August 28, 2008
The Road - Cormac McCarthy
This book was getting all sorts of press when it first published, but I didn’t have high hopes from an “Oprah’s Book Club” selection.
Man, oh man . . . I was way off. This book was amazing, heartbreaking, tragic, dark, haunting, redemptive. It’s a post-apocalyptic story about a man and his son, walking a road, just trying to survive. That’s it. You never hear what caused the world to be this way, McCarthy only offers glimpses into what this world really is like (but they are terrible, horrible insights), and the story doesn’t really resolve. But it’s a beautiful book with a great, simple prose and a stellar introduction to me of Mr. McCarthy’s work.
note: We finally watched No Country For Old Men a couple nights ago, which is the acclaimed movie adaptation of McCarthy’s acclaimed novel of the same name. Also amazing.
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Books, Seattle Life, movies | Tagged: cormac mccarthy, no country for old men, oprah, the road | 
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Posted by klnussbaum
August 27, 2008
For a couple years, I really didn’t read too much. I’m not sure why, since one of my favorite things in the world is to sit on a couch on a rainy day (we don’t get too many of those, of course) with a cup of Market Spice House Blend and a good book. But, since I finally watched the final episode of The Wire (greatest TV show ever, Ever, EVAAAAAAR!!!!!), I have taken to reading again on the bus to and from work. Here are the last four books I finished:
Mudhouse Sabbath - Lauren Winner
This one was a tiny, three-trip book, and it’s one of the books I got with my birthday gift certificate from my sister-in-law. Lauren is one of those authors with a solid following amoung those of the post-modern or Emergent mindset, but I’ve never felt that her stuff really screamed her allegiance to that bunch. Rather, her upbringing in Judaism gives her Christianity a unique, insightful voice. Mudhouse Sabbath is just a collection of ten Jewish practices that she feels like Christians should understand and possibly adopt. She does a great job bridging the two religions, highlighting their similarities and helping Christians see the beauty of the rhythm and rote of Judaism.
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Books, Seattle Life, Television | Tagged: lauren winner, mudhouse sabbath, market spice tea, the wire | 
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Posted by klnussbaum
July 28, 2008
I was turned on to Anne Rice’s Christ The Lord series in part by my good friend John, who wrote about her debut work in the series a couple years ago. Her follow-up is equally good, if not better, because (as John says) she is now starting to weave the Biblical narrative into her intensive research into the first-century Middle East.
I finished it today (while sitting by the pool - ha!) and loved a dialog that took place near the end of the book, right after Jesus has performed his miracle of turning water into wine. It’s a thoughtful insight into the debate of loving versus fighting with your enemies, and some may not like where Jesus falls on that spectrum.
“James, don’t you understand what I want? Look into the faces of those around you who saw the wine come from the jar. I want an innovation that will ignite the world. That wine is no less than the blood inside my veins. I come to bring the Face of the Lord — to the whole wide world.”
They fell silent.
“The Face of the Lord,” I repeated it. I looked intently at James, and at Cleopas. I looked one by one at each of them. “The Face of the Lord I mean to bring to all.”
Silence. They stood still loosely gatherd and staring at me, rapt yet not daring to speak.
“Don’t you know all battles fought with swords are ultimately lost battles?” I asked. “Don’t you see yourselves that Scripture and history are filled with battles? What comes of battles? Don’t speak to me of Alexander or Pompehy or Augustus, of Germanicus or any Casaer. Don’t speak to me of ensigns whether they are raised on high in Jerusalem of lost in the Teutoburg Forest of the far north. Don’t speak to me of King David or of his son Solomon. Look at me as I stand here! I want a victory that far surpasses anything that’s been written, either in ink or in blood.”
(For good measure, here’s a great editorial by Anne Rice that ran on the Washington Post site. Thanks to Zach, via John.)
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Books, Religion | Tagged: anne rice, christ the lord, finding rhythym, some strange ideas, the road to cana | 
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Posted by klnussbaum
September 10, 2007
I’ve known Tom Davis for a while now (and mentioned him here, here, here, and here), so I jumped at the chance to get an early copy of his new book Red Letters. Like anyone who works in Africa (like Steven, for example), he has the desperate passion of someone who has literally changed the lives of hundreds but only sees the millions that remain.
(A word of warning; I’ve already passed this book along to a friend in North Carolina, so my apologies for being a bit vague here.)
The best (and by best, I mean “the most tear-inducing) parts of the book come through the stories of the children that Tom has met. There’s the girl that was so violently raped BY HER UNCLES that she is unable to control her bladder. Another girl who, after the death of her parents, has to provide and care for her younger siblings at the mature age of 10. These are stories that will make you cry, no matter who or where you are (it’s a bit embarassing on the bus, might I add).
Red Letters does a good job illustrating the ways that our (the Western world) help is needed. Tom walks the somewhat delicate line between conviction and guilt well, leaving the readers wanting to help in whichever way that they can. It’s not a high-art piece of literature; it’s a gritty, desperate plea for us to start to read the red letters of our Bibles and live accordingly.
May we all get the message.
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Posted by klnussbaum
July 31, 2007
Back in February, I mentioned my old quasi-boss Tom’s new project, 5 For 50. According to him:
In trying to figure out what I can do to provide justice to the weak,
here’s what I’ve come up with. My heart is to mobilize others to help
the widow, the orphan and the poor. In an attempt to do that, I’m
starting a foundation tied in with my book, Red Letters called Five for
50. It’s about 5 simple steps any of us can do to stand in solidarity
with the 50 million people in the world infected with HIV. Here’s how
it works:
- Give 5 minutes a day to pray for those suffering from HIV/AIDS.
- Give 5 hours a week to fast for those suffering from HIV/AIDS.
- Give 5 dollars a month to the Five for 50 Fund and support worthy causes.
- Give 5 days a year to travel overseas and help alleviate poverty and suffering.
- Give 5 people an opportunity to join you on your journey.
The site is up and running and has a link for you to donate enough to feed, educate, and clothe one, 5, 10, or more childern. The cost? $5 a month (per child). That’s it. Let me put it in terms we’ll all understand. That’s merely one grande iced mocha and a muffin. A month.
Click here to head to the site, and go here to request a sample chapter of Tom’s new book, Red Letters.
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Posted by klnussbaum
July 21, 2007
Being the giant nerd that I am, I was of course in line to purchase the final installment of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, at 11:45PM last night. My friend had a wristband for me, so I was out the door and home from Borders by 12:21am. I sat down with a bowl of ice cream and read the whole thing from start to finish. It was great.
and yes. I am very sleepy.
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Posted by klnussbaum
April 18, 2007
I was up visiting my mom and dad (in Vancouver, BC) a couple weeks ago and my mom showed me one of the books she’s reading as research for a class she’s teachings. It was Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Ms. Ali is a Somali-born woman who immigrated to Holland, receiving political asylum. She has become an outspoken critic of Islam, and wrote the screenplay for Submission, a ten-minute short film that famously led to the assasination of its director, Theo van Gogh, in 2004.
She showed us Submission on Youtube. Honestly, I can see what the fuss truly is about. Remember back a couple years ago to the outrage that the piece known as "Piss Christ" and the painting of Mary covered in elephant dung. Christians were outraged, while others just shrugged their shoulders and called it "art." The artists involved in these two works took items and ideas of great religious significance to millions of people and defaced them. Exactly like Ali and van Gogh did with Submission. Where we Westerners see a damning piece of quas-propaganda, Muslims see their religious and cultural icons blasphemed beyond belief.
Judge for yourself.
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Posted by klnussbaum
. But, it is giving me a chance to read a bit more. I decided to take a break from Dostoevsky and read the new Chuck Klosterman book 
. It’s a story about a man named Emperor Arcadia, and it relates how Mark developed a friendship with him that ultimately saved his life.
