The All Books Advent Edition
Plus a few important extras...
Here is one of the best books I discovered all year. Still: The Art of Noticing is visually stunning. Everyone who sees this book in our house picks it up and loses themselves in Mary Jo Hoffman’s photography. But her essays on seasons, and creativity, and the power of daily practice are equally compelling. Brace yourself for this truth, biting as December wind: this book is changing the way I winter. Cannot give any higher praise. Worth every penny.
Need an Advent prayer practice? Not too late! My wise friend Jessie Bazan has a fantastic devotional (small enough for your pocket/purse AND it only costs $3): Waiting in Joyful Hope: Daily Reflections for Advent & Christmas. Or check out these two offerings from Ave Maria Press: Encountering Emmanuel: A Guided Advent Journal for Prayer and Meditation by Heather Khym and Josaiah Henley; Let Heaven and Nature Sing: Daily Prayers for Advent and Christmas 2024 by
.More great books for your Christmas shopping! Our resident junior baker is getting The Catholic Kids’ Cookbook. For the gardener in your life, Christie Purifoy has A Delightful Planner for Plotting and Planting. If you love Sophie Blackall’s Hello Lighthouse for kids, you’ll love her book for adults: Things to Look Forward To: 52 Large and Small Joys for Today and Every Day. (Confession: I bought her children’s book Farmhouse for my own inspiration.) And any lover of history or politics needs
’s The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement.Pre-orders make a writer’s world go round (and will delight your loved ones even after the new year).
wrote an incredible fresh look at Scripture in Knock at the Sky: Seeking God in Genesis after Losing Faith in the Bible. I love ’s encouragement for creativity so I can’t wait for her release of Making Time: A New Vision for Crafting a Life beyond Productivity.
If we’re going to sing carols about mother & child in Advent, ‘tis the season to support them, too. My dear friend
writes a wonderful Substack as well as books for adults and children, and she and her kids could use our collective support in their new chapter after divorce. Marcia Lane-McGee rallies folks each December to care for two families with single moms. I hope you’ll join me in sending help and prayers their way.
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I grabbed the advent reading for $3. Thank you for the suggestion!
Thank you for including the cookbook, friend!