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Category Archives: Books
Not Marvin the Martian
A few months ago I finally read Andrew Weir’s The Martian. Since then, it’s become the work of fiction that I’ve recommended the most. It’s the simple story of a man abandoned on Mars. And it was utterly enthralling. Ridley … Continue reading
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Up Through the First Joke
From The Magician’s Nephew by C. S. Lewis: The Lion, whose eyes never blinked, stared at the animals as hard as if he was going to burn them up with his mere stare. And gradually a change came over them. The smaller … Continue reading
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On Goofy, Mountains, and Magic
One of the most interesting distinctions that Matthew B. Crawford deals with is the ascendancy of the virtual world as the “real” world for so many. He uses the “Handy Dandy Machine” from Micky Mouse Clubhouse as a modern counterpoint … Continue reading
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“That Lack of That Next Big Glorious”
The Telegraph recently posted an article/interview with Dave Eggers, who I write about here as often as I can. It’s a good article, focusing primarily on Eggers’ last three novels. The article is mostly couched in Eggers’ take on technology, … Continue reading
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The Professional Necessity of Others
From Matthew B. Crawford’s The World Beyond Your Head: For experiences to become part of the secure, sedimented foundation of a skill, they must be criticized. Otherwise people (and the resources of language) are indispensable. Without them, your experiences are … Continue reading
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Spring Break by the Numbers
7 books started 5 books finished 1 book checked out of the state library 0 movies watched 2 new cast members on Community 2 groups calling themselves SHIELD 1 day lived twice on The Flash 7 potentially cancerous spots frozen … Continue reading
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The Tribe is Us
When Tom McCarthy’s essay about “fiction in the age of data saturation” posted earlier this month on The Guardian website, a number of writers picked up on the image of James Joyce working for Google: If there is an individual … Continue reading
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In But Not Of, Teaching and Learning Edition
Reading Alan Jacobs’ biography of C. S. Lewis, I couldn’t help but imagine what it must have been like to listen to the man lecture. Then I couldn’t help but remember how far most academic institutions have moved from a … Continue reading
On Reading the Bible
C. S. Lewis started his lecture, “De Audiendis Poetis,” with the assertion that “there are more ways than one of reading old books.” What Lewis said to be true of many works of medieval literature is also and ultimately true … Continue reading
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Spring Break Reading: 2015 Edition
Spring break has sprung again, and I’ve got a nice stack of books to read through. I’m one chapter shy of finishing Alan Jacobs’ biography of C. S. Lewis, The Narnian. I’ve enjoyed the book quite a bit, though how … Continue reading
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Space Enough, and Time 