seriously. this is getting ridiculous

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

As If abolishing slavery weren't enough

So… I thought that Quirk Books had had its fun with literature. But no, Seth Grahame-Smith desecrates another poor helpless dead person again. This time, much more shamelessly, since this is actually Abraham Lincoln’s BIOGRAPHY. Come on. This guy wrote “The Big Book of Porn: A Penetrating Look at the World of Dirty Movies,” and “How to Survive a Horror Movie: All the Skills to Dodge the Kills.”

Don’t you think that the satirization of canonical historical figures and books has gone on long enough? I mean… sure, we have the Colbert Report. The Daily Show. The Onion. But ever since P& P& Zombies, there have been authors upon authors trying to scratch a bit of fame and nudge-nudge wink-wink humor and fame out of this trend. I mean, there’s humor, and then there’s just pure slapstick.

But there’s more. Mansfield Park and Mummies. Queen Victoria, Demon Hunter. The Undead World of Oz. Emma and the Werewolves. The War of the Worlds plus Blood, Guts, and Zombies. (very subtle) Android Karenina. Robin Hood & Friar Tuck: Zombie Killers – A Canterbury Tale (So many things wrong with this last one. First of all: Robin Hood & Friar Tuck were not killers. Lovers, not fighters, I say. And second, there is NO Robin Hood or Friar Tuck in the Canterbury Tales. Robin Hood is an invention of the Northern English imagination whereas Chaucer was a Londonite… AND he lived before the popularity of the Robin Hood legend)

I expose this as just a thinly veiled attempt for people to 1) convince other people that they’re cultured enough to have read the original 2) cultured enough to enjoy the original 3) cultured enough to take everything they read with irony.

So buy it. Put it on your bookshelf and laugh about it with your friends. Abraham Lincoln is watching.

NPR article here

[Via http://curalibrorum.wordpress.com]

The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, M.D.

The Art of Happiness

Not many of us would disagree with His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s belief that the “purpose of our lives is to seek happiness.” But in this world of complexity, anxiety, insecurity, conflict, intolerance, anger, and hatred we might be inclined on the one hand to ignore this extraordinary book on the grounds that it is too simplistic or idealistic, or, on the other hand, to agree too readily to its premises without actually practicing the difficult inner and outer work that the Dalai Lama believes is necessary for real happiness.

The Art of Happiness is based on conversations between the Dalai Lama and Dr. Howard Cutler, a Diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Cutler does a superb job of framing the Dalai Lama’s teachings, stories, and meditations in a way that makes them come alive not just for Buddhists, but for anyone seeking real understanding.

This is a book of profound common sense. Exploring topics such as intimacy, compassion, suffering, anger, kindness, hatred, and change, the Dalai Lama makes clear that real happiness depends on transforming our deepest attitudes, the very way we look at and deal with ourselves and others. It requires “new conditioning.” For the Dalai Lama the first steps toward this new conditioning are based not on mystical or transcendental practices but rather on education, learning, determination, enthusiasm, and effort.

For the Dalai Lama, it is our negative emotions, especially our anger and hatred, that undermine our physical, psychological, and spiritual well-being and promote conflict and destruction in the world. The Dalai Lama makes clear that “’The only factor that can give you refuge or protection from the destructive effects of anger and hatred is your practice of tolerance and patience.’”

Though the practice of patience and tolerance may seem impossible with regard to the big things in our lives, the Dalai Lama suggests that we can start with the small things. “By sacrificing small things, by putting up with small problems or hardships, you will be able to forgo experiences or sufferings that can be much more enormous in the future.”

The Dalai Lama throws new light on many of our assumptions. In discussing “genuine humility” and its relationship to patience, for example, he points out that it “involves having the capacity to take a confrontational stance, having the capacity to retaliate if you wish, yet deliberately deciding not to do so.”

For the Dalai Lama, the work of patience and tolerance is a work of will that is based on inner strength, compassion, and presence of mind, not on meekness and passivity. It is this work, done with as much awareness as we can muster, that is especially needed in today’s world.

See also, my essay Some Thoughts on Happiness and Suffering

[Via http://dennislewisblog.com]

Sushi Party!

My husband and I were invited over to the home of another couple who we are great friends with (Todd and Amy) to make sushi together a few weeks ago. I keep forgetting to upload the photos, so, here they are! Finally! The fish and most of the fixins were purchased at Asian Delight Marketplace. I highly recommend that you stop in there and take a look around. They have everything there; meat, produce, ice cream and other frozen goods, and several aisles with just about every Asian grocery imaginable. The candy aisle alone is worth the trip. We also had some amazing sake that Todd picked up; Coconut Lemongrass by Moonstone. It was refreshing and mildly sweet.

Making sushi rolls is actually really easy. The rice-on-the-outside kind is more difficult so we usually don’t bother with those. I learned pretty much everything I needed from this book, and have tutored lots of our friends at various at-home sushi parties. EVERYONE gets the hang of it after one roll. You should give it a try, too!

[Via http://eatinggrandrapids.com]

Book review - On the road (1957)

Rating: 7/10

Written by: Jack Kerouac

Review: Recently I’ve been reading books I’ve always meant to read and not got around to for one reason or another. This was one of the first books I thought of in this category. When I was younger I almost read it several times but it just didn’t happen.

I have to confess I was a little disappointed, I don’t think the years since it was written have served it well. It now sounds dated and rooted in its time. At the time of course it was significant and thats why we read it today but I can’t help thinking I should have read it 25 years ago when time wouldn’t have been quite so cruel to it. Its a struggle not to laugh at some of the hip language and Kerouac’s writing style also gets in the way a little, it sometimes feels as though he wrote it in French and then translated it into English (Aha, I note on Wikipedia that he may indeed have done this to some extent). The book isn’t served by the process. I also felt an editor might have been a good thing, its a bit of a stream of consciousness.

On the positive side its does evoke the era and leaves you wondering what it would have been like to jump that freight train across country.

All that said it still rates 7/10 which says I liked it. I had just expected it to be 10/10.

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_road

Amazon: Buy it

Video:

[Via http://6fish.wordpress.com]

The Luxe

Godberson, Anna.  The Luxe.  New York:  HarperCollins, 2007.  Print.

The setting is 1899 New York, where high society rules the city.  Elizabeth Holland is the perfect lady with one little secret; she is in love with the wrong man.  As her family faces financial difficulty, Elizabeth must choose between the man she loves and the man whose wealth could save her family.

Although I found this book frustrating in plot, it was also highly addictive.  Obsession with the famous and wealthy has always been a part of our culture, and this novel adapts that obsession to historical fiction quite well.  Although I will never find this series among my list of “must reads,” it is mindless entertainment fitting for vacations and the beach.

[Via http://jennclimenhaga.wordpress.com]

In reverse.

Two comics for you to appreciate from the last few weeks:

from here.

and

from here.

[Via http://counter-force.com]

Start Here ... A Personal Review

“I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on Frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond Words… When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and Respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise disrespectful] and impatient of restraint”

 Which modern day pundit made this observation?

Hesiod, a Greek oral poet of the 8th century BC.

Read on for a more recent reflection on teenagers.

In his book, ”Age of Opportunity” Paul David Tripp recounts an experience he had while attending a weekend marriage retreat. “Near the end of the weekend, I was looking out at the sun glistening on the waters of the bay when I noticed a couple sitting nearby. They looked unhappy. I was curious, so I asked them if they had enjoyed the weekend. Everything had been great they replied. I commented that they didn’t look very happy, The women responded, “We have two teenagers and we are dreading going home. We wish this weekend would last forever!” “You just have to expect your teenager to be rebellious; all of us were,” her husband added. “You just have to ride it out.” “Besides,” she moaned, “you can’t argue with hormones!”

Paul Tripp continues by summing up what he sees as “the cultural epidemic of fear and cynicism about our teenagers.”

 So what gives? Can centuries of testimony to the unacceptable behavior of teenagers be all wrong!

Alex and Brett Harris have written a book filled with present day evidence of the wonderful, creative, energetic hard work tackled by a cross centered section of today’s youth!

Start Here is the companion to their first book “Do Hard Things” in which they dispel contemporary wisdom regarding young people and give a challenge; Do Hard Things!

In Start Here the Harris’ share many testimonies from youth all across America and the WORLD! Beginning on page three with a list of topics:

• How to stand up for what you believe;
• Strategies for overcoming stage fright, fund raising fright, and phone calling fright;
• Ways to keep going when you feel stuck and keep going when you are discouraged;
• How to understand God’s will and glorify Him through your efforts;
• God-honoring ways to think, feel, and act after you’ve completed a big project;

 

And culminating with a list of, “100 Hard Things” in the appendix. They emphasize that the world WILL be changed “by a generation that gives up seeking worldly success to pursue a life of faithfulness”

The stories will move you and hopefully “convict” you to get out of your comfort zone, stop looking at what you can’t do and have faith that God has equipped you for all those works He wills in your life!

Parents, teachers, guidance counselors, Grandparents, ANYONE can be well served by reading this book.

Start with the:

• Why… solely for the Glory of God!
• What… let your imagination be the limit!
• Where … in your home, school anywhere!
• When… NOW don’t wait!
• Who … you whether a 90 year old or a 13 year old
• How … START HERE!

Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 1 Timothy 4.

This book was provided by Multnomah for review.

Visit www.randomhouse.com for more information on this and other books.

See additional reviews on: www.amazon.com, http://www.christianbook.com, http://www.lifewaystores.com

[Via http://word4women.wordpress.com]