:: and all the sweet serenity of books

i'm back from my unplanned "summer break" from blogging. you'd think that since the summer is relatively less hectic than the school year, it would be ideal for jotting down rambling trails of thought in an online fashion. not so, it would appear. part of the fun of blogging, for me at least, would have to be the fact that it's something i can do when i should be doing something else. it's a focused way to procrastinate, if there can be such a thing.

speaking of focused procrastination, i'm going to outline a plan of mine to read 6 books this semester. now, this might not seems like a "phelpsian" task to those who don't know me very well. but those who do, know that while i've slowly gained an interest in reading since starting college two years ago (wow, it's been that long), it takes me a while to get through a good book. so, when i say that i'm planning to read these 6 books over the next 4 months, i'm saying that i'm planning on seriously reading. and i think with the books i've picked out, i should be able to stay on pace. these are all books that i've either wanted to read for some time, or are by authors that i've come to enjoy recently, or both. so, lets begin...

1: the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy: douglas adams

what i say:
ok, i'm cheating a bit here, i've already gotten through a good bit of this one already. but i still haven't finished, so i felt the need to mention it. it's a really great book. becca gave it to me to read about 3 years ago, back when i wasn't much of a reader. i'm sorry to say that it's taken me this long to finally get to it. it's a brilliant book.

what they say: (back of the book summary)

seconds before earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, arthur dent is plucked off the planet by his friend ford perfect, a researcher for the revised edition of the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.

together, this dynamic pair begin a journey through space aided by a galaxyful of fellow travelers: zaphod beeblebrox, the two-headed, three-armed ex-hippie and totally out-to-lunch president of the galaxy; trillian (formerly tricia mcmillan), zaphod's girlfriend, whom arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once apon a time zone; marvin, a paranoid, brilliant, and chronically depressed robot; and veet voojagig, a former graduate student obsessed with the disappearance of all the ballpoint pens he's bought over the years.
where are these pens? why are we born? why do we die? for all the answers, stick your thumb to the stars!

2: choke: chuck palahniuk

what i say:
i've become a fan of palahniuk's writing (he's also authored fight club and survivor. this book has been made into a movie, and i'm going to try to reverse the trend and read this book before going to see the movie....

what they say:

victor mancini, a medical-school dropout, is an antihero for our deranged times. needing to pay elder care for his mother, victor has devised an ingenious scam: he pretends to choke on pieces of food while dining in upscale restaurants. he then allows himself to be "saved" by fellow patrons who, feeling responsible for victor's life, go on to send checks to support him. when he's not pulling this stunt, victor cruises sexual addiction recovery workshops for action, visits his addled mom, and spends his days working at a colonial theme park. his creator, chuck palahniuk, is the visionary we need and the satirist we deserve.

3: sex god: rob bell

what i say:
rob bell, author of another one of my favorite books --velvet elvis-- and creator of the nooma video series, writes about relationships, both between us and god, and us and those around us. i've been looking forward to reading this one for a while.

what they say:

publishers weekly: "bell raises the bar with this evocative follow up to last year's best seller velvet elvis... sex god is about relationships revealed in a way that elevates the human condition and offers hope to those whose relationships are wounded.

4: chuck klosterman iv: chuck klosterman

what i say: i really enjoyed klosterman's book sex, drugs, and cocoa puffs, where he offered a deep, pointed critique of culture. this book looks to offer the same.

what they say:

people: "klosterman is like the new hunter s. thompson. only it's as if hunter were obessed with kiss instead of nixon."
san diego citybeat: "chuck klosterman is the james bond of pop-culture journalists."
gary shteyngart: "chuck klosterman is a gulliver among the cult-crit lilliputians."
the austin chronicle: "chuck klosterman is the lawrence welk of pop culture."

5: plan b: further thoughts on faith: anne lamott

what i say:
i read her book traveling mercies last semester and really enjoyed her honest approach to revealing her thoughts and emotions through some really tough situations. this is her "sequel" to that book. also something i've been looking forward to.

*side note: i generally like to buy and read paperback books, both because they tend to be cheaper and easier to hold. however, i got this one in hardback because it was in the bargain prices section at barnes and noble. i think the hardback adds a mature, dignified quality to the rest of my growing bookshelf.

what they say:

with the trademark wisdom, humor, and honesty that made anne lamott's book on faith traveling mercies a runaway bestseller, plan b is a spiritual antidote to anxiety and despair in our increasingly fraught times.

6: lullaby: chuck palahniuk

what i say:
i really like palahniuk (see #2), so i decided to put another one of his books on my shelf. so as to mix it up a bit, i spread the reading of his two books up a bit in my order.

*side note: you might remember that the only comment from a reader/passerby suggested that i pick up a copy of palahniuk's haunted. i do remember that suggestion and do plan to read that book to. unfortunately, i've been unable to find it at any bookstore i've visted in that past few months. what's the deal? anyway, i'm still looking...

what they say:

ever heard of a culling song? it's a lullaby sung in africa to give a painless death to the old or infirm. the lyrics of a culling song kill, whether spoken or even just thought. you can find one on page 27 of poems and rhymes from around the world, an anthology on the shelves of libraries across the country. when reporter carl streator discovers that unsuspecting reader are reading the poem and accidentally killing their children, he begins a desperate cross-country quest to put the culling song to rest and save the nation from certain disater. written with a style and imagination that could only come from chuck palahniuk, lullaby is the latest outrage from one of our most exciting writers at work today.

i'll post my reviews of the books as i finish them...

here's a cool quote that i found about reading, i thought it was appropriate for the journey ahead:

"a single book at the right time can change our views dramatically, give a quantum boost to our knowledge, help us construct a whole new outlook on the world and our life. Isn't it odd that we don't seek those experiences more systematically?" -steve leveen, the little guide to your well-read life.

more to come... including thoughts on emptiness and big music releases for tuesday the 19th.

:: this is home

just a quick update, since i kinda left everything hanging with me in starkvegas and lots has happened since then.

i'm back in the dirty dell (slidell, la for those unacquainted with the place). before heading home i had to fill my gas tank up for the first time in a good while, and i was unpleasantly surprised. sure, i figured that since the cost of gas had risen since i last filled my gas tank that it would naturally be more expensive. what i didn't know was that it would cost me $48 bucks to do so. and there's more great news! the price for a barrel of oil has gone up by another $16 a barrel, meaning things will continue to get worse and it will get worse a lot quicker. i'm no economist, but i am poor. and i know that soon i'm not going to be able to go anywhere. anyway, enough of that.

so, i got back thursday afternoon and i was greeted by an empty house. it was kinda sad, my mom and dad were still at work and my brother and sister were both at a camp (and they'll still be there for another week). now, i'm not the kinda guy that gets super homesick, but i've got to be honest, i really missed my family over the past few months. i think before this weekend, i'd seem them twice in three months. but soon my mom got home and started cooking the most amazing chicken tortilla soup i've ever had (and that's saying a lot, as i really enjoy a good cup o' chicken tort from mccallister's). i think it was a mixture of the great feeling of being home, the fact that it was the first good, home cooked meal that i've had in a while, and the spices that made that meal amazing. then my mom surprised me with some good desert and my mom and dad and i sat down to watch some jeopardy (which i'd already seen that morning, but didn't admit that. so, of course, i threw in a few of the right answers that i had remembered. gotta keep up the appearance that i'm learning something in school...). after dinner, i headed straight over to becca's (my girlfriend's) house and hung out with her for a good, long while. i really missed her. she's my best friend.

friday was spent from sun up to sun set setting up my hometown church for becca's sister's (rachel's) wedding. by the time we had finished, that blue and gray gymnasium was looking like an amazing, (eloquent even!) dining hall. it was great to see so many ladies from the church volunteering to help get things ready. that night was the rehearsal dinner, to which i was invited. it was all great fun.

saturday morning was spent getting ready for the wedding. i hadn't dressed up in a while, so i had to dig through the closet to find something that both fit and looked good. i did, and headed up to the church. wow. it was a great service. becca looked great, as did rachel. and rachel and her finacee-now-husband micheal were so happy for that day to finally come. after the service and the reception came the breakdown. by this point in the wonderful louisiana weather of the day, things were starting to get uber humid. even in the day that i spent help setting up for the wedding, i had no idea how much there was to breakdown and load back up. so, there was a lot to do and some bad conditions to do it in. that wasn't the most fun part of the day, but i was glad to help out.

today i got to go up to the camp where my brother and sister are staying and hang out with them. it was great to see my brother again (i'd already gotten to see my sister, who came back down for the wedding). tomorrow is gonna be my day to find a job here in slidell. i've got bills to pay back in starkville, and like we discussed earlier, gas and things in general are getting more and more expensive.

i've still got to digest the importance of being foolish (manning) and the imitation of christ (thomas a kempis) but when i get the time i'll post something. also, lots of good music coming up soon too, i'll be sure to listen and give a rundown.

lastly, if you look down at the "comments" section of the last post, you'll notice that there actually is another person who at least stumbled upon this blog. that gesture is much appreciated. so, i thought i'd return the favor. you can join me in checking her blog out here. good stuff. sure, i'm aware i might have just refered this blog's only other reader/browser to her own blog, but you never know...

anyway, hope this next week goes well for all of you...

more to come...

:: thoughts on a few good books...

work has been slowing down a bit. the first couple of weeks i had to answer calls back-to-back. but since then, there have been a lot of new hires and now it's to the point where i get a call every half an hour.needless to say, that can lead to lots of free time where all you can do is stare at the walls of your cubicle. so i've been bringing a book and reading in between calls. and i've been able to read a lot. so far i've finished tracy kidder's justice to the action that farmer has taken just to stop at that. it's really stirred a desire to do more. it's something that, as a christian, i know i'm supposed to be doing anyway. but this is a story that shows how practical and important it is to do something that will make a difference in the lives of those around me, in the lives of the poor and down-trodden, in the lives of the people that everyone else would have given up on. here's a video interview that 60 minutes did with farmer in cange, haiti and zanmi lasante. it will give you more of a picture of farmer's life's work. also, you can check out his organization, partner's in health, in the list of links to the right...



after that great book, i started reading an completely different book. chuck palahniuk's fight club is a book that i've been looking forward to getting to. i really liked the movie, starring brad pitt and edward norton (oh, and meatloaf). so, i was eager to read the book and see how they stacked up. and they did so surprisingly well. there were some parts that were omitted from the movie, but i could see why some of them were left out to keep the story moving. there are some lines in the movie that are directly from the book. that's another thing that i've really enjoyed about the book. palahnuik has a great style of writing. he keeps things short and to the point, but each short line is packed. he also writes in a style that both makes sense with the major plot twist of the story and also seems to vibrate on the same wavelength as my brain. what i mean to say is, it's very random and fast-paced. there are whole chapters that seem to jump back and forwards between two stories almost seamlessly. this book, like the movie, isn't for the faint of heart. there is a good bit of violent, graphic content. but i really enjoyed reading it. it was actually one of the fastest reads i've ever been through.

i'd like to get into the importance of being foolish, as i love manning's take on religion and grace, but it's getting late. i've already gotten a lot out of the first half of the book. but i want to finish it, probably tomorrow, and then i'll get back here and share my thoughts on it.

more to come...