M. Craig Barnes's Christmas list

To give

Sue Monk Kidd’s writing is as wonderful in The Inven­tion of Wings as it was in the highly regarded The Secret Life of Bees, but this time she is using her literary skills to tell a story of freedom from slavery—freedom for both blacks and whites.

Donna Tartt’s novel The Goldfinch depicts the desperate need for art among those who’ve lost their way in life. But the book is a brick. I slogged through it, so one of my friends should have to.