Reading and Listening to...
Once in a while I like to let you all know what I've been reading and listening to lately. It gives me a chance to reveal in a different way, what I'm thinking and feeling about right now. Putting it out in this forum also allows me the chance to recommend some really good stuff to you. Not that my recommendation is weighty, or important.
So take it for what its worth.
Without further ado... Here's my reading and listening selections for January '08.
Reading...
Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoeyevsky
Some works of literature should be viewed as projects, not reading. Crime and Punishment is a work I've been wanting to engage for some time now, and over the holidays I finally did it. The pictures are transcendent. The characters memorable, and the stretches of dialogue are moving. Like Poe's Tell Tale Heart, Crime reveals the human conscience, and the struggle we all have with guilt and the hope of redemption. A classic of literature one should attempt in their lifetime. It is not for the feint of heart. A challenge it is, but one of the most rewarding for me in recent memory.
The Jesus of Suburbia - Mike Erre
An incredibly provocative title is not the only thing Mike Erre brings to the table. The Jesus of Suburbia is perhaps one of the most challenging books any American Christian could read right now. Erre is a pastor in California who one day awakened to the fact that his faith was based on consumerism and the "American Dream", and not the radical revolutionary that is Jesus Christ. Do our gated suburban communities dictate the way we view Jesus Christ? A thought we all should consider...
Out of the Silent Planet - C.S. Lewis
Lewis is known for his famed Narnia series, but often his Space trilogy is overlooked. Out of the Silent Planet is the first of the three stories that follows Dr. Ransom and his journey to Malacandra. I haven't read too much science fiction, but reading Stephen Lawhead's Song of Albion series this summer I've become more intrigued by the genre. Lewis writes with his usual beauty and philosophical appeal. I'm looking forward to continuing on the journey.
Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer
The acclaimed writer of Into the Wild gives us his eyewitness account of the 1996 disaster atop Mt. Everest. A climber and journalist, Krakauer was asked to join an expedition of Everest to do a story for Outside Magazine. The book reads in three different ways. Like a novel, the story progresses through the ups and downs of their journey, incorporating action and suspense. Like a history, the author includes passages and stories of historic Everest expeditions and the history of the mountain itself. And finally, like a true account, we're reminded along the way that this actually happened, and he was there to experience and see it first hand. I've never been interested in mountaineering, but that's what reading does. It exposes you to new experiences and genres. I was utterly enthralled and captivated.
Listening to...
Boxer - The National
I recently blogged about my discovery of this indie sensation from Brooklyn, NY, via Cincinnati. I love every minute of this album. Read my past blog, and check out the link to the article in PASTE.
Emotionalism - The Avett Brothers
A weird, trippy, bluegrass group from Asheville, NC, The Avett Brothers are just fun. The vocals on the album feel like they're right in your ears as you listen, and the mixed melodies and harmonies make you sing along, even if you're not a NC bluegrass fan.
Undiscovered - James Morrison
Sometimes you just need a good pop album. James Morrison, a soulful pop artist from the UK provides that need in my life right now. Undiscovered goes to prove that you can still make a pop album that is cool, and has soul. I'm encouraged that there is some hope for the pop genre past Fergie and the Pussycat Dolls.
One Man Band - James Taylor
You can find this album in any Starbucks now. There's nothing to say. One man. Acoustic. Guitar. Piano. Great songwriting. All of this is James Taylor.
You know him. We all love him. One Man Band is a great live album for the Taylor novice, or his greatest fan.
Happy Reading and Listening!
So take it for what its worth.
Without further ado... Here's my reading and listening selections for January '08.
Reading...
Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoeyevsky
Some works of literature should be viewed as projects, not reading. Crime and Punishment is a work I've been wanting to engage for some time now, and over the holidays I finally did it. The pictures are transcendent. The characters memorable, and the stretches of dialogue are moving. Like Poe's Tell Tale Heart, Crime reveals the human conscience, and the struggle we all have with guilt and the hope of redemption. A classic of literature one should attempt in their lifetime. It is not for the feint of heart. A challenge it is, but one of the most rewarding for me in recent memory.
The Jesus of Suburbia - Mike Erre
An incredibly provocative title is not the only thing Mike Erre brings to the table. The Jesus of Suburbia is perhaps one of the most challenging books any American Christian could read right now. Erre is a pastor in California who one day awakened to the fact that his faith was based on consumerism and the "American Dream", and not the radical revolutionary that is Jesus Christ. Do our gated suburban communities dictate the way we view Jesus Christ? A thought we all should consider...
Out of the Silent Planet - C.S. Lewis
Lewis is known for his famed Narnia series, but often his Space trilogy is overlooked. Out of the Silent Planet is the first of the three stories that follows Dr. Ransom and his journey to Malacandra. I haven't read too much science fiction, but reading Stephen Lawhead's Song of Albion series this summer I've become more intrigued by the genre. Lewis writes with his usual beauty and philosophical appeal. I'm looking forward to continuing on the journey.
Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer
The acclaimed writer of Into the Wild gives us his eyewitness account of the 1996 disaster atop Mt. Everest. A climber and journalist, Krakauer was asked to join an expedition of Everest to do a story for Outside Magazine. The book reads in three different ways. Like a novel, the story progresses through the ups and downs of their journey, incorporating action and suspense. Like a history, the author includes passages and stories of historic Everest expeditions and the history of the mountain itself. And finally, like a true account, we're reminded along the way that this actually happened, and he was there to experience and see it first hand. I've never been interested in mountaineering, but that's what reading does. It exposes you to new experiences and genres. I was utterly enthralled and captivated.
Listening to...
Boxer - The National
I recently blogged about my discovery of this indie sensation from Brooklyn, NY, via Cincinnati. I love every minute of this album. Read my past blog, and check out the link to the article in PASTE.
Emotionalism - The Avett Brothers
A weird, trippy, bluegrass group from Asheville, NC, The Avett Brothers are just fun. The vocals on the album feel like they're right in your ears as you listen, and the mixed melodies and harmonies make you sing along, even if you're not a NC bluegrass fan.
Undiscovered - James Morrison
Sometimes you just need a good pop album. James Morrison, a soulful pop artist from the UK provides that need in my life right now. Undiscovered goes to prove that you can still make a pop album that is cool, and has soul. I'm encouraged that there is some hope for the pop genre past Fergie and the Pussycat Dolls.
One Man Band - James Taylor
You can find this album in any Starbucks now. There's nothing to say. One man. Acoustic. Guitar. Piano. Great songwriting. All of this is James Taylor.
You know him. We all love him. One Man Band is a great live album for the Taylor novice, or his greatest fan.
Happy Reading and Listening!
posted by Philip Letizia at
1:18 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home