I recently finished reading Erik Larson’s history Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania. I found the book while browsing non-fiction titles available from my local library, and decided to check it out since I’d enjoyed another one of Larson’s … Continue reading
I recently finished reading Mark Woods’s memoir, Lassoing the Sun: A Year in America’s National Parks. It was recommended to me by my wife, Marci. Even though she didn’t finish the book herself, she thought that it might be up my alley. … Continue reading
I just finished reading Wendell Berry’s novel, Nathan Coulter. If my understanding is correct, this book is the original novel that launched the series of fictional stories of fictional people of a fictional town called Port William, Kentucky — which I’ve come … Continue reading
I recently finished reading Dolly Parton’s lyrical anthology, Songteller. It’s a coffee table book, with lots of pictures and one-page anecdotes about the song lyrics. So, it’s not exactly designed to be read cover-to-cover. Still, I’ve been gradually working my way through … Continue reading
I started translating the Good News According to Mark (also known as the Gospel of Mark), in August 2021. In mid-November 2022, I started transferring everything from my journals to the computer — typing it out and making minor edits … Continue reading
“Why should the fire die? Our Mom and Dad kept theirs alive…” These words from my favorite Nickel Creek album kept thrumming in the back of my mind, as Marci and I hiked the trails of an obscure nature preserve … Continue reading
I recently finished reading China Achebe’s novel, No Longer at Ease. It’s the sequel to Achebe’s seminal work, Things Fall Apart, which I read last year. And even though the tone and trajectory of this book were markedly different from the … Continue reading
I can’t remember the last time I read a whole book in a single day. Yet here I am: 3:58 in the afternoon, all 360 (small) pages of Douglas Coupland’s Life After God finished, consumed, digested. And I feel wired, … Continue reading
I recently finished reading Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale. I’ve been hearing about it for a while: as assigned reading for one of my kids’ high school English class… in pop culture references… and even in casual conversations (it’s apparently attained … Continue reading
I recently finished reading Wendell Berry’s collection of short stories, The Wild Birds. It’s another installment in his series of fictional stories of fictional people of a fictional town called Port William, Kentucky. But somehow, it all feels so real! The characters … Continue reading