What's next?

First of all I want to say thanks for reading. The accountability of knowing people were looking at this really gave me the necessary motivation to finish. As I have been thinking through this last year I decided that I wanted to have a task to accomplish so I thought about some areas that I felt like pursuing. Any of you that know me know that I am not exactly what most people would describe as a "patriot." Please hear me say, I don't hate America (aka the United States of America) I just wasn't raised to have a great appreciation the basic elements of our culture. I suppose that most of this was my doing, but I always had far more interest in the cultures of "exotic" locales. As I have grown older I have started to see the value of this Nation, but I feel like I still lack a base understanding of how we got to where we are, and why that matters. So. in 2010 I am going to attempt to discover an America that I can appreciate (while staying true to my beliefs) and hopefully learn to love. I am going to read American classics, listen to American masterworks, study the works of the great American artists, look at the inventions and contributions of some of our noteworthy citizens, and lastly analyze the ideas of our greatest thinkers. I am very excited to conquer this and if you would like to follow along you can view my thoughts at http://iheartamerica.wordpress.com hope to hear from you soon.

p.s. the blog is set up but posting will not begin until January 1st

FIFTY! and done!

Well, I did it with a couple weeks to spare. I figured I would finish my quest with a book about another man's quest. I'll be honest, mine was a little less ambitious. This book is a "classic," at least according to some people. I have seen the film version of this book so I wasn't really biting on all of the twists and turns that Verne threw at me, but it was still entertaining.
To be honest after 50 books I'm tired of writing reviews so I am going to finish by saying this. I love epic adventure stories, and this was no disappointment on that front. It did, however, drip with closet racism, justification for imperialism, and general Caucasian bias. So, I won't be reading this to my kids. Not to mention that Verne generally takes a pot shot at most cultures as well as the Hindu and Mormon faith. I'm all for freedom of speech but I guess I trust my authors to keep it classy. Anyway, I guess the politician thing to say now is that these were different times, but that's non-sense so instead I'll say, this is a good story told through a very narrow worldview.

quarantanove e soltanto uno da andare!

There is a series of books with non-descript covers called the culture shock series. I have personally read Culture Shock: China, and Culture Shock: Hong Kong. I found the books fascinating as well as ultimately useful in each of those cultures. You see the thing about people is we form cultures around ourselves, and to those indoctrinated in the culture it makes complete sense. But to those unaccustomed to the mores of a particular country or part of a country these traditions, laws, unwritten rules, and fanatical devotions can seem like complete non-sense.
Ciao America! by Beppe Severgnini is sort of a Culture Shock: United States of America for Italians. The thing about it is the author comments on things that seem incredibly common place to most "Americans." As I was reading, however, I started to realize the insanity of this country. From American football to Black Friday to the sheer quantity of goods available to consume, the witty observations of Severgnini begin to make sense when you step back to view them.
Cultures are crazy, and I am starting to believe that all people are a little bit nuts, so it makes sense that cultures would be so unique as you travel the globe. It was actually refreshing to hear an outsider both give a glowing description of my nation as well as an honest critique on a few of our shortcomings. The book was written in the mid nineties so many of the topics have already become outdated, but the general perceptions hold true. After all we are talking about ideas and pattens that are ingrained in our nations DNA. Technology, media, art, and social tolerances may change but we will always be a nation of self-reliance, interstates, barbecue, and "American football." But I haven't heard people petitioning for change.

If I was a trappist monk, I would definitely read more than 50 books in a year

So I heard about this Thomas Merton guy a few years ago, and at first he sounded like a nut case. He may very well be a nut case, but he has some good things to say. Granted, I do question anyone that can live extended amounts of time without human interaction, but that doesn't take away from his thoughts. I'm not going to get into the details of Merton's philosophies but this is an excellent overview of the many branches of Cistercian monks. There are as many types of monks as there are denominations in the protestant Church, and many of the differences are just as trivial. I'm not going to lie to you, this isn't a pleasure read for most people, but if you've ever wondered what a vow of silence would be like, this is a pretty inside look. Thomas Merton has some very different, and often controversial, viewpoints but if you can weed through those there is some very significant content to contemplate.

47! And a series complete

Well...I promised a full review when I completed the 5 books in the Percy Jackson series. I don't want to give too much away, but as adults with any semblance of knowledge of Greek mythology it isn't too difficult to pick up on foreshadowing and thematic devices in these books, so here it goes.

Percy Jackson is 12 years old when we meet him, he quickly discovers through a series of monster related adventures that he is a half-blood. That is to say half mortal and half deity. In Percy Jackson's world the deities of Greek mythology have continued to exist and they just move around wherever Western civilization is centered. With this knowledge Percy is invited to attend a camp for half bloods with others from around the world along with centaurs, satyrs, naiads, dryads, harpies, and myriad other beasts that I previously had little knowledge of.
Needless to say, the demon side of mythology has persisted as well, and these creatures soon begin to unleash there fury. Over 5 books Percy himself deals with most of Hades' worst minions in the city, below ground, under water, and in the sky. Percy relies on the help of his friends as well as the Gods themselves, most of them make appearances, but you may be surprised how, and when.
Overall I highly recommend these books. If your child may not be able to understand this is mythology then you may want to wait, but for any mature kid these are great epic adventures. They are tales of good versus evil, and wonderful stories where good decisions ultimately lead to success. Percy Jackson was just something I started as a distraction from my quest, but like Percy I was sucked into a journey I was unable to say no too. I normally say I don't enjoy fiction but Percy has caused me to reconsider that stance.

46, but this should have counted as a couple of books

So I guess I never figured I'd read a Jonathan Edwards book, let alone a book written by John Piper commenting on a book by Jonathan Edwards, which by the way, included the entire Edwards book as well. But, I did, and it was tough. I am decently familiar with Piper so I actually thought the Piper portion of the book was pretty straight-forward. Don't get me wrong, I learned an immense amount of information, but as far as difficulty of comprehension I was pleasantly surprised that I felt like I was in-taking what Piper was attempting to convey. That all ceased when Edward's original writings took over. I need to say that if it were not for the Piper thoughts to lead the book, I don't feel I could have gotten through the remainder of the writings. The text that Edwards wrote was entitled The End for Which God Created the World it is a fairly well known piece of Christian literature, but I found it very hard to track with. This was not beacuse of the content or necessarily even the level of theological understanding. It had much more to do with the changes in the English language over the last 250ish years. Jonathan Edwards was a contemporary of the founding fathers and his writing reads as such. To my "post0modern" sensibilities the words of Edwards came across much like contemporary legal documents. This is not to say that it was intentionally confusing, in fact I often found that Edward's made his point more thoroughly than necessary, the writing just piled up at great lengths causing me to often get tangled up in his ideas, and proof texts. Having said all of these things I felt this was an incredibly valuable read. I was stretched in my understandings of God, and was challenged as a reader. It was fascinating to see that many of the struggles in the modern American Church are similar to those of Edwards day, even though the language of his time is as foreign to me as Greek or Hebrew.

5 to go!

Assasination Vacation is not a murder novel. It is however a ridiculously fascinating story. I feel it is important to note that I grew up in a home that would make most presidential libraries jealous, so I am probably prone to information on our presidents, especially the ones killed in office. In this book Sarah Vowell takes to the road unearthing the minutiae surrounding the first 3 Presidential assassinations. Those 3 assassinations were Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, and William McKinley. The first of these is pretty well known and as a native son of "the land of Lincoln," I had the tale pounded into my head each year along with the stirring exploits of Kazimir Polaski (look it up). Any way, the Lincoln assassination is indeed fascinating, and full of intrigue but so are the lesser known of the presidential assassinations. If I didn't trust the sources of the information I would have a hard time believing that many of the plot lines didn't come from telenovelas. These stories are rife with espionage, conspiracy, bribary, bizarre sexual exploits, teapot manufacturing, And strangely enough Robert Todd Lincoln comes to play in all three stories. Reading this book inspired me to visit Washington D.C. as soon as possible and explore the historical sites that are off of the normal tourists radar, as well as visit the Truman presidential library in Kansas City when I go home for Christmas. He wasn't assassinated, but a couple of people tried. Maybe there is a good story behind that as well.

44! I can see the light

So a few years ago I was reading the book Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem. At the time it seemed like 1300 pages of what could only be classified as theological shock therapy. Looking back on the book, it was neither that overwhelming of a read, nor really that arduous a task, but I'm a little older now and definitely a better reader, so that is to be expected. Anyway, I have asked the guys in my community group to read this book and since I try to not ask people to read books I haven't read myself, you shall now get a blog post describing the book. Grudem took the 1300ish pages of Systematic Theology and "condensed" it down to just under 600 pages for the book Bible Doctrine which was then parsed down to around 150 pages and presented as this book Christian Beliefs.
I really appreciate what Grudem has done in this book, having read the monster version I was actually surprised to find that a couple of the things presented actually seemed clearer in their abridged form. I have very few complaints with the book, I felt the tone and writing style was very accessible and easy to enter into. I did, however, wish that Grudem had chosen to discuss the ordinances of the Church as well as getting into exactly how the Bible was canonized, but I realize he was limited to 20 topics. I would highly recommend this book to anyone hoping to get in on the ground floor of reformed theology, or for anyone wanting to brush up on their knowledge of the essentials.

43

Book # 4 in the Percy Jackson series is completed!

T minus 8

I feel that I need to say this on the record - I am still reading mature adult writing. I just got wrapped up in this story and want to finish it. Like I said last time, I will give a huge write-up on the Percy Jackson series once I am done. But just in case anyone doesn't believe me I am also currently reading God's Passion for His Glory, it is definitely higher level reading. I haven't abandoned scholastic pursuits, but sometimes you have to finish an adventure!

41 - I'm hooked...

and I don't usually get sucked into storylines so easily. I have already started the third book, and I am going to catch Brad soon. At least I waited until all the books were released, this way I don't have to wait 9 months for the next installment to come out. Anyway, my previous review stands, I think I'll give a big doozy of a review after all the books are read. Okay well I have a mountain to conquer so I am outta here.

WARNING: This book, and the subsequent books in this series exist in a modern world not only occupied by "God" but by "gods" as well. If you may find this offensive, then you should skip this series.

That being said I loved this book. I was skeptical to start a series of children's books but my friend Brad gave this one the Butler seal of approval so I figured I'd drink the Kool-Aid. I was pleasantly surprised. I have always nerded out on Mythology, with the full understanding that it was just that, Mythology. I spent a few years as secretary of the Latin Club in high school, which essentially requires some mythological studies. So as I dived into the first few chapters, I was hooked. I am ready to get on to the next book, but I have some other reading to do, but if I'm honest I'll probably put that off and keep going on these. They really are compelling, it is good writing, good conflict, likable characters, people you hate, and superpowers. I need no more. It won't increase the surface area of your gray matter, but it will make you enjoy reading. That's enough for me.

Ambos Nogales

So I have little to no affection left for border towns, but my dad really loves the places. I don't know what it is about them, but he really wants to go to Nogales every time he visits, so I oblige. After our last visit a few weeks ago I decided that there was at least a minimal amount of study I needed to put into our nearest border-town-neighbors. So I started to read Ambos Nogales. This book is a Photo-journalistic view at both Nogales but has a remarkably deep level of story as well. I think my appreciation for the town on each side of the border has grown as a result. The problem with border towns, in my mind, is that you don't really get to know anyone. The population is transitory, most people don't originate from the area, and the dollar is driving daily life. Come to think of it, that isn't much different from the city I live in. I suppose the transitory nature of life here is a part of being situated on an international border, it is even a part I embrace. I love the idea of cultures living side by side, and co-mingling. I can appreciated acculturation in some contexts but I can also understand a fierce loyalty to ones "mother culture." I suppose in some circles this makes me un-American, but I also suppose it doesn't make me un-Jesus-like, and that's more what I'm shooting for. All of this to say, I realized in the last few weeks that the things I don't love about border towns are the things that have been imposed upon those towns by bureaucracy, crime, and international political posturing and preening. So, long story short, border towns are OK in my books, after all, if there wasn't a made up border there, they'd just be towns. I'm OK with towns.

Pursuit of Holiness

I should have read this a long time ago, for many many reasons. I have now. I found this book encouraging, and in consideration of my pursuit of reading 50 books, a wjole lot convicting. Why is it that I can be dedicated to reading 50 books, most of which are ultimately meaningless, but a pursuit of the life I am created, and desire to live is really tough to pull off. Anyway, this book bridges practical information and encouraging reminders very well, it has the right amount of conviction but enough encouraging to keep you going. If you haven't yet, go ahead and give it a read through.

I have a better understanding of these struggles

I've read some other books about adoption, and each of them addressed the struggles that may, or will, be faced by adoptees and their parents. They all seemed to be reasonable, but it was hard for me to see where the bitterness, or envy, or anger was coming from emotionally. This book did a phenomenal job of getting to the core of the issues. The author spent a good amount of time getting to the heart of the matter. Instead of just telling you that when your child says _______, you should respond like ________. She let's the reader know where the feelings of the issues lie. So if your child says ________ they probably are feeling this way because of these unspoken, and unresolved feelings. I feel like in general we give children far too little credit when it comes to their emotions. Often, I think, our children fully understand what they are going through, they just can't vocalize it, and so we assume they are ignorant to their heart issues. It sounds cheesy but I really do feel like this book has made me more equipped to deal with the unique challenges that are presented during adoption. I would definitely recommend this book for future adoptive parents or anyone that will spend any significant time with adoptees. Their is essential information that you may not hear anywhere else.

book 36 - I'm gonna need some help

If any one has read this book, please give me some help here. Otherwise my review is as follows: ???

Spiritual Journaling

Emily and I bought this book about 6 months after we got married, I guess it wasw time to read it. The ideas in this book are pretty good it seems. You see, I bought this book because I feel there is a great value in journaling, but I haven't been able to make myself do it very consistently. Maybe if I started a blog about it I would be held accountable.

There isn't much to really talk about until I am able to force myself into putting this information into practice. If I manage to do that I'll let you know. Right now you can get a copy on amazon.com for $0.84, it is definitely worth reading for that price..

34 books and around the world

So a couple years ago I watched the BBC television series Long Way Round and as soon as I got my paperbackswap account I added the book about the journey to my wishlist. For anyone that doesn't yet know about the series, it is the journeys of Ewan McGregor and his friend Charley Boorman as they ride their BMW 1150cc motorcycles around the world...the long way! There route starts in London, through the chunnel to Paris through Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia then the Ukraine. This is where the adventure begins and the pavement stops. Next comes Kazakhstan then Russia, all the way across Mongolia, back into Russia just in time to hit Siberia and the Road of Bones. From there they ship there bikes across the Bering Straight and Ride from Alaska to New York. RIDICULOUS. All of that in 3 months.
I really thought that the book would be a bore now that I had seen the television show, but it wasn't. There was a ton of material that couldn't fit into 6 hours of programming. Some because it didn't make good TV and some because it wouldn't make appropriate TV. Boys will be boys, so you can use your imagination. Any way, this isn;t as much a review as it is an encouragement to get out and see the world. These two guys followed this trip up with a trip from the northern tip of Scotland to the southern tip of Africa. Check this stuff out, it is very entertaining and inspiring too.

Metal Bööks för Metal Möments in Life

I didn't exactly grow up a "metal fan" in the typical sense. I mean don't get me wrong, I can run with some GnR but Mötley Crüe, Winger, Trixter, and Warrant never really did much for me. It probably was for the better, I can't really drop the f-word casually enough to blend seamlessly into the metal sub-genre. But hear me out, I totally get the appeal. Beyond that I'm not even sure how anyone from rural middle America could possibly not love metal, it is everything great and despicable about American popular music, and possibly American culture in general. So if you can handle hearing the f-bomb used as every part of speech in the English language, then this is not such a bad look at Metal, or rural America. If you like to challenge yourself, possibly increase your level of intellect, and come out of a book smarter on the tail end, then this might not be the book for you.

Tommy Lee, please don't hold this against me.

More Collected Works of Various Authors, Many from the Glorious Nation of Iceland

Book 32 in my quest was McSweeney's 15 and in keeping with my previous ruling, I will not give a review of a book comprised of various writings, by various authors. I will, however, give you a brief list of some of the topics covered int the 299 pages of McSweeney's 15. Here's a taste: the quasi-invention of the cinema, dealing with sickness and dealing with kids, children being hit in the head with hammers and the ensuing birthday party mayhem, gigantic eagles, and last but not least a moral tale of our collective hands-free future with Chicago buried shoulder deep in honey.

It's good reading, and for the record, assuming there would be no human casualties I would be in favor of Chicago being covered in honey, even with the fore-knowledge that this would ultimately lead to an invasion of man-eating bears.