Beth Felker Jones's Christmas list

To give

Lev Grossman has written The Magi­cian’s Land, the conclusion to his Magicians trilogy. Grossman’s take on fantasy and schools of magic is dark, smart, and atheistic in a heartbreaking way. Give the trilogy to someone who wants to hope but has lost that Narnia magic.

In Conversion, Katherine Howe has rewritten The Crucible for young adult readers, and the book has crossover appeal for adult readers. It’s about persuasion and pressure and mean girls, and it’s a fast, fun read.

Christina Bieber Lake masterfully integrates fiction and theology in Prophets of the Posthuman: American Fiction, Bio­tech­nology, and the Ethics of Person­hood. She asks pressing questions about what it means to be human in an ever braver, newer world. The book won the Aldersgate Prize and should please lovers of fiction and theology alike.

To receive

In their first album, Big Stories for Little Ones, Rain for Roots told about God’s love for little ones in lovely folk-style songs. I look forward to listening to their new offering, The Kingdom of Heaven Is Like This.

Claudia Rankine has written Citizen: An American Lyric, which promises poetic insight into racial aggression. She looks at ongoing effects of racism as seen in 21st-century situations. I look forward to reading this prize-winning book.

I’m always interested in ideas for integrating liturgical life and family life. Let Us Keep the Feast: Living the Church Year at Home, edited by Jessica Snell, comes recommended by people I trust.