Some books the

WEST COAST RECOMMENDS

              for adults

              for the younger readers

Ben Buan is a recently retired lawyer and businessman who, with his wife Nancy, lives in Mill Bay, BC. When he isn’t busy in his garden or rowing out to his prawn traps, he is reading and writing occasional essays on contemporary social and political issues. You can read his scribblings at http://revanchist.blogspot.com/ Ben recommends three books:

Mr. Pip Lloyd Jones. A brilliant novel by this New Zealand writer, worthily short-listed for the Man Booker Prize. Set in Papua New Guinea during a civil war, the remarkable tapestry Jones weaves depicts the frailties of human life, the cost of unconditional parental love, the joy of learning, the cruelty of war. Overarching all of this is Dickens’ Great Expectations, which every reader of Mr. Pip should read again after this creative and moving story.

Old Filth  Jane Gardam. Don't let the title put you off.  Filth is an acronym for Failed in London Try Hong Kong. The title character is a retired judge and barrister who has returned from the colony of Hong Kong to live out his later years in Britain. He had been a "raj orphan" born to expatriate parents in the East who was sent home to England from Malaya. The story is a moving one, filled with humour and sadness, a vibrant picture of what it means to contemplate one's mortality in the face of unresolved personal and family conflicts.

The Altars of Ahaz  Evangeline Thiessen. A remarkable first book with perhaps the longest sub-title on my bookshelf - "How a Therapeutic Culture has Blinded Us to the Claims of the Gospel."  A deeply personal account of one woman's journey as she looks not to secular humanism and therapeutic psychology but to the Bible for a way out of her own hell of "a life constricted and bound by dead ends, destroyed dreams, fractured relationships and mired in deep depression."

Altars is meticulously researched and brimming with biblical references which are carefully applied to the human condition in our secular culture. Thiessen has written a book that should challenge many preconceptions about the place in one's life of prayer and immersion in Scripture.

Shannon Daly spends a lot of her time thinking of ways to use books and movies to get her Vancouver high school students to think about the world and their place in it. Here are some of her favourite books from the past year. 

Gifts  Ursula K. Le Guin. How much of our character do we choose and how much is out of our control? These are questions that Le Guin explores in this poignant and richly layered novel for young adults. Set in a rather desolate and atmospheric fantasy realm, the story tells of a young boy's difficulty in accepting a burdensome birthright. As usual, Le Guin's spare and elegant writing is a joy to read and the reader is led to question his or her own choices in dealing with hard decisions.

Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures Vincent Lam. This is a collection of intersecting short stories, written by an emergency physician in Toronto. These tales are full of lovely moments of grace as well as realizations of emptiness and regret.  In the medical world, where professional decisions often have extreme consequences, Lam shows us that inter-personal and moral decisions can also have unexpected impacts.

Our Lady of the Lost and Found  Diane Schoemperlen. On an entirely normal day in April the main character of this engaging story finds the Virgin Mary standing in her living room. It's almost May, and Mary needs a rest before her big month. What follows is a lively and often surprising look at faith and the miracles that we miss in everyday life.

The Geometry of Love Margaret Visser. Can architecture tell us about the love of God?  Visser, with her warm and often wry intellect, takes us through the history, the architecture and the decoration of Sant'Agnese fuori le Mura outside Rome. We are shown how the building itself is a text that, if we know how to read it, illuminates the character of God and his great rescue mission. A surprisingly captivating and uplifting read!

Book of Mercy Leonard Cohen. This perennial favourite is a collection of beautiful and heartbreaking modern Psalms. Cohen uses a familiar format to ask the questions that occupy our society. Who are we? Why are we here? How can we see the hand of God in the world and in our hearts? "I lost my way, I forgot to call on your name. The raw heart beat against the world, and the tears were for my lost victory. But you are here. You have always been here." This is a book full of questing faith and a powerful longing to be touched by God.

Julie Lane Gay lives in Vancouver with her husband and their four children, ages 9-17. She can only manage to read one or two books a month during the school year. But Julie spends six summer weeks in the mountains and there reads almost four books a week. She is always on the hunt for a good book. Julie recommends:

Lying Awake Mark Salzman. A lovely tale of a nun coming to terms with her gift of poetry.

Hannah Coulter Wendell Berry. An exceptional fictional memoir of a fine woman looking back on her life. Hannah is another member of the Port William community, home of Jayber Crow and many other folks in Berry’s fictional world.

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Anne Fadiman. A true and gracious account of a young Hmong girl with epilepsy and the challenges her diagnosis presents to her family and the medical community. Very interesting and very, very well-written.

The Jesus Way Eugene H. Peterson. The third and most recent of Peterson’s series of “conversations’” in Spiritual Theology. He reflects on the way of Jesus in quite practical and personal terms, both where we get it right and where we get it wrong. A treasure.

Secrets in the Dark: A Life in Sermons Frederick Buechner. A collection of Presbyterian Pastor Frederick Buechner’s sermons from 1959 to 1997. Wonderful and incredibly well-written devotional encouragement. Buechner bears grace through his words as few others can.
 

Manya Egerton is the social services counsellor in a Vancouver long-term care facility. For adults she recommends:

God with Us: Rediscovering the Meaning of Christmas

This volume is a tapestry of Scripture selections and masterworks of art as well as prayer and reflections from writers such as Eugene Peterson, Richard John Neuhaus, Luci Shaw and Kathleen Norris. The collection invites the reader to slow down and reconnect with the often overlooked meaning of Christmas. New from Paraclete Press. See: http://www.rediscoverchristmas.com/the-book.aspx

Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcends Tragedy Donald B. Kraybill, Steven M. Nolt and David Weaver-Zercher. This book tells the story of the shooting of the ten Amish girls in Nickel Mines, PA. in 2006. The authors explore the profoundly counter-cultural act of forgiveness.

John Newton: From Disgrace to Amazing Grace Jonathan Aiken. Another historical context, another look at grace; this time it’s a new biography of John Newton. Historian Mark Noll describes Aiken’s book as “fast-paced and well researched.”

FOR CHILDREN...

For Christmas and anytime.

Not all new, but all worth reading.

Ruth Flannigan, director of children's and family ministry at St John's Shaughnessy, recommends these ten books as a Christmas collection for young families:

The Nativity  Jane Ray. Gloriously illustrated with text from Luke's gospel. The pictures remind us how wondrous it is that God should send his only Son.   

B is For Bethlehem -A Christmas Alphabet  Isabel Winter. This is a great alphabet book, with gorgeous collage illustrations.  Unlike most alphabet books, every letter works.  The book opens with "A's for Augustus, emperor of Rome, Who decreed, 'To be counted, let each man go home."  I love the rhyme for V - "V's for Venite, the summons, O come.  Come praise him with harp and with trumpet and drum."

On That Christmas Night  Mary Joslin.  A  re-telling of the gospel story of Christ's birth with large colour illustrations on each page.

Go Tell It on the Mountain  Debbie Trafton O'Neal. A good sing-along book.

Little One, We Knew You'd Come Sallie Lloyd-Jones. This is a story to be read alongside other Christmas stories. It doesn't detail who the child is, but the pictures suggest this is the Christ-Child, the little one we knew would come. I like to read the story in the context of God's promises being fulfilled in this little one.

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey Susan Wojeciechowski. Tender and moving. Be sure to order the larger size book so as to enjoy the beautiful illustrations by P.L. Lynch. A perfect read-aloud story for the whole family.

An Orange For Frankie Patricia Polacco. A heartwarming story of a small gift being a great gift.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Barbara Robinson.  The publisher describes this as a story of a family of incorrigible children who discover the Christmas story for the first time and help everyone else rediscover its true meaning. 

The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree Gloria Houston. Set in 1918 in the Appalachian mountains at the time of the Armistice, this is a story of the Christmas Ruthie has longed for all her life and the Christmas she will never forget. 

Big Picture Story Bible David Helm.  A remarkable Bible storybook to give this Christmas. It endeavors to tell the one story running from Genesis to Revelation: that of salvation and redemption. It can be read to and read by children ages 3-12. Text is kept to a few lines on each of the illustrated 450 pages.

Manya Egerton haunts rummage sales and second hand book stores. But books are not her only passion. She tells anyone who will listen about the wonderful ways God is using the ministry of Living Waters Canada to bring healing into lives of Christians. Her recommended picture books include:  

Dogger Shirley Hughes. This is my very favorite gift book for preschoolers. Shirley Hughes is one of England’s finest illustrators and authors. The story is of a beloved stuffed dog, lost then found. It is also a tender illustration of sacrificial love and redemption. Not a “Christian story,” but definitely one for every Christian family. Worth the time it may take to order.

Chester’s Way  Kevin Henkes. Checking the NYT Book Review this past summer, I was introduced to Chester and Lilly as well as Henkes’ other remarkable rodents. I must confess to being quite besotted. Full of energy and innovation, their adventures are sure to provide hours of amusement for child and parent alike.

You are Special Max Lucado and Sergio Martinez. This fable is sometimes used in Living Waters to help show that our worth comes from being loved by God, not from the praise (or criticism) of others. Children and adults can all enjoy this book. It comes in two sizes--be sure to order the larger.

Something from Nothing Phoebe Gilman. This whimsically illustrated Jewish folktale

will delight any young child.

Six-Dinner Sid  Inga Moore. “Sid lived at number one Aristotle Street. He also lived at number two, number three, number four, number five and number six.” So begins the adventures of a cat with a very large appetite. Sure to bring a smile.

The Seven Silly Eaters Mary Ann Hoberman. Supper is not always the happiest time in a child’s day, especially if that child is a picky eater. This hilarious rhyming story brings together seven fussy eaters and one attentive but exhausted mother.

Elizabeth (11) and Jamie (10) Avren live in Vancouver B.C. and spend their summers on Vancouver Island. Elizabeth loves to spend her spare time with a book and counts Enid Blyton as one of her favourite authors.  Jamie prefers adventure books and fact books; he’s just finished reading Jock of the Bushveld, and The Kingfisher. Eye Witness fact books are among his favourites.

The Biggles series W.E. Johns. Here’s a great series of books, especially for boys. Biggles is an English pilot who learns to fly in the Royal Air Force during the First World War. He carries on his fearless flying right through the Spanish Civil War to World War II and beyond.

Swallows and Amazons  Arthur Ransome. John, Susan, Titty and Roger sail around a lake camp out on an English island and are attacked by the fierce ‘Amazon pirates,’ Nancy and Peggy. They soon fight battles, form alliances and spend the summer together exploring. A great read for sailors, campers and adventurers. First of an eleven-book series.

War Horse Michael Morpurgo. Set in World War I, this is heart-warming tale of a horse who witnesses the reality of battle from both sides of the trenches. It’s a story of true friendship in the worst of wars. We give this book five out of five stars.

The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips  Michael Morpurgo. Set in WWII England, this is a great story of an adventurous cat, a young girl and an American soldier. It’s a tale of bravery and friendship. Morpurgo is one of the best children’s writers today.

Just William Series  Richal Crompton. If you haven’t made William’s acquaintance you’re in for a treat. With his faithful companions Jumble (his dog) and Ginger (his friend) there’s mischief and hilarity on every page. The series is a long one so you’ll never run out of fun.

The Breadwinner  Deborah Ellis. Ten-year-old Parvana lives in Taliban-controlled Kabul where girls and women have no rights and no freedom. This is a great story of a young girl’s survival amidst an oppressive and brutal regime. Parvana’s Journey and Mud City in the “Breadwinner Trilogy” are also excellent.

Inkheart  Cornelia Funke. A tale of books, magic and imagination where characters and stories come alive. An exciting read you’ll find hard to put down.  

Furgus Crane  Paul Stuart and Chris Riddell. Fergus Crane is an ordinary boy whose life is filled with school, interesting neighbours and helping his mother until a mysterious box flies into his window. That’s when his adventures begin.

The Roman Mysteries  Caroline Lawrence. Exciting whodunit stories set in ancient Rome. Learn how the early Romans lived while solving the mysteries.

Desert Hawk Barbara Hehner. The true story of “Stocky” Edwards, Canada’s WWII flying ace. This book is filled with details about fighting in the sky and surviving in the desert.