2013 Book a Week Reading Challenge Update
A Year of Living Biblically, by A.A. Jacobs. Written by a secular Jews, but kuddos to him for given it a go. His writing is funny, if not irreverent, but he gives equal play to all parties. He was thorough, willing to meet and talk with people outside the norms, outside of his norms, and approach the Bible with a true sense of wanting to know.Would that the church would apply itself with as much fervor. Granted, living Biblically was Jacobs' job for the year, but if that, then even more so the church.
He did coin the phrase, "reverent atheist" which we heard from Gretchen Rubin (The Happiness Project) and others. I'm not a fan of the phrase. How can you be reverent, "Feeling or showing deep and solemn respect" to someone or something you don't acknowledge? Agnostic: one who is not committed to believing in either the existence or the nonexistance of God or a god.
Semantic word-play by those who can't commit. Other than that, a very good and challenging read. Challenging as, "How do I live Biblically each year? I have an answer for that, but it would kind of take over this post.
My Life Deleted: The Memoir of Scott Bolzan, former NFL player and business man who slipped in the bathroom at work and came to not knowing who or where he was. Bolzan suffers from retrograde amnesia and had to learn everything, including the meanings of words like, "family," "bedroom" and "television." An interesting look at what binds us to each other, the value and importance of memories and our sense of self, purpose and identity. The Bolzan's worked with a writer and it shows, especially towards the end of the book. It's a compelling story, but not necessarily compelling writing.
The Girls from Ames: a group of 10 that have been friends since high school. One of my co-workers in CA had a group- 16 I think- of friends from high school. She called them her "sisters" and that fascinated me. I moved every 2 years as a child, and to think about people hanging together like this- going on vacations, taking formal pictures together, being intimately invovled in each other's lives with folks from elementary and high school blows me away. Very much like, "The Necklace"- about the formation and generation of a community of women.
The Red Falcons of Tremoine- a YA read-aloud from Bethlehem books. A lovely medieval story about family, honor and forgiveness. Lots of fun discussions about the norms and modes of feudal society, castle development and freedom. Flower kept saying, "Why didn't Leo just leave. Who cares if the Baron told him to stay."
Watched 7 Minutes in Heaven last night. A fascinating Indie film about a woman who is dead for 7 minutes. It is full of double entendre, but the upshot is that Gaila (the protagonist) can, and does, ultimately decide, her fate. She wants her life back, before the bombing that left her boyfriend dead, her body scarred and her memory fractured. A "neo-noir," it will keep you thinking. In light of Scott Bolzan's life, it's especially fascinating. Magical, mystical thinking vs. the harsh reality of it often is what it is.
Watched the new Tron with my 13 year. This is love, people. More spontaneous evolution amongst computers, much like Triggers by Sawyers. Right. And the cute computer chip chick just morphs into a warm body. Puhleeze.
I am currently reading So Good They Can't Ignore You, by Cal Thomas, which refutes the passion mind-set. More excellent fodder for educating classically. I'll be writing more about it later. (gotta finish the book first)
What are you reading/ watching?
A Year of Living Biblically, by A.A. Jacobs. Written by a secular Jews, but kuddos to him for given it a go. His writing is funny, if not irreverent, but he gives equal play to all parties. He was thorough, willing to meet and talk with people outside the norms, outside of his norms, and approach the Bible with a true sense of wanting to know.Would that the church would apply itself with as much fervor. Granted, living Biblically was Jacobs' job for the year, but if that, then even more so the church.
He did coin the phrase, "reverent atheist" which we heard from Gretchen Rubin (The Happiness Project) and others. I'm not a fan of the phrase. How can you be reverent, "Feeling or showing deep and solemn respect" to someone or something you don't acknowledge? Agnostic: one who is not committed to believing in either the existence or the nonexistance of God or a god.
Semantic word-play by those who can't commit. Other than that, a very good and challenging read. Challenging as, "How do I live Biblically each year? I have an answer for that, but it would kind of take over this post.
My Life Deleted: The Memoir of Scott Bolzan, former NFL player and business man who slipped in the bathroom at work and came to not knowing who or where he was. Bolzan suffers from retrograde amnesia and had to learn everything, including the meanings of words like, "family," "bedroom" and "television." An interesting look at what binds us to each other, the value and importance of memories and our sense of self, purpose and identity. The Bolzan's worked with a writer and it shows, especially towards the end of the book. It's a compelling story, but not necessarily compelling writing.
The Girls from Ames: a group of 10 that have been friends since high school. One of my co-workers in CA had a group- 16 I think- of friends from high school. She called them her "sisters" and that fascinated me. I moved every 2 years as a child, and to think about people hanging together like this- going on vacations, taking formal pictures together, being intimately invovled in each other's lives with folks from elementary and high school blows me away. Very much like, "The Necklace"- about the formation and generation of a community of women.
The Red Falcons of Tremoine- a YA read-aloud from Bethlehem books. A lovely medieval story about family, honor and forgiveness. Lots of fun discussions about the norms and modes of feudal society, castle development and freedom. Flower kept saying, "Why didn't Leo just leave. Who cares if the Baron told him to stay."
Watched the new Tron with my 13 year. This is love, people. More spontaneous evolution amongst computers, much like Triggers by Sawyers. Right. And the cute computer chip chick just morphs into a warm body. Puhleeze.
I am currently reading So Good They Can't Ignore You, by Cal Thomas, which refutes the passion mind-set. More excellent fodder for educating classically. I'll be writing more about it later. (gotta finish the book first)
What are you reading/ watching?
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