College Student Takes on ‘the Simpsons’ – a CNN article on a book written by a college sophomore about the Simpsons: The Simpsons and Society.

I started reading Jesus Sound Explosion after attending a reading a few weeks back. It’s the memoir of Mark Curtis Anderson, a Twin Cities native whose father was a pastor and therefore grew up incredibly entrenched in the evangelical world. When I talked to Mark at the reading he clearly wanted to distance himself from the evangelical world he writes about with humor, but he also didn’t completely distance himself from faith. He talked about attending one of the local ‘church-but-not-that-kind-of-church’ churches, House of Mercy (or at least he plays in the band).

Anyway, the book is great. I just read this passage about the Billy Graham movie The Restless Ones (which you can watch online!) and couldn’t resist posting it:

Billy Graham and his people made a movie, The Restless Ones, that came to Galesburg theaters around 1967. The restless ones were living and breathing proof of what jazzy music could do to a life. The restless ones hung out in bars, smoked, drank, played pool, and drove souped-up Ford Mustangs and motorcycles far too fast. Then someone died in a very bad highway wreck, and this sure made everyone think.

Or maybe that was a different Billy Graham movie. Maybe every Billy Graham movie that I saw during childhood has merged in my memory and become The Restless Ones. They all had the same ending: everyone accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior and lived happily forever in the hereafter. Except for the foolish guy who died in the car accident. But he was the one who made everyone think. He died for their sins, and all things worked together for the good.

Dad brought home The Restless Ones soundtrack one afternoon. The title song had a lite-rock beat and a bunch of men and women singing verses about the wretched lives of the worldly rebels. At the end of each verse, they’d blurt out “the restless ones” in a way that reminded me of another jazzy music song I’d heard, the Batman TV theme. I don’t know what happened to the record, but the song in my head goes something like Running and running and drinking and smoking in the bars: The Restless Ones! Driving and driving their motorcycles and fast cars: The Restless Ones!

I played the song over and over, bouncing along with the beat, imagining the terrible places where the restless ones lived their lives and died their deaths.
(pages 15-16)

Sadly, The Restless Ones LP isn’t one of the few I walked away with when the BGEA relocated.

I spent some time at Barnes & Noble last night, wishing I had more time to read books. Lately a few goodies have caught my eye:

Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents – A few weeks back I was doing research for some magazine content and I was reading all about former U.S Presidents. I was getting into some fascinating stuff, like who died in office and the no-name presidents nobody ever remembers. At the time I thought someone should write an accessible history book full interesting facts about former Presidents. Well, this book is it. It’s written in a tongue-in-cheek style, with plenty of magazine-like sidebars. It’s a quick read and pretty fun. I was actually tempted to buy a brand new copy at Barnes & Noble (ah! blasphemy). Thankfully I didn’t. $16.95 at B&N, $11.87 at Amazon.

The End of Detroit – This business-oriented book covers the recent downfall of the Big Three automotive manufacturers as they face stiff competition from foreign rivals. It’s especially interesting since my dad worked for Ford and I’ve seen a lot of what the book talks about happening. The last car I bought was a foreign car, primarily because of quality.

On Target – I actually checked this one out from the library so I could read more than the first chapter. It’s an analysis of Target and how the discount retailer has captured the cheap chic market. And it’s the first time I’ve seen the “Tarzshay” pronounciation in print.

Making Dough – Why stop at eating Krispy Kremes when you can read about them? This is the story of what makes Krispy Kreme so amazing and why the brand has taken off in the last ten years.

The Real Thing: Truth and Power at the Coca-Cola Company – For some reason I’m always interested in books about the history of Coke. A while ago I picked up For God, Country, and Coca-Cola used, though I haven’t gotten around to reading that one either.

So many books, so little time.

It’s time for the annual reading list, the semi-gloating summary of books I read this past year. Since losing my job in July and the end of my daily bus rides, my reading time plummeted. Sadly, I couldn’t match the blistering pace of last year’s reading when I devoured 49 books.

I’ve got a lot of books lying around I’ve been meaning to read, including G.K. Chesterton’s Orthodoxy, the rest of the Lord of the Rings series, Get Up Off Your Knees: Preaching the U2 Catalog, and Red Moon Rising among others. We’ll see if I get to them in 2004.

One of these days I’ll get around to posting a book reading/reviewing blog and I can do away with this annual list.

100 Questions Every First Time Home Buyer Should Ask by Ilyce R. Glink
Bought a home this year, so I had to educate myself a bit.

The Double by Fyodor Dostoevsky
He’s an interesting writer, but his novels are just so thick. It’s like reading upstream.

About a Boy by Nick Hornby
Great book. I love Hornby. The movie’s not too bad either.

Dear Mister Rogers by Fred Rogers
With the death of Rogers I figured I should get around to reading this book. That guy was so cool.

How To Be Good by Nick Hornby
More Hornby. This one’s a little darker, a little weirder, but I still enjoyed it.

Telling the Truth by Frederick Buechner
That guy can write.

Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton
This one took me a few tries to get through. I think I’d prefer his devotional material.

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
Never ceases to inspire.

Patterns by Mel Lawrenz
Uh, book review book. (review)

Firefly Blue by Jake Thoene
Another book review book, though I had fun thrashing this one.

Empress of the Splendid Season by Oscar Hijuelos
Now there’s a guy who can write. On the basis of this book alone I made sure I own everything he’s written.

Wrestling with God by Rick Diamond
Another Relevant book grappling with being relevant. So-so.

Deeper Walk Vol. 1
Intriguing shorter essays from Relevant about living the Christian life.

Deeper Walk Vol. 2
Round two was just as good.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Anne Brashares
Saw it advertised on the back of a bus, bought it for my wife. Entertaining tween reading.

Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
Powerful social commentary. Should have read this a while ago. (review)

Blue Shoe by Anne Lamott
Her latest novel isn’t as good as some others, but still worth the read. (review)

The Gospel Reloaded by Chris Seay and Greg Garrett
Another book review book, though I would have read it anyway. I’m not sure why they released a book in the middle of a trilogy that would be completed later this year. The book certainly suffers, though a crappy trilogy doesn’t help.

Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl
Mmm… kids’ books (i.e. padding the list)

Finding God Where You Least Expect Him by John Fischer
Now this was a book review book I actually liked. Check it out. (review)

The World According to Garp by John Irving
Finally got around to reading some Irving. Whacked story, but some good writing.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
Fattest Potter yet. Can you say lack of editorial control? (informal review)

The Road to Daybreak: A Spiritual Journey by Henri J.M. Nouwen
His incredible devotion to God — yet still feeling like he fails — makes you feel like dirt.

The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell
Funny political essays. I heard her give a reading on NPR and it was quality.

Sexual Character by Marva Dawn
Frank discussion of sexual ethics. (review)

A Matrix of Meanings by Craig Detweiler and Barry Taylor
Pop culture and the church. Been there done that (another book review book).

Walking with Frodo by Sarah Arthur
Sigh. Another book review book. Not worth the time. (review)

The U2 Reader
A collection of U2 press clippings. (review)

Cash by Johnny Cash
With Cash’s death, I figured I should finally read his autobiography. He lived a grace-drenched life.

Pray by Tony Jones
The skinny on prayer in a digestible format (Tony used to write for me when I worked on passageway.org)

Posers, Fakers , & Wannabes by Brennan Manning (didn’t finish)
Nice reworking of Manning’s Abba’s Child for teens.

Releasing the Rivers Within by Dwight Edwards
Another book review book about spiritual empowerment.

The Pursuit of God in the Company of Friends by Richard Lamb
A challenging book review book about the place of friends in our lives.

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
It’s time to read the series again.

The Man Comes Around by Dave Urbanski
A book about Johnny Cash’s faith, written by another writer I used to work with.

Call me weird, but I share Jason Kottke’s fascination with book covers. Maybe it’s partly my desire for fame and fortune in the printed world that makes me yearn for the coolest book cover imaginable, but I like checking out cover design. Strolling through Barnes & Noble is an evening for me.

Kottke’s entry pointed out a few book cover review sites (why review the book when you can simply judge it by its cover?), including Mastication is Normal (a bit lengthy for casual reading), Readerville’s Most Coveted Covers (though they make you register for anything not current — lame!), and Rebecky (cool covers, no commentary).

Kottke continued with his fascination to design a book cover for another blogger who released a book collection of some of his writings, similar to something I pondered here and here.

Mmm… books.

Tonight I also stumbled across 50 Things You’re Not Supposed to Know, a compact little book full factual conspiracy theory-type info that’s shocking but true. Things like:

-Both the U.S. and the Soviet Union considered plans to detonate an atomic bomb on the moon simply as a show of power.

-Two atomic bombs fell on North Carolina when the plane carrying them exploded. One bomb’s parachute opened and it fell safely to earth and was recovered. The other bomb crashed into the earth and was buried 150 feet deep. Part of the bomb was recovered, but to this day the land is tested for traces of radiation.

-Adolf Hitler’s blood relatives are alive and well in New York.

Stuff like that. It’s kind of an appetizer to suck you into a real history book, but still incredibly interesting.

An informal book review of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix:
I finished the biggest book ever (in more ways than one) this weekend, and I had a few thoughts. Eventually I might refine this into a real review, but for now this is all I can manage.

The money and power has gone to their head. The publishers of Harry Potter have such a phenomenon on their hands that they’ve gotten sloppy. They’ve given J. K. Rowling too much freedom, and she’s beginning to waver. Now hear me out, I’m not trying to rip the book apart. I liked it. But I think like so many sequels and prequels, it’s fallen short.

I think the editors gave Rowling the freedom to write what she wants, and since she’s made them millions, they didn’t bother to subject The Order of the Phoenix to the same editorial rigor that most books are subjected to. The result is not bad grammar or weak spots, but instead a plot that flows where it wants, unfettered by the restraints of sanity and good judgment. She wrote an 800 page novel for goodness sake. You don’t do that for a reason. It takes 200 pages before Harry even returns to school, and nothing worth one quarter of the book happens in that first quarter.

This freedom has let the story wander, and unless I’m mistaken and Rowling plans to chase down those stray fragments in parts six and seven, I think this is a classic genius blunder. She knows what she’s doing, let’s not edit her like we did for the first books. Bad idea. Every writer needs to be edited.

The story wasn’t a let down, but it could have been more. I’ve heard some people say that the unedited fun is great–who wouldn’t want more time in the Harry Potter world? Tromping around in the fantasy is great, but only if it serves the story. In this case I think it just makes for a fatter book.

On the bright side, Rowling is letting her characters go through adolescence, which is as painful to read as it is to live through. Harry is such a dork sometimes. At times I think Rowling is letting her characters grow in stereotypically teenager ways, but I think for the most part she’s doing a good job.

What’s amazing about this series is that there’s a generation of kids growing up with Harry Potter. And it’s not like Star Wars where the characters may learn and grow, but we don’t see them age along with us (though I suppose with the pre-quels we’re seeing some regression). Some kids starting reading Harry Potter when they were the same age as Harry. As Harry goes through puberty, so are they.

The other day I finished reading The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. It’s a teen girl book that’s diverse enough to keep anyone interested (it follows four unique friends) and not quite deep enough to lose those afraid of using their brains. In all it was a good read, but I wished it explored the issues it raised a little deeper. It seemed to scratch the surface and move on, leaving me wanting more.

Of course the sequel came out this year, and I’m beginning to see it as a part of a larger trend in literature: Chick Lit. The Traveling Pants is barely a part of the Chick Lit trend, which centers more around books like Bridget Jones’ Diary, but it’s almost a teen version, Chick Lit Lite, if you will (similar books include Sloppy Firsts, Second Helpings, Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging, What My Mother Doesn’t Know, and Gossip Girl among others). Last night I was in Target and I realized the sudden proliferation of these Chick Lit books (like Confessions of a Shopaholic, Mr. Maybe, Milkrun, See Jane Date, Asking for Trouble, and The Trials of Tiffany Trott, among others). They’re all written by young women and feature the stories of young, hip, single, sexy urban women who are chasing after the perfect guy. They’ve all got hip attitude and cynicism, and are packaged in pastels or with attention grabbing photos of hip urban women. It’s amazing how quickly a trend like this can come and go. After all, if Target devotes an endcap to it, you know it’s yesterday’s news.

And if Kevin is pondering about it, you know it must be even older news. I love discovering bandwagons long after they’ve left.

I’m reading How to Be Good by Nick Hornby. The plot centers around a rocky marriage that’s weathering a wife’s affair and a husband’s sudden spiritual enlightenment. The husband is suddenly enlightened to what an angry jerk he’s been and he wants to make a difference in the world. He forgets his former hang-ups and the unspoken social rules he used to follow and tries to make the world a better place. He gives away his possessions and organizes his neighborhood to house homeless runaway kids in their spare bedrooms. I’m not finished yet, but so far he looks like a total freak, he’s driving his children and wife away, and he’s not making much of a dent in the world changing business.

I don’t think Hornby intended the comparison, but I can’t help but think this is what Jesus intended. Jesus is the kind of guy who would let a homeless kid sleep in his spare bedroom. While most of us would kick the kid out on his butt when he steals something, Jesus would invite the kid back in. The kid would steal time and time again and Jesus would open the door again and let the kid back in, leaving his world wide open to be ripped off. That’s what’s so amazingly frustrating about Jesus. Common sense and self-preservation aren’t an issue. If someone beat the crap out of Jesus, he’d still love them.

That’s such a high call. How can we even live up to that? I need to protect my family, my possessions, my financial security. I risk losing face, I risk feeling dumb, I risk embarrassment and being uncomfortable. But Jesus didn’t recognize social norms or embarrassment or losing face. None of that meant anything to him. That’s why he’s Jesus Christ.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth and long awaited Potter book, will hit stores on June 21.The new book is a whopping 255,000 words, one-third longer than the last Potter book. For comparison, the King James version of the New Testament is only 181,000 words.