World's Longest Book Meme? 48-55

Part 6 and the final piece! Picking up from before ...

48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through?
Mrs. Darwin said it well:usually the rare case of my coming to the conclusion that reading the book is itself morally culpable. I have a pretty broad leeway on this, especially where science fiction is involved, so it doesn't come up much.

49. Do you like to keep your books organized?
I have different bookshelves and bookcases devoted to genres and within those try to keep an authors' books together as much as possible. Other than that I don't alphabetize or organize. I like to have a random factor so that I am surprised by books I wasn't looking for. That leads to some of my most pleasurable rereading.

50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them?
I keep 'em.

51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding?
Confessions by St. Augustine. (To be fair, I've tried to read it three times and hated it. So now I just avoid it.)

52. Name a book that made you angry.
The Ladies of Covington Send Their Love.

53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did?
Silence by Shusako Endo. Also The Silence of a Soul by St. Therese of Lisieux.

54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t?
Changes by Jim Butcher.

55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading?
The Dresden Files ... right up to the aforementioned Changes.

Want to Help Change a Life?

Ironic Catholic's putting out the call ... to help them answer their call to adopt adorable Alex from Eastern Europe.

Click through to see Alex and donate to the adoption fund. Prayers are always good, but prayers accompanied by $5 or more are even better.

Friends, you know from a previous post that we are thick in the middle of living out a call to adopt Alex, a beautiful 5 yr old child of God who lives in Eastern Europe and is stuck in a (VERY) basic care institution simply because he has CP. Some people have asked what they can do to help change Alex's life. And the first thing we always say is pray for Alex's protection. Children with special needs are in pretty dire straits if they are orphaned in this country: no school ever, primitive care, limited treatment for their diseases or disabilities. While we have recent information that he is doing OK, considering, we'd very much like it to stay that way and pray for his protection every morning and evening.

But the second reality is that international adoption is not cheap at all. No one I know has $25,000 cash lying around. While we are in a better situation than we could have expected financially, we could really use help with the pre-travel expenses associated with this adoption. For example, sic needs to renew his passport ($110). We need to pay for all these documents to get apostilled ($3-10 a document, and there are what, 20 documents?). Paying to Fed Ex materials to this country so that they will actually GET there in less than three months ($200-300?). Paying for super special fingerprints for the USCIS ($720--yes, you read that right). We will make it happen. We've nearly paid for the home study and promise trust (that's over $4000). But could we use help? Oh yes, we can, trust me. We're pretty frugal folks--one older minivan for the family, lots of clearance back rack clothes shopping, well-versed in bean-based dishes, and vacations involve camping because it's cheap--but pinching pennies only goes so far.

Blogging Around: The Random Edition

The Zombie Preparedness Center ... only Ace Hardware takes zombies seriously. Via Strange Herring.

6 B.S. Myths You Probably Believe About America's "Enemies" ... from Cracked (do I need to put the language warning in here? Ok, I'll put it ...)

14 Wonderful Words with No English Equivalent ... from Mental Floss blog. Via ten thousand words.

World's Longest Book Meme? 41-47

Part 5 comin' atcha! Picking up from where we left off ...

41. The longest I’ve gone without reading.
I must have had times when I haven't read, but I can't think of one. Ever.

42. Name a book that you could/would not finish.
Hyperion by Dan Simmons. I just lost interest after reading about a third of the book.

43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading?
Lately I've had more trouble with that. Could it be the famous lack of concentration we've been told is fostered by too much internet/social media distraction? I think it might be. However, when I'm immersed in a great story I find that I sacrifice all sorts of usual distractions in order to read as exclusively as possible. So in those circumstances, practically nothing distracts me easily.

44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Thank you Peter Jackson! It wasn't perfect but it was probably closer than anyone else would have gotten.

45. Most disappointing film adaptation?
I am terrified it is going to be World War Z. For movies already made: Ron Howard's The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Never have I hated a movie more. What a travesty.

46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time?
I suppose it is the last set of books I bought for the Elements of Faith book club where a lot of people like me to pick up the next few months' worth of books for them. Gosh, that was over $300. I tend not to spend too much on myself for books at one time. You can hide the amount you're spending if you do it in dribs and drabs. Mostly because I'm spending so much time trying to NOT buy books ... I buy books the way some people hit bars. They're an addiction.

47. How often do you skim a book before reading it?
Almost always. Mostly because I pick up most of my books from the library and I hate to put them to the trouble of tranfering a book

Finally someone is thinking about the real victims ... the poor zombies.

8 Zombie Apocalypse Survival Strategies (For Zombies)

At Cracked ... language warning.

Netflix Changes Their Mind ... Again.

Netflix Writes Me Again. I May Have to Change My Email Address.

The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle ... at SFFaudio

We read, we discuss ... and this time, it seems, we even kinda almost argue ... of many things: Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax-- Of cabbages--and kings-- ... or to be more precise of the yellow peril, the cold war, cows and Moties and evolution ... and whether pigs have wings.

Come by and listen to the conversation.

10 Funniest Movies

I'm reading Between Heaven and Mirth by James Martin where the author assures us that God wants us to experience joy, to cultivate a sense of holy humor, and to laugh at life’s absurdities—not to mention our own humanity.

Hey, I'm already there. Which is why this is a book-and-reader match made in heaven, right?

He's got a blog tour going on and I'm up for October 24th, but I'm pretty sure it's not going to take me that long to read it. As with all things Martin writes it just flows ... plus there are jokes on practically every page.

He just put his top 10 funniest movies in a footnote, which naturally made me ponder what list I'd give. Mine is in no particular order because I'm not sure I could choose between these. Though they are in the order in which they came to mind ... which must say something about my preferences. Except for Life of Brian which came to mind because Martin's list begins with his favorite, Monty Python and The Holy Grail (which I also like very much ... but not as much as these).

1. Life of Brian
2. Shaun of the Dead
3. Young Frankenstein
4. The Castle
5. Ghostbusters
6. Tootsie
7. It Happened One Night
8. Victor/Victoria
9. A New Leaf
10. Singin' in the Rain

Runners up (because I can't bear not to mention them):

1. To Be or Not to Be (original)
2. Some Like It Hot
3. School of Rock
4. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Gil Chesterton, Herb Wells, and a Whole Lotta Steampunk: Reviewing "The Emperor of North America" by John McNichol

The Emperor of North America by John McNichol

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If Gilbert Chesterton and Herb Wells were best friends in a steampunk universe when they were 17 and had a crazy adventure involving airships, robots, flying cities, Pinkerton men, a mysterious female nemesis, Gil's true love, a couple of courageous young lads who double as inventors, and much more ... then you would have this book.

It grabbed me in a most unexpected way as you may be able to tell from the fact that I picked it up yesterday morning to read something different and early that evening found myself on page 300. I polished it off this morning. It's an adventure a minute but with time here and there to consider a few deeper things in life ... before being whisked off to another phase of the adventure.

Who is it that is after Gil and never quits trying, using all the forces that money can buy, to get their hands on him? And why would anyone be interested in a young journalist?

What a great time this book is ... all those disparate ingredients may make it sound chaotic but the author just keeps sending you further on the adventure and it all makes perfect sense at the time it is happening.

In the final analysis, I really enjoyed this and definitely recommend it. There are strains of Catholic worldview that are shown as part of various characters' moral fiber and others are shown espousing different views that are set in opposition. I didn't find these to be preachy or moralistic, and they were not the main focus of the action, though they definitely motivated actions. As with all things of this nature, your milage may vary.

I would say that although I enjoyed the mash-up of real and fictional characters, toward the end it did become a bit wearying to have every single major character be referential. It would have been nice to have a few main characters be solely of the author's creation. Perhaps in the next adventure he will venture into that new world. He has it in him and must merely be not afraid. I, personally, also did not like the back story for Gilbert's parents. It would have been nice to have something be what it appeared on the surface and see how that affected a character as well. To have those sorts of simpler characters encounter the over-arching conspiracy would have been refreshing.

However, as I say, I really enjoyed the book. It is those few problems above that kept it from being a five-star review for me. But they are small things indeed. It's a fun ride and one that left me interested in the first book of the series which I haven't encountered yet and whatever adventures McNichol sends Gil and Herb on in the future.

Weekend Joke: On This Day in History

From Dr. Boli's Celebrated Magazine.

ON THIS DAY in 1871, Mrs. O’Leary’s cow discovered fire. Unfortunately, she was unprepared to handle such advanced technology, setting bovine civilization back hundreds if not thousands of years.

Adorkable - My New Favorite Word

Thank you, Cracked, for this!

 (language warning because it is Cracked.com)

4 Reasons Zooey Deschanel Can Stop Pretending She's a Dork

Fillion Friday ... Updated

Another reason I love The Crescat. She'll say what the rest of us are thinking.

For instance, she's got a category for: I desperately love Nathan Fillion so much it makes others uncomfortable

And can any of us blame her?

I think we know the answer to that.

I ain't watching Castle for the plots.

Update:

Troy: Me and Abed have an agreement. If one of us dies, we stage it to look like a suicide caused by the unjust cancellation of Firefly. We're gonna get that show back on the air buddy!

Community

The Things Saints Leave Behind: Reviewing "Saints Preserved" by Thomas J. Craughwell

One thing we can count on Thomas J. Craughwell for is looking at a well-worn subject with an unpredictable eye. His previous book, Saints Behaving Badly, told shocking stories of people who later became saints. And he actually managed to shock me, which was quite an accomplishment since I thought myself unshockable.

Now he brings us Saints Preserved: An Encyclopedia of Relics. That's not such a big deal, right? A finger bone here, a lock of hair there, or perhaps a scrap of tunic, all carefully preserved in churches around the world.

Ummm, not exactly. Oh, the fingers, hair, and tunics are included. But I think we can all agree that is just perverse that every time I picked up this book to find a sample to include here, the book naturally opened to the Holy Prepuce, or Foreskin, of Jesus Christ.

Yes.

You read that right.

Again, I thought myself unshockable. Again I was wrong.

Some people, including Catholics I know, find the idea of relics morbid or unnatural. Craughwell, however, points out that Catholics aren't the only ones who value relics.

Even secular society prizes relics: at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois, I saw crowds press around a display case that contained the gloves Mary Todd Lincoln wore to Ford's Theatre, stained with the blood of her assassinated husband. No doubt morbid curiosity plays a part, but I believe the desire to see Mary Lincoln's bloodstained gloves represents something deeper—the longing to have a physical connection with one of the greatest men, and one of the most tragic moments, in American history. It is that same longing to connect on a physical and not just a spiritual level that draws the faithful to the tombs of the saints, the houses where they lived, the altars before which they prayed, even the prisons where they were tortured.

I found myself entertained, informed, and inspired by this encyclopedia of relics. It made me think of Butler's Lives of the Saints as I read the brief biographies which covered major events, feast days, and patronage, while telling us where to find relics.

The only thing this book is missing is a patronage index to the saints contained in the book, which would have been very handy. There are occasional photos which were interesting although there were so few that I wondered why there were not more photos or no photos at all.

A great resource that can serve as a quick guide to a saint's biography, a tourist destination choice for those who want to mix relics and relaxation, or personal inspiration ... which was the case for me as I pondered all the varied ways that saints have done God's will over the last two thousand years. Definitely recommended.

I leave you with a sample entry; that of a saint who appeals to me on several levels.

Saint Isidore of Seville (c. 560-636). The relics of Saint Isidore are preserved in the Cathedral of Murcia, Spain, along with the relics of his brother Saint Fulgentius and his Sister Saint Florentina.

For many generations Isidore's family had served as administrators of the Roman Empire in Spain. By the sixth century, the empire had collapsed, the provinces were i the hands of barbarian tribes, and the entire infrastructure of Roman society was vanishing—its libraries, its roads, its aqueducts, its laws and literature. In a desperate effort to halt the decay, Isidore began to write a massive twenty-volume encyclopedia of all existing knowledge. He included all the arts and sciences; the engineering that made aqueducts and the arch possible; medicine, metallurgy, and agriculture; even how to build furniture. And he urged his people to learn to read. "When we pray," he said, "we talk to God; when we read, God talks to us."

Saint Isidore of Seville is the patron saint of the Internet. Feast day: April 4.

World's Longest Book Meme? 31-40

It still has my interest ... and hopefully y'all's too. Part 4 picks up where we left off yesterday:

31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews?
I don't mind it at all. Although if it is a review book I tend to just not mention the book at all, especially if I requested it.

32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose?
Chinese. Once upon a time, long ago, I could read a bit, but never enough to read novels.

33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read?
Dante's Divine Comedy.

34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin?
Nervous? Hmmm ... can't think of any.

35. Favorite Poet?
Shel Silverstein, which tells you a lot about my love of clever word use and lack of appreciation for most other sorts of poetry.

36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time?
Four or five.

37. How often have you returned book to the library unread?
Plenty, because if they don't pass my 50-100 page samples then I have no qualms about not reading them. Though lately I try the Kindle samples instead of bothering the library for their books ... that way I am more likely to want to read the book when I get it.

38. Favorite fictional character?
Again, this is like trying to pick my favorite child. Lately though ... Doan and Carstairs (Norbert Davis, author) have won my heart. Doan the mild-mannered, toughest private detective ever. And Carstairs, his Great Dane who is more than a mere dog but not at all like Scooby Doo.

39. Favorite fictional villain?
I'm fond of Professor Snape in the Harry Potter books. He is so unwavering in his disdain.

40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation?
Fiction, probably science fiction ... and lots of it.

"The Way" Opens Today

Steven G. Greydanus reviews it at National Catholic Register.

Amy Welborn reviews it and offers a good book recommendation about the Camino pilgrimage.

I agree with them ... and reviewed it here.

Short take? Get a ticket and see it.

Reviewing Centurion's Daughter by Justin Swanton

Her Frankish mother dead, 17-year-old Aemilia arrives at Soissons in Roman Gaul in search of her Roman father whom she has never met. She knows only that his name is Tarunculus and that he is a former centurion. She finds an old man fixed on the past, attempting in vain to kindle a spark of patriotism in his dispirited countrymen. Soon, Aemilia is caught up in her father's schemes to save the Empire and the intrigues of the Roman nobility in Soissons. In the war between Franks and Romans to decide the fate of the last imperial province, Providence will lead her down a path she could never have imagined.

Centurion's Daughter is a well written piece of historical fiction set in Gaul (France) when the Roman Empire was in its last gasps.

It is a time period I know little about but was soon more educated in as Aemilia's story was told. Aemilia herself was an interesting character, reminding me more of Saint Monica than of the more common spirited, assertive female usually seen in today's historical fiction. Aemilia was completely dependent, in turn, on her father, a local member of nobility, Soisson's bishop, and various other authorities. She usually had no choice but to do what she was told if she wanted to have clothing, food, and housing. However, as happens in real life, her natural character shone through and impulsive comments or acts of kindness would draw different influential characters' attention to her. They may have used her abilities for their own purposes but Aemilia's own goals were often served in the process. I found Aemilia a most appealing character and the way of telling her story to be refreshingly subtle.

In addition, the story seems carefully researched and the author brought this time period alive. Other characters in the book are equally well sketched with minimal description so that readers see the full gamut of personalities scheming to achieve their own goals while saving the little town of Soissons.

I suppose one could call this a YA book but it held my interest the entire time, as any well written book would regardless of intended age group. Highly recommended and I look forward with interest to seeing what Justin Swanton writes in the future.

World's Longest Book Meme? 21-30

Part 3, continuing from yesterday ...

21. What will inspire you to recommend a book?
If I'm super-excited about it or if I think someone will like it.

22. Favorite genre?
Science fiction.

23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?)
I'm actually happy with what I read and don't have genre envy. If I wanted to read a genre more ... I would!

24. Favorite biography?
Agatha Christie's autobiography. Not only do you learn about her life, but it is like a trip to Victorian times.

25. Have you ever read a self-help book?
Not that I can think of though, of course, anything is possible and I simply may not remember.

26. Favorite cookbook?
Isn't that like asking if I have a favorite child? Favorite cookbook authors: James Beard, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, Mark Bittman (for How to Cook Everything, not for his others), Nigel Slater, Nigella Lawson (How to Eat, How to Be a Domestic Goddess, Feast ... haven't read others) ... off the top of my head.

27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)?
The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom.

28. Favorite reading snack?
I don't really snack while I read. No particular reason but I just don't.

29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience.
I can't think of any but if I think I'll be reading something I try to avoid hype so I don't get spoilers or inflated expectations.

30. How often do you agree with critics about a book?
It really depends on the critic and the book. I don't count on it but am not surprised if I do. Critics have very little to do with whether I read a book or not. I trust friends' recommendations more than anything.

Scott wanted to keep the Batman soundtrack and I've got red on me.

Yes, the long-awaited Shaun of the Dead conversation is ready to go at A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast. Shamble like a zombie to get there without being attacked...

O Lord, Grant Steve Jobs the Joy of Your Presence ...

... and us who are living the happiness of knowing this.

Steve Jobs, 1955-2011 ... he changed the world we live in and died too soon.

Urgent Prayer Request for a Dying Atheist

I have an urgent prayer for my elderly atheist friend. He is to all appearances close to death now. Two years ago I e-mailed to ask for prayer for him, and his health improved. After reading about you asking your dad to reach out and take Jesus' hand at the moment of death, I asked my friend do do the same. His face softened and he said"Of course. I'm not too proud to admit if I've made a mistake." I am hoping, in your phrase, that this gets his toes across the line.

Please join me in prayer for this elderly atheist ... not my friend but that of an anonymous reader who occasionally emails.

Dad? You there? I'm asking for your prayers for this fellow ... and calling on St. Monica and St. Augustine to join us as well.

God of power and mercy, you have made death itself the gateway to eternal life. Look with love on our dying brother, and make him one with Your Son in His suffering and death, that, sealed with the blood of Christ, he may come before you free from sin. Amen.