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.
1) The Brothers K by David James Duncan
Let me begin by saying I have never read the other Brothers K, the one by Dostoevsky. I understand it to be a classic, but that and its sheer magnitude intimidate me. However, this novel is brilliant–one of the most subtly powerful tellings of family I have ever read. It weaves together three things I value deeply: family, faith, and baseball, though not in equal proportion. It is not a sports book, and it is certainly not a Christian book. Rather baseball and faith are contexts, setting, ingredients, metaphors, and backdrops throughout the story. The Brothers K is set in the middle of the 20th century and tells the story of the Chance family, two parents and six children, each of whom are indispensable to the tale. It is difficult to say more about the story itself because it is truly one of human development, devolvement, compromise, understanding, and restoration. It does not lack a plot, but neither is it plot-driven. Rather, it seems to be a plot discovered by the author as the characters developed, each in their own unique way. And it is the characters that make this novel great–love them or hate them, you will be compelled by them. Simply put, this is one of the best novels I have ever read, in my own personal pantheon of favorites.
2) The War for Middle-Earth by Joseph Laconte
Look, a book that combines WW2 history with the work of J.RR. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis is basically catnip for a middle aged white man like me. I was destined to appreciate this book. But it’s not as if this book is some sort of fan-driven mashup. Rather Laconte does a wonderful job showing how the historical context leading up to and during WW2 shaped and influenced the beliefs and work of Tolkien and Lewis. Both men fought in WW1, Tolkien as a man of deep faith and Lewis as a man of deep unbelief, and both were deeply scarred and formed by that experience. (Laconte wrote separately about that in A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War.) This book moves from that experience and both men’s formative university years into their days as professors and prominent voices pushing back against the darkness in the days leading up to and during WW2. It is especially wonderful to read of their friendship, despite differences, and how each man was uniquely moved (and gifted) by God to write profound truths in different voices and genres in a time of mass confusion and fear. Even for those who know the works of Tolkien and Lewis well, this book will be an eye-opener as you see how particular essays or passages from their fiction are directly shaped by world events and prominent philosophies of their day. It is the kind of book that deepens an already significant appreciation for two of the greatest Christian thinkers and writers of all time.
3) “Angel Eyes” by Gene Harris
Gene Harris was a brilliant jazz pianist, and this is one of his most magnificent, powerful performances. It is a solo performance, so whereas other Jazz standards have a a band join in to add layers and flavors, this remains minimal and more (in my estimation) powerful because of it.