Nate & Elli Miller
Nate’s Recommends
“Easter Night”
by Anton Chekhov, translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky
Yes, yes, I know. I did not get my holidays mixed up. And yes, Chekhov did write some short stories about Christmas, but the issue with those is that they are lame. It’s important to note that Russian short stories—well, Russian stories in general—rely on the vibes. If you’re looking for a fast paced, plot heavy story, this ain’t for you. “Easter Night” has vibes in gobs. Here’s a line from the first page:
“The world was lit by the stars, which were strewn massively across the sky. I do not recall ever having seen so many stars. You literally could not put a finger between them. There were some as big as goose eggs, some as tiny as hempseed… For the sake of the festive parade, all of them, from small to large, had come out in the sky washed, renewed, joyful, and all of them to the last one quietly moved their rays.”
Prose poetry, man. The story is about a traveler crossing a river to attend Easter festivities, where he speaks with a grieving monk named Ieronym who reflects on the recent death of his friend. The conversations on life, death, and the divine make this a great December short story. Peaver and Volokhonsky is my favorite translation (NB: some translations call this story “Easter Eve”). If you haven’t read any Chekhov, try out “A Boring Story,” “Gusev,” or, if you want something real weird that I still like, “The Black Monk.”
God Rest Ye Merry: Why Christmas is the Foundation for Everything
by Doug Wilson
While there are plenty of great advent devotionals out there, this one is far and above my favorite for two reasons. The first is that the book itself presents a complete Advent devotional: a read aloud meditation and a prayer for each day of Advent. The second reason—and this goes for all of Pastor Wilson’s work—is that it is not an esoteric exercise. It’s real. It’s applicable. Each new reading presents a different idea, but the unifying thread is that at every passage, I think, “Ah yes, I’ve seen that problem before,” or “Wait a minute, you’re talking about me, aren’t you?” This was my family’s go-to devotional when I was growing up, and we paired these meditations with singing through the Advent and Christmas songs in the hymnal. I intend to do the same with my family (though this year we are reading Ben Zornes’ advent devotional, He Rules the World).
Going Postal
by Terry Pratchett
There has been a constant debate in my family on which Pratchett to recommend to someone that has not read him before. His stories take place in Discworld, following multiple storylines and characters, and therefore can be read in many different orders. The thing is, his early stuff generally isn’t great, but many of his golden era stories require some knowledge of his characters. I’ve landed on Going Postal as the Pratchett to start out with. Pratchett writes British satire in a fantasy setting; barring Wodehouse, Pratchett is the only author that consistently makes me laugh out loud as I read him (you understand, of course, that by laugh out loud, I mean breathing softly out of my nose). If you need more encouragement, Pratchett was a fan of Chesterton and Tolkien—though, lest you get the wrong idea, witty and insightful as he is, Pratchett is an atheist. My three favorite Pratchett novels are Night Watch, Reaper Man, and Thud!. Know that you will see more Pratchett in subsequent book recommends.
Elli’s recommends
It’s Advent season, which always makes us want to read the familiar and nostalgic. At Christmas I always have the urge to read Harry Potter again, or The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. But here are a few Christmas favorites.
The Story of Holly and Ivy
by Rumer Godden, illustrated by Barbara Cooney
A little Christmas novella for you. I loved this one as a girl, and still read it every Christmas when we’re over at my parents’ house. What girl could resist an orphan story with a doll in the prettiest red dress with green petticoats and green stockings? Read it aloud to your girls over a few days, or if they’re old enough for chapter books, let them read it by themself. The illustrations are lovely, and the story is classic.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
by Barbara Robinson
Maybe you’ve seen the movie or a play version, but if you haven’t read it, you’ve got to. Another great read aloud for the season. When you read it, you’ll be left wondering why Herod doesn’t show up in more Christmas pageants. This one speaks for itself, so here are a few gems if you’re unfamiliar with narrative style:
“The Herdmans moved from grade to grade through the Woodrow Wilson School like those South American fish that strip your bones clean in three minutes flat . . . which was just about what they did to one teacher after another.”
There was one Herdman left over, and one main role left over, and you didn’t have to be very smart to figure out Gladys was going to be the Angel of the Lord… Another kid said, “My mother doesn’t want me to be a shepherd.” “Why not?” Mother said. “I don’t know. She just said don’t be a shepherd.” One kid was honest. ‘Gladys Herdman hits too hard,’ he said. “Why, Gladys isn’t going to hit anybody!” Mother said. “What an idea! The Angel just visits the shepherds in the fields and tells them Jesus is born.” “And hits ‘em,” said the kid. Of course he was right. You could just picture Gladys whamming shepherds left and right, but Mother said that was perfectly ridiculous.
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