Happy Advent!

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, it’s time to look ahead to my favorite part of the year–Christmas! This year I’ll be reading three books during the Christmas season: one is an annual favorite, but the other two are new for 2015.

First up is The Irrational Season by Madeleine L’Engle. This isn’t a devotional, but it’s written in a pattern that follows the traditional church calendar–from Advent to Advent, with all the seasons in between. I’ve had this one for a while, but I decided to wait and read it during Advent (it seemed appropriate, somehow). This book is the third of Madeleine’s Crosswicks Journal series. You can read my reviews of the first two here:

A Circle of Quiet
The Summer of the Great-Grandmother

Next is Watch for the Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas. This book has readings from quite a few of my favorite authors–Madeleine L’Engle, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, G.M. Hopkins, C.S. Lewis, T.S. Eliot, and John Donne, to name a few. I’m really excited about this one, and the readings actually begin in the last week of November and continue on to January, so I can start the Advent season a little early.

Finally, my ALL TIME FAVORITE Christmas devotional: Behold the Lamb of God by Russ Ramsey. This book has 25 short chapters, one for each day of December leading up to Christmas. The chapters are a narrative, starting with Adam and Eve and ending with the Christmas story. I love this book, and every year I look forward to re-reading it! You still have time to go buy it before December! Go! Hurry! Run!

The Rabbit Room is actually giving away the Kindle version for FREE between November 30th and December 2nd, so you have no excuses!  Check it out here!

I plan on posting real reviews of each of these books when I finish reading them, but I wanted to share in case you were looking for an Advent devotional to read. One of my favorite things to do in the evening is turn on the Christmas lights and music while I read. It helps me soak in what quiet moments I can!

If you just want the highlights without reading the book, I’ll be sharing my favorite quotes from these books all month long on social media. You’re welcome to follow along! Links are in the sidebar and listed below.

Facebook: Book Fifty

Twitter: @Book50Blog

Instagram: book_50

Keep Reading!