The Cultivating Reader – Literary Leaf-Mould provides a fresh source of recommended books gathered from classic and contemporary authors. I will introduce you to varied genres through the ages–classic literature, poetry, and inspiring non-fiction. You may find just the right choice for a book club luncheon or tea, because breaking bread together over a good read builds fellowship. My prayer is for you to set aside time alone or with friends to linger over good words.
“Beauty subsists in the eternal present.”
—Jonathan Jackson, The Mystery of Art: Becoming an Artist in the Image of God[1]
Christmas 2021 rolled in like a metaphorical hurricane. (I live in Florida, so I know of what I write.) In November of that year, we sold our house in Virginia, bought a house in Florida, purged our belongings, and moved. My dad died the day we slammed the moving truck doors shut. We celebrated Christmas 2021 with all of our kids in a condo on our Florida beach that we rented prior to the slightest thought of moving. The rented condo was located a half hour from our newly purchased house. The proximity worked out well because our new house was sans furniture (we gave most of it away.) Christmas decorations and most of our household items were still in boxes crammed in our garage. Gifts? Well, not many. Traditional Christmas treasures, not to mention every pot, pan, and spoon, lay packed in paper somewhere and lost in chaos.
After spending nearly two weeks in Minnesota planning Dad’s funeral, flying our family in for the service, and temporarily settling affairs, I returned to Florida. Nothing was the same, but I felt the need to carry on some semblance of familiarity for our family. I dragged one tall box from the garage into the kitchen. There was a bit of this (festive Christmas towels) and a dash of that (boxed ornaments). Ornaments, check. Seasonal tchotchkes, check. But where was that massive tree that we had put up for years; the fancy kind that was pre-strung with twinkling lights and so massive that it was packed in two boxes?
Yes, that was the answer! My husband and I shoved boxes around in the garage until we found the disassembled key to our Christmas joy—that lovely, towering beacon of Christmas tradition.
We pulled the pieces out of the box and set the bottom section upright, remembering how it filled our old living room up to the vaulted ceiling. Then we pulled out the top half and quickly realized that it would only fit in a J-curve, pressed against the ceiling of any room in the new house. Oh, and the stand was lost or packed in another box. I hated the idea of dumping it, but the only true option was leaving it horizontal to become an illuminated hedge, which of course is silly—but I did consider it.
One night, sitting on the living room floor and considering our decorating options, we had to adjust our Christmas expectations. Our family released many traditions to welcome a new chapter. Our new home was considerably smaller in every way and our crazy cats eliminated the real tree option. New life, new house—why not start with a spectacular departure from tradition? With fresh resolve, we searched a local store for the perfect tree, and there it was, at the end of the display, bravely lit and glimmering in all of its five foot tall, champagne-pink tinsel glory. The Christmas tree that would become our family’s forever favorite.
That year, Christmas careened into our lives without the traditional marks of our annual family celebration. Christmas Eve services at a random church (which eventually became our church home!), a box of random decorations on a pink tree, very few gifts, and fresh fish instead of turkey for dinner. We entered a new chapter of life with boldness and a dash of silly, making room to receive blessings from the true meaning of the season without holding tight to what we assume is necessary for the “perfect” Christmas.
Like the Grinch said, “Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more!”[2]
In the spirit of inviting new beauty this season, my Christmastide book recommendations carry the theme of poiema, the Greek term for “that which is made.” May the inspired workmanship of poetry, art, and lovely prose encourage and inspire you!
- Make room for a classic and read The Divine Comedy-Inferno, Purgatorio, Paradiso by Dante Alighieri.
I begin my recommendations with this essential read! Journey with Dante and his companions, Virgil and Beatrice, from dark despair to glory in this epic poem. There are many helpful guides for your journey. Most scholars prefer the translation by John Ciardi. The Anthony Esolen lectures on Dante available on Audible will help you with the names and historical settings in each canticle. Finally, check out the “World’s Largest Reading Group” at 100daysofdante.com for lectures, guided readings, and helpful videos.
- Understand how we reflect and create holy beauty in The Mystery of Art: Becoming an Artist in the Image of God by Jonathan Jackson.
For too long, the Church has divided itself from the arts, especially visual art. Jackson describes art as beauty, mystery, sacrament, and prayer and the necessary “dialogue between the Christian soul and the mystery of art.”[3] This book is breathtaking and necessary to understand the spiritual connection between Christianity and meeting holiness in making via painting, architecture, and writing. The words read like a prayer.
- If you give books to the children in your life, read Wild Things and Castles in the Sky: A Guide to Choosing the Best Books for Children, edited by Leslie and Carey Bustard with Théa Rosenburg.
How do you find the right children’s books to shepherd little hearts and minds? Just consult this helpful guide that covers a variety of topics: gospel, vulnerability, imagination, virtue, poetry, music, art appreciation, Shakespeare, and more! Each short chapter introduces a topic, then pairs five book recommendations to the theme. An invaluable guide to the best in children’s literature.
- To encourage the poet within you, read An Axe for the Frozen Sea by Ben Palpant.
What inspires poets? How do they see the world? Palpant interviewed eighteen contemporary poets, including Dana Gioia, Luci Shaw, and Malcolm Guite, to understand how their life experiences inform their writing. I found this collection incredibly relatable because their lives are not so different from ours. Read their conversations and begin to be the maker of your own poetry.
- A child’s view of his slightly chaotic holiday is described in A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas.
This picture book is my yearly Christmas recommendation because of the lilting, musical prose and charming illustrations. Thomas reminisces over a childhood Christmas day spent with quirky relatives, childhood friends, and a little fire in the kitchen.
- Immerse your imagination in Boxen by C.S. and Warren Lewis.
Decades before there was Narnia, there were the chronicles of Boxen. The young Lewis brothers, Jack and Warnie (as they were affectionately known) created an imaginary land with a kingdom inhabited by noble, clever animals. Over time, the Lewis boys wrote down all of the adventures including Boxen’s history, geographical interests, including charming illustrations by Jack. A delight for all ages!
- Pour yourself a cup of cocoa and read the Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Baillie Tolkien.
This treasure is from the pen and brush of Tolkien, who wrote a Christmas letter to his children each year from 1920–1943. His cast of characters writing each greeting included Father Christmas, Polar Bear, and Ilbereth the Elf. This text includes images of every handwritten letter, envelope, including Tolkien’s festive illustrations.
C.S. Lewis said “The first demand any work of any art makes upon us is surrender. Look. Listen. Receive. Get yourself out of the way.”[4]
This advice holds true for how we ponder the mystery of the nativity. Get your earthly expectations out of the way and receive the infant king, Jesus.
[1] Jonathan Jackson, The Mystery of Art: Becoming an Artist in the Image of God (Ancient Faith Publishing, 2014), 19.
[2] Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (Random House, 1985).
[3] Jackson, The Mystery of Art, 17.
[4] C.S. Lewis, An Experiment in Criticism (Cambridge University Press, 2017), 19.
The featured image, “Season of Joy,” is courtesy of Julie Jablonski and used with her kind permission for Cultivating.
Annie Nardone is a lifelong bibliophile with a special devotion to the Inklings and medieval authors. She is a Fellow with the C.S. Lewis Institute and holds an M.A. in Cultural Apologetics from Houston Christian University. Annie is the Director of Visual Artists for The Cultivating Project and columnist for Cultivating Magazine. She is founding board member, managing editor, and author for the apologetics quarterly, An Unexpected Journal. Her writing can also be found as travel blogger for Clarendon Press U.K., with published poems at Calla Press and Poetica.
She holds a MA in Cultural Apologetics from Houston Christian University, and is a Fellow with the C.S. Lewis Institute. Annie writes for Cultivating, Literary Life, and Clarendon House Books, and is a managing editor and writer for An Unexpected Journal. Annie collaborated on three books in 2022, published by Square Halo Books and The Rabbit Room. She recently designed a curriculum detailing the intersection of theology, the arts, and history and is a Master Teacher for HSLDA. She resides in Florida with her Middle Earth/Narnia/Hogwarts-loving family, and an assemblage of sphynx cats and feline foundlings.
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