Eleanor Arnason. An impulse buy at Border’s: trade paperback, but copyright 1993. Unusual narrative technique and subject matter. What is it to be human? What is moral sexuality? Are there rules for war?
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
J.K. Rowling. Quite fun enough!
Bishop calls for tolerance in gay row
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Bishop calls for tolerance in gay row A lay leader at Greyfriars Church, Reading, responds: “The gravest consequence will be to the Anglican Church’s witness to the name of Christ in our land. May God have mercy on us all and give those in authority Godly wisdom at this time.”
Well, sure: if John is appointed suffragan bishop, it will be a witness that Christ is for everyone, a repudiation of the hatred and bigotry all too often promulgated by the so-called Christian Church.
Hillary-ous column
Changing Planes
Ursula K. LeGuin. Sadly, not one of her best. Some of the planes are based on interesting ideas or conceits, but the whole thing is a little too precious.
Practicing Resurrection: A Memoir of Work, Doubt, Discernment, and Moments of Grace
Nora Gallagher. Lovely, spectacular, inspiring book. Gallagher seems to have a gift for observing and staying with what’s real. I picked it up because of a passage I noticed about her lack of a bachelor’s degree and the difficulty that was creating in her application to the Episcopal priesthood. But there’s so much more here. I loaned it out as soon as I had finished it.
X2
I admit it pales in direct comparison to Matrix: Reloaded, but it was still a fun evening to fill out a movie day. It’s a shame Jean Gray isn’t a more compelling character; I found I didn’t care about her all that much when she died. (Or did she?)
Matrix: Reloaded
Of course it’s not as original as the first one–that’s a truism. But it is a fun movie. I admit, in some of the fight and chase scenes I was wondering not about the characters but about the filmmakers, but even so. A big two-thumbs-up.
Another grey Saturday
Washing, cleaning, unpacking–and trying new Mac things. I’m listening to Nessun Dorma from the album “Puccini Arias” by José Cura.
Quaker Aesthetics: Reflections on a Quaker Ethic in American Design and Consumption, 1720–1920
Emma Lapsansky and Anne Verplanck, eds. A collection of mostly very good chapters taking up various aspects of the topic. A few are so academic or arcane as to be confusing, and a couple come close to slight. I did find one howler–a reference to a family claiming descent from George Fox!