The Narnia Code

Michael Ward

Tyndale House Publishers

softcover, 208 pages, $13.99

978-1-414-33965-8

It's difficult, if not impossible, to approach Ward's The Narnia Code: C. S. Lewis and the Secret of the Seven Heavens without a giant's share of skepticism. Would Lewis have kept such a major underpinning of his most popular books secret? And yet, hard as it is to believe, Ward's answer to this question, and his explanation of his theory, has been joyfully convincing for many scholars and fans alike.

After describing how he came to his discovery, Ward examines how each of the "Narnia" books, while clearly retaining their biblical connections, are thematically linked to one of the seven planets—or "heavens"—of medieval cosmology. Intimately familiar with Lewis' work, Ward explains that Lewis, a literary classics scholar, admired the medieval "heavens" as portraits of the wonder of God's creation.

Aslan's faithful need not fear: The "code" does not diminish the centrality of Aslan, nor his role as a Christ figure. Ward's discovery does no harm to the biblical connections present in the series; on the contrary, it makes them clearer.

—Dave Stuart Jr.

Our Witchdoctors Are Too Weak

Davey and Marie Jank

Monarch Books (Kregel Publications)

softcover, 224 pages, $14.99

978-1-857-21008-1

Calling to mind Don Richardson's missions autobiography Peace Child, with its profound story of an unreached tribe receiving "God's Talk" for the first time, Our Witchdoctors Are Too Weak: The Rebirth of an Amazon Tribe tells of the Janks' 10 years among the Wilo from the Amazon village of Pikali.

Among witchdoctors and jungle animals, hiking trails and riding by canoe or outboard motor, the authors show how difficult it can be to live in a place with limited medical treatment, where the food is strange to one's palate and with people who have never had an opportunity to hear God's words to them.

With a sometimes humorous story that emphasizes the power and simplicity of God's Word, Our Witchdoctors Are Too Weak reads quickly, and will give each reader an understanding of the significance of being a witness, wherever one may be.

—Jennifer Toth

God's Guest List

Debbie Macomber

Howard Books

hardcover, 208 pages, $23

978-1-439-10896-3

Macomber—herself admired by fans as an author of New York Times best-selling fiction—confesses that she longed to meet certain people she admired or who inspired her. But, in doing so, she discovered some weren't all she had expected. Disappointed, she soon realized that the people who had the most profound effect on her life were the ones God wanted her to meet.

In God's Guest List: Welcoming Those who Influence our Lives, Macomber encourages readers to take their focus off of those they perceive to be important and begin to view every person as an opportunity to bless and be blessed. In her case, one of the people God wanted her to "meet" was her own mother, who she felt was perpetually disappointed in her, and one of her assistants, who was fond of being in control.

With humility, Macomber admits that she fell into a focus on celebrity. In God's Guest List, she helps readers who, like herself, are ready to take on God's priorities and look for His hand in their lives.

—Heidi L. Ippolito

Dancing With the Avatar

Jovan Jones

Destiny Image

softcover, 336 pages, $16.99

978-0-768-432718

Dancing With the Avatar, book two in the "Descent" series, is a continuation of Jones' fiction based on her true life story. In the novel, she incorporates her experience of living in India and exposes the spiritual powers of Hinduism.

Maya, a young American, continues her spiritual quest with guru Cha Ma while living at an ashram in India. As she dutifully participates, she seeks to reach enlightenment, but what she does not see is a spiritual realm where her chant for the deity Kali invites demons to surround her—demons who are trying to kill her.

With Christian parents back home praying for her, angels are positioned to protect her from the plans of the enemy. The battles between the angels and demons lay a foundation for the plans the Lord has for Maya and her parents.

Jones' characters address the differences of Western and Indian civilization and culture. She also provides a glossary and pronunciation aid to assist readers with unfamiliar terminology. With the popularity of best-selling book Eat, Pray, Love, Dancing With the Avatar should ride the wave of recent interest in Indian culture.

—Nicole Anderson

Dining With Joy

Rachel Hauck

Thomas Nelson

softcover, 320 pages, $14.99

978-1-595-54339-4

In Beaufort, S.C., Joy Ballard has become the host of her own cooking show; there's only one problem—she can't cook. In Dining With Joy: A Low Country Romance, Joy promises her father minutes before he dies that she will take on his show. All is well until her producer decides to sell the show to Allison Wild of Wild Women Productions—who was never told of Joy's lack of cooking skills.

Enter chef Luke Davis, who has lost his Manhattan restaurant and ends up working at a local café to pay off his debts. Joy and Luke, who is also in the dark about her secret, fall in love and, as young Christians, must fight the physical chemistry they feel for each other. Joy's secret is revealed on national television, and now both she and Luke must regain their dignity.

Hauck, a former president of the American Christian Fiction Writers, will attract fans of Southern fiction who have read her previous novels in the genre, including Sweet Caroline and Lost in NashVegas. Dining With Joy is a quirky romance to be enjoyed by readers even if they have never visited the South.

—Tanya Ohle

Common Prayer

Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove and Enuma Okoko

Zondervan

hardcover, 512 pages, $24.99

978-0-310-32619-9

Not to be read alone but in community, Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals was not written alone either. Claiborne, an activist who lives in a "new monastic" community in inner-city Philadelphia; Wilson-Hartgrove, a Baptist minister also in a monastic community; and Okoko, a woman who was formerly director for Duke Divinity School's Center for Theological Writing, came together to create this volume.

Seeing liturgy as a tool to bring unity, the authors encourage every Christian, from the Pentecostal to the Benedictine, to use this volume of songs, prayers, ideas and memories meant to be spoken aloud and shared in some kind of community. Along with a well-organized liturgy, the guide includes prayers for special occasions and a selection of songs ranging from the Doxology to Taize chants and African-American spirituals.

Appealing to the liturgy veteran as well as the novice, Common Prayer encourages active prayer and worship as believers join to regularly refocus their lives on God.

—Christine D. Johnson

Letters to a Young Calvinist

James K.A. Smith

Brazos Press (Baker Publishing Group)

softcover, 160 pages, $14.99

978-1-587-43294-1

The apostle Paul wrote epistles, or letters, to instruct, edify and encourage. So, too, do contemporary authors such as Christopher Hitchens (Letters to a Young Contrarian) and George Weigel (Letters to a Young Catholic).

Drawing inspiration from this genre, philosopher Smith writes a series of letters and postcards to "Jesse," a fictional recipient who represents an amalgam of young believers—and their questions—whom Smith encountered during his ministry in Los Angeles. These letters serve as an introduction to Calvinism and the Reformed tradition.

Smith's work is especially relevant because Time magazine recently listed New Calvinism as one of today's most influential ideas, and this year marks the 500th anniversary of John Calvin.

Letters to a Young Calvinist is a crisp, conversational collection of theological education and spiritual formation presented in digestible form.

—Brian Smith McCallum

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