Betrand Russell is a philosopher and author who has the strange combination of a strict logical background (he wrote the seminal text on symbolic logic Principia Mathematica with A. N. Whitehead) and a breezy and familiar (i.e. not academic) writing style. He is both a strict thinker and an entertaining writer. So why would these essays be “unpopular?” According to Russell, he argues against errors on both sides of the political landscape, debunking both the left and the right. He... Read more
I’ve begun reading a series that I’d avoided until I saw Scott Sigler talk about it on GoodReads. His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik is the first of the series. It takes the idea of “what if” there were dragons during the Napoleonic Wars. We follow a Naval lieutenant who is forced through unforeseen circumstances to be partnered up with a dragon. I’m tired of alternate histories. I’m tired of dragons. I never cared much for the Napoleonic war. So... Read more
The City by Dean Koontz That’s life. Always something, more good than bad, but always interesting if you’re paying attention. Recommended by my daughter, Rose, the voice in this book reminds me of Odd Thomas in its sweetness and innocence. However, this is narrated by a 10 year old instead of a grown man. The 10-year-old is a skinny, black, musical prodigy named Jonah Kirk. The time is the mid-1960’s when chaos reigns in America. The place is a mysterious... Read more
One of this book’s subtitles is “Walking with Peter from Galilee to Rome.” It’s the perfect description of this book. When I’ve read about Peter in scripture I usually tend to relate it to myself. Am I acting like Peter or not? What lessons could I learn from his life? I’ve never stopped to ask myself what Peter himself experienced every step of the way with Jesus. Or to wonder what he learned as he went on “alone” after the... Read more
Sandwiches and Dickens I was reading Barnaby Rudge and was startled by seeing a sandwich mentioned: He was not without some refreshment during the long lonely hours; generally carrying in his pocket a sandwich of bread and meat, and a small flask of wine. Now I know sandwiches were invented some time ago but I hadn’t come across them in fiction this old, especially as a reflection of casual everyday life. And this book was set around the time of... Read more
One book I have been meaning to get to is Arriving at Amen: Seven Catholic Prayers That Even I Can Offer by Leah Libresco since I was sure it would be interesting. So finally got around to buying it and totally enjoyed the whole book. Just stunningly good. For those unaware of Leah Libresco, she was previously an atheist blogger at Patheos. Her blog “Unequally Yoked” originally had the tagline “a geeky atheist picks fights with her Catholic boyfriend.” In... Read more
Unemployed programmer Hiro Protagonist works as a pizza delivery guy in a not too distant future, but it is far enough that the world is a very different place. Big businesses have gotten really big, owning neighborhoods where people are quasi-citizens of the company. They run legitimate businesses like Uncle Enzo’s CosaNostra Pizza, Inc., where Hiro works. They also have political connections and, often, organized crime connections as well. The other future development is how the internet has taken off... Read more
The Best of The Spirit written and illustrated by Will Eisner After enjoying the Contract With God Trilogy, I sought out some more of Will Eisner’s work. His most popular hero is The Spirit, whose stories appeared as a Sunday edition insert in many newspapers from 1940 to 1952. In subsequent decades, stories would appear here and there in comic book format. The character has a long history and is an early comic book hero. He’s not quite a superhero,... Read more
I admit to be a total fanboy when it comes to author John C. Wright. Read and enjoyed all his books including short story collections along with being an admirer of his blog. So when a new book of his comes out I buy it on the first day. His newest book is Somewhither: A Tale of the Unwithering Realm. The opening paragraph from his publisher says: SOMEWHITHER is the first part of A TALE OF THE UNWITHERING REALM, a... Read more
Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity by Nabeel Qureshi This is the book I’d recommend to any Christian who wants to understand how Muslims view Christianity (and Christians) and how they embrace and love their own faith. At least you’ll better understand Westernized Muslims, which is the author’s background. Growing up between Great Britain and America, Nabeel Qureshi never fit in with Western culture because of his Islamic heritage. When Qureshi meets David, a devout Christian, he... Read more
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