Category Archives: Books

Questions, Answers, and Timbits

A couple of creative approaches to Our Current Moment that resonate with me as a fan of things today.  The first is a recent piece by Dave Eggers that satirizes the confusion of our times.  I may not agree with … Continue reading

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Literary or Fragile

When our three-months-in Christian Ministries coordinator decided to move back to the mainland, I found myself back in front for our school’s chapel program.  The departure came as a shock to most of us.  I had about two weeks to … Continue reading

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How to Think in 2020

Each fall I get to read through How to Think by Alan Jacobs with a group of high school juniors.  It is an attempt to help students think about thinking, to consider why they have landed where they have landed … Continue reading

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The Ground and the Figure in Our Current Moment

There are a few technology writers that I both genuinely listen to and enjoy.  Nicholas Carr, writer of The Shallows, is one of them.  He recently did an interview concerning the place of analog in a post-pandemic world.  The site … Continue reading

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Twenty Years Later . . .

Twenty years ago, this teaser trailer was released: It is difficult to imagine a world where the finished product of Peter Jackson and friends hasn’t been realized.  How odd to have a voice-over by someone not from the movie! How … Continue reading

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Point and Counterpoint

Yesterday I posted links to a couple of articles by Yuval Levin attempting to speak intelligently about Our Current Moment from a place where ethics, economics, politics, and sociology meet.  Since then, another couple of articles have made their way … Continue reading

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On Hold and Keeping Place

Navigating the facts and opinions of Our Current Moment can be a daunting task: you can always choose one news source, I suppose, but that becomes it’s own echo-chamber.  So it’s nice to find sources that can give a critical … Continue reading

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“For the Sake of Your Love”

It’s taken a few days, but I think I’ve found a decent morning routine for “spring break” that could easily last me for the next month depending on how school scheduling works out.  A good almost hour-long walk in the … Continue reading

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Where Allegory and Story Converge

From a letter of Tolkien’s to Sir Stanley Unwin dated 31 July 1947 (written in response to comments made by Rayner Unwin): I cannot bear funny books or plays myself, I mean those that set out to be all comic; … Continue reading

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“The Whole Story”

From a letter written to Christopher Tolkien by his father dated 28 December 1944: I am glad the third lot of Ring arrived to date, and that you liked it– although it seems to have added to yr. homesickness.  It … Continue reading

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