March 29, 2005
Blue Like Jazz by Miller, Donald
Filed under: Memoir | Buy on Amazon
I've heard people rave about this book, but it took me a while to finally pick it up. I'm glad I did.
Continue reading "Miller, Donald"
March 28, 2005
Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith by Lamott, Anne
Filed under: Spirituality | Buy on Amazon
I love Anne Lamott. She's crazy and nuts and loves Jesus. Her ficiton is good, but her nonfiction really makes you love this dreadlocked freak.
Continue reading "Lamott, Anne"
March 18, 2005
About a Boy by Hornby, Nick
Filed under: Fiction | Buy on Amazon
Will is a terribly hip, selfish British prick. He's 36, lives alone, and does nothing for a living.
Continue reading "Hornby, Nick"
How to be Good by Hornby, Nick
Filed under: Fiction | Buy on Amazon
This is not a feel good romance.
Continue reading "Hornby, Nick"
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Angelou, Maya
Filed under: Memoir | Buy on Amazon
In the movie Reality Bites, Ben Stiller claims he knows why the caged bird sings in an effort not to look like a corporate doorknob. Winona Ryder laughs, ask him why, and he says something about because it was in a cage.
Continue reading "Angelou, Maya"
Soul Survivor by Yancey, Philip
Filed under: Spirituality | Buy on Amazon
The writer who brought us What's So Amazing About Grace and The Jesus I Never Knew gives us a glimpse into the writers and personalities that influenced him.
Continue reading "Yancey, Philip"
The Prodigal Summer by Kingsolver, Barbara
Filed under: Fiction | Buy on Amazon
Finally, a convincing argument for the interconnectedness of nature and humanity that doesn't come off as tree-hugging environmentalism.
Continue reading "Kingsolver, Barbara"
Among Schoolchildren by Kidder, Tracy
Filed under: Non-Fiction | Buy on Amazon
Kidder puts you in the classroom and lets you see and experience everything that happens in Chris Zajak's fifth grade class in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
Continue reading "Kidder, Tracy"
A Sort of Life by Greene, Graham
Filed under: Memoir | Buy on Amazon
And a sort of book. What a let-down from what I've come to expect from Graham Greene.
Continue reading "Greene, Graham"
Teaching a Stone to Talk by Dillard, Annie
Filed under: Non-Fiction | Buy on Amazon
This is a great introduction to the writing of Annie Dillard.
Continue reading "Dillard, Annie"
Tuck Everlasting by Babbitt, Natalie
Filed under: Fiction | Buy on Amazon
This magical tale about living forever is a good thought-provoking read for a Sunday afternoon.
Continue reading "Babbitt, Natalie"
Brave New World by Huxley, Aldous
Filed under: Sci-Fi | Buy on Amazon
Nothing like the classic dis-topian sci-fi novels.
Continue reading "Huxley, Aldous"
I Am Relevant by Various
Filed under: Non-Fiction | Buy on Amazon
If you want to feel like you can accomplish something, read this book.
A Live Coal in the Sea by L'Engle, Madeleine
Filed under: Fiction | Buy on Amazon
It sounds like a soap opera, unfolds like a mystery novel, and reads like a classic.
Continue reading "L'Engle, Madeleine"
The Stand by King, Stephen
Filed under: Sci-Fi | Buy on Amazon
In my lifetime of reading I've always steered clear of Stephen King, the master of horror, gore, and million dollar contracts. But I'm beginning to see that he has some skills, and I decided to read something by King.
Continue reading "King, Stephen"
The Jesus I Never Knew by Yancey, Philip
Filed under: Spirituality | Buy on Amazon
I find myself commiserating with Yancey; despite being raised in the church and attending a Christian college, and now even working for a Christian organization, I feel like I have little understanding of Jesus.
Continue reading "Yancey, Philip"
Big Trouble by Barry, Dave
Filed under: Fiction | Buy on Amazon
The current king of humor writing attempts his first novel, and while the results aren't exactly dripping with literary greatness, it is a good read.
Continue reading "Barry, Dave"
The Jesus Generation by Graham, Billy
Filed under: Spirituality | Buy on Amazon
Take a retro ride into Christianity circa 1971 with your favorite crusading hipster, Billy Graham.
Continue reading "Graham, Billy"
The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls by Brumberg, Joan Jacobs
Filed under: Non-Fiction | Buy on Amazon
Anyone who has dealt with teenage girls has seen an overabundance of insecurity and infatuation with the perfect body.
Continue reading "Brumberg, Joan Jacobs"
March 17, 2005
All New People by Lamott, Anne
Filed under: Fiction | Buy on Amazon
This short novel captures humanity in the amazingly descriptive style of Anne Lamott.
Continue reading "Lamott, Anne"
Stength to Love by King, Jr., Martin Luther
Filed under: Spirituality | Buy on Amazon
This collection of sermons by Martin Luther King, Jr. is incredibly intelligent and inspiring.
Continue reading "King, Jr., Martin Luther"
Ophelia Speaks by Shandler, Sara
Filed under: Non-Fiction | Buy on Amazon
Written as a response to Reviving Ophelia, this book features the work of adolescent girls from every region and socio-economic background writing about their lives.
Continue reading "Shandler, Sara"
Lion Country by Buechner, Frederick
Filed under: Fiction | Buy on Amazon
Lion Country is the first novel in the Book of Bebb, and serves to introduce characters that Buechner couldn't stop writing about.
Continue reading "Buechner, Frederick"
Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia by Hornbacher, Marya
Filed under: Memoir | Buy on Amazon
A difficult book about one women's struggle with eating disorders.
Continue reading "Hornbacher, Marya"
Telling Secrets by Buechner, Frederick
Filed under: Memoir | Buy on Amazon
The third in a series of memoirs from Buechner, Telling Secrets covers some of the same ground as Sacred Journey, but this time around delves deeper into Buechner's various roles and the secrets he's kept, especially his daughter's struggle with an eating disorder. It's a quick read and some excellent prose, a fine example of Buechner's long sentences (routinely 100+ words) that somehow don't become long-winded.
The Princess Bride by Goldman, William
Filed under: Fiction | Buy on Amazon
It's as delightfully wacky and fun as the movie (and if you haven't seen the movie, I pity you), but with more details and goofball comments from Goldman about why he left parts out. After a while you wonder who let him ramble like this, but it's a fun ride. It captures the power of story and is a perfect book to read out loud.
Fahrenheit 451 by Bradbury, Ray
Filed under: Sci-Fi | Buy on Amazon
An amazing sci-fi novel written 50 years ago that is so applicable today.
Continue reading "Bradbury, Ray"
An Invisible Sign of My Own by Bender, Aimee
Filed under: Fiction | Buy on Amazon
This is an odd little novel with a main character that's far beyond normal but not quite clinical. Despite the oddities, it's a fun read and full of some extremely poetic writing.
Unique, odd, strange? Yes. But that's okay.
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Scieszka, Jon
Filed under: Picture Books | Buy on Amazon
This slightly cracked book is a must have for the quirky individual who likes an irreverent take on the classics.
Continue reading "Scieszka, Jon"
Holes by Sachar, Louis
Filed under: Fiction | Buy on Amazon
Stanley Yelnats has been sentenced to dig a hole a day, five feet deep and five feet across.
Continue reading "Sachar, Louis"
May There Be a Road by L'Amour, Louis
Filed under: Fiction | Buy on Amazon
This collection of previously unpublished stories from the master of Westerns leaves you wanting something deeper.
Continue reading "L'Amour, Louis"
Crooked Little Heart by Lamott, Anne
Filed under: Fiction | Buy on Amazon
Reading Anne Lamott's nonfiction is like talking to the ultimate sinner-turned-Christian. She's still rough around the edges and doesn't think that's a problem. In one sentence she swears and the next she marvels at Jesus. It's a little hard to handle for some, refreshing for others.
Continue reading "Lamott, Anne"
Blue Shoe by Lamott, Anne
Filed under: Fiction | Buy on Amazon
Mattie Ryder is a 37-year-old, mother of two who recently divorced her cheating husband and moved into her mother's rat-infested house.
Continue reading "Lamott, Anne"
The Poisonwood Bible by Kingsolver, Barbara
Filed under: Fiction | Buy on Amazon
The Poisonwood Bible isn't exactly Sunday School friendly. It's an exploration of the kind of faith it takes to withstand the heart of darkness.
Continue reading "Kingsolver, Barbara"
The Phantom Tollbooth by Juster, Norton
Filed under: Fiction | Buy on Amazon
By the second chapter of this book I was absolutely giddy. It's one of those children's books that you know is good because adults will enjoy it as much as children--if not more so.
Continue reading "Juster, Norton"
The BFG by Dahl, Roald
Filed under: Fiction | Buy on Amazon
Roald Dahl is a master of children's fiction. We're talking James and the Giant Peach and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The BFG is no exception. It explores giants, dreams, expectations, and the little guy coming out ahead.
Continue reading "Dahl, Roald"
Jayber Crow by Berry, Wendell
Filed under: Fiction | Buy on Amazon
Wendell Berry's latest novel is another story from the fictional town of Port William. This time around it's the life story of Jaber Crow.
Continue reading "Berry, Wendell"
Fast Food Nation by Schlosser, Eric
Filed under: Non-Fiction | Buy on Amazon
American as apple pie. Once upon a time that statement provoked images of a warm bubbly pie, fresh out of the oven, round and delicious. Today that image is more accurately portrayed as "a small, rectangular, hand-held, frozen, and reheated apple pie," served in a brightly colored cardboard box.
Continue reading "Schlosser, Eric"
Enter the Worship Circle by Pasley, Ben
Filed under: Spirituality | Buy on Amazon
In a time when worship has become a marketing concept, Ben Pasley pens a personal and deeply spiritual portrait of what it really means to come before the God of all creation in worship.
Continue reading "Pasley, Ben"
The Virgin of Bennington by Norris, Kathleen
Filed under: Memoir | Buy on Amazon
This is a book that's not sure what story it's supposed to tell.
Continue reading "Norris, Kathleen"
Education of a Wandering Man by L'Amour, Louis
Filed under: Memoir | Buy on Amazon
Louis L'Amour is the master of story telling. He's written 90 novels, 23 short story collections, two works of nonfiction, one collection of poetry, and this final memoir, completed shortly before his death in June of 1988. It's not so much the life story of L'Amour as it's the story of his education.
Continue reading "L'Amour, Louis"
The Rock and Roll Rebellion by Joseph, Mark
Filed under: Pop Culture | Buy on Amazon
The Rock and Roll Rebellion has a curious purpose: it's written for a genre it argues shouldn't exist.
Continue reading "Joseph, Mark"
Word Freak by Fatsis, Stefan
Filed under: Non-Fiction | Buy on Amazon
'Freak' would be the appropriate word for this book.
Continue reading "Fatsis, Stefan"
Sexual Character: Beyond Technique to Intimacy by Dawn, Marva
Filed under: Spirituality | Buy on Amazon
For a sex-obsessed people we're remedial when it comes to understanding sex. Marva Dawn re-examines our understanding of sexuality and brings a character of ethics that's often missing.
Continue reading "Dawn, Marva"
When Bad Christians Happen to Good People by Burchett, Dave
Filed under: Spirituality | Buy on Amazon
How can you not like a title like that?
Continue reading "Burchett, Dave"
Praise, Anxiety, & Other Symptoms of Grace by Horstman, Joey
Filed under: Non-Fiction | Buy on Amazon
I have to start by admitting that Joey Horstman was my college professor. You may think I owe him something, but that's not the case. I graduated and my diploma is safely in my hands. Besides, he hasn't been returning my e-mails.
Continue reading "Horstman, Joey"
March 4, 2005
Who Let the Blogs Out? by Stone, Biz
Filed under: Business | Buy on Amazon
Aside from its woefully lame title, it actually gives a decent overview of the blogging phenomenon.