Neil Gaiman
"In this, Gaiman's first book of short stories, his imagination and supreme artistry transform a mundane world into a place of terrible wonders—a place where an old woman can purchase the Holy Grail at a thrift store, where assassins advertise their services in the Yellow Pages under 'Pest Control,' and where a frightened young boy must barter for his life with a mean-spirited troll living beneath a bridge."
While most of the stories here were dark and supernatural (The retelling of Snow White, "Snow, Glass, Apples," cast Snow White as a young vampire that sucked the life out of her father...and was excellent) there were a couple of laugh-out-loud moments...like this: "Sitting in the bus shelter in which he had unrolled his sleeping bag one night, he had begun to translate key descriptive words [in the tour book he was using]: charming he decided, meant nondescript; scenic meant ugly but with a nice view if the rain ever lets up." And now that I quote it out-of-context it doesn't seem so all-fire funny, but when I was sitting in Buffalo Wild Wings reading it, it was a gasser.
56/5: I had never seen the Devil before, and, although I had written about him in the past, if pressed would have confessed that I had no belief in him, other than as an imaginary figure, tragic and Miltonian.
Dinesh D'Souza
"Best selling author Dinesh D'Souza (What's So Great About America) looks at Christianity with a questioning eye, but treats atheists with equal skepticism. The result is a book that will challenge the assumptions of both believers and doubters and affirm that there really is, indeed, something great about Christianity."
I generally like the field of apologetics (look it up), but usually am slightly disappointed by books written by preachers. Well, Dinesh is not a preacher, and this book was not a disappointment. He responds to the relatively recent deluge of atheist tomes with deep, thoughtful, logical reasoning. He may or may not "convert" anyone, but he at least makes the case that a person doesn't have to check their brain at the door to embrace Christ. If I had more than two thumbs, they would all be WAY up for this book.
56/5: I also want to focus on the Christian exaltation of the low man, the common man, and the underdog.
Sean Astin with Joe Layden
"...not only an extremely personal and immensely readable behind-the-scenes look at what it was like to be involved in one of the biggest movie franchises of all time [Lord of the Rings], it's also the true story of an underdog who succeeds in making his dream a reality."
If you've read Volume I of this look at the books I read in 2011, you should already realize that I'm rather partial to biographies and memoirs of actors and entertainers. I like the insight on how it all happens, and this book is overflowing with the reality of the whole process: auditioning, working with an agent (or two or three), keeping one's ego in check, etc. I will give Mr. Astin kudos for not white-washing himself...he certainly comes across as a self-centered, egotistic, whiner. At least he ADMITS to it all and says he doesn't LIKE that about himself.
56/5: During preproduction, I was waiting and trying to help work through the necessary bureaucracy in the eager hope that the army would agree to be involved in the making of the picture.
Carol Burnett
"What follows are some...stories that I've shared over the years in response to various questions. Some have to do with our gang on the variety show, embarrassing moments, famous people, not-so-famous people, family, and so on."
Show biz memories from a highly-respected and mostly-hilarious woman...very easy read with some real laughs, but also some insight into Ms. Burnett's upbringing, personality, and sensibilities. Great story about getting into a high-class ice cream shop in NYC by pretending to have a wooden leg.
56/5: This being my first eBook library loan, page 56/ Sentence 5 is flexible. If I'm reading on my iPad in portrait orientation, it would be, "I'm sorry, I didn't know," but if I turn the tablet sideways and read it landscape, it's "All of a sudden I was famous: the flavor of the month."
Ron Chernow
"In a book that pays meticulous attention to the decisions made by Washington during wartime, with a step-by-step march through the eight years of Revolutionary War battles, Mr. Chernow arrives at a carefully considered assessment of his subject’s capabilities. He sees the successes and failures of Washington’s military decisions. But he places much higher value on the great man’s political instincts and shows how they rarely failed him. And he argues that Washington’s ability to hold his soldiers together and set a proud, stoical example mattered more than any individual battle could."
I figured I needed to expand my horizons beyond short stories and celebrity memoirs, and this was available from the library as an ebook, so I gave it a shot...and I'm glad I did. Yes, it's history, and I can't really say it reads like a novel, but Chernow's style is straightforward and easy to follow. I learned a lot I didn't know, not only about Washington but about life in these here parts way back in the 18th century.
56/5: Portrait: Even amid the trip's escapist pleasures, George had a conspicuous habit of improving himself, turning everything into an educational opportunity.
Landscape: Even when he toured the thirteen states as first president, he methodically recorded the topographical features of places, as if he remained a working surveyor.
Rob Bell
"What if the story of heaven and hell we have been taught is not, in fact, what the Bible teaches? What if what Jesus meant by heaven, hell, and salvation are very different from how we have come to understand them? Author, pastor, and innovative teacher Rob Bell presents a deeply biblical vision for rediscovering a richer, grander, truer and more spiritually satisfying way of understanding...."
I came to this book with plenty of baggage and preconceptions. It has gotten more than its fair share of press, both positive and negative, because it really does present a different understanding ("truer"? hmmm...) of some fundamental faith tenets. More than once, I had to stop reading and ask God to help me lay aside my prejudices and bent toward argument so I could really digest what the author was trying to say. It's just that he said it all in such a sly, slick, vacuum-seller kind of way, I always felt like I was having something pulled on me. And there were far too many instances of Bell saying, basically, "This is what the Bible says, but THIS is how we should understand it" for me to be comfortable. And his redefining of heaven and hell gives me the creeps. (After telling a story about seeing young children in Rwanda who had arms or legs removed by machete, he says, "Do I believe in a literal hell? Of course. Those aren't metaphorical missing arms and legs." Well, I'm sorry, but "hell" does not equal "bad things happening in our time/space continuum".)
56/5: Prior to that, then, after death we are without a body.
