The Banner’s Mixed Media Editor gives her top picks for best Christian living books of 2024.
Mixed Media
Reviews of books, movies, music, television, websites, and more, looking at the world of arts and entertainment from a Reformed perspective. To submit a review, click here.
Her Part to Play: A Novel
By Jenny ErlingssonAdanne accepts a job as a makeup artist for a movie filming in her Alabama hometown, but the money hardly seems worth facing the actor who got her fired from her last job in Hollywood.
Drawing on research and experience, Raffety, an able-bodied Christian writing to able-bodied churches, confesses her struggle to repent from ableism in hopes of convincing others to do the same.
Kailani's Gift
By Dorina Lazo Gilmore-Young. Illustrated by Lynnor BontigaoThis picture-book celebration of family, Filipino heritage, and dance showcases the value of patience, perseverance, and blessing others with your gifts and talents.
The Black history you never knew: Uncovering unsung heroes in the struggle for racial justice.
Follow the hopes and dreams of four generations of a Korean immigrant family, beginning with a story of a forbidden romance that leads to a sweeping saga taking place in Korea, Japan, and America.
Darkness Calls the Tiger
By Janyre TrompAfter the attack on Pearl Harbor, Imperial Japan devours the southern portion of Burma. Unaware of the coming darkness, Kailyn Moran drifts in her role as the only daughter of a widowed missionary.
With over 2 million subscribers. James Hoffman knows everything about coffee from all over the world.
Five Stories
By Ellen WeinsteinFive children, from five different cultures and in five different decades, grow up in the same building on the Lower East Side of New York City.
The Art of Living in Season: A Year of Reflections for Everyday Saints
By Sylvie Vanhoozer"What can I give him?” French author Sylvie Vanhoozer takes her hometown tradition of Provençal crèches (nativity scenes peopled by “little saints”) and tries to expand it yearlong.
The Herdmans are six siblings who have a reputation for being the worst kids in the world. Yet when they take over the local church pageant during the holidays, they just might teach a shocked community the true meaning of Christmas.
Why Everything that Doesn’t Matter, Matters So Much: The Way of Love in a World of Hurt
By Charlie Peacock and Andi AshworthA hopeful, practical model for what it means to be a Christian and a culture-maker in a world of hurt and wondrous possibility, from multi-Grammy winner Charlie Peacock and his wife and author, Andi Ashworth.
The Christmas Elephant: A Nativity Story
By Maria Antonia. Illustrated by Laura ZarrinEllie wants to be an elephant in the Christmas play but her know-it-all sister says she’ll ruin everything. When Baby Jesus goes missing, Ellie must find him, or the play will be ruined!
You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out!: Life Lessons from the Movie A Christmas Story
By Quentin SchultzeTwenty life lessons from the holiday classic A Christmas Story.
A retired professor gets a new lease on life when a private investigator hires him to go undercover inside a San Francisco retirement home.
We Are One
By Jackie Azua Kramer; illustrated by Raissa Figueroa and Nina MataFrom an award-winning trio, this celebration of community, friendship, and the natural world features poetic, lyrical text paired with a vibrant visual tale of two characters.
A New Heaven and a New Earth
By Various ArtistsVarious artists, such as Jason Gray and Phil Joel, highlight the Christian need to practice creation care.
The Deliverer Has Come: A Christmas Story
By Sarah Shin. Illustrated by Shin MaengTold from the perspective of a young girl living during the time of Jesus’ birth, this uniquely illustrated nativity story helps young readers understand the “what” and embrace the “why” of Christmas.
A New York mobster builds a new life in the heartland
God's Little Astronomer
By Tina Cho. Illustrated by Marta Alvarez MiguensBlast off to space and discover how every part of the universe—the planets, the stars, asteroids, meteoroids, and more—display God’s glory, creativity, and, most important, his love for you and me!
Every Kind of Uh-Oh
By Charlie PeacockVeteran artist and producer Charlie Peacock releases an evocative and honest album.
Get our list of movies, books, and podcasts to check out this month.
A Navajo grandmother shares an Indigenous retelling of the Christmas story with her granddaughter.
A four-part docuseries takes a close look at the struggle by lead singer Jon Bon Jovi to overcome vocal problems that nearly led him to quit the mega-popular band.