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The Napoleon of Notting Hill © 1904
Wordsworth © 1996
129 pages

Futurists fall into two categories: those who predict the collapse of civilization (Wells, Orwell, Atwood), and those who anticipate sunshine and lollipops (Kurzwiel, The Jetsons). Chesterton invented a new category. In 1904, he wrote a novel about a future eight decades later where everything remained the [...]

I’m reading Benson’s little book on liturgical prayer, In Constant Prayer. In it he lays bare the secret to a successful life of prayer.
The secret to a life of prayer, by and large, is showing up.
Awesome.

In this chapter we move from Good Friday to Easter Sunday. Just what is the relationship between Jesus’ death and resurrection? We know that his death is Paul’s most important theme—is his resurrection an afterthought or something more significant?
. . .

Isaac Newton (Christian Encounters Series) © 2010
Thomas Nelson
183 pages

Thomas Nelson Publishers has just introduced a series of biographies entitled, “Christian Encounters”. I just finished reading Mitch Stokes’ work on the life of Isaac Newton. While I cannot yet speak for the other books in the series, this volume is a resounding success. Stokes relates the [...]

Eating the Dinosaur © 2009
Scribner (Simon & Schuster)
245 pages

If you’ve ever wondered what makes Klosterman’s books so compelling, the secret is out: he’s honest. In a culture so obsessed with following trends and enjoying things because we’re told to, Klosterman is honest with what he likes and dislikes. That is what makes this collection of [...]

Bach’s always been one of my favourite composers. When I stumbled across a two-volume work on Bach by Schweitzer, I couldn’t resist. In the Second Volume, Schweitzer offered some good comments on the role of various arts in the artist.
Every artistic idea is complex in quality until the moment when it finds definite expression. Neither [...]

The Complete Peanuts 1961-1962 © 2006
Fantagraphics Books
325 pages

Schulz penned 17,897 daily comic strips. Fantagraphics is doing the world a great service by collecting and publishing the entire run in a series of books. Here are a few of the things that I loved about this volume:

Schroeder’s on the cover. The piano player’s getting some front-cover [...]

For a while in North American Christendom you had to sport a goatee to be a youth pastor. That trend has been eclipsed by the soul-patch. True, they’ve been trendy for a while now, but in lieu of any other way to trim your facial hair, they’re still tagging along.
Klosterman’s latest book is fantastic. While [...]

Tithing: Test Me in This (The Ancient Practices Series) © 2010
Thomas Nelson
156 pages

Tithing is the story of 11 different people or couples who find that ancient practice to be an important part of their spiritual lives. The strength of this book lies in the diversity of its subjects. You’ll find everyone from fundamentalists to liberals [...]

The Final Empire (Mistborn, Book 1) © 2006
Tor
657 pages

After reading Sanderson’s treatment of Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time, I knew I had to read more. Fortunately, The Owl Pen (my local second hand bookstore in Bracebridge, Ontario) had a used paperback in stock.
The Final Empire (or: Mistborn) is a story with great mechanics that lacks [...]