Blogging Around: Bookish Things

The Psalms of David
Reviewed by Joseph at Zombie Parent's Guide.

This particular edition of the Psalms is the King James Version with illustrations by James Freemantle. Freemantle was a British soldier who traveled all over the Middle East. During his second marriage, he began to transcribe the Psalms and illustrate the book for his wife Clara. He included much of the flora and fauna of the Middle East, practically on every page of the book. It took over thirty years to complete and he died the year he finished it. His son decided many years later to publish his father's work in facsimile edition.

Joseph includes some scanned pages and I now am fascinated by this book. Must. find. copy.

The Spirit of Catholicism
Reviewed by Jeff Miller at The Curt Jester.

It was one of those books I was tempted to highlight every page. If I hadn’t read the ebook version I could have saved myself time by just dipping the book in highlighter yellow.

Been there. Wished I could have done that.

The January Dancer
Reviewed by Will Duquette at The View From The Foothills.

There are a number of authors best known for writing fiction whose non-fiction I generally prefer. Mark Twain is first among them; I’m afraid I’d much rather read Life on the Missippi than Huckleberry Finn. And as it happens, Mike Flynn is another. In the Country of the Blind left me cold; there’s much to like about Eifelheim, but I don’t love it the way many people seem to; but what I really enjoy are his blog posts, which are intelligent, witty, and informative. In fact, I enjoy his blog so much that I truly feel a little bad about not enjoying his books more. It’s like admiring Richard Feynman for his bongo playing.

Luckily, he does enjoy this book quite a lot.

The Kindle Meme
Memes used to be all the rage but now they are few and far between. So it was nice to see The Curt Jester had one posted and even nicer to be called a fellow book addict and tagged.

So, here are the rules. You post the rules and a link back to the person who tagged you. You also tell them that they’ve been tagged on their own blog, rather than just hoping they’ll discover it for themselves. Then you decide what three books are essential reading for anyone with a Kindle. Reasons would be good, but not essential. Then you tag five people.

My problem is that I am finding myself more and more using the Kindle for reading samples from Amazon to be sure I am interested in troubling the library staff to send it to my branch, or reading review books that publishers won't provide in physical form, new book giveaways, or very old books from Project Gutenberg that I can't get any other way although you can often find these books provided free via Amazon.

I find I really prefer actual books. However, I have discovered many old, forgotten books which I truly love but never would have found if not for browsing Amazon via my Kindle during lazy weekend afternoons. I do truly love the Kindle for that purpose.

Therefore, you can see that my "essential" books are going to be old but not necessarily thought of as classics, since that is what Gutenberg is populated with.

1. Jack O' Judgment by Edgar Wallace: a rip-roaring thriller with masked vigilante Jack O' Judgment as the nemesis of the notorious Boundary Gang. I was kept guessing until the end as to Jack's identity by the simple means of misleading me very effectively so that I thought I knew who it was all along. Twists and turns and delightful over-the-top villains who one longs to see Jack bring down in sensational style.
2. Through the Wall by Cleveland Moffett: A noted detective is getting ready to go to Brazil for an important job. He drops by Notre Dame where a young woman he never met says a few sentences to him that leave him pale and canceling his trip. A young woman, deeply in love, spurns her lover's marriage proposal because she loves him too much. A international celebrity is found mysteriously killed in a variation of the locked room mystery. All these events are connected and are set in 1909 Paris, where the atmosphere is romantic and mysterious and the art of detective investigation is very much to the fore in the story.  It is a locked room mystery, which I normally do not like, but the way the author slowly uncovers layers truth behind the mysterious situations is already very apparent. It has the effect of a book of one cliff-hanger after another and a splendid plot.
3. The Essential Works of Norbert Davis which I actually spent .99 on in order to get all the Doan and Carstairs mysteries. These are a great combination of hard-boiled and humorous, which may be typified by the fact that Doan is the toughest private detective around but is short, round, and mild-looking while Carstairs is his Great Dane who is a character in his own right (but without talking or any other goofy attributes ... and he's hard-boiled in his own way).

Bonus books (which Hannah has found for free on her Kindle):

• The Count's Millions by Emile Gaboriau
• Baron Trigault's Vengeance (the second part of The Count's Millions)

I am not sure who else I know who has a Kindle, other than Scott Danielson who just informed me he is so into digital books that he's discarding his actual copies as fast as he can. So I'll tag Scott.

Anyone else? Just jump on this one.

Funny Stuff: Kerning

From the brilliant mind of xkcd. I know kerning's made my life a living hell more than once.

So I'm Reading Jen Fitz's Lenten Reading List ...

... thinking, "I really need to get a list like that together. Maybe I can post one on Monday."

And I'm liking her categories, specifically the first one, "Pure Lenten Fiction Poke-n-the-soul" and am thinking, "Hey, I can do categories!"

Which just makes it that much more fun, right?

(If you like lists, then you know what I mean.)

And then I get to #4, the "Proof that some people can watch TV without rotting their brains" category and just about fall out of my chair.

Now, that was a pleasant surprise!

I never, ever thought I might be someone's Lenten reading.

(Well, except for Lord, Open My Heart but that was designed as Lenten reading so it's different. Somehow.)

Thank you, Jen!

Beware of Dog

From the brilliant Doug Savage.

Blogging Around: Character Building Edition

Gaining the World and Losing Your Soul On "Once Upon a Time" 
Tony Rossi writes about one of my favorite shows.

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The B-Movie Catechism Movie of the Week: Night Breed
Skillfully written as always, this piece takes us from monsters to lepers to how our sin affects our community as well as ourselves.

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The 4 Qualities of a True Statesman
The Art of Manliness has yet another of their trademark pieces on classic qualities, in this case those of a true statesman. Be sure to read it, but here's where they begin:

• A bedrock of principles
• A moral compass
• A vision
• The ability to build a consensus to achieve that vision

This makes a vivid contrast with Deacon Greg's quote of the day from yesterday.

I confess I no longer understand Obama. He did not go to the mat to end the Bush tax cuts for the super-rich. He did not go to the mat for comprehensive immigration reform. He did not go to the mat to close Guantanamo Bay. He did not go to the mat for Card Check. He did not go to the mat for a public option in the health care reform. But, he went to the mat over the principle that a Catholic college or charity or hospital is not really religious.

The quote is from Sean Michael Winters who is sorely disillusioned but still writes with hopefulness and evenhandedness toward all sides. Read his piece here.

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Eating the Frog-With a Side of Soul Food
Betty Beguiles melds two methods to overcome procrastination, making life simpler, and having a joyful life.

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Brandywine Books
It's been too long since I've mentioned Brandywine Books, a blog I depend on for book reviews filtered through a lens of sane Christianity. They lean toward mystery and thrillers, which I like anyway, but are not averse to including other genres. Plus, they throw in links to interesting articles about writing and books. And Lars Walker is an author so there's that.

Lies, Damned Lies and 98 Percent of Catholic Women

Guttmacher did say in its summary that “Among all women who have had sex, 99% have ever used a contraceptive method other than natural family planning. This figure is virtually the same, 98%, among sexually experienced Catholic women.”

But that’s not in any way an accurate statement of what its own survey found.

On the very same page, it explains that its survey was restricted to women aged 15-44, so that cuts out all women who were older than 44 at the time of the survey. And a footnote explains that a rather significant chunk of women were excluded from this figure of “all women” — namely, women who are pregnant, post-partum or trying to get pregnant.” A later footnote says that the only women who had sex in the last three months were included in this group. Finally, included in this 98 percent figure of current contraceptive users are the 11 percent who report no method.

So I guess we could say that among women aged 15-44 who had sex in the last three months but aren’t pregnant, post-partum or trying to get pregnant, 87 percent of women who identify as Catholic used contraception. It’s worth pondering just who is left out of this 87 percent, other than, you know, everyone who doesn’t use contraception. Great stat, team journalist! I mean, the study was designed to find only women who would be most likely to use contraception. And it did.

Tom and I were talking about the "numbers game" as the government's justification for HHS mandate just last night over dinner (yes, riveting conversation goes on at our house).

You can see why this story from GetReligion, Lies, Damned Lies and 98 Percent of Catholic Women, resonated with me. Go read the whole thing to see them examine how the media and the White House have been using these flawed numbers. Go read it to get an eyeful about just how painstaking a lot of these journalists are about what they report.

As Tom pointed out, even if that number were actually true it doesn't make the Church's teachings any less true. It certainly doesn't change our responsibility to try to live by those teachings. And it doesn't mean that our religious freedom can be overrun by the government because they have decided our teachings aren't really being followed. That's not their job.

It just means the Church is full of sinners. So, nothing new there, right? Because we're all human and, therefore, flawed.

Which is something I take comfort in, actually, since it means that I'm among friends who all know just how much we need our Mother the Church. Friends and the Church who help me get back up after I've fallen short, and then try again to follow in Christ's steps.

New Petition
By the way, the White House closed the previous petition against the HHS mandate when Obama came up with his noncompromise. Now there's a new one. Go here to sign it.

Night of the Confessor: Objective, Subjective, and God

Night of the Confessor: Christian Faith in an Age of Uncertainty by Tomas Halik

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a dense book ... so much so, as far as I can tell, that even the back cover blurb forces the reader to slow down, absorb it, and think.

Night of the Confessor is rich and deep, with somehow simple ideas. Just when the author says something that I have a knee-jerk reaction of "that's not how faith works" he goes further and deeper so that I understand the reasons behind the surface statement ... and usually agree. This is thoughtful and thought provoking writing which I am letting sink in. And it is enriching my internal life.

I'm only about halfway through so this is not a final review although I may not be able to ever adequately describe it except to say that it is amazing me every few pages. Tomas Halik's observations about "Christianity in an Age of Uncertainty" hit the mark time after time. In one sense, one must simply sit back and take in the view, letting his writing wash over you until the point is reached; at which point, I dive in and mentally wrestle with the content. Occasionally I may disagree with him, but that is fairly rare and even when I do disagree it is because we have a different perspective. I can always see his point of view and it is not a non-Catholic one but just is different from my own. Which is also valid, as I believe Halik himself would say.

I am going to begin sharing nibbles of this beginning today. This is actually fairly lengthy so "nibble" may not be the right term, but I want you to get an adequate sample.

When reality was separated into the "objective" and the "subjective" at the beginning of the modern era, God was made homeless. Any attempt to place Him into one or another of the categories always resulted in "the death of God." God did not belong in the world of things, the world of visible, measurable, provable, and above all, manipulable "realities." But nor is God a "feeling," a "thought," or an "idea," even if human thoughts and feelings can become attached to Him (until they eventually discover that not even they can penetrate His mystery, and at best they can just about touch the "hem of his garment").

"My Kingdom does not belong to this world." God's place is in the "kingdom of the impossible," in the "kingdom of absurdity," somewhere where a totally different logic applies than in "this world" -- the logic of the paradox: if you want to be bigger, then be the least, be the servant of all; whoever loses his life will gain it; those who have will receive, while from those who have not, even what they have will be taken away; the laborer hired for the last hour will receive the same wage as the one that has "borne the day's burden and the heat"; the master from whom the "dishonest steward" has stolen, praised him for acting prudently; the father shows more feeling toward the prodigal son than toward the son who has been faithful and obedient; the Son of the Most High is born in a stable and executed on a cross with felons; the dead come to life, the blind see, and those who say "we see" have become blind.

Is that any basis for some system, logic, or morality, for some rational, healthy, and successful "lifestyle"?  It's impossible. Viewed "from here" it is the "kingdom of the impossible." "For human beings it is impossible," Jesus often enjoyed saying, "but for God all things are possible." "Nothing is impossible for God." What is impossible for humans is possible for God--and we can see God only in "what is impossible for people." People's attempts to penetrate the mystery of God's essence inevitably go astray; maybe there is only one path where we might conceivably encounter the ever astonishing kingdom of the impossible that is coming. That path is the path of paradox.

Are you a patriot or a vampire?

If loving this trailer is wrong, then I don't wanna be right.

Via Scott Danielson.

Unintended Consequences of President Obama's "Compromise"

Featured in A Second Letter to President Obama, Under the Assumption That He Missed the First from Bad Catholic. Where you may also find explanation as to why President Obama's "compromise" is actually nothing of the sort ... if you hadn't already figured that out for yourself.

The President and His Very Deep Belief

Jacob Lew told “Fox News Sunday” that the compromise offered last week to address objections by the Catholic Church is clear and consistent with the president’s “very deep belief that a woman has a right to all forms of preventive health care, including contraception.” ...

So the President is an allowed a “very deep belief” and Catholics are not allowed a deeply held conviction, in fact teaching, backed up by the whole history of the Church extending back to the book of Genesis. Pro-choice once again means choice for me, but not for you.

The Curt Jester thoughtfully looks at the White House shell game on the HHS mandate to deprive loyal Americans of their right to practice their religion.

Back to Beyond Cana

We're back and we're exhausted. But it's a good kind of exhaustion!

It became quite clear over the weekend that God wanted us back at that retreat and also in the retreat program at our parish. It was like having a giant invisible hand gently shoving you into your spot on the chess board, if I may be allowed to use that analogy. We could have said no at any time but we've learned that God's way is the best and certainly the easiest (even when it doesn't seem like it at the time).

Naturally, we had a grand time reconnecting with all the people who we hadn't seen for about a year. The best part was getting to know the attending couples just a little and watching the transition take place as they worked through the process to greater openness and love. There is nothing like it.

When in L.A. I received an email from a woman who was considering signing up but who was worried that the retreat would be too sappy. She'd read Happy Catholic for some time and seen me mention Beyond Cana so she came to me for the straight scoop. I, naturally, told her that if it were sappy I wouldn't have made it through myself. And then forgot all about it. I wasn't involved with the retreat, right?

Of course you know what happened. I was introducing myself to the arriving attendees when a young woman said, "I'm the person who emailed you when you were in L.A."

Oh! Got it! Just another of God's little jokes.

She and her husband were so much fun to talk to and I look forward to furthering our acquaintance with them ... when that good kind of exhaustion has faded and "real" life seems normal again.

Just one of the many benefits of Beyond Cana, y'all! You might meet friends you didn't know you had!

It's a Little Nuts Around Here

BTW, gonna be scarce for a few days.

Our parish's Beyond Cana marriage enrichment retreat lost their spiritual directors (work conflict) for the retreat this weekend and Tom and I are the only back ups.

So it's a little nuts around here right now since it begins tomorrow and we've got to get free of "usual life" in order to help out.

Awake - Full Trailer

I was intrigued by the shorter trailer that ran during the Super Bowl for this upcoming series. After being urged to watch the longer trailer I am glad that I did. I am curious to see if the show can be as interesting and good as this sample promises.

Read more at /Film.

Julie bought a life-size Johnny Depp doll, and Scott got a little uncomfortable ...

... Luckily, they had a movie called Lars and the Real Girl to talk about. At A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast.

Funny Stuff: Car Problems

Just the way they'd be discussed at our house.

From the brilliant xkcd.

Lord, Open My Heart: Scriptural Reflections for Lent by Julie Davis

I know it is too early to be talking about Lent, really. I'm so excited by this booklet though that I just had to mention it now.

I thought I was ghostwriting this for Creative Communications for the Parish. Now I see that they have my name on the cover. Woohoo!

These are brief day-by-day scriptural reflections for use during Lent and I'm much obliged to Will at The View from the Foothills for announcing it ... and also buying it! What a pal!

It's available in booklet, Kindle, and Nook formats. Pick it up in any of these formats at Creative Communications for the Parish or at Amazon for your Kindle or at Barnes & Noble for your Nook.

Here's a sample.

Ash Wednesday
A Transforming Time

Pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. — Matt. 6:6

I have friends who love Lent and eagerly look forward to it every year. I’m not one of those people. I always have to work at the proper frame of mind before I can approach a time of penitence with anything close to sincerity. Let’s face it, I don’t like giving things up.
I have to remind myself that it isn’t about what I am sacrificing so much as it is about what I am making room for. It is a sort of spring-cleaning of the soul.

It is about restoring proper perspective, through denial and sacrifice, so my whole heart is given to God. He generously gives me every good thing in my life. I inevitably come to Lent knowing that I have let some of those good things become more important to me than God himself.

It is a time of transformation. I must approach Lent expecting to be radically changed otherwise there isn’t any point to observing Lent at all. Simply going through the motions doesn’t cut it.

Ash Wednesday begins a time of penitence that I embrace (eventually) with interest and anticipation. What will God transform in me?

Rescind the HHS Mandate Petition ... 24,000 Signatures!

Now that's what I call good news!

Go sign and please pass the word along.

We need 25,000 to get the White House to nod at it, but let's go for gold. Let's show up with numbers they can't refuse!

Especially since Frank from Why I Am Catholic, who began the petition, noticed that NARAL has begun their own petition.

You see, not content with convincing the Administration into drafting a program that will strip religious organizations of their conscience protections, NARAL, and their allies, have launched their own petition too. Last night, when I first sighted it on my scope, it had 290 signatures.

"Which do you think I’ll regret more? Letting you live or letting you die? Andrew, help me make a good decision."

Tony Rossi discusses one of my favorite shows, Person of Interest and what makes it interesting and worthwhile.

I was pulled in by the combination of Jonathan Nolan (creator), Jim Caviezel, and Michael Emerson (from Lost). The stories have been getting more interesting and the larger story arc is complex and talks about revenge as well. In a sense, I have begun feeling that Caviezel's character is Batman-esque in his desire for redemption while doing what is necessary to save other people in violent situations. Which echoes Nolan's roots in working with his brother, Christopher, on the Batman movies.

Anyway, go read.

SUPER Busy!

Work took an unexpectedly busy turn so I'm down to the basics of a bit of art and a quote for today.

However, I will also leave you with this link to the WSJ's article about Super Bowl ads with which our household generally agreed ... Clint Eastwood exhorting America to get up from half time and rally, the fat dog, and the Silverado surviving the Mayan apocalypse are the ads that spring to mind as being our favorites.

Weekend Joke

Thanks to Seth for this one!

An Irishman goes into the confessional box after years of being away from the Church.

He is amazed to find a fully equipped bar with Guinness on tap. On the other wall is a dazzling array of the finest cigars and chocolates in the world.

When the priest comes in, the Irishman excitedly begins..."Father, forgive me, for it's been a very long time since I've been to confession, but I must first admit that the confessional box is much more inviting than it used to be."

The priest replies, "Get out. You're on my side."