| The Man Who Was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton, 122 pages Steve Gadd 12 January 1997 | The Innocence of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton, 248 pages Steve Gadd 29 July 2002 Twelve mysteries, all solved by the clever parson. |
The Barbarism of Berlin (1914) by G. K. Chesterton, 94 pages James Donahue 22 March 2006 which is more surprising? That G. K. was one of the first British intellects to write a jingoistic, one-sided blast against Germany to support the war effort, or that in this book (as always with G. K.) there is a touch of truth in his bombastic acerbity. |
Heretics (1905) by G. K. Chesterton, 305 pages James Donahue 16 November 2006 My usual reaction to Chesterton: I cannot agree with his populist-pandering, meanspirited, paradox-loving substance, but I cannot dislike his style of pugnacious satire. |
Grey of Falloden (1937) by G. M. Trevelyan, 415 pages James Donahue 29 July 2006 |
The Ball and the Cross by G.K. Chesterton, 178 pages James Donahue 25 January 2003 The placid indifference of modern England towards religion is threatened when a Catholic Scotsman and an atheist journalist decide to fight a duel over the honor of the Virgin Mary. Wonderful writing; each sentence is a jewel. Yet the overly allegorical subtitlies were over my head, despite a helpful introduction by Gardner. |
The Complete Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton, 704 pages James Donahue 19 March 2003 Many mysteries all solved by the clever parson. Vivre la spring break. |
The Napoleon of Notting Hill by G.K. Chesterton, 179 pages James Donahue 21 May 2003 A wonderful farce about the mysticism of nationalism in a futuristic civilized world. Chesterton is at his best when he is satirical, one of the highest of Christian trait.. |
The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton, 120 pages James Donahue 26 May 2003 A policeman finally inflitrates the notorious Anarchist Council only to find out that each of the council members is an undercover policeman. Again, brilliant satire, yet the flowery theological ending confused me. (Might add that these Chesterton books are very remniscent to me of Lewis.) |
The Flying Inn by G.K. Chesterton, 320 pages James Donahue 02 June 2003 In a novel antithetical to Rushdie's novels of identity-melange, Chesterton protests against the encrouchment of Islamic ideas and culture on Christendom. The plot revolves around an act of Prohibition passed by Parliament that first confiscates tavern signs and then makes it illegal to serve drink without such a sign. Our two heroes steal a sign and travel through the countryside serving rum and cheese, singing songs and satirizing aristocrats; hence "the flying inn." Part of the humor of the book, for me, stems from the denunciation of temperate Evangelicalism as "Chrislam." And the book certainly is relevant once again in the current, to copy a buzzphrase, "clash of cultures." Yet the book left me wondering: am I too PC to truly enjoy such goodhearted and boistrous defence of Western culture? |
Saint Francis of Assisi by G.K. Chesterton, 160 pages Brad Snyder 09 January 2006 I originally started reading this book in a Borders here in Charlotte. Being a fan of Francis, and longing to read something from Chesterton, I was immediately absorbed by the first chapter. What followed, however, was different than I expected. This isn't so much a biography, as it is an explanation of Francis' philosophy and ideology, mixed with an apologetic written to the doubters about his life and works. Not a bad book overall, but I would have preferred to read more of his exploits. |
Who is Wanda Fuca? by G.M. Ford, 314 pages Mike Gadd 08 March 2002 |
The Phenomenology of Spirit by G.W.F. Hegel, 592 pages James Donahue 16 December 2002 Been working all semester on this one. An entire class devoted to one book, and we didn't get all the way through it. Finished it up over Finals week. |
Philosophy of Right by G.W.F. Hegel, 380 pages James Donahue 28 January 2003 |
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez, 348 pages Steve Gadd 27 July 1995 |
Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez, 120 pages Steve Gadd 14 October 1996 |
In Evil Hour by Gabriel García Márquez, 183 pages Steve Gadd 10 October 1997 |
Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor by Gabriel García Márquez, 106 pages Steve Gadd 05 April 2000 A member of the Colombian navy was swept overboard and drifted for ten days in a life raft. García Márquez, a young reporter at the time, serialized the story. |
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, 383 pages Steve Gadd 31 October 2005 I remembered this as one of my favorite novels, but this time through it seemed like a century since I started reading early this summer. The tone is that of a grandfather relating the story of a family, going back in forth in time and adding some fanciful touches. I still love the opening chapters, as the patriarch recapitulates the history of scientific progress with tools provided by a band of roving gypsies. |
Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel García Márquez, 115 pages Steve Gadd 21 April 2007 Win a Nobel Prize and you can scribble any old thing and get it published. Fortunately Gabo does it infrequently and keeps it short and kind of sweet. |
Snowball Earth by Gabrielle Walker, 269 pages Steven Krise 03 September 2009 Tells the story of the Snowball Earth hypothesis while telling the story (primarily) of Paul Hoffman, its chief proponent. |
Christa Wolf by Gail Finney, 133 pages James Donahue 26 March 2003 Should be subtitled The Quest for Christa Wolf. Biographical background. Better than Drees. |
From Stalinism to Pluralism by Gale Stokes, 294 pages James Donahue 20 November 2003 How sad is it that this is the date that I finish reading a textbook for my own class? |
Dear Gangster: Advice for the Lonelyhearted From the Gangster of Love by Gangster of Love, 164 pages Kristin Schrock 12 March 2003 Now that I have slipped into fifth place (d*mn you, Julie and your fast reading of monstrous books), I needed some light fare. This is a very funny compilation of an advice column for the lovelorn. Includes the following passage: "I have this dream that someday I will do something so outstanding that it will culminate with four triple back flips and a tearful hug from Bela Barolyi" |
Homegrown Democrat by Garrison Keiller, 238 pages James Donahue 07 August 2004 Finally a political book that can speak to my viewpoint. Keiller states passionately and humorously the commitment to the public that is at the bedrock of the Democratic Party (hopefully still the case) and the American Dream. Well worth reading. |
The Genesis of Perfection: Adam and Eve in Jewish and Christian Imagination by Gary Anderson, 231 pages James Donahue 08 June 2003 I highly recommend this. Anderson traces through theological and iconographic history the significance of Adam and Eve for out forebears. Chapters deal specfically with: sex in Eden, Eve's culpability, the foreshadowing of Christ and Mary, the penance of Gen 3, etc. Anderson writes simply for the amateur, which I admire and need. In the back he includes copys of several Christian aprochryphal works from the first five centuries on Adam and Eve, including the Gospel of Nicodemus; helpful and interesting to have some original text laid out in full. |
Jawbreaker: The attack on Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda- A personal account by the CIA’s key field commander by Gary Berntsen, 325 pages Jonathan Misirian 07 July 2007 Berntsen was the CIA’s lead in-country commander who oversaw the fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Hailed by military historians as an unparalleled military success, Berntsen provides a first hand account of the execution of the war in Afghanistan. A rugged country marked by warlords, numerous tribal factions, and impossible terrain, Afghanistan proved successful for the CIA and Special Forces, for the way they waged this unconventional war. Three themes stand out as to the cause of this military campaign: decentralizing key military decisions by field agents, a tremendous amount of cash (used to buy allegiances), and in the field advances in key acquisition and communication technology. |
Cameron's Closet by Gary Brandner, 314 pages Jeff Gadd 22 October 2002 A kid's imaginary playmate comes to real but is not very friendly to people. |
God's Glory, Neighbor's Good by Gary Sattler, 109 pages James Donahue 08 June 2004 Sketchy biography of August Hermann Francke. |
Fantasies of Witnessing: by Gary Weissmann, 266 pages James Donahue 25 January 2005 Weissmann tracks the curious phenomenon of contemporary Americans seeking to experience the Holocaust for themselves through film, museums, made-up memoirs, connections to survivors, etc. Weissmann is a clever literary critic who sometimes dwells more on big names (like Wiesal) than pop culture; I would have enjoyed more of the latter. But the phenomenon he addresses is real - and bizarre, and his treatment is very illuminating. |
The Hypochondriac's Guide to Life. And Death. by Gene Weingarten, 197 pages Steve Gadd 20 August 2003 Dave Barry meets Dr. Sherwin "How We Die" Nuland in this funny inventory of mostly terminal illnesses and the sometimes innocuous symptoms that herald them. Includes handy self-diagnostic tests to help the reader get into the hypochondriac spirit. "When your uvula throbs in time with your heartbeat it is called Mueller's sign, and it can indicate heart disease! You could die!" |
I'm With Stupid by Gene Weingarten and Gina Barreca, 240 pages Steve Gadd 15 February 2004 "10,000 years of misunderstanding between the sexes cleared right up." The authors acknowledge that the differences between men and women is the most hackneyed, overdone subject in the history of publishing. They aim to stand out from the Venus-Mars canon as the first book cowritten by a man and a woman. In this case, the fact that both authors are hilarious writers makes all the difference. |
Mirrors of Downing Street (1921) by Gentleman with a Duster, 171 pages James Donahue 02 March 2006 Brief, biting sketches of leading British politicians, from Churchill to Cecil to Lloyd-George. |
Painted Windows (1922) by Gentlemen with a Duster, 137 pages James Donahue 13 March 2006 A behind-the-scenes caricaturist of the British church scene takes them all on -- with jacket blurb by Chesterton. |
Words in Time by Geoffrey Hughes, 270 pages Steven Krise 18 March 2004 Hughes outlines how social change has impacted semantic change throughout the history of English. In the conclusion he throws several none to subtle darts at the role post-modern linguists, sociologists, and advertisers have played in bringing about verbicide and a general reduction in semantic precision. Fissiparous. |
Revolution by George Barna, 143 pages Jonathan Misirian 29 March 2006 Barna paints a picture of 20 million Christians disaffected with Church, who desire something more then what the Church can offer. Missing is the statistical analysis supporting his claims. |
When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? by George Carlin, 295 pages Steven Krise 28 July 2008 Reads like a bookified blog with George rapping about idiots and their use of language. |
Napalm & Silly Putty by George Carlin, 269 pages Steven Krise 11 August 2008 If you've read any one of Carlin's books and any two of his HBO comedy specials, you've seen or heard all the material in this book. |
The Meaning of the Millennium: Four Views (1977) by George Eldon Ladd (Ed.), 223 pages Brad Snyder 10 June 2007 Four contributors, each representing one of the four eschatological views, present the case for the view they hold. Each view is then followed by a critique by the other three. Jolly good fun. My favorite quote, by editor George Eldon Ladd, in reference to the dominant (in the US) Premillenial view: "...the tendency to identify God's cause with Zionism and the nation of Israel can lend support to policies which do not make for peace on earth. The United States could well be drawn into war in the Middle East and many evangelicals might be responsible for the attitudes that can lead to that conflict." |
Middlemarch by George Eliot, 791 pages James Donahue 01 August 2003 What a beautifully written book. Everything in its place, without seeming predictable. Her writing portrays, seemingly without effort, an entire social universe that crosses religious, class, and economic lines. Like looking at an ant farm. |
Adam Bede by George Eliot, 592 pages James Donahue 15 August 2003 I am continually amazed at Eliot's talent, evident here even in her first novel, for conjuring up pastoral 19th-c England across class lines. In this work her theological acuity also shines through with her depiction the interactions between Dinah, a Methodist preacher. and Irwine, the Anglican vicar. A bit melodramatic, but I was into it. |
Middlemarch by George Eliot, 952 pages Kristin Schrock 07 March 2004 At last! "A woman dictates before marriage in order that she may have an appetite for submission afterwards." Thank you, George Eliot. Also, for Abennett, Effigy Count=1. |
The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot, 657 pages James Donahue 01 June 2004 After a couple of insomnial nights camping, I cleaned through Eliot by flashlight. Before this year I bore a deep antipathy for all things Victorian, but Eliot has bent me in this regard. Her prose -- so satirical, formal, intentionally composed, metaphorically rich -- keeps me hooked even as the stories dabble overmuch in romance. |
Daniel Deronda by George Eliot, 903 pages James Donahue 28 June 2004 Eliot's last work is a paeon to religious tradition and religious identity while examining Jewish life in Britain, an odd endpoint for the well-known evangelical-cum-liberal. Daniel, Ezra, etc. all fulfill their nomic and Semitics destinies while the WASPish Gwendolyn (Valley girl) and Grandcourt (Cheny-esque Republican) pursue decadence and self-absorption. Guess which wins out in the end? |
Romola by George Eliot, 736 pages James Donahue 05 September 2004 Eliot was most proud of this work, her only historical novel, her tribute to both Scott and her (ever-so-Victorian) passion for Italy. The novel tracks the moral declension of Tito Melema amid the backdrop of corrupt popes, scheming Medicis, moral zealots, and the personalities of Machaevelli, Mirandola, and Savonarola. Very personal book with reflections on leaving a spouse and grappling with disillusionment with evangelicalism. The beginning is a bit staid (by which I mean, too allegorical), and Eliot obviously struggles depicting the lower classes of Italy, but the book picks up steam at the end when fleshing out of the fruits of her character's actions. |
Silas Marner by George Eliot, 197 pages James Donahue 14 September 2004 Eliot's shortest book was also a bridge between her early pastoral studies and her later interest in myth and religious liberalism. Short, evocative, and scaled-back; the most accessible Eliot. (But then that also makes it uncharacteristic) |
Felix Holt, the Radical by George Eliot, 398 pages James Donahue 07 December 2004 Oh, those tricky radicals. Not only do they stand up for justice and suffer the pangs of this world gladly and manly, but they also woo the woman away from those damned aristocrats. The final book in my George Eliot fascination. |
Principles of Brewing Science by George Fix, 189 pages Steven Krise 24 March 2006 This is what I was hoping for when I had purchased BrewChem 101. A nice technical discussion (but not so narrow as to read like a journal) of the biochemistry of brewing with a little physics thrown in at the end to cover how the gas laws relate to carbonation. |
Memoirs 1950-1963 by George Kennan, 372 pages Tony Pisarenkov 02 December 2007 Necessarily selective, but a fascinating peek into the life of a career diplomat and the inevitable, eternal, and, to me as it is to Kennan, deeply depressing conflict between foreign and domestic policy, and the subservience of the former to the latter. |
Russia and the West under Lenin and Stalin by George Kennan, 372 pages Tony Pisarenkov 04 May 2008 Kennan's classic lectures compiled into a book are an excellent analysis of the political and diplomatic history of Russia vis-a-vis Western (and some Eastern) powers between 1917 and 1945, enhanced with some excellent insight into the Communist doctrine, Stalin's personality, and some timeless observations about the behavior of nations and governments that are still applicable today. Highly recommended to every thinking adult. More extensive comments here |
Fundmentalism and America Culture: 1870 - 1925 by George Marsden, 292 pages James Donahue 21 September 2002 The standard work which explains historically how the fundamentalists became the funny-mentalists. An essential read for anyone that wants to understand the history of their evangelical heritage. Also helps explain some of the superannuated shibboleths I experienced at Cedarville. |
Jonathan Edwards: A Life by George Marsden, 600 pages James Donahue 01 September 2003 What a book! George continually impresses me as a scholar who is at once thorough, thoughtful, and readable. The research here is impeccable and built mainly on a decade of recent dissertations and whatnot. This figure, so central to American political and religious life, is portrayed warts and all, but there's still a lot to admire here. |
Fundamentalism and American Culture: The Shaping of Twentieth Century Evangelicalism 1870-1925 by George Marsden, 231 pages Jonathan Misirian 30 May 2006 Marsden presents a detailed and readable account of the social/religious forces that worked to shape the movement called Fundamentalism. His analysis provides us with the foundation of the modern day ‘Religious Right.’ Marsden’s greatest contribution is in showing the complexity of the early movement; which makes me wonder why it is so narrowly defined today. |
The Image of Man by George Mosse, 226 pages James Donahue 16 January 2003 An excellent and brief history of modern masculinity. Mosse traces it back to Winckelmann's rediscovery of the Greeks, and does a nice job of distinguishing this new form of male-hood from its chivalric, aristocratic predecessor. He traces this ideal through the 1960s when it began to dissolve. Throughout Mosse also pays attention to the male counterparts: the female and the homosexual (or unmanly man). As a sidenote I appreciate that Mosse includes fascism's quest for a 'new man' within a broader history of European culture. |
Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell, 0 pages Steve Gadd 07 July 2003 Twenty-five year old Eric Blair left his comfortable middle-class lifestyle to get an appreciation for the way the other half lives. This journal of dishwashing and tramping became his first book. Very entertaining and eye-opening if you can ignore the racial stereotypes. In some countries the copyright has expired so you can find the complete text available for download. |
1984 by George Orwell, 267 pages Steven Krise 19 September 2003 War is peace. |
Homage to Catalonia [audio] by George Orwell, 0 pages Steve Gadd 23 June 2005 Animal Farm and 1984 deserve credit for making high school students everywhere aware of this author, but to my mind his non-fiction is much better reading. His skill at the anecdote form was honed in Burma, Paris, and London before he signed up to fight in the Spanish Civil War. His memoirs of the experience include some isolated chapters focusing on the politics of the war, a diversion he describes as necessary but "like diving into a cesspool". The rest is entertaining and sometimes riveting. You know you are in for a good time when you encounter a line like "The whole experience of being hit by a bullet is very interesting and I think it is worth describing in detail." |
Redeemers and Patriots in Meiji Japan by George Wilson, 155 pages James Donahue 15 October 2003 In contrast to most histories of Japan which focus on economic concerns and the upper class, Wilson provides a highly readable and highly engaging account of the peasantry and their millenarian aspirations. As a sidenote: so many striking parallels to evangelicalism. |
Medievalism by GeorgeTyrrell, 184 pages James Donahue 08 May 2002 Written in 1908 to protest both Vatican I and the papal encyclical condemning Catholic-modernism. What sets this impassioned essay apart however is the author's use of prescholastic theology and the Church Fathers to argue against Vatican I. |
A Blood Dimmed Tide The Battle of the Bulge By the Men Who Fought It. by Gerald Astor, 513 pages Jeff Gadd 22 February 2003 The Battle of the Bulge is bad for the American's and German's soliders who fought in this part of the WWII. Great plots of using real soldiers stories from both sides and put them together in this book. Hard to tell who won this part of the war. My guess the winter storm won this battle against them. |
The Moral Imagination (2006) by Gertrude Himmelfarb, 253 pages James Donahue 29 December 2006 An interesting set of essays on moral thought in the Victorian era. |
The Feminine Face of the People of God by Giberto Baril, 247 pages James Donahue 31 July 2002 This books examines the foundational feminine analogies of God's chosen in both the OT and NT. Things focused upon include: Israel in Hosea, the barrenness and fertility of the patriach-wives, the daughter of Zion figure, Mary, and the Church as the bride of Christ. Fascinating survey that really recaptures the feminine as a constituent of the Christian life, corporative and individual. |
Violence Unveiled (1999) by Gil Bailie, 276 pages James Donahue 11 December 2007 Rene Girard's work on sacrificial culture, Christian theology, and modern theory remains for me the most compelling work of the past decades. Apparently the same can be said of Gil Bailie, a Christian theologian who heads his own California institute. This book is an extended reflection (and restatement) of Girard's importance for modern evangelicals. Worth reading, but perhaps the casual reader would do better to go straight to Girard himself. (Read on the train ride back home.) |
Forty Words for Sorrow by Giles Blunt, 355 pages Mike Gadd 27 March 2002 |
Mimi & Toutou's Big Adventure by Giles Foden, 241 pages James Donahue 12 June 2005 True story of the bizarre portage of two war-speedboats across Africa into Lake Tanganyika to battle a German warboat in the Great War. The British captain was insane, the Scots dour, the Germans just plain unlucky. Like a combination of Gilligan's Island and the Heart of Darkness. Foden is a smooth writer (i.e., not a professional historian) with a writer's eye for the unnecessary connection and a good yarn. |
The Elixir of Youth by Gillian Bradshaw, 220 pages Micaela Larkin 08 November 2006 limits of science... in a contemporary mystery by a classical historian |
Alchemy of Fire (2004) by Gillian Bradshaw, 247 pages Jennifer Dear 07 March 2007 Bookcover says: "A rich historical romance and a journey of self-discovery." Jen says: "Not that bad. But not her best." |
Highlander: White Silence by Ginjer Buchanan, 229 pages A Bennett 13 August 2002 I posted this sometime ago and then the site ate it. I think I wrote about the trauma of people dying--repeatedly, because that's the basic premise--in the snow and the cold and of starvation and all because of heading to the gold fields without Marnie of Calico Palace, and to the Klondike this time. Necessary Vocabulary: cheekacho, argonaut. |
Doctrines and Origin of Fascism by Giovanni Gentile, 103 pages James Donahue 05 September 2002 He ought to know being the official philosopher of Mussolini. |
Joshua by God ( via Joshua probably), 19 pages Ian Hassell 15 April 2002 Joshua "kicks rear and takes names" as the Israelites establish their territory |
Leviticus by God (via Moses' hand), 24 pages Ian Hassell 13 February 2002 God establishes man's need for Christ. No man could possibly live up to the requirements of Leviticus - enter Christ. Factoid: Lev. contains the most direct quotes from God of any Biblical book. |
Numbers by God (via Moses' hand), 40 pages Ian Hassell 27 February 2002 The history of Israel's wanderings up to, but not including, the entrance into Canaan. |
Deuteronomy by God (via Moses' hand), 29 pages Ian Hassell 31 March 2002 Completes the account of Israel's pre-Canaan history. Great parallel to our own spiritual lives - God loves us, we screw up, God still loves us, we screw up some more... |
Genesis by God (via Moses' hands), 41 pages Ian Hassell 16 January 2002 God establishes his covenant with mankind |
Exodus by God (via Moses' hands), 33 pages Ian Hassell 29 January 2002 God keeps his covenant with man |
Ruth by God (via Samuel?), 4 pages Ian Hassell 05 May 2002 Interesting anecdote about Ben Franklin and the book of Ruth at http://www.seekerstrove.com/ruth.html. Ruth is cited in the early lineage of Christ. |
First Kings by God (via Unknown - Jeremiah?), 21 pages Ian Hassell 25 July 2002 Still trying to resolve the God revealed in the OT with the God of the NT. We see some fearsome attributes of God displayed when Israel disobeys. I'm really thankful for things like mercy and grace after reading this book. |
Second Kings by God (via Unknown - Jeremiah?), 25 pages Ian Hassell 31 August 2002 Challenging presentation of how far apart Sin and Holiness really are. |
Judges by God (via Unknown), 19 pages Ian Hassell 01 May 2002 Interesting stories of the good, the bad and the judges - Israel was a theocracy but still had the "free will" opportunities that we experience |
First Samuel by God (via Unknown), 25 pages Ian Hassell 30 May 2002 Some of the best-known stories of the Bible...David & Goliath, Saul annointed King, David & Jonathan. Israel becomes a monarchy (and begins to pay the price...) |
Second Samuel by God (via Unknown), 21 pages Ian Hassell 21 June 2002 3 words: David And Bathsheba. Amazing story of how a "man after God's own heart" sins, tries to cover his tracks, is convicted, repents, is forgiven, punished and ultimately restored. God clearly reveals his character to us through a wonderfully relevant account of one of the "heroes of the faith". |
Inventing a Nation: Washington, Adams, Jefferson by Gore Vidal, 198 pages Tony Pisarenkov 04 July 2008 Vidal's cynical take on the founding fathers. More detailed comments here. |
Peyton Place by Grace Metalious, 372 pages Micaela Larkin 28 May 2007 mid-century melodrama |
Collected Stories by Graham Greene, 562 pages Steve Gadd 10 June 1995 |
Monsignor Quixote by Graham Greene, 221 pages Steve Gadd 07 February 1997 |
Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene, 306 pages Kristin Schrock 17 February 2003 It took me about 100 pages to figure out exactly what the heart of the matter was. Basically, Scobie, the most honest police officer in British run Africa, is slowly corrupted by his intense desire not to be the cause of unhappiness to those he loves. Something like that. Okay, I still don't know what it was about. But it had this wonderful sentence in it: "He watched her go out of the dark office like fifteen wasted years." |
Monsignor Quixote by Graham Greene, 256 pages Steven Krise 08 October 2003 Started reading the book on the plane from New Orleans while flying through the outer edges of Isabelle. Having left the book on the plane, I had to buy another one to finish (plus it was Shannon's book). Anyway, how can you not love the two main characters? |
Burnt-out Case by Graham Greene, 199 pages Steven Krise 13 September 2004 He came to the end of even that. |
The End of the Affair by Graham Greene, 240 pages Steven Krise 15 September 2004 A week ago I had only to say to her, "Do you remember that first time together and how I hadn't got a shilling for the meter?" and the scene would be there for both of us. Now it was there for me only. She had lost all our memories forever, and it was as though by dying she had robbed me of part of myself. |
The End of the Affair by Graham Greene, 240 pages Kristin Schrock 20 January 2006 The narrator and God are rivals for the love and devotion of Sarah. God wins. This is a beautiful and poignant exploration of love and hatred and jealousy and a reminder that the House always wins. |
The Comedians (1966) by Graham Greene, 287 pages James Donahue 18 May 2007 A disturbing novel about a group of whites in Haiti during Papa Doc;s revolution. (Think a Carribbean "The Quiet American.") Despite the hardened cyncism of the author, others on the island have more heroic, less detached reactions to the island;s fate. But which is in the end better? Because Greene himself cannot decide, its hard to tell. |
Monsignor Quixote by Graham Greene, 256 pages Steven Krise 07 June 2007 The oddest couple in Spain. |
The Tenth Man (1985) by Graham Greene, 144 pages James Donahue 10 June 2007 When the Germans condemn three random French POWs to die in WWII, chosen by lots, the wealthy lawyer Chavel gives everything he has to a fellow prisoner to accept his short straw. After the war Chavel cannot help but wander back, broke and ashamed, to his former manor, now inhabited by the dead man's mother and sister, fully regretting his trade. |
The Ministry of Fear (1943) by Graham Greene, 221 pages James Donahue 10 June 2007 While bombs fall on London, someone is murdering people in a convulated spying scheme. The main hero accidently buys the wrong cake at a church fair (with real eggs in it!) and enters a tragicomic world that he does not understand. |
A Gun for Sale by Graham Greene, 186 pages Steven Krise 12 June 2007 Death came to him in the form of unbearable pain. It was as if he had to deliver this pain as a woman delivers a child, and he sobbed and moaned in the effort. At last it came out of him and he followed his only child into a vast desolation. |
England Made Me (1935) by Graham Greene, 207 pages James Donahue 13 June 2007 I had never read an early Greene novel before, nor realized how much he borrowed from other interwar Catholic pessimists, such as Waugh or Belloc. In this book nihilism prevails among the devolving British upper crust while Depression ravages the working man. (Read in Invermere, my ideal town.) |
Travels With My Aunt (1969) by Graham Greene, 265 pages James Donahue 17 June 2007 Plot: A retired bank manager, regular and boring in every respect, meets his swinging, smuggling aunt who exposes him to a 'walk on the wild side.' Her advice is at turns salacious ("His fun had been in the secret, and he left us both only so that somewhere he could find a new secret. Not love. Just a secret"), quirky ("Switzerland is only bearable covered in snow"), and practical ("People who love quotations love meaningless generalizations"). A few years I would have regarded this book as a satirical, semi-serious take on the 60s by a member of the most radical generation of them all (the 1920s crowd), but since my time in Switzerland I can only see as the truest realism of all. (Read on the train back from Montana). |
Brighton Rock by Graham Greene, 247 pages Steven Krise 26 June 2007 |
Monsignor Quixote by Graham Greene, 221 pages Steve Gadd 05 July 2007 "When one has to jump, it's so much safer to jump into deep water." |
Brighton Rock (1938) by Graham Greene, 247 pages James Donahue 14 August 2007 One of the most compelling examinations of depravity (and its mirror image: grace) I have ever read. "'I mean - a Catholic is more capable of evil than anyone. I think perhaps - because we believe in Him - we are more in touch with other people.'" For even He believes. . .and shudders. |
Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene, 0 pages Steve Gadd 04 September 2008 Mediocre comedy, audio version. After Lolita, the mediocrity was especially telling. Glad to be done with it. |
The Human Factor by Graham Greene, 302 pages Steven Krise 20 November 2008 "Probably the best espionage novel ever written." - Well, certainly better than 'Red Rabbit' not that that is hard to do. |
Our Man In Havana by Graham Greene, 220 pages Steven Krise 11 November 2009 http://www.google.com/#q=synopsis+"graham+greene"+"our+man+in+havana" |
Victor Hugo by Graham Robb, 541 pages James Donahue 19 May 2005 Robb's biography of Hugo made me realize just what a central political and cultural figure Hugo truly was. Beyond writing the Romantic stories that have recently been canabalized by Disney and Andrew Lloyd Weber, Hugo was a dominant figure in the 1830, 1848, and 1870 revolutions, a major religious figure who founded his own Vietnamese cult, the greatest French Romantic poet and the first French modernist poet, and the impregnator of much of the Parisian jet-set. Robb always writes great literary biographies, with a sharp eye for detail and a refusal to get bogged down in recapsulating plots and literary mumbo-jumbo. |
Heaven Below: Early Pentecostals and American Culture by Grant Wacker, 357 pages James Donahue 25 September 2002 An excellent and comprehensive description of early Pentecostalism. The phenomenon really amazes. Absorbing read. Written by someone who grew up within the (anti)tradition. |
The Gospel According to Hollywood (2007) by Greg Garrett, 174 pages Jonathan Misirian 23 May 2008 Garrett’s expansive range of movies is only matched by his insightful ability to connect deep spiritual truths, to the best and worst that Hollywood has to offer. A true fan of Film, the author brings out the Christian themes that inhabit so much of what Hollywood creates. |
Transforming Discipleship: making disciples a few at a time (2003) by Greg Ogden, 180 pages Jonathan Misirian 08 April 2008 Good overview of various methods of teaching others about what it means to be a follower of Christ. |
The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the quest for political power is destroying the church (2006) by Gregory Boyd, 210 pages Jonathan Misirian 05 May 2007 The title betrays the book, in that this book is not a historical overview of American historical roots. In reality this book is a discussion the Kingdom of God and how this always counters the Kingdom of the World. A more in-depth treatment of these two competing motifs would help to strengthen this work, but regardless, it is a good first step at looking at the implications of using power and politics to advance God’s Kingdom. Boyd challenges the Christian to avoid the myths that tempt American Christians: the myth that we are a Christian nation, the myth of redemptive violence, the myth that might makes right, the myth that the end justifies the means, etc… |
Dark Magus: The Jeckyl and Hyde Life of Miles Davis by Gregory Davis with Les Sussman, 174 pages Tony Pisarenkov 02 January 2007 An utterly unnecessary, and abysmally written to boot (despite the presence of a presumably professional co-author), memoir by Miles's son of his relationship with his father. Seriously, what new insight into Davis's art can we possibly gain by learning that a conniving aunt conspired to keep poor Gregory out of his father's will? |
Wicked, The Life & Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, 409 pages Jeff Gadd 11 February 2003 Interesting story about the Wicked Witch from Oz, makes you not like Dorothy as much in the book as you did in the movie. |
Three Tales by Gustave Flaubert, 124 pages Tony Pisarenkov 13 June 2003 These were written very late in Flaubert's career, years after "Madame Bovary" and "Sentimental Education." Of the three, "A Simple Heart" is by far the best and the only one I'd recommend. It is sad and touching while remaining exceptionally simple in language, structure and plot. The other two are are dismissible to this reader. "St. Julian Hospitator" was apparetly insipred by a legend depicted in a series of stained glass windows in a church, and is no more than a curiosity. "Herodias" dramatizes some of the political events in Palestine around the time Jesus was just beginning to attain notoriety, but it failed to capture and hold my interest. |
Jubilee Trail by Gwen Bristow, 564 pages A Bennett 25 February 2002 Gwen Bristow knows more about California geography, geology, and history than anybody should really care to know. If the women of 1840 were given bracing cups of hard liquor to strengthen and their nerves them as often as was our heroine, is it is a miracle the territory was ever settled in the first place. Overall, a pale forerunner of Calico Palace, and much dustier. |
Jubilee Trail by Gwen Bristow, 564 pages Julie Gephart 23 March 2002 Recipe for Jubilee Trail: Mix one society girl, one useless husband, and one impossibly hot blonde with 8 parts trail dust. Fold in equal measure of dry historical exposition. Bake under hot California sun until gold appears around the edges. |
Calico Palace by Gwen Bristow, 589 pages A Bennett 25 March 2002 'The roof--the roof--the roof is on FI-re!' A pyromaniac's dream, there are strong drinks all around for shaken women, kittens rescued from buring edifices, gambling, redheads, and San Francisco burning to the ground five times in less than a year. Oh, and the first half teaches us not only about the gold rush first-hand, but also about the dangers of both scurvy and marrying men named Ted Parks, who have, as they say, "no guts." |
Celia Garth by Gwen Bristow, 406 pages A Bennett 02 April 2002 Quarting redcoats is no good, but, sweet Gaea, we'd have enough towels. Assertion: Women want to find someone/something to live for; Men, someone or something to die for. During the occupation and ensuing battle for Charleston, SC during the Revolution, that thing was Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox. A man who perfectly illustrates that theory, as well as the startling realization that some people are made to excel at war--and wither in anonymity during peacetime. |
Golden Dreams by Gwen Bristow, 238 pages A Bennett 15 December 2003 No one who has read, "Calico Palace", "Jubilee Trail", or "Tomorrow Is Forever" can doubt author Gwen Bristow's enduring fascination with California, no matter the time period of history in question. In this engagingly written non-fiction, Bristow takes readers from the arrival of the first pioneers (significantly accompained by the first woman--and child) to cross from Missouri to California breaking the 'Old Trail', through the 49ers of the Gold Rush (and their predecessors) on to California's long and arduous fight for statehood amid the wake of the Missouri Compromise and the pre-Civil War pressure cooker that was Congress. Rarely anything but a good--even dramatic--read, she highlights female contributions to her adopted home without crossing the line into feminist revisionism. |
Celia Garth (1959) by Gwen Bristow, 406 pages A Bennett 08 January 2004 I wish I could duplicate for you in print the wildly spooked look in Schrock's eyes last night when she asked me, almost confrontationally, if I had finished a book. Heh. The wicked things gaddzbOOkz! does to a relationship. This book is an old favorite, while sick I picked it up as a form of familiar, entertaining comfort. It just about perfectly combines a fictional story with the seige (and subsequent taking) of Charleston by the British during the Revolutionary War, and the subsequent derring-do of the Swamp Fox, Francis Marion. Heavy on history both political and social, I can't help but feel a little sad that if someone were to write (or film) this story today, Celia would have to know kung-fu and eschew dressmaking, rather than just be who she is: a character thrown into the world of 18th-century espionage who finds she is well-suited to it, without ever possessing a weapon, taking a life, or incurring a dark past. |
What If Our World Is Their Heaven? The Final Conversations of Philip K Dick by Gwen Lee and Doris Elaine Sauter (Eds.), 204 pages Steven Krise 08 May 2008 Taped on three different days, these conversations between PK Dick and Gwen Lee give an intimate look into the mind and writing process of this literary master. |