I’m not sure how this happened, but somehow my 2012 reading was dominated by non-fiction and only some blips of fiction, short stories, and poetry (in stark contrast to my rich year of fiction reading in 2011). Of the stories and novels I enjoyed in 2012, I think I would highlight just two (though I hope…
When I give talks based on Desiring the Kingdom, I often revisit my analysis of the mall as a consumerist cathedral. The concreteness and universality of the experience is usually a helpful entrée into the core concepts of my liturgical analysis of culture. A couple of resources to add to that analysis: When I was…
I was 15 years old when “Born in the U.S.A.” was released, and even those of us in Canada couldn’t evade its impact and allure. This was also the era of the emerging ubiquity of the music video, so Courtney Cox’s cameo in the “Dancing in the Dark” video is forever emblazoned on my memory….
Of the novels I read in 2011, here are the five that stand out in terms of their quality as well as their continued, lingering presence in my imagination: 5. Jonathan Franzen, Freedom. I began 2011 by reading this novel in January. Much-discussed, people seem to either love it or hate it. I’m in the…
5. Val Ross, Robertson Davies: A Portrait in Mosaic. [From my GoodReads review] Since reading Fifth Business, Davies has stood, for me, as the quintessential Canadian man of letters (I realize I’m just catching up with the 1970s in this respect). His emergence from a village in southwestern Ontario resonates with me, of course–though his…
Today, Ephiphany, is a fitting day to briefly highlight the poets I spent some time with in 2011, since I’ll begin with a poem on just that. 5. My subscription to Poetry is a primary source for new poetry in the house (along with their fantastic mobile app while I’m on the road). A favorite…