Thursday, April 26, 2007

Meme of the Day

Inspired by the effusive posting of Christianne and my own literary hubris, here's a meme for you to chew on and spit into the open mouths of the hungry little chickies in your midst. Name and make the case for five books you frequently foist on your friends. Here's mine:

1. Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton. If I could have, I would have, but I'm so glad he did. So playful, so insightful.

2. Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Worthy of an endless conversation, so all the more reason to recruit more conversation partners.

3. Forgetting Ourselves on Purpose by Brian Mahan. Nature's most nearly perfect book; Brian approaches Chesterton in his apt mixing of wit and self-effacement with profound insight. It hasn't had nearly the effect on the people I've loaned it to, however, that it's had on me. Fair warning.

4. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. Jesuits in space. How can you lose?

5. Daredevil: Born Again by Frank Miller. Yeah, it's a comic book. Deal with it. Brilliant story telling, great revision of an aging character, remarkable secular appropriation of Christian imagery and language.

There are others, of course, but these five came to mind most quickly. How about you? Post a comment here or an entry on your blog--I tag everybody.

4 comments:

Web said...

You forgot Comic Book Character... can't remember who wrote it though.

Rick said...

Was going to put CBC in my list, but thought it would be too much like kissing up. Tough keeping to five - and then tough to pick a fifth.

christianne said...

Hey! Thanks for the link! That's a new experience: Make a friend one day, get a link the next.

I'll join you in the props for Orthodoxy. LOVE his description of the maniac, who circles around the same small circle of his own mind and makes sense to no one but himself, versus the poet who sees life and beauty and wonder-filled sights everywhere he turns!

Anonymous said...

Dave,

Great to see "The Sparrow" in your list. Hope you enjoyed it as it left us with lots to think about and discuss.

gifter of life

Both Inspiration and Cautionary Tale: Excerpts from Middling

What follows is an excerpt from the Winter 2021 edition of Middling, my quarterly newsletter on music, books, work, and getting older. I'...