Books

Wilson’s Bookmarks

From John Wilson, editor of Books & Culture.

Stone’s Throw

Gary Hotham (Pinyon)

We keep getting told that no one cares about poetry any more. Meanwhile, more books of poetry are being published than ever before, and MFA poetry programs are flourishing. Feel a little cognitive dissonance? Here’s another twister: Contemporary poetry is mostly unreadable, we’re assured. Really? Gary Hotham, one of my favorite haiku poets, writes, “near the firefly / part of the night / missing.” And this: “yard sale— / a bookmark / falls out.” And “Dad’s funeral— / the same knot / in my tie.” As poet Les Murray says, “Here is another feast of glimpses from an acknowledged master of noticing.”

His Faithfulness Reaches to the Skies

Forrest Zander with Dwight Clough (self-published)

Almost every day at the office, the mail includes several self-published books. I look at every single one (often, I’ll admit, very briefly). And a few catch my attention, demanding to be read all the way through. A case in point is Forrest Zander’s memoir. He and his first wife, Margaret (who died in 2013), served Wycliffe Bible Translators for many years in South America (I expect we have some friends and acquaintances in common). This episodic account of missionary life is charmingly unpretentious and unembarrassed in testifying to God’s work.

The History and Uncertain Future of Handwriting

Anne Trubek (Bloomsbury)

When I was a kid, I mostly enjoyed school, and report cards didn’t produce anxiety—except in one category: “penmanship.” Somewhere around third grade, I started to get bad marks, often supplemented by notes from the teacher, telling my mother that Something Must Be Done. This continued, and worsened, until partway through high school. I found it immensely frustrating. You might be surprised, then, to hear that I picked up Anne Trubek’s book and found it irresistible. (And how delightful to learn, at the end, that Trubek herself, like many in her family, has “always had poor handwriting.”)

Our Latest

Wicked or Misunderstood?

A conversation with Beth Moore about UnitedHealthcare shooting suspect Luigi Mangione and the nature of sin.

Why Armenian Christians Recall Noah’s Ark in December

The biblical account of the Flood resonates with a persecuted church born near Mount Ararat.

Review

The Virgin Birth Is More Than an Incredible Occurrence

We’re eager to ask whether it could have happened. We shouldn’t forget to ask what it means.

The Nine Days of Filipino Christmas

Some Protestants observe the Catholic tradition of Simbang Gabi, predawn services in the days leading up to Christmas.

The Bulletin

Neighborhood Threat

The Bulletin talks about Christians in Syria, Bible education, and the “bad guys” of NYC.

Join CT for a Live Book Awards Event

A conversation with Russell Moore, Book of the Year winner Gavin Ortlund, and Award of Merit winner Brad East.

Excerpt

There’s No Such Thing as a ‘Proper’ Christmas Carol

As we learn from the surprising journeys of several holiday classics, the term defies easy definition.

Advent Calls Us Out of Our Despair

Sitting in the dark helps us truly appreciate the light.

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