As luck would have it, if you live in Central Ohio you have the chance to hear Mr. Buckley talk about his new book thanks to the folks at the Thurber House:

What: Thurber House‘s May Special Event featuring Christopher Buckley, author of They Eat Puppies, Don’t They?

When: Wednesday, May 16; A wine and hors d’oeuvres reception will be held from 5:30-6:45 p.m., followed by the reading at 7:00 p.m.

Where: Columbus Museum of Art

Details: A past Thurber Prize for American Humor award winner, Buckley is one of the most beloved political satirists writing today. In his brand new novel, They Eat Puppies, Don’t They?, a Washington lobbyist and his attractive female aid are determined to gain Congressional approval for a top secret weapons system. In order to get passage for this, they start a rumor that the Chinese secret service has plans to assassinate the Dalai Lama … the result: a series of crises taking the Chinese and the United States to the precipice of war.

More details available here.

I do, however, appreciate everyone who stops.  So if you are reading this, thank you.  Feel free to leave a comment or just lurk if you would prefer.  We will try to keep the lights on.

Keep your fingers crossed.  Actual content will be forthcoming soon.

We are taking steps to make sure this kind of thing doesn’t happen again but suffice it to say it was one of the worst customer experiences I have had since creating my first web site over a decade ago.

I hope the transition will not involve any down time and that I can get back to providing content that you find interesting and enlightening

I think it is an interesting and informative discussion.  Listen here.

I was limited by the knowledge that I have shelves of unread books and less and less time to read.  Plus the fact that the library was closing in 30 minutes and I had $7 cash on me.  But I still managed to come away with some nice finds.  Just for kicks I figured I would post them here (I am trying to be more “bloggy” these days).

Madeleine L’Engle Herself: Reflections on a Writing Life

This seems like a fascinating and inspiration book about writing. Plus, I want to go back and re-read some of her great work.

The author of over fifty books, including Newbery Award winner A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle is internationally acclaimed for her literary skills and her ability to translate intangible things of the spirit– both human and divine–into tangible concepts through story. In Madeleine L’Engle Herself: Reflections on a Writing Life, you’ll find hundreds of this celebrated author’s most insightful, illuminating, and transforming statements about writing, creativity, and truth.

More after the jump.

Corydon and the Siege of Troy by Tobias Druitt

I read the first book in this series (Corydon & the Island of Monsters) and figured I might as well pick up the third for a buck.

After the destruction of the city of Atlantis, Corydon is in a self-imposed exile. Clearly his presence only puts his friends in danger. And so he hides out in the desert, tending to goats and camels, keeping his friends safe by staying away.

But, as ever, the gods of Olympos have other plans. Now the city of Troy is under siege, and Corydon’s friends are trapped inside. And so Corydon reluctantly joins them, hoping to help, and fearing that it is he that will tip the scales against them.

In this thrilling conclusion to the trilogy about the gods and monsters of ancient Greece, Corydon knows that it will be up to him to thwart the mighty Zeus if the others are to live. At what cost will he buy their freedom?

Storyteller by Edward Myers

This just struck me as a potentially entertaining read – and I am a sucker for this type of YA fiction.

An old man tells the opening of one story after another, only to be interrupted by his grandchild, who finds fault with each—until he begins a tale about a young storyteller. At intervals within the novel, the child poses questions his grandfather answers. This narrative framework soon fades into the background as readers are swept away by the eventful tale of 16-year-old storyteller Jack, who leaves his village to seek his fortune, as lads in stories do. Along the way, he befriends a talkative crow, provokes a notorious outlaw, finds employment as the king’s storyteller, and falls in love. Dealing with bad luck and good, Jack makes his share of mistakes but tries to learn from them and from the people he meets along the way. A bit reminiscent of the later novels of Lloyd Alexander, this old-fashioned story has the timeless appeal of adventure, humor, and light romance, all woven together by an able teller of tales.

As a bonus I picked up Flood by They Might Be Giants.  Now it’s Istanbul, not Constantinople …

To be honest I am not really sure how much time I will have to read and post.  But I changed the theme because I think a simpler and less image focused blog is much more likely to reflect my actual focus and time – and thus the content that will appear here. I might post short reaction to books I have read. I might post more short posts with ideas or quotes. But I think this layout works well and will suite me for the time being.

I appreciate all of the folks who have been regular readers of this site and the kind folks who leave comments in particular.  Of course, I appreciate the web surfers who drop in and read particular reviews or posts too.  Hard to believe I have been doing this as long as I have.  Not sure what the future holds exactly but thought I would give you an update to go along with the different look.

Thanks.

Listen Here.

Image via Wikipedia

Yesterday’s edition of Coffee & Markets featured Jordan Ballor discussing Wisdom & Wonder: Common Grace in Science & Art a collection of the writings of the theologian Abraham Kuyper.  Pejman Yousefzadeh and I spoke with Jordan about Kuyper’s unique life, his ideas and the challenges of cultural and political engagement for people of faith today.

Listen Here.