Fallow Field: Poems by Scott Edward Anderson

Crow by Ted Hughes

Fiction

When Mockingbirds Sing by Bill Coffey

Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry

Thunder and Rain by Charles Martin

Mystery/Suspense

January Justice by Athol Dickson

Hurt by Travis Thrasher

Winner Lose All by William Brown

Litany of Secrets by Luke Davis

The Notting Hill Mystery by Charles Warren Adams

The Tenth Plague by Adam Blumer

Fantasy/Children’s

Dragonfyre by Ian Thomas Curtis

The Crystal Scepter by C.S. Lakin

The Glade Series by Martha Orlando: A Trip, A Tryst and a Terror; Children in the Garden; and The Moment of Truth.

Faith/Church

A Week in the Life of Corinth by Ben Witherington

Life After Art by Matt Appling

Activist Faith by Dillon Burroughs, Daniel Darling and Dan King

My Bright Abyss by Christian Wiman


The Furious Longing of God by Brennan Manning



History/Biography/Literary Study


The Genius of Dickens by Michael Slater


Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me by Karen Swallow Prior


Business/Leadership

Growth in Leadership by Dr. Larry Little and David Rupert



Photograph by Nick Bell via Public Domain Pictures. Used with permission.

6 comments:

Maureen said...

Your usual great list. I find myself going back time and again to Wiman.

Maureen said...

Your usual great list. I find myself going back time and again to Wiman.

Karen Swallow Prior said...

What a joy to be not recommended here in such company! :)

Merry Christmas!

Martha Jane Orlando said...

Thanks so much, Glynn, for including my books on your list! So honored!
Have a Merry Christmas, my friend!

Anonymous said...

i found a used copy of a peter rabbit book the other day at the goodwill. i just like to look at those wonderful illustrations.

Lisa notes... said...

So when I need a poetry recommendation, I now know where to look. I still haven't read Billy Coffey's book--need to get to that soon. The Crime of Living Cautiously is piquing my interest too. Thanks for the list.