Each week (give or take one or two here and there) I share three things I like – It could be a book, a movie, a podcast, an album, a photo, an article, a restaurant, a food item, a beverage, or anything else I simply enjoy and think you might too. You can find a whole pile of things, especially books, I like and recommend HERE.
1. McKay’s Bookstore
Let’s not bury the lede. Two weeks ago I walked into McKay’s looking for nothing in particular and walked about an hour later with nine books having spent . . . wait for it . . . $13. In that hour I thumbed through novels, biographies, comic books, leadership books, and browsed stacks of movies. I meandered to the second level to peruse the racks of music, both CD and vinyl. And I regretted my forgetfulness for forgetting my box of unwanted books to trade in for store credit. That’s right, trade in – you don;t need to add the clutter when you buy books at McKays becuse you can bring old books and movies in to get money back for them. McKay’s is truly a book lover’s paradise.
2. Sherlock Holmes read by Stephen Fry
I grew up loving Holmes – the brilliance, the pomposity, the adventures. And I never really stopped. I will watch any version of Sherlock Holmes put into film, even the one featuring Will Ferrell and John C.Reilly (please don’t let that make you question my judgement). When I stumbled across this audiobook I was thrilled. It is the complete works and it is read by Stephen Fry who is absolutely perfect for such a task. Arthur Conan Doyle wrote Holmes into life, and Fry’s brilliant reading adds all the color. Fry even adds introductory comments and some Holmes trivia to make an already enjoyable experience just a little bit more so. For users of Audible, this will cost you just one credit. (If you’re not an audible user you can sign up for a free trial and get 1 free audiobook and 2 free audible originals; one should be this one.)
3. Turning Guns Into Plowshares
This story about Anthony Campbell, the Newhaven, CT Chief of Police, is remarkable. He faced unfathomable loss coming out of college, pursued the priesthood, met a girl to marry instead, and became a police officer instead. His life and career path is notable, but how he does his work is even more so.
“The similarities between policing and ministry are just so profound,” Campbell explains. “People call you when they are in need. You are dealing with people when they’re at their most vulnerable, when their emotions are very raw and when they don’t have the answers. They seek you out to establish order and peace again in their lives.”
The details of how he goes about living this out are worth reading. Check it out.
