God’s Politics, written just after the 2004 presidential elections, takes the prophets of the Old Testament and applies their lessons to modern day politics. What do Isaiah, Micah, Amos, and the other prophets of the Bible have to say about economics, foreign policy, national security, and all of the other pressing issues of the day? This book is an excellent read for anyone seeking to truly ground their politics in Abrahamic religion (and not just in the same way as the Religious Right invokes God in everything they do). It is also a great read for any politico interested in the role of religion in American politics today, any religious person of an Abrahamic faith (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) who follows politics, or any religious person who feels that their religion has been hijacked and distorted by politicians both left and right.

Up until the end, I only had a very minor criticism of the book. I thought that Rev. Wallis oversimplified some of the economic issues. That’s a very minor complaint – Rev. Wallis is a pastor, not an economist, I don’t expect perfection on every economic suggestion he makes. There are other books for such things. Then at the end of the book, Rev. Wallis writes a list of “things we can hope for” for the future. One of those things was about the Catholic Church. Besides the fact that I completely disagreed with his statement on a theological level, it had NOTHING to do with the rest of his book at all. Nothing whatsoever. The issue he mentioned wasn’t even referenced in a passing manner in the entire rest of the book. Nor was it primarily an issue of American politics. It was completely irrelevant to the whole book. Completely unnecessary, as well as theologically shaky, at best. If it weren’t for that one sentence, this book would be getting five stars.

But one sentence I took issue with isn’t enough for me not to recommend this book. If you fall into any of the categories I list in my first paragraph, you should definitely read this book.

Read this in little bits and pieces at work, since it was the only book worth reading on the office bookshelf. Now I’m done with it, and, conveniently, I’m quitting tomorrow. Stayed just long enough.

I was amused. Funny book. The version I read had pictures (some of them were even in color!). I like how it can still be funny even centuries after it was written. Of course, every time I picked up the book, I either started having visions of Wishbone running after Don Quixote battling the windmills, or my mind’s resident Broadway cast started up with “To Dream the Impossible Dream”. Fun times.

Anyways, good book, easy read, recommended.

Wish I could write like Bill Bryson.

Great book. Highly recommended to just about everybody. I would love to hike the Appalachian Trail (so far, I’ve done maybe 2 miles of the trail somewhere in Virginia), but until I get myself in shape and am prepared to remove myself from the world for about 5 months, I’ll be content with Bryson’s account of the trip. There are some beautiful descriptions of the trail and the beauty of the American woods between Georgia and Maine, bits of trial humor, anecdotes about runins with other hikers, tiny towns along the way, and fuzzy critters of various sizes.

One thing I really like about Bryson’s writing is that he slips in a whole lot of informational/educational stuff almost unnoticed. A Walk in the Woods gives you history of the AT, the parks service, various small towns, American environmentalism, the state and health of the woods, the Army Corps of Engineers, all sorts of stuff. There were several parts that seriously depressed the tree-hugging environmentalist in me: stories of the incompetence of those charged with the care of the Trail and American Woodlands, stories of the disappearance of various species of flora and fauna, such as the American Chestut, from the woods…but overall a good happy story.

This book is HILARIOUS. One of my friends picked it up as part of a gift package the two of us are putting together. The illustrations are great. Plus, not only is the book hilariously funny, it’s useful too! Tips include how to choose embroidery for your robes (totally depends on the social situation), types of fancy shoes to look for (you really have to go for the shoes with curly toes), the necessity of having a fancy stick (it makes people think you have authority) and a big hat (pointy hats are best), and how to choose a shade of red for your Christmas outfits (make sure you don’t clash with the poinsettias!). This book would make a great gag gift – just make sure it’s going to someone who will appreciate its humor.

The Poe Shadow, Matthew Pearl’s second novel after The Dante Club, builds a story around the mystery surrounding the death of Edgar Allen Poe. The circumstances surrounding Poe’s death have never been fully explained, though many have tried over the years. In The Poe Shadow, the hero of the story, one Quentin Clark, an admirer and correspondant of Poe, takes it upon himself to investigate the writer’s death and restore his good name and reputation after he is witness to the tiny, anonymous funeral Poe is given and the subsequent slander of his name and writing talents by the press. From Baltimore to Washington to Paris, Clark searches out people close to Poe and those who were witness to events in his final days. Pearl bases many of these characters on his research of real people involved in the mystery and keeps their names unchanged. Clark enlists the help of a Parisian detective whom he believes to be the inspiration for a detective character in many of Poe’s stories, along the way accidently involving in the investigation another Parisian detective out to restore his own good name through his triumphant resolution of the mysterious circumstances surrounding Poe’s death. The investigation continues as a battle between the respective detectives for the “truth” as obsession with restoring Poe’s good name takes over Clark’s life, threatening both his career as a lawyer, his engagement, and his family’s opinions of his sanity.

I enjoyed The Dante Club more. Not really a bad book, but The Dante Club left me with high expectations for Pearl’s next book, and Shadow was disappointing. I was, to borrow a word from a good friend, underwhelmed.

Courage To Be Catholic is a thorough analysis and commentary on the scandal of 2002 when reports of sexual misconduct and abuse by Catholic clergy dominated the media. Weigel, a prominent Catholic author, analyzes the historical and cultural roots of the “crisis”, which cannot be limited simply to a media eager to discredit American bishops or to Catholic teachings on clerical celibacy, and then offers ideas for turning the crisis into an opportunity for a true renewal of the Church and the Catholic faith. Though the news reports are no longer dominated by stories of newly discovered instances of clerical sexual abuse, the book is still well worth reading, as the many issues involved in the crisis have yet to be adequately addressed. The book is honest and straightforward; Weigel does not attempt to downplay or direct attention away from the Church’s many weaknesses and failings that led to the scandal. However, it is also filled with a deep optimism and faith in the truth and beauty of Catholicism and the ability of both American Catholics and the worldwide Church to emerge from this scandal with a renewed and strengthened faith. This book should be on the reading list of every American Catholic, especially those who found their faith shaken and their spirit discouraged by the scandals that have rocked our Church.

A very well-written and well-presented case for alternative methods to combatting terrorism based on nonviolent engagement of civil society, rather than the militaristic tactics of the War on Terror. Elworthy and Rifkind (co-author not listed on this site) present a comprehensive strategy for breaking the cycle of terrorism and violence in societies scarred by terrorism and long-standing conflicts. For anyone interested in the study of peace and conflict or international affairs, this tiny book (less than 100 pages!) is well worth your time and a centimeter of space on your shelf.

What Jesus Meant is one of the most difficult books I’ve read in quite a while. The reading itself wasn’t exactly difficult per se; it was what Wills has to say that makes the book such a difficult read.

The premise of What Jesus Meant is that Jesus was a social radical for his time in a much greater way than contemporary Christianity usually understands Him, and His followers have generally misinterpreted Him, His words, and His actions ever since. Using historical contexts and quotes from the Gospels (Wills’ own translation), Wills has some very critical things to say about contemporary “Christian politics”, modern Christianity, the ways in which His teachings are (attempted to be) put into practice and manifested in our world today, and many other subjects.

I would love to reread this book with a discussion group or with a few of my friends. The book raised a lot of questions for me. Many of the things Wills touches on in his book I had an idea of already; I agreed with many of his points. However, there were several issues raised by Wills that I’m not sure I either understand completely or agree with (specifically, for example, some points about sexual ethics, and others about the Catholic priesthood). While reading What Jesus Meant, I got up several times to check find my Bible and check out passages Wills quotes from. Wills is very good about providing quotes and citations to back up his arguments.

Definitely a very thought-provoking book. I would love to explore Wills’ arguments more in depth, preferably with someone slightly more versed in Christian theology than I.

I love Vonnegut. I just want to throw that out there.

Man Without A Country is a nonfiction collection of writings and essays that Vonnegut came up with over the past few years that he assembled to make one beautifully well written work, a combination of memoir, commentary, and humor piece. Vonnegut touches on his family, his childhood, writing, politics, all sorts of good stuff. Shuffled into the book are some of Vonnegut’s original drawings and sketches, most of them depicting a short poem or quote.

A great book – in my opinion, some of Vonnegut’s very best writing – that any Vonnegut fan will love.

First of all, C. S. Lewis is an amazing writer. But we knew that.

In The Screwtape Letters, Lewis provides for us a correspondence between two demons, an uncle and his nephew, bureaucrats in the “lowerarchy” (as opposed to “hierarchy”) of Hell working to secure souls for “the Father Below”. This is the framework in which Lewis describes all those temptations and demons that plague the lives of modern Christians. The Letters are funny yet very serious at the same time, as is true of many of Lewis’ works. Both a hopeful tale and a cautionary one, The Screwtape Letters is a good addition to any Christian’s reading list.