What are the intentions of this novel about a small town barber? What can we learn from a man named Jayber? Much. Wendell Berry's deceptively simple s...moreWhat are the intentions of this novel about a small town barber? What can we learn from a man named Jayber? Much. Wendell Berry's deceptively simple story follows Jayber Crow through his decades of service lowering the ears, cleaning the church, and digging the graves in Port William Kentucky. In all this we find he is living out the "questions to which you cannot be given answers."
How does one learn contentment in the face of longing? What is the source of faith and faithfulness? 'You will have to live them out - perhaps a little at a time.' 'And how long is that going to take?' 'I don't know. As long as you live, perhaps.' 'That could be a long time.' 'I will tell you a further mystery,' he said. 'It may take longer.'
I listened to the Audible.com unabridged version while commuting and running. One chapter near the end is more of an essay on modern farming and land development. Though understandable coming from Berry, it was a bit distracting in the context of the novel.(less)
Enjoyable. The Writing Life is a humorous glimpse into Dillard's writing process. The quick read is filled with anecdotes expertly transformed into al...moreEnjoyable. The Writing Life is a humorous glimpse into Dillard's writing process. The quick read is filled with anecdotes expertly transformed into allegories designed to provide encouragement and wisdom.
-Read via Audible.com's audio version for HM 2011.(less)
Full of the dark and grotesque circumstances from which we think we are isolated. Thoughtfully read, O'Connor points us to the hope that begins with s...moreFull of the dark and grotesque circumstances from which we think we are isolated. Thoughtfully read, O'Connor points us to the hope that begins with seeing things as they really are.
These are stories for those who like Ruby Turpin (Revelation) cannot fathom why someone would ever think them a "war hog from hell."
Read via audible.com; it was very well-produced and narrated.(less)
Acedia is the term coined by the desert ascetics for the temptation to a particular kind of restlessness and sorrow. It is not an illness. It is not d...moreAcedia is the term coined by the desert ascetics for the temptation to a particular kind of restlessness and sorrow. It is not an illness. It is not depression. It's neither sloth nor laziness. Personified as the noonday-demon, acedia was once considered one of the deadly sins. The term has given way to sloth, but it might be better described as the father of sloth. It is the temptation to diversion that keeps one off-task and unproductive when facing a deadline or goal. It is a form of apathy that arises from sensory overload.
In Acedia and Me, Kathleen Norris defines acedia by tracing the use of the term in the literature of the early church through the time of Thomas Aquinas. The concept is illustrated by Norris' candid accounts of its affects within her marriage and life as a writer. 'Acedia is the particular enemy of anyone whose work requires self-motivation and solitude." Her memoir teaches us that acedia presses "anyone who remains married 'for better, for worse,' anyone who is determined to stay true to a commitment that is sorely tested in everyday life."
A good defense involves knowing our enemies. Having the name of a common but often overlooked temptation is helpful. Better still, are Norris' accounts of the effectiveness of simplicity and ritual in the thwarting of that temptation. It is through the disciplined doing of that which we might deem "dispiriting duties" or crude necessities that we learn contentment. That "faith and love operate best through humble means of boring everyday occupations is a thoroughly biblical perspective, for its stories repeatedly remind us God's attention is fixed on what we regard as unimportant and unworthy." Best of all is Norris' commendation of both the act and content of liturgical and lectionary based devotion and prayer. Her use of the Psalms in battling acedia is particularly helpful.
I listened to this quickly as required reading for a recent conference. The Audible download was good. Mrs. Norris served well enough as the narrator of her own work, though I would have preferred a professional reader.(less)
It's Bradbury. It's a childhood summer in small town Indiana. It's new shoes, lawn mowers, automaton fortune tellers, and learning what it is to be al...moreIt's Bradbury. It's a childhood summer in small town Indiana. It's new shoes, lawn mowers, automaton fortune tellers, and learning what it is to be alive, all in a bottle of Dandelion Wine vintage 1928.(less)
A great overview of America's indigenous music and the struggles of its creators. The focus is on the biographies of the major players and the social ...moreA great overview of America's indigenous music and the struggles of its creators. The focus is on the biographies of the major players and the social circumstances that shaped their music.
Keep notes and stream copies of the mentioned titles.(less)
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