Review of Evidence of Things Unseen, by Marianne Wiggins I picked this book up because of the title. It’s a phrase from Hebrews, chapter 11: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, evidence of things unseen.” (KJV). Non-believers sometimes cite it as logical bootstrapping, but it’s not. Other translations get away from the […]
Read more...Category: Literature
Our Lady of the Forest
Review of Our Lady of the Forest, by David Guterson My usual pattern upon finishing a book worth reviewing is to let it simmer in my mind for a few days before embarking on the review. I find that my impressions after letting it settle are not the same as those when I reach “The […]
Read more...Life as Story
We all know this already, yet we think of it as bad news: We all die. The mortality rate for mankind is 100%. And yet, we don’t live as if we’re conscious of that truth. We function day-to-day as though we expect to live forever. We find it difficult to conceive of an end point. […]
Read more...White Noise
Thoughts on White Noise, by Don DeLillo This 1985 novel has in some circles been called a postmodern classic. That sent me off on a rumination about what “postmodernism” is. I have understood its most benign definition to be an add-on by modernists to reinforce their commitment to the philosophical uniqueness of the modern age; […]
Read more...Limitations
Another rumination sparked by PrairyErth. I just can’t let it go. This time I was thinking about one of the author’s (William Least-Heat Moon’s) observations on the limits of the prairie. I was thinking about the limitation one might experience based on grades in school, or getting into this college but not that one. Is […]
Read more...PrairyErth
I’m a fan of good lyrical writing. So much so that I am open to reading pretty much anything if it’s said well, even if other elements of writing – such as a plot and a point – are lacking. I’ve often said that I would be happy to read the back of cereal boxes if […]
Read more...