Most of my “professional” reading (which I don’t usually chronicle here) falls into the “nonfiction” category. So my reading “for pleasure” tends to be thinner in this area. But here are five standouts (with one hat-tip to a professional book worth mentioning): 5. David Kelsey, Eccentric Existence: A Theological Anthropology. I’ll give one shout out…
5. Sherman Alexie, Face. I’m a late comer to Alexie, but was immediately hooked. Granted, in the vein of Billy Collins, Alexie is probably one of our most accessible poets, but without the schmaltz of, say, Mary Oliver. I found this collection sincere and searingly honest, opening up worlds for me that would otherwise have…
As with almost all of these categories, it’s tough to narrow down to just five favorites, but here goes: 5. Thomas Wolfe, “The Lost Boy,” in The American Short Story, ed. Thomas K. Parkes. I’ve got a big soft spot for Thomas Wolfe, so it’s difficult for me to be objective. This story presages the…
As per my custom over the last several years, I’ll spend the next week recounting some of my reading highlights from 2010. I used to do this over at What I’m Reading, but having effectively abandoned that blog, I’ll incorporate the tradition here at Fors Clavigera. I will choose five favorites from four different genres:…
I’ve never tried posting a review from GoodReads, so thought I’d try a little experiment here: Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart My rating: 4 of 5 stars A quirky, prescient story set in the not-too-distant future. Comprised of the diary of Lenny Ambramov, interspersed with the “GlobalTeens” (aka Facebook?) communications of his…
‘Tis the season for JKAS videos, I guess. Some might recall that Brazos offered a little giveaway on their Facebook page, soliciting questions in connections with Letters to a Young Calvinist. We recorded short video responses to four questions, and the first two are now available. Q from Ben Dodd: Are there 1 or 2…