Set in an Albania city during the Second World War that repeatedly changes hands between Italians, Greeks, Communists, and the Germans. Told from the Set in an Albania city during the Second World War that repeatedly changes hands between Italians, Greeks, Communists, and the Germans. Told from the perspective of a young boy and based on Kadare's own childhood experiences. This is a wonderful tale full of rich characters and a vivid setting. The second of his novels I've read, both a delight....more
I have read sections of this book over a few years as they were relevant to preparing a sermon or Bible study, and after recently using it a good dealI have read sections of this book over a few years as they were relevant to preparing a sermon or Bible study, and after recently using it a good deal while preaching a Genesis sermon series, I elected to read all the parts I hadn't yet.
The book is full of profound, curious, and provocative insights as Bloom develops his idea that the author of the oldest parts of the Torah must have been a woman of the royal court writing during the reign of Rehoboam. What distracts from reading the book in whole is how repetitive it is....more
Tripp has written a fine book. He's pulled together so many different theological threads and made sense of them.
The first chapter conscisely and strTripp has written a fine book. He's pulled together so many different theological threads and made sense of them.
The first chapter conscisely and straightforwardly summarizes some of the key themes of Process thought. The second chapter is the best summary of the current state of historical Jesus research I've read. Subsequent chapters review major developments in Christology and places differing voices in conversation with one another developing from them the major themes that a contemporary theology should have. And the conclusion draws it all together to present a fresh and inspiring picture of the Christ.
I know I'll find it helpful for teaching and preaching for years. Thank you Tripp. ...more
I first met Jacob Goodson more than twenty years ago when he was a brand new freshman just starting his pursuit of philosophy. He was eager to learn eI first met Jacob Goodson more than twenty years ago when he was a brand new freshman just starting his pursuit of philosophy. He was eager to learn everything. Now he's an established professor with a few published books.
In this volume Goodson discusses some predictions that the philosopher Richard Rorty made in the 1990's about America in the 21st century. Rorty predicted that from 2014-2045 America would through dark years--gun violence and racial unrest would proliferate, a populist strongman would be elected in 2016, we'd experience a Second Great Depression, etc. According to Rorty this resulted from the failures of the academy to address the concerns of the poor, generating resentment that led to the rise of populism.
Of course, as these predictions have come true, attention has returned to Rorty's thoughts. Goodson's book discusses how we should understand and evaluate Rorty's predictions.
The second aspect of Rorty's 21st century predictions is that we would come out of the dark years with a new and renewed politics based on love. Through the dark years Americans, through reading novels and scripture, would develop sympathy that generate shame about the inequities of our system resulting in social solidarity. More of Goodson's book focuses on these predictions, finally centering on what kind of hope we might have that this outcome will materialize.
A worthy contribution to public philosophy and our attempt to better understand the moment we are living through....more
Maybe I would have felt differently if I had read it a decade ago, but I just didn't care much for this book and am surprised at its reputation. None Maybe I would have felt differently if I had read it a decade ago, but I just didn't care much for this book and am surprised at its reputation. None of these characters are attractive and strangely they almost all lack any depth. I can imagine short stories or novels of some weight and substance with these characters and plots, but that's absent in this book. For example, in chapter 11 art professor Ted spends time admiring a sculpture of Orpheus and Eurydice. But Egan narrates no depth or substance in this moment, despite it being rife for that.
The only chapter I found interesting was the final one which imagines an America in the 2020's too focused on unreality. That one has a prophetic bent to it and has turned out not to be too outrageous....more
Not as great as Rebecca, but a deliciously fun read with du Maurier's gift of big characters, foreboding settings, and tensely developed stories. AlsoNot as great as Rebecca, but a deliciously fun read with du Maurier's gift of big characters, foreboding settings, and tensely developed stories. Also the sometimes overwrought but still enjoyable language, such as this:
"He said nothing; and out of the silence came the whisper of the wind again. It rose and fell, making a moan upon the stones. This was a new wind, with a sob, and cry behind it, a wind that came from nowhere, bound from no shore. It rose from the stones themselves, and from the earth beneath the stones; it sang in the hollow caves and in the crevices of rock, at first a sigh and then a lamentation. It played upon the air like a chorus from the dead."...more
A searing portrayal of how oppressed a woman can be by patriarchal society. Firdaus, the main character, will always remain conscious to me. From chilA searing portrayal of how oppressed a woman can be by patriarchal society. Firdaus, the main character, will always remain conscious to me. From childhood she was a victim to predatory men and every attempt to develop her own agency was ultimately thwarted by another man, until she took the most extreme outcome in the end in order to find her own freedom. A powerful novel....more
Louise Erdrich is arguably our greatest current American novelist. I feel that strongly about her novels that I've read and her power to reveal characLouise Erdrich is arguably our greatest current American novelist. I feel that strongly about her novels that I've read and her power to reveal characters, develop stories, and shape words into sentences and paragraphs that delight.
There is much I really liked in this novel and that was worthy of four stars. And I admire the attempt to pursue a unique structure, with a series of almost stand alone stories with a complex use of chronology and an array of characters. But I don't think the ambition completely succeeds. Some of the stories and characters seem distractions from the main narrative and the first characters one is captivated by. And I was quite confused by the ending voiced in a character we had just met.
At Agate Fossil Beds National Monument in the Nebraska Panhandle, the most exciting thing for me was the surprising collection of Native American artiAt Agate Fossil Beds National Monument in the Nebraska Panhandle, the most exciting thing for me was the surprising collection of Native American artifacts that the family which once owned the ranch on which the fossils were discovered, had been given by their Native American friends. And the most surprising of those items was the war club American Horse used to kill Captain Fetterman. I distinctly went "Wow!" when I read the label posted by the club.
Now, this volume tells a different story of Fetterman's end--that he and a partner took their lives rather than being killed by the Lakota and their allies. I Googled and learned that this is a discrepancy between Native and Military versions of the story. Prior to reading this book, I had only read about the massacre and Red Cloud's war from accounts by or sympathetic to the Native perspective.
Last summer I bought this volume from the gift shop at Fort Hartsuff in the Nebraska Sandhills and finally read it while on vacation in the Black Hills this summer. It is a detailed account of the establishment and short life of Fort Phil Kearny and the famous massacre which helped contribute to Red Cloud's victory in his war against the United States and the ultimate disestablishment of the fort. So, if you like histories of the West or of the military, you'll enjoy this volume....more
The main characters Connell and Marianne are fully realized, with rich inner and outer lives, well narrated.
Rooney also uses some creative structure iThe main characters Connell and Marianne are fully realized, with rich inner and outer lives, well narrated.
Rooney also uses some creative structure in the ways chapters unfold the story, however, it feels as if a couple of structures become a form that then all the chapters must fit, so it came across as overly structured.
I think my biggest complaint, however, is that almost none of the supporting characters (only Eric maybe?) is more than one-dimensional. Now, we mostly view these characters through the inner lives of the two main characters, but I still think they could be more richly conceived.
So, I found the novel entertaining enough, but not a rich reading experience....more
I learned so much about Bonhoeffer, about whom I thought I knew a decent amount. But what was best about this book was that it was encouraging, in theI learned so much about Bonhoeffer, about whom I thought I knew a decent amount. But what was best about this book was that it was encouraging, in the strictest sense of the word, in that it gave me courage. Right now, in the midst of our current crises, it was very good to read about how other people of faith grappled with their crisis and faced it with courage and a zest for life.
"He saw it as an act of faith in God to step out in freedom and not to cringe from future possibilities."
And this direct quote from Bonhoeffer, "To renounce a full life and its real joys in order to avoid pain is neither Christian nor human."
And also this quote from him, "It is only by living completely in this world that one learns to have faith."
A reminder that we are inheritors of a proud, courageous legacy....more
I recently read an announcement of the new appearance in English of this classic Egyptian novel and was intrigued enough to order it. I've greatly enjI recently read an announcement of the new appearance in English of this classic Egyptian novel and was intrigued enough to order it. I've greatly enjoyed the novels of Naguib Mahfouz and was excited to read this novel of another writer in his circle that he recommended.
Much of the book was both enjoyable and funny, filled with satire, as we follow to young men, one poverty-stricken, the other a spoiled-rich university grad. The opening chapters, in particular, also were plotted in interesting and unique ways. As a writer, I was drawn to the time-sequencing and parallels. So the very structure of the novel was enjoyable for me.
However, I thought the story wasn't as enjoyable near the end, as it became a little more politically didactic. And the very final scene left a bad taste because of its sudden moral seriousness. In retrospect, this is clearly where the author was leading, but I wasn't expecting to head in that direction....more
I thought volume one of this trilogy was amazing. I cared less for the second installment. At first I felt the same about the third as the second, parI thought volume one of this trilogy was amazing. I cared less for the second installment. At first I felt the same about the third as the second, particularly because lots of new material was being introduced. Geek question to debate: Should the final volume of a sci-fi trilogy introduce new complications or simply resolve and reveal the questions arising from the first volume?
But the ending I felt was very strong and the themes of the book make it a worthy contribution to our shared literary tradition....more
I first heard Anna Carter Florence preach at the Festival of Homiletics in Atlanta in 2006. Despite not being close to the most famous preacher in theI first heard Anna Carter Florence preach at the Festival of Homiletics in Atlanta in 2006. Despite not being close to the most famous preacher in the line up at that event, she was, by far, the best preacher in the bunch. And since then she's remained one of my favourite preachers to hear preach or to lecture on preaching. Somehow I has missed this book before.
But it is either the best or second best book I've read on my craft (Fred Craddock's classic Preaching being the other).
Florence argues that faithful and effective preaching is a form of testimony, in which the preacher shares about their encounter with God in life and in the text. She develops this idea in three sections. The first is a history of the tradition of testimony in preaching focusing on three women Ann Hutchinson in the 17th century, Sarah Osborn in the 18th, and Jarena Lee in the 19th. These are excellent chapters. Even if you have known something about these women before (Osborn was new to me), you'll learn much more about them. Florence teases out the themes that are shared by these preachers, particularly that they spoke from outside the systems of authority.
The second section develops the theory of testimony based on Paul Ricoeur, Walter Brueggemann, Mary McClintock Fulkerson, and Rebecca Chopp. Florence writes about theory with felicity, humor, insight, and grace.
The final section gives practical advice to preachers on how to preach in this tradition. Clearly many of the techniques and suggestions are developed from her own practice and years of teaching at Columbia Seminary.
This was much more than just a book about preaching, it was a theology, a hermeneutic, an excellent contribution to the intellectual and spiritual life of the church....more
Short story collections are not my favorite genre of literature. One reason is how often a collection is inconsistent in its quality. But that's not tShort story collections are not my favorite genre of literature. One reason is how often a collection is inconsistent in its quality. But that's not the case with this collection. I enjoyed every single story. The are about women and girls with some Floridian connection dealing with the troubles of their lives. Often a sinister foreboding hangs over the story, though rarely materializing in any horrific way (these aren't Karen Russell stories, for instance).
I've not read Groff before but will definitely read more. She has great skills in developing a character, revealing inner thoughts, setting a scene, building tension. In other words, an excellent story teller....more
I read The Age of Anxiety because it was discussed in a book I read back in May about how Christian intellectuals had grappled with the crisis of the I read The Age of Anxiety because it was discussed in a book I read back in May about how Christian intellectuals had grappled with the crisis of the Second World War. This is a very strange poem, and most of the time I wasn't sure what to make of it. There were some good lines here and there. It does have a reputation for expressing the anxiety of its age, which I trust it does. But I didn't find much that I could make use of in our own anxious time....more
Some of the chapters were really good, others less so. And they don't tie together well. But it did occasion me to go back and re-read the theologian Some of the chapters were really good, others less so. And they don't tie together well. But it did occasion me to go back and re-read the theologian Stanley Hauerwas's brilliant essay "Bearing Reality" in which he discusses the main character of this novel....more
I devoured this book. Rarely have I underlined so many sentences in a novel. There are so many insightful and profound ideas. I also found it incredibI devoured this book. Rarely have I underlined so many sentences in a novel. There are so many insightful and profound ideas. I also found it incredibly funny. Often cackling out loud, which I also don't often do reading a novel.
By the halfway point I felt this novel a better representation of the genre than those I've read by Karl Ove Knausgaard to which they are often compared.
However, by the end, my view had slipped a little bit. Throughout she dropped hints about some of her own thoughts, but they never really appeared in any satisfactory form. Are they in the rest of the trilogy? Knausgaard almost overwhelms with his own thoughts.
By the final chapter, when one more dialogue partner was momentarily introduced, I was annoyed, which is not how one wants to feel at the end of a novel they have enjoyed....more
"Faith is 'verficiation' when it shows its ability to illuminate and bring to fullness the typically human dynamics of reason, affection, and freedom,"Faith is 'verficiation' when it shows its ability to illuminate and bring to fullness the typically human dynamics of reason, affection, and freedom, and so increases the existential certainty essential to an adult in all of life's circumstances."
According to Carron, Christianity should be attractive and appealing to humanity because Christian's should live rich, full, beautiful lives of affection, reason, and freedom.
I don't remember how this book entered my to-read list, probably something in The Christian Century a few years ago. The author is a Spanish Catholic theologian supporting the witness of Pope Francis while also embracing the theology of Pope Benedict. There were a number of areas where I disagreed about the particulars of an ethical and faithful life (marriage for instance) but the broad ideas were engaging and resonated with some of my other theological reading such as Wendell Berry and Stanley Hauerwas. I think I'll make use of some of the ideas and sentences, and always good to keep a little theological diversity in one's reading....more
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