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241st out of 385 books
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Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl: Wide Eyed Wonder in God's Spoken World
by
N.D. Wilson (Goodreads Author)
From Publishers Weekly
This theological ride thrills with a colorful whir of profound and profoundly amusing meditations on creation, existence and God.
Product Description
A visual, poetic exploration of the narrative nature of the world and the personality of the Poet behind it all.
When Nate Wilson looks at the world around him, he asks "What is this place? Why is
...morePaperback, 224 pages
Published
May 30th 2009
by Thomas Nelson Publishers
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Stupendous. More to follow.
I had read Notes from the Tilt a Whirl before in its various manifestations. But when it arrived in its final printed form, I was happy to sit down and go through it again, left to right. What a good book this is.
The conceit for the book is that the solar system is a ride at a carnival, with circular motions inside circular motion. Not only do we have the carnival-like motions, we have a carnival-like environment, gaudy colors and situations inc...more
I had read Notes from the Tilt a Whirl before in its various manifestations. But when it arrived in its final printed form, I was happy to sit down and go through it again, left to right. What a good book this is.
The conceit for the book is that the solar system is a ride at a carnival, with circular motions inside circular motion. Not only do we have the carnival-like motions, we have a carnival-like environment, gaudy colors and situations inc...more
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Breathtaking. Hilarious. Scathing. Fiercely jolly. If you ever want to read about poetry, ants, creation, thunderstorms, evil, Hamlet, eternity, snow, hell, pain and death all rolled into one ecstatic ball, then read this book. It will sprawl you, wind you, pick you up and then push you on your way even as you hold out both arms to stop the world from rocking. It will blind you with beauty and then insist that you see.
Read it in one dizzy three-hour sitting in June 2009, then again (mu...more
Read it in one dizzy three-hour sitting in June 2009, then again (mu...more
One of the best books I've ever read, never mind that it was written by a friend of ours. When it comes into print, I'll be buying it for everyone I know--especially anyone who is...well, someone I know.
This is the best book that I have read all year. I didn't want it to end, and so I put it down and waited for months (Stupid I know) I have a new appreciation for creation, I am seriously convinced that the world is made up of Quarks and Leptons and that those bits are the spoken Word of God.
I also fully believe that "He [God] is the rock He can't lift. He is the Infinite struggling to capture Himself, to reveal every faced of His Infinite Self in the limitations of tiny space"...more
I also fully believe that "He [God] is the rock He can't lift. He is the Infinite struggling to capture Himself, to reveal every faced of His Infinite Self in the limitations of tiny space"...more
When this book was not what I was expecting, it was ok. I liked the wide-eyed wonder theme because I think we lose too much of that in our modern world. However, this book did seems to ramble and not have a clearly defined "purpose" or if it did, it was blurred into the background by the imagery and wonder. Which maybe that's what Wilson was headed for. I think maybe I set myself up expecting too much like he might write like Brennan Manning or some spiritually enlightening master....more
If you've never ridden on one, a tilt-a-whirl is an old carnival ride where you have these wild turns and spins that sometimes make you smile, sometimes take your breath away, and sometimes make you nauseated. On the whole, it's an enjoyable jaunt, but after a while it seems like you keep going around in the same circle, and you may end up growing a little tired of it.
Strangely enough, that describes my experience of reading Nate Wilson's new book Notes From the Tilt-a-Whirl. Although...more
Strangely enough, that describes my experience of reading Nate Wilson's new book Notes From the Tilt-a-Whirl. Although...more
Probably the most unusual Christian book I've ever read!
The style is poetic throughout, but if you're not much of a poet like myself don't let that put you off. 'Unusual' in this case is good. Very good in fact. Wilson has a wonderful grasp of language and communicates in a way that I found very engaging.
The author takes a look at the world (which he refers to as a 'tilt-a-whirl' from a fareground) - and reflects on what he sees. He looks at nature, the seasons, insects...more
The style is poetic throughout, but if you're not much of a poet like myself don't let that put you off. 'Unusual' in this case is good. Very good in fact. Wilson has a wonderful grasp of language and communicates in a way that I found very engaging.
The author takes a look at the world (which he refers to as a 'tilt-a-whirl' from a fareground) - and reflects on what he sees. He looks at nature, the seasons, insects...more
A wild ride. To be fair, the preface warns the reader with such injunctions as “This book does not go straight,” and “I’ve forgotten to include seat belts, and I don’t know where I left the liability waivers.”
The narrative weaves through reflections on philosophy, quantum physics, wasp villains, and Shakespeare in a carefully chaotic format. Interspersed throughout are meteorological observations, insights on everyday life, and stories from the kingdom Animalia.
Mr. Wilson als...more
The narrative weaves through reflections on philosophy, quantum physics, wasp villains, and Shakespeare in a carefully chaotic format. Interspersed throughout are meteorological observations, insights on everyday life, and stories from the kingdom Animalia.
Mr. Wilson als...more
The subtitle to Notes from the Tilt-a-Whirl, "Wide-Eyed Wonder in God's Spoken World," is a very apt description of this book written by N.D. Wilson. Although the analogy of the common fairground ride is the starting point for describing the world around us, more analogies, metaphors and colorful descriptions fill the book in Wilson's feeble attempt to describe both the wonder of creation and the glory of the Creator. I say "feeble" because that is exactly how Wilson would de...more
I received the book Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl (Wide-Eyed Wonder in God's Spoken World) by N.D. Wilson for free from Thomas Nelson Publishers to review it. Instantly it took me back to my high school sociology class. We read some really neat things in that class that challenged how we viewed other people and the world around us. It was a really fun class and this is a really fun book. It's quirky and therefore not for everybody, but it's a great ride if you're willing to dive in.
Mr. Wils...more
Mr. Wils...more
Jason
rated it
Recommends it for:
Those Who Ponder the Depths of Religion and Philosophy
Recommended to Jason by:
Jomato
Review: N.D. Wilson's NOTES FROM THE TILT-A-WHIRL (2009)
Rating: A+ -- Wilson's book breathed fresh creativity into my readings, which are usually brimmed with technical diction and thousands of annotations (See Richards; Broylandish 567 details the etymology of "see" in its Sumerian context). If you're looking for sensical quirk, read NOTES. For meticulous scholarship, find a different writer. Wilson reminds me of Ralph Waldo Emerson in a straitjacket and Annie Dillard on LSD, in...more
Rating: A+ -- Wilson's book breathed fresh creativity into my readings, which are usually brimmed with technical diction and thousands of annotations (See Richards; Broylandish 567 details the etymology of "see" in its Sumerian context). If you're looking for sensical quirk, read NOTES. For meticulous scholarship, find a different writer. Wilson reminds me of Ralph Waldo Emerson in a straitjacket and Annie Dillard on LSD, in...more
N.D. Wilson's book is peculiar. I set out reading this not having a clue what to expect; and to the author's credit, I got a good handle on what I was in for after reading the introduction. Wilson's style is distinct. He is very self reflective and loooooves metaphors. This I do not mind. But it is also no guarantee of a good read.
This book has problems. It is a compilation of random personal reflections capped off by one powerhouse chapter concerning hell towards the end of the book...more
This book has problems. It is a compilation of random personal reflections capped off by one powerhouse chapter concerning hell towards the end of the book...more
What if Annie Dillard was orthodox? And a bit more sprawling (with a less skilled publishing editor)? And what if she channeled her God-gift of observation not through Thoreau, but through a) the paradox-wonder of GK Chesterton, b) the cut-through-the-fog sanity of CS Lewis, and c) self-conscious (but not self-absorbed) memoir style of Frederick Buechner? And if she was a young husband and dad? And a pastor's-kid who likes his dad and his God? And a St. John's Annapolis graduate (look them up). ...more
The Gatekeeper
rated it
Recommends it for:
Christian teens and adults
Recommended to The Gatekeeper by:
my dad
N.D. Wilson has done it again! I loved this book. The subtitle says it all: Wide Eyed Wonder in God's Spoken World. That's basically what this is - a book of wonder at God and His amazing creation. As usual, it's incredibly well-written and original. There were a few parts that made me laugh out loud. The main thing I learned from this book is that the world is God's art, His story. For me, as a writer, looking at the world that way really helps me to make sense of my life. If the history of the...more
Nate Wilson's ponderings about this wild, wonderful world we live in -- what is it? where did it come from? why is it the way it is? -- are enthralling to read, much like the carnival ride of the title. The books many twists are turns are kept on course by references to the four seasons and their apparent metaphors in life. Throughout, there is satire and sadness, combined to point always toward the Creator. In one chapter you may read a seemingly random story, and in a few pages discover it ha...more
I resolved before I even began Page One that I was not going to like this book—at least not too much. I figure that I've read enough books by this guy's dad that I really don't need to become a cheerleader for two generations of Wilsons. Well, I'm sorry. Putting on my game face didn't work and, in spite of a heroic effort on my part, I really did love this book. It's quite a ride. A bit out there, to be sure, but as far as all that goes, really nothing even remotely as inscrutable as some of the...more
Not much can be said other than wow after reading the book. I took it in chapter chunks every evening rather than one sitting. When I read it again, I'll go for the gusto and consume it as fast as possible. The book is about what the title states it's about: the authors view/experience in God's spoken world. He's a master with metaphor and reading the book, for me at least, was like a roller coaster ride: there were times when the reader would be clanking along on a steep incline, next thing you...more
What a wonderful ride! This book explores God as Creator, Artist, and Voice. Through ordinary examples (ants, clouds, skunks, thunderstorms, etc.), N.D. Wilson shows us the Master Artist and how He speaks constantly. It will be harder to take things for granted or to ignore them altogether after reading these words. The book takes the reader on a wild ride from topic to topic, always returning to the main point. What may at first glance appear to be rabbit trails are instead found as facts to be...more
Imagine a Rob Bell book, but with longer sentences and better theology. I suppose that's mean. Fans of Bell will think I'm taking a swipe at him (which I suppose I am). Fans of Wilson will think I'm dragging him down by comparing him to Bell (which isn't my intent). Okay, let's start over.
I read a review this morning talking about Francis Chan's book "Erasing Hell." Chan's book is a response to Rob Bell's controversial "Love Wins." The reviewer said of Chan's atte...more
I read a review this morning talking about Francis Chan's book "Erasing Hell." Chan's book is a response to Rob Bell's controversial "Love Wins." The reviewer said of Chan's atte...more
A refreshing christian perspective on our physical ‘world’ in all its magnificence.
Just as some carnival rides are not recommended for those with weak hearts, this book should also carry a disclaimer. The pace is quick, the references wide reaching and very well researched but there may be some who cannot bear the jolts and jerks. As for me, I loved it.
Preparing for this review, I rediscovered the definitions in the title of N. D. Wilson’s “Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl: W...more
Just as some carnival rides are not recommended for those with weak hearts, this book should also carry a disclaimer. The pace is quick, the references wide reaching and very well researched but there may be some who cannot bear the jolts and jerks. As for me, I loved it.
Preparing for this review, I rediscovered the definitions in the title of N. D. Wilson’s “Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl: W...more
"You have to read this," I keep telling friends. "Why? What's it about?" they inevitably ask.
Difficult question. "Everything" has become my default response. But it's accurate. This book is about life, death, the cosmos, God, people, Shakespeare, Nietzsche, quarks, thunderstorms – everything. It's about the utterly bizarre world gravity anchors our feet to every morning. And it's beautiful.
On several occasions, I would finish a passage, set ...more
Difficult question. "Everything" has become my default response. But it's accurate. This book is about life, death, the cosmos, God, people, Shakespeare, Nietzsche, quarks, thunderstorms – everything. It's about the utterly bizarre world gravity anchors our feet to every morning. And it's beautiful.
On several occasions, I would finish a passage, set ...more
Sharon
rated it
Recommends it for:
anyone with a beef about God or who likes stuff. So, pretty much everyone.
It reminded me of Chesterton, "The greater and stronger a man is, the more he would be inclined to prostrate himself before a periwinkle."
I'd like to read it again, but I'm going to be patient and wait for the finished draft. I have to agree with Elise, if they take anything out it's going to annoy me.
I'd like to read it again, but I'm going to be patient and wait for the finished draft. I have to agree with Elise, if they take anything out it's going to annoy me.
This is my second time reading this wonderful book. It is extremely devotional in a very atypical way. It has pushed me to look for the magic in the ordinary and to listen for God's Word in his works that are always around me. I've been spurred on to try and teach our little ones to do the same.
This book is an Ecclesiastes-type project. In some ways, you could say it comes to the same conclusions as Ecclesiastes. There is nothing better than to simply enjoy life, says the sage. Woven throughout this delightful commentary on the world in which we find ourselves living, runs the same thread of truth. This world is full of enough mystery and wonder to fill infinite life times; so wake up and discover it. Don't become numb to the inescapable miracles everywhere you look.
With w...more
With w...more
This was an amazing book. I'm sure it's not for everyone. I think you'll either love it or hate it. Even as I read the first chapter, I have to admit all I could think of was, "Okay, now I remember why I hate tilt-a-whirls." But I stuck with it and started the get the 'rhythm' of the stream-of-conscience writing and from that point on I loved it.
The book opened my eyes to the glory of God all around me. It turned theology and philosophy into poetry and artwork engaging both...more
The book opened my eyes to the glory of God all around me. It turned theology and philosophy into poetry and artwork engaging both...more
In the span of one paragraph, N.D. Wilson made me break out in goosebumps then made me laugh and cry at the same time. His writing in Notes from the Tilt-A-Whirl from Thomas Nelson Publishers evokes emotion like the best fiction, scratches the brain like the best philosophy, and stirs a love for Creator and creation like the best theology.
His bursts of thought are not always clear-cut and linear, rather they seem to be confusing and unrelated at times. As his ideas shape the chapters, however, a...more
His bursts of thought are not always clear-cut and linear, rather they seem to be confusing and unrelated at times. As his ideas shape the chapters, however, a...more
I was only a few chapters in and I felt like I was at a smorgasbord, finally a book that could feed my deepest cravings. The book is intellectually stimulating and that is an understatement. It is a book that I literally wanted to start eating the pages it was so good. There are a few chapters I could easily tear out and would not miss them but otherwise I was well pleased.
Reading N.D. Wilson's book was a lot like sitting down having a real, but yet casual discussion with a friend ov...more
Reading N.D. Wilson's book was a lot like sitting down having a real, but yet casual discussion with a friend ov...more
I gave it five stars with around 60 pages left. Having now finished, I wish I could give it six.
What I consider the major theme of the book from page 70:
>
Are we on a world kick-started by a god who doesn't know how to drive? Is this god embarrassed? Did he not know that snowflakes would come with avalanches as well as the quaint village scenes they ruin?
Of course He did. This God is big, bigger than the world. Faith is hard on the back of a motorcycle, it ...more
What I consider the major theme of the book from page 70:
>
Are we on a world kick-started by a god who doesn't know how to drive? Is this god embarrassed? Did he not know that snowflakes would come with avalanches as well as the quaint village scenes they ruin?
Of course He did. This God is big, bigger than the world. Faith is hard on the back of a motorcycle, it ...more
It's hard to describe this book. It's about life and death, comedy and tragedy, good and evil, the paradoxes of our existence in this world spoken into being by the Great Author. He still speaks all around us, if we stop to look and listen. NOTES FROM THE TILT-A-WHIRL makes me want to listen even more.
Sometimes I felt like I was reading Annie Dillard, sometimes Donald Miller, sometimes the book of Job. The book is nonlinear, artistically written, inspired by art (mostly of the God-made...more
Sometimes I felt like I was reading Annie Dillard, sometimes Donald Miller, sometimes the book of Job. The book is nonlinear, artistically written, inspired by art (mostly of the God-made...more
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“Imagine a poem written with such enormous three-dimensional words that we had to invent a smaller word to reference each of the big ones; that we had to rewrite the whole thing in shorthand, smashing it into two dimensions, just to talk about it. Or don’t imagine it. Look outside. Human language is our attempt at navigating God’s language; it is us running between the lines of His epic, climbing on the vowels and building houses out of the consonants.”
—
10 people liked it
“In this story, the sun moves. In this story, every night meets a dawn and burns away in the bright morning. In this story, Winter can never hold back the Spring... He is the best of all possible audiences, the only Audience to see every scene, the Author who became a Character and heaped every shadow on Himself. The Greeks were right. Live in fear of a grinding end and a dank hereafter. Unless you know a bigger God, or better yet, are related to Him by blood.”
—
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