Last random book rec of 2007

I’ve come to the end of the book-a-day calendar (thanks again to my brother, for a 2006 Christmas gift that kept on giving). From the last few pages, here are my recommendations:

1. The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith—and its sequels, and pretty much any other book by Mr. Smith, whose quirky sense of humor and flexible style make each of his protagonists uniquely enjoyable.

2. Shooter: The Autobiography of the Top-Ranked Marine Sniper, by Jack Coughlin & Casey Kuhlman, with Donald A. Davis—For my brother-in-law, and my husband, and maybe my nephew, and anyone else who enjoys this kind of truelife adventure which “invites you into the mind and world of one of the U.S. military’s most successful snipers….His journey…to Iraq (with stops along the way in other fiercely dangerous places like Somalia) is a gripping, enlightening, and one-of-a-kind account.” Then re-read Tim O’Brien’s “How to Tell a True War Story” from The Things They Carried.

3. The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College, by Jacques Steinberg—this book about how admissions works at Wesleyan University (or did in 2003) may or may not be helpful to students and parents of students who are applying to similar or less prestigious colleges, but it sounds interesting anyway. Someone should write a book about the Campbell U admissions process—but not me!

4.    Patience and Fortitude, by Nicholas A. Basbanes—It seems perfect to end the year with a pilgrimage through the world’s great libraries, past and present, “from Alexandria to Oxford, from New York to the Vatican,” chronicling their unusual denizens as well as their volumes. Several years ago I attended a literary conference that included a tour of Biltmore House. As the guide led each group of professors into the gorgeous library, lined with beautifully bound books from floor to ceiling, a collective sigh of delight and longing arose from the group and we just stood there, gazing. The tour-guide reached the end of her spiel and was ready to move on, but we would have happily spent the rest of the evening in that library—if the shelves hadn’t been cordoned off with velvet ropes! As fantastic as it is to be able to find so much—nearly anything—in the way of scholarly articles online now, or through inter-library loan, nothing can replace the awesomeness of an enormous and beautifully designed library.

Happy St. Stephen’s Day

Hope everyone had a happy Christmas, or is still having it–we put our decorations up late and keep them up through Jan. 6, “twelfth night.” Today is Boxing Day in Canada and the UK, the day when “Good King Wenceslaus looked out on the Feast of Stephen.” A bit of the fun of Anglicanism is getting to know that kind of stuff. Or, you could just look it up on wikipedia (as long as you don’t use it as a source in your research paper).

My dad and I picked up a few goodies at Trader Joe’s (we are fans), then we said farewell for now and he went home to South Carolina. I’m enjoying a quiet afternoon. Maybe tomorrow will brave some stores armed with gift-cards.

Movies I’ve seen during the holidays (so far):
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (on DVD)
Lars and the Real Girl
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
Enchanted

Speaking of movies, Ken Morefield recently posted his top 10 movies of 2007 on his new website.

Advent calendars

When I was a child, the only recognition our family gave to Advent was an Advent calendar, which appeared on Dec. 1 along with our family’s daily devotions (Bible-reading, brief meditation and prayer). We usually recycled the calendar year after year (my mother was a frugal sort, and besides, we were living in Africa where such things were not easily obtained), but since we only saw it once a year, we were always eager to see what would be behind each tiny paper door.

This Sunday is the last of this year’s Advent season, but I’m amused to find on-line versions of Advent calendars, such as this one. For a child, though, I don’t think cyber-clicks can replace opening actual little windows and doors. Happy Christmas to all.

Random book recs

Exams are over (obligatory sighs of relief), grades are posted—mostly. Now for a little R&R, with random book recommendations from the “book-a-day” calendar, now reaching its final pages.

1.    The Progress Paradox, by Gregg Easterbrook—according to Easterbrook, life really is better than in the so-called good-old-days, so why is everyone so gloomy?  Read this and cheer up! Probably a brilliant example of how to lie with statistics, but bound to be thought-provoking.

2.   Crimes Against Logic, by Jamie Whyte—since my colleagues and I spent a significant portion of the semester attempting to instill “critical thinking” skills in our students, and since the 2008 election year seems to be already half over, one could hardly do better than do arm oneself with this book that “exposes all the faulty reasoning and double-talk [of] politicians, talk-show hosts, newspaper columnists,” etc.

3.    The Arabian Nights: Tales from A Thousand and One Nights, tr. Sir Richard Francis Burton—the hidden intricacies of this ancient collection were a revelation to those in my World Literature course who investigated beyond the familiar movie or Disney versions. Burton popularized these tales in the West.

4. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini—this coming-of-age tale set in Afghanistan and  American is soon to be a major motion picture, so read the book first. And then read A Thousand Splendid Suns, by the same author, to gain a deeper perspective on life in Afghanistan under the Taliban.

5.     The Shop on Blossom Street, by Debbie Macomber—something for everyone, and this book particularly made me think of  my cousin’s wife, who knits. I wish I had some skills like that, but despite my mother and my aunt trying to teach me, nothing seems to have stuck with me. Sad, really. But that’s one thing books are for.

Off to take the cat to the vet!

Judas still evil

From Dec. 1 NYT, professor of Biblical studies at Rice University April D. DeConick reveals that the “Gospel of Judas” everyone was shouting about last year doesn’t say what the shouters thought it said.

For example, in one instance the National Geographic transcription refers to Judas as a “daimon,” which the society’s experts have translated as “spirit.” Actually, the universally accepted word for “spirit” is “pneuma ” — in Gnostic literature “daimon” is always taken to mean “demon.”
Likewise, Judas is not set apart “for” the holy generation, as the National Geographic translation says, he is separated “from” it….
To its credit, National Geographic has acknowledged this mistake, albeit far too late to change the public misconception.

Deconick, who has written her own book and translation of the so-called “Gospel of Judas,” speculates that one reason these kinds of mistakes were made is that the original translators were bound not to discuss their work with other scholars. She concludes that the eager reception of the good-guy Judas may have been motivated by

an understandable desire to reform the relationship between Jews and Christians. Judas is a frightening character. For Christians, he is the one who had it all and yet betrayed God to his death for a few coins. For Jews, he is the man whose story was used by Christians to persecute them for centuries. Although we should continue to work toward a reconciliation of this ancient schism, manufacturing a hero Judas is not the answer.

One good poem deserves another

This blog netted a happy return some days ago in the form of a comment and e-mail from one of my former students. Seriously, few things make teachers happier than hearing from their students. Maybe reading a really good paper that deserves every bit of the “A” it’s going to get.

Anyway, this former student, now a teacher herself, posted a poem by one of my favorite writers, Mary Oliver. Here is one of my favorite Mary Oliver poems.

Advent traditions

Last week one of my students said he was sorry he would not be at his home church for the first Sunday of Advent: “I like to see all the Advent wreath candles lit from the beginning.” The sense of spiritual anticipation fostered by a holy Advent season can be one of the wonders of the church year.

Overlooking the odd choice of terminology for a penitential season, this Carnival of Advent Traditions offers some good ideas for family and congregational celebrations.

Daily (or at least weekly) Advent Reflections.

Heroic film criticism

My colleague Ken Morefield has boldly ventured into the lair of the 2007 Beowulf movie. I warned him, but he went anyway. Read his comments.

Film critics are heroes—they willingly dare all manner of dreadful culture-dreck, thus saving the rest of us from wasting our money. If we read their reviews. If we don’t, we have only ourselves to blame.