The Weekly Wrap

The Weekly Wrap: June 14-20

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The Weekly Wrap: June 14-20

Fathers, Read with Your Children

On Fathers Day, we honor fathers. But fathers may use the day to think about the kind of fathers they have been. We could go all sorts of places with that but on this page, I focus on the “reading place.”

I loved all sorts of things as a father–camping with Scouts, tossing a ball or shooting hoops in the driveway, geeking out together on computers.

I think for men to read with their children is one of the best way to foster children who read. Especially men reading with boys models to boys that reading is something men do.

But mostly, it was just a wonderful memory:

  • Snuggling up on the sofa where we would read stories.
  • Savoring a really good story together, like the first time we read Jane Yolen’s Owl Moon.
  • As our son learned to read, listening to him read.
  • Working our way through long adventures, like The Lord of the Rings
  • Creating different voices for the various creatures in the Winnie The Pooh stories.
  • Going to the bookstore or library and picking out books.

I’m convinced that children who have had enjoyable experiences reading with a parent often become readers.

And fathers, if you want bonus points, let your children see you reading for your own enjoyment and enrichment. It doesn’t need to be heavy reading, but if you are holding a book or magazine at least some of the time, rather than engaging in screen time, that will carry more credibility than limits on kids screen time.

A special Happy Fathers Day to all the reading dads out there!

Five Articles Worth Reading

Most bibliophiles include books in their vacation packing. But for some, bookish destinations are shaping their vacation plans. Read about it in “Call It a ‘Book-cation’ or a ‘Readaway,’ Literary Travel Is Having a Moment.”

Perhaps as part of reading up on our history as America approaches its 250th is to read up on our religious history. Jon Butler reviews Brook Wilensky-Lanford’s A God-Shaped Nation: Five Hundred Years of Religion in America in “Religion, American Style.” This might be a summer-long read, coming in at 672 pages!

Speaking of history, yesterday was Juneteenth, the holiday in which we celebrate the arrival of Union troops in Galveston, TX, announcing Emancipation on June 19, 1865. This is an old article, arguing “Juneteenth Should Be a National Holiday: Readings in Black History and Joy.” It now is, since 2021, but the collection of readings helps us understand the significance of the day for African-Americans and celebrate with them.

Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis and a fierce advocate for freedom died last week at 56. Hillary Chute chronicles her persevering pursuit of human rights in “The Defiance of Marjane Satrapi.”

Finally, as I was assembling this post, news of the U.S. 2-0 victory over Australia in the World Cup came across my feed. I’m not a big soccer (football in the rest of the world) fan even though I live in a city with an MLS team. But I’ve seen some of the changes, good and not so good, chronicled in “Can Soccer Be Normal in America?“.

Quote of the Week

I’ve long advocated that there is no freedom to not be offended and that people do not offend us. Rather, we choose to be offended (but there are other options). Salman Rushdie, born on June 19, 1947, expresses this well:


“What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist.“

Miscellaneous Musings

I am among those who have grieved the lack of a genuinely non-partisan celebration of our nation’s 250th birthday. It was not strictly non-partisan, but I was heartened to see both political parties represented at the opening of the Obama Presidential Center. In the democratic values expressed and the joyous celebration, I wonder if it is the closest we will get to a 250th celebration that transcends our political divides.

One of the things I also love about the Obama Presidential Center is the inclusion of a new Chicago Public Library branch on the grounds, an expression of the couple’s longtime commitment to literacy, especially literacy efforts with children.

My Fathers Day weekend reading includes William Kent Krueger’s Desolation Mountain. Apropos, I love seeing how Cork O’Connor continues to grow as a father with his children as they become adults.

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: Edward Donnelly, Heaven and Hell

Tuesday: Julie J. Park, Race, Class, and Affirmative Action

Wednesday: Amy Peeler, Ordinary Time

Thursday: Polly Giantonio, Remember the Sweetness

Friday: Terry Pratchett, Pyramids

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap for June 14-20.

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

The Weekly Wrap: June 7-13

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The Weekly Wrap: June 7-13

Reading Until the Lights Go Out

In one of the articles I selected for this week, the writer recounts noted historian Gordon Wood speaking of recently accomplishing, in his nineties, the goal of reading Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past. Sadly, the life of this bibliophile was interrupted this week when at 92, he was struck by a car.

But the article captures one of my personal aspirations. I want to keep reading, and reading challenging works, until the lights go out, in one way or another.

I recently picked up an edition of the works of Aristotle that runs to 1500 pages. His thought profoundly shaped our civilization, including Christian theology. In reading a work about his influence, I realized that I had never read him.

Then there are several systematic theologies, all long tomes, sitting on my shelves. As one who believes that our chief end is to glorify God and enjoy God forever, this is certainly one way to get a head start on that project!

This year, I have a goal of reading the six major novels of Jane Austen. I’ve finished three. I also have a couple thick books by historian Paul Horgan, highly recommended by David McCullough that I’d love to dig into. And I think I would like to read The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia once more.

Then, as for Proust? I actually have Remembrance of Things Past on my Kindle. I understand it is a challenging read and I’ve not yet seen a compelling reason why I should. Maybe for now, I’ll settle for reading the Thomas Pynchon on my TBR pile.

Of course, none of us knows how long we have, or how long our minds will comprehend the words. All I know is that I want to be like Gordon Wood.

Five Articles Worth Reading

Some of us wonder how far American democracy will make it past our 250th birthday. However, Gordon Wood had reasons to be hopeful. Johann N. Neem discusses these in “What I Learned from Gordon Wood.”

Then there is the article I mentioned, Nic Rowan’s “Gordon Wood’s Proust.” Wood was in conversation with George Will who asked him what book in American history he was reading. His reply? “I’m not reading American history right now,” Wood laughed. “I just finished Proust! I said I would do it before I die, and well . . .” He did.

Susannah Crockford argues in “Against Climate Grief” that Christian-influenced societies often approach climate change in apocalyptic, millenarian terms, leading to unproductive inaction and grief. She argues that this is helpful and hope remains our strongest resource. But the article left me wondering “whence hope?” as well as whether Christian belief might offer in its future hope greater substance for faithful action that anticipates creation’s renewal.

I am a music lover. Though never formally trained, I’ve sung in choirs and enjoy a diversity of music. So “What to Read to Really Understand Music” caught my attention!

Finally, in This Dark Night, Deborah Lutz explores the enigmatic life of Emily Brontë, who like Emily Dickenson, led a secluded life. In “Who Was Emily Brontë? We’ll Never Know” Sadie Stein reviews the book.

Quote of the Week

Charles Kingsley was a novelist, poet, and clergyman, born June 12, 1819, who made this perceptive comment about freedom:

“There are two freedoms – the false, where a man is free to do what he likes; the true, where he is free to do what he ought.“

Miscellaneous Musings

We also lost Jane Yolen on June 11 at age 87. She wrote over 400 children’s books. We will always be grateful for one in particular, Owl Moon, describing the special bond and wonder of a father and son who go out “owling” on a cold winter’s night. It was one of our favorite read aloud books when our son was young, I think, because it evoked something of the same bond and wonder in us.

A friend of mine has often sung the praises of Maestro John Demain, the long-time director of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, in Wisconsin. The other day, that friend offered to send me a memoir co-written by him and Greg Hettmansberger titled Working with My Heroes. I was thrilled. Demain grew up in my hometown of Youngstown. I did an online interview with him in 2024 for a blog post I wrote about him and it was an utterly delightful hour.

I’ve spent the past week enthralled with Leif Enger’s I Cheerfully Refuse. It is one of those novels set in a dystopian, climate-changed world. It is the story of a wife, Lark, who runs a used bookstore in a world where no new books are published, and the sailing journey Rainy, her husband takes fleeing Lark’s killers, joined by an abused but resourceful nine-year old, Sol.

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: Robert Letham, The Eternal Son

Tuesday: Louis Bromfield, Early Autumn

Wednesday: G.G. Renee Hill, Story Work

Thursday: Leif Enger, I Cheerfully Refuse

Friday: Kyle Strobel and John Coe, When God Seems Distant

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap for June 7-13.

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

The Weekly Wrap: May 31-June 6

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The Weekly Wrap: May 31-June 6

Why I Still Read

I see many stories about the eclipse of reading. I’m not sure what to believe about all that. What I am sure of is that I’m going to keep reading.

First of all I’m still able. Neither the mind nor the eyes have failed. So let’s read while we can.

Also, you could argue that it is a habit. And that would be right. Reading has enriched my life for over 65 years. Why stop?

“Because I think I am making progress.” That’s what famed cellist Pablo Casals said in his eighties when asked why he still practiced for hours a day. I think that is true for me as well. I think I’m a better reader than five years ago. I carry more from what I’ve read before into what I read now.

I’m still curious. I still long to understand more of God, the world around me, human history, and even baseball. Actually, it’s humbling, because in all of these things, the more I read, the more I grasp how little I understand.

I also read to resist everything from AI to the bombardments of our visual and social media that would turn my mind to mush. Longform writing challenges me to focus, to see the connections of one idea to the next, one event to the next. None of us sees the totality of the big picture. But I don’t want to settle for memes, slogans, and nostrums.

Finally, did I mention what a pleasure this all is? Not the quick, evanescent pleasure of a snack but the slow, savoring pleasure of a multiple course dinner at a top end restaurant, where each bite is savored.

Five Articles Worth Reading

Persepolis was a ground-breaking graphic story, depicting an Iranian girl’s life during the Iran-Iraq War. Sadly, Marjane Satrapi, once that girl, died June 4 in France. “Marjane Satrapi, creator of Persepolis and acclaimed French-Iranian artist, dies aged 56” reports that death, offering a retrospective on her life and work.

We celebrated our 48th anniversary this week. Count me in as a believer in marriage. But marriage isn’t easy, nor is it the institution it once was. Stephanie Coontz has a new book title For Better and Worse, reviewed by Honor Jones in “How to Save Marriage.” The article portrays how our cultural landscape has changed and why.

The Man Who Read Everything is a literary biography of Harold Bloom through his correspondence. Barry Schwabsky introduces us to Bloom and the book in “The Critic’s Loves.”

Reaction continues to come in to Magnifica humanitas, Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical on AI. In “Should the Lion Lie Down With the Electric Lamb?” Anton Barba Kay argues the encyclical doesn’t recognize the greatest threat of AI. He writes:

“The letdown is not that Magnifica humanitas is too moderate or that we are called on to ‘embrace’ technology ‘with gratitude and realism,’ it is that the Church and the pope have not yet discovered what technology is or how it recomposes us—have not realized what it would truly mean to articulate the disagreement they have with Big Tech.”

Finally, I’ve long been a fan of Ann Patchett, both as a writer and a bookstore owner. Her latest novel was published this week and is reviewed by Helen Schulman in the article “Ann Patchett’s Latest Will Engage Your Mind and Warm Your Heart.”

Quote of the Week

Joe Hill, the son of Stephen King and an accomplished writer as well, was born June 4, 1972. He observed:

“You think you know someone. But mostly you just know what you want to know.“

Miscellaneous Musings

Did you ever feel you were reading a book the author wasn’t ready to write? That was my feeling about a book I just finished. It had some great insights, but it just didn’t feel “ripe” to me.

I agreed to review a book from an e-galley in .pdf format. It’s from a very small publisher and I understand their financial constraints. But the experience reminded me how I prefer physical books in reviewing. They allow me to easily flip back and forth. This did not even have any hyperlinks, so it meant lots of scrolling of a 400 page book.

Today the Allies landed on the Normandy beaches 82 years ago. I’ve read several histories of that day as well as watched Saving Private Ryan. One can’t but celebrate the heroism of those who fought and those who died. It also sobers me to remember that they were resisting in Nazism a tyrannous, expansionist, nationalist, and white supremacist regime.

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: Tish Harrison Warren, What Grows in Weary Lands

Tuesday: Sharon Delgado, Love in a Time of Climate Change

Wednesday: Daniel Smith, Hard Feelings

Thursday: Mikel Del Rosario, Did Jesus Really Say He Was God?

Friday, Howard Thurman, Nothing Can Separate Us

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap for May 31 – June 6.

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

The Weekly Wrap: May 24-30

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The Weekly Wrap: May 24-30

Logging Off

As a reader, I am at war with a not-so-silent intruder. My phone. Spam calls. Texts trying to sell me or scam me. Social media feeds that either fascinate or anger me. And it often takes me away from reading.

I am not one who necessarily pines to read more. Rather, I wouldn’t mind reading what I try to read each day in less time. And the biggest time waster often is my phone.

The only answer I’ve found is physical separation. I put the phone somewhere else. Then I do focused phone time. Part of my challenge is being what some call “a book influencer.” The main way to do this is online–and most of my posting and interactions are on the phone. But one practice is to take a day away from this every week.

I find myself wondering if I’m contributing to the very problem I battle. I hope not. I try to create spaces pointing people to the goodness, truth, and beauty in books with the hope that this will feed people’s reading habits. Hopefully, I provide a redemptive alternative to so much of the ugliness and distortion of truth one finds online.

But I don’t want people to live here. Too much time on screens arguably affects our ability to think. Longform reading, such as we encounter in books literally cultivates our brains. And as a senior, I need all the brain cells I can get! So, as delighted as I am that you are reading this, may I also encourage you to “log off and read a book!”

Five Articles Worth Reading

Doonesbury was one of the comics we read back in the day of newspapers for its humorous take of the politics of the day during the Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan years. Although Garry Trudeau, its creator keeps a low profile, the strip is still going as a weekly. This year, a new biography of Trudeau is being published by Joshua Kendall, a journalist. Pamela Newton sat down for a conversation with the two of them captured in “Authorized? Unauthorized? Garry Trudeau Calls a New Biography ‘Unopposed’“

What books had you read by the time you were twenty-two, when many of us graduated from college? Anna Holmes advises students to “Read These Books by the Time You Graduate.” But why these books? She chose books for those trying to find their way in life, not for advice given, but for qualities one might emulate. I’ve read (and had read by 22) two on the list, and three hadn’t been written when I passed that threshold.

This past week, Pope Leo XIV published his first encyclical, Humanitas Magnifica. Ed Simon takes the occasion to explore the impact of encyclicals in “How Many Divisions Has the Pope?“–a remark first made by Joseph Stalin.

Although there has already been extensive commentary on the encyclical, I wonder how many have read it. “Encyclical Letter Humanitas Magnifica” is available at the Vatican website and extends the social teaching of the church reaching back to Leo XIII Rerum Novarum, as it discusses the brave new world of AI.

Many of us were readers from childhood, and like C.S. Lewis grew up in homes full of books, or at least homes that encouraged reading. Bethel McGrew talks about growing up in “The House of Ten Thousand Books.”

Quote of the Week

G. K. Chesterton, who was born on May 29, 1874 had a different take on a slogan that is still popular:


‘My country, right or wrong’ is a thing no patriot would ever think of saying except in a desperate case. It is like saying ‘My mother, drunk or sober.’

Miscellaneous Musings

I found what looks to be a most interesting trip on a recent bookstore outing: The Wounded Generation by David Nasaw. It talks about those who returned from World War II. My father fought in that war and was proud of his service, as are we. But he only talked about a few incidents that occurred during his deployment in Europe. This was before PTSD was recognized. I wonder how he was changed by his experiences, and look forward to reading this.

Bridge Over Troubled Waters was a powerful song that addressed all the forms of weariness we struggled with in the early 1970’s Vietnam era. What Grows in Weary Lands is like that, but of greater substance. Tish Harrison Warren writes about the weariness that often happens around mid-life and what the life of faith looks like in such times, and other wearying times.

This week, I reviewed Questioning Technology with Jacques Ellul, a collection of 31 essays on the thought of Ellul. As impressed with the Pope’s encyclical as I am, I would say this work is more far-reaching in scope. And Ellul was a prescient thinker I wish more were aware of.

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: The Month in Reviews: May 2026

Tuesday: Robert H. Woods and Mark Allen Steiner, From the Outrageous to the Scandalous: Re-imagining Christian Thinking and Scholarship in an Age of Tribalism and Ideological Resentment

Wednesday: Robert Coover, The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop.

Thursday: Coleman M. Ford and Shawn Wilhite, Nicaea for Today

Friday: Agatha Christi, Mrs. McGinty’s Dead

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap for May 24-30.

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

The Weekly Wrap: May 17-23

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The Weekly Wrap: May 17-23

James Daunt’s Bad Week

James Daunt, the CEO of Barnes & Noble sat down with Jenna Bush recently to discuss the turnaround of Barnes & Noble and recent book trends, including AI-generated books. And here’s the statement that got him into trouble:

“Yes, I have actually no problem selling any book, as long as it doesn’t masquerade or pretend to be something that it isn’t, and that it has an essential quality to it, and that the customer, the reader, wants it. So as long as an AI-written book says it’s an AI-written book and doesn’t pretend to be something else and isn’t ripping off somebody else, as long as that’s clearly stated and the customer wants to buy it, then we will stock them.” (Source: “Barnes & Noble CEO Would Support Stores Selling AI-Written Books. Here’s Why“)

His remarks led to a social media firestorm and calls to boycott Barnes & Noble.

Why This is a Problem

What Mr. Daunt does not address are several troubling aspects of AI-generated works. One is that large language models train on human-authored works and to this point, authors are neither credited nor compensated. AI-generated books are a form of plagiarism and theft of intellectual property. It also allows for the “writing” of a book in hours or days instead of the months to years of research and writing by human authors. It is not a level playing field. Thirdly, even Barnes & Noble has limited shelf space and AI-generate books will take away available space for human authors. In addition, this endorses the massive energy and water usage by the data centers supporting AI.

Mr. Daunt Clarifies His Original Statement

In response to the criticism, James Daunt sent a statement to Publishers Weekly, which they summarized and quoted as follows:

“In explaining his reluctance to issue a blanket ban on AI-generated books, Daunt acknowledged his stance is ‘perhaps over nuanced, but there are important principles that have to be balanced and I believe we do so as sensibly and thoughtfully as is possible. Book banning is a clear and present danger, so we are very careful with demands to ban any books, as also in our vigilance not to sell AI generated books that masquerade to be by real authors.’ ” (Source: “James Daunt Looks to Clarify B&N’s Position on AI-Generated Books“)

The Problem With This Response

It appears that behind his remarks, he doesn’t want to engage in what could be perceived as book-banning, a stance to which Barnes & Noble has been adamantly committed. But the argument is specious. First of all, book-banning efforts are book-specific and content-oriented. That is different from choosing not to stock books not written by humans. In addition, this argument fails to address the above-mentioned problems with AI-generated text, notably, the theft of human intellectual property. Daunt is silent about this. But when a human author plagiarizes a book, booksellers pull it when this comes to light.

Why I Care

The local Barnes & Noble is the nearest store to us. I’m a Premium member (for which I pay). We buy a lot of books there and enjoy sharing our finds at the cafe. If they began stocking AI books, I would end this relationship. I interact with so many human authors and I know how hard they work to bring books to print. Thus, I cannot support a decision that preys on their intellectual property and displaces their books. I hope Mr. Daunt will reconsider and instead of a “nuanced” position, will say a flat “no” to AI-generated books. His current response is a marketing and public relations response. Instead, he could take a clear stance and use his stature to give decisive leadership to both his own company and the publishing industry. I hope he will.

Five Articles Worth Reading

The New York Times has taken a very different slant on summer reading. Rather than suggest titles, they offer a “bucket list” of categories. And if you complete five or more this summer, you can enter a drawing for a prize. Read all about it and get the link to enter by visiting “The New York Times’s Summer Reading Bucket List.”

James Nazir was one of the awardees of the Commonwealth Prize until readers, including some who used AI-detection software (which can be wrong), raised red flags that his story might be AI-generated. Vauhini Vara describes the challenges Granta faced in “This Literary AI Scandal Changes Everything.” The author has not responded to the allegations although he and other authors disavowed AI use. The article alerts me to the challenges that every author and publisher needs to navigate in this new AI landscape.

In recent years, colleges have oriented more toward STEM fields. But what happens when AI can perform equal to humans or better in many aspects, particularly in things like programming? Jacob Potash argues in “Rethinking Education in the AI Age” that the humanities could offer intellectual frameworks and “memory scaffolds” that provide the basis for a life well lived. He appeals to the way the Greeks used The Iliad.

From artificial intelligence to alien life. In “Is Alien Life Hiding in Plain Sight, Right Here in Our Solar System?,” Dr. Sarah Alam Malik considers the possibilities.

Finally, I was among those watching the final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. From the interview with Paul McCartney, 62 years after he performed in the Ed Sullivan Theatre with the Beatles to the ending, it was a great, if bittersweet finish. One thing I liked about Colbert is that he interviewed authors! Publishers Weekly notes his impact on book sales in “Publishers Bid Farewell to Stephen Colbert.”

Quote of the Week

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born on May 22, 1859. He observed:

“Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius.”

I’ve always thought that the mark of good leaders is that they surround themselves with people who excel them rather than are inferior to them.

Miscellaneous Musings

This was the week when I received nine books in two days. Lots of interesting new publications that I’ll be featuring on my social media in the next few weeks. One was Tish Harrison Warren’s new book on resilience, that I’ve already started reading.

A book I’ll be reviewing on Monday proposes that the most important philosophical experience common to all of us is the loving gaze of a mother toward her newborn child.

Don’t look to see me as much on X (Twitter). They are not only limiting posts per day for “unverified” (i.e. non-paying) accounts to 50 but also flagging you if you post a lot in a short period. Since I sometimes post in batches, I discovered X was blocking me. So I’ll limit what I post rather than support Elon’s empire.

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: Esther Lightcap Meek, The Mother’s Smile

Tuesday: Graham Greene, It’s A Battlefield

Wednesday: Cynthia Miller-Idriss, Man Up

Thursday: David W. Gill, ed., Questioning Technology

Friday: Valentyn Syniy, Serving God Under Siege

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap for May 17-23.

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

The Weekly Wrap: May 10-16

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Summer Reading

Readers will tell you that any season is a good season for reading. But summers are a special time for many of us. Lighter schedules. Vacations. And, weather and insects permitting, reading al fresco, perhaps with a cool drink at one’s side. My dream is a screened porch near a lake.

It’s not a bad time to think about how to make the most of your reading opportunities. In this Weekly Wrap, I include two lists you might consider. Maybe this is the time to wade into that longer book you held off from reading. Or you might try a new genre. There’s time to shop your shelves or hit the bookstore to stock up.

Maybe you’ll try something else new. Attend a reading or event at a local bookstore. What about imitating Ellen Burstyn and memorizing a poem or two? Or maybe find some people to talk books with–whether a formal book club or just a friend or two. As one of the articles I post here asserts, joining book clubs just might be revolutionary acts!

While I believe books can enrich our lives, I’d encourage you to keep it fun. Summer is not the time to get bogged down in a book. After all, summers are a time for refreshment. Find books that do that for you; set aside the ones that don’t.

To adapt a favorite summer song, “summer time, and the reading is easy.” It’s a good time to look ahead so that will be true for you.

Five Articles Worth Reading

The Atlantic posted “The Summer Reading Guide,” consisting of 25 books in five categories. I was delighted to find one by Columbus native, Wil Haygood, whose books I’ve enjoyed.

Some of us have aspired to read some of the great books of literature, the ones others compare themselves to. The Guardian is publishing a list of 100 from authors, critics and academics around the world. How many have you read?

“Ellen Burstyn Has Been Memorizing Poetry Her Whole Life” describes the actor’s love of poetry, what she’s currently reading and how she organizes her books. If someone can memorize poems at 93, I have no excuse!

We seem to be losing to have conversations in person where we talk and even argue and walk away friends. In “The revolutionary act of reading together: Why book clubs could save the world,” Dana Vanderlugt argues for the value of book clubs in our society.

Demon Copperhead is Barbara Kingsolver’s contemporary re-telling of Charles Dicken’s David Copperfield, both great books. In “‘Institutional Poverty’ in Charles Dickens and Barbara Kingsolver,” Susan Bruxvoort Lipscomb argues the books have very different takes on the role of institutions in perpetuating poverty. She argues Kingsolver portrays corrupt institutions as responsible for perpetuating poverty, whereas Dickens focus more on unfortunate circumstances. Some institutions actually have redemptive influences.

Quote of the Week

Douglas Southall Freeman was born May 14, 1886. He wrote histories of the Civil War and biographies of George Washington and Robert E. Lee. I agree with this observation about character:

“Character is that quality of mind which makes truth-telling instinctive rather than strange.”

Miscellaneous Musings

Artificial Intelligence has been touted for its efficiency. But a new book on Jacques Ellul that I just began included an article that raised questions about how we assess efficiency. We have to consider not just the immediate task but also the huge expenditures of energy, water, land, and resources to run these centers, as well as the costs of ameliorating the consequences of their use. Also, what is the cost to communities where they are sited? AI may not be nearly as efficient as we think if these costs are included.

While we are on the topic of AI, the Authors Guild has released new guidelines that incorporate guiding principles for the use of AI by authors. The Publishers Weekly article included these guidelines that every author ought heed:

 “AI-generated text is not copyrightable, and knowingly failing to disclose AI-generated content in a copyright registration application can constitute fraud on the Copyright Office.” The Guild also warns that “many book contracts also include warranties that the manuscript is the author’s original work, meaning undisclosed inclusion of AI-generated text may put a writer in breach.”

The full guide is well worth reading for any of us who write. It may be accessed here.

I’ve started reading Thomas Pynchon’s Shadow Ticket. I’ve not read any other Pynchon before so I don’t know how to compare. It’s kind of a crazy story of a gumshoe from Milwaukee chasing a Cheese heiress while eluding a cheese mafia. It is laced with jargon that makes it a challenge to follow. Still figuring out what I think of it!

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: Paul Elie, The Last Supper: Art, Faith, Sex, and Controversy in the 1980s

Tuesday: Christopher R. Brewer, ed., Art Seeking Understanding

Wednesday: Thomas Pynchon, Shadow Ticket

Thursday: Terry Pratchett, Wyrd Sisters

Friday: William J. Kole, In Guns We Trust

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap for May 10-16.

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

The Weekly Wrap: May 3-9

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The Weekly Wrap: May 3-9

Thanks, Mom!

More than anyone, I owe the fact that I am a reader to my mom. She never, to my memory, encouraged me to read. Rather, she loved to read and she shared that love with me. She was diligent in her care for our home and for us. But whenever she took a break, often over lunch or in the evening, she’d be reading.

As soon as I could, I shared my books with her. I’d tell her about the latest baseball book I was reading. And she’d tell me about Taylor Caldwell or Susan Howatch or Leon Uris. And as I got older, I read some of those books as well.

We had a house full of books…and I was always free to explore the bookshelves. I can’t think of my mom censoring my reading–even when I picked up some of her racier books!

We also had a bookcase of encyclopedias. And you’d often find me camped in front of those with a volume in my lap. I’d be reading an article to learn about something that caught my interest.

It was a cruel turn that resulted in her losing much of her vision to macular degeneration in her seventies. She hung on, using magnifiers and devices as long as she could. Audiobooks were in their infancy. Having reached my seventies, it’s one of my great fears that I’ll lose my vision. Maybe I read so much to read while I can. And I’m religious about eye checkups.

However, I’ve had a life filled with the joy of reading, bookstores, libraries, and lots of conversations with other book lovers. And I owe it all to mom. Thank you for imparting your love of books to me. I’ll always be grateful. I love you, Mom, and I’ll always remember you.

Five Articles Worth Reading

If you are buying books for mom, you might be hitting the bookstore today to look for something. Here are a couple lists of recommendations you might look over. One is from the New York Times and offers recommendations by genres. Publishers Weekly offers an uncategorized list of ten books.

For some of us, we grieve mothers who are no longer with us. Simon Rogers, who has written a book on our Google searches, addresses the ways we turn to the internet for solace in “ ‘The Data Shows We’re Never Truly Alone.’ What Our Online Searches Say About Loss.“

Motherhood has also been the focus of scholarly study. So JSTOR, in “Motherhood in America: A Reading List,” offers a selection of the scholarship on motherhood.

Elizabeth Strout has a new book out. Her books are both critically acclaimed and bestsellers. I’ve read and enjoyed a couple of them. Adam Begley explores “The Secret of Elizabeth Strout’s Appeal.”

If you’ve looked at antique or fine books, you may have noticed the beautiful endpapers, made by a process called “marbling.” In “The Secret Art of Marbling” Francky Knapp takes us through the meticulous process of marbling.

Quote of the Week

Thomas Pynchon turned 89 yesterday, May 8. He was born in 1937. He warns us of one of the ways people practice the art of deflection:

“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.”

Miscellaneous Musings

I often find that book awards name books I’ve never read, or even heard of. Not so the Pulitzers. Among the winners are Jill Lepore’s We the People, on my TBR and There is No Place for Us by Brian Goldstone which I reviewed last year. Here is a list of the awardees.

I tend to remember more of the music and art of the 1960’s and 1970’s. Paul Elie’s The Last Supper: Art, Faith, Sex, and Controversy in the 1980s explores a decade I lived through but think less of. It’s a fascinating study of artists ranging from Warhol to Leonard Cohen to Madonna and the “crypto-religious” themes that run through their lives and work.

Would you consider it worth it if you made it to the major leagues in baseball, only to play in one game. In The Cup of Coffee Club, Jacob Kornhauser tells the story of eleven players who played exactly one game in the majors. It’s a story of all they went through to get there, and how they came to terms as they realized this was their “one, brief shining moment.”

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: Sabino Chialà, Silence and Speaking Freely

Tuesday: Daniel Taylor, The Prodigal of Leningrad

Wednesday: Lesslie Baynes, Between Interpretation and Imagination

Thursday: Jacob Kornhauser, The Cup of Coffee Club

Friday: Beth Felker jones, Why I Am Protestant

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap  for May 3-9.

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

The Weekly Wrap: April 26-May 2

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The Weekly Wrap: April 26-May 2

New Bookstores

“Independent Bookstore Day: Bookshop.org founder on how small retailers are taking on Amazon.” This Fast Company notes that since 2020, the number of members in the American Booksellers Association has grown from1,900 to 3,200.

I think there is something to this. Two nearby communities that have never had bookstores in my memory will have three bookstores by this summer. Escape Into Fiction opened in Powell, Ohio last fall. This summer two bookstores open just down the street from each other in downtown Worthington. Celestielle is scheduled to open May 22 and focuses on fantasy and romance. Then in July, The Whispering Page is scheduled to open, stocking new books of all genres and hosting used book swaps. Their Instagram page also advertises a cafe and bar.

Will they survive? That’s anyone’s guess. But it excites me that there are entrepreneurs who see this a good time to make a go of it. Increasingly, there is a conviction that the big online behemoth is not invincible. Bookshop.org has provided an online alternative to that behemoth that supports Indie stores, and, according to the Fast Company article, have already channeled $47 million to Indie stores.

What delights me about these stores they help to turn the town centers of these communities into more interesting places. And they are filling empty storefronts. They hark back to the time when we’d walk downtown rather than pile into a car to go to the mall. There is a movement of people are going analog and craving interaction with real people.

To me, all this seems a good thing.

Five Articles Worth Reading

Sometimes my “five articles” cluster around a theme. This week, they were just a potpourri of things that caught my attention.

Plough is one of my favorite sources of good writing. This week they posted “When Kierkegaard Got Cancelled.” It’s a fascinating study of how Kierkegaard responded to the attacks and cancelling he encountered.

I was disappointed several years when my one chance to see Bob Seger in concert was lost when he had health issues. He was one of my rock legends, representing the gritty rock of middle America. “The Lost Idealism of Heartland Rock” reviews “Won’t Back Down by Erin Osmon, which traces the progressive strain in artists like Seger, Tom Petty, and John Mellencamp.

Both the change from local businesses to big shopping centers and many of our rock songs assumed the ubiquitous presence of the automobile. “Life After Cars?” reviews a book by the same name that explores what a post-automobile landscape might be like.

His novel Lázár, has been on the German best seller lists for 29 weeks. It’s been compared to Thomas Mann’s Buddenbrooks. And he is 22 years old. “A Very Old-Fashioned Novel Has Made a Star Out of a Very Young Writer” features the life and work of Nelio Biedermann.

Finally, one of the most prolific American diarists of the nineteenth century was George Templeton Strong. For example, he wrote four million words between 1835 and 1875. His diaries capture what life in New York was like during the Civil War. “Inside a Four-Million-Word Diary of 1860s New York” profiles Strong as well as offers resources if you want to read more of him.

Quote of the Week

In recent years I’ve become something of an advocate for poetry, even daring to read some on my Facebook page. Yusef Komunyakaa, who was born on April 29, 1947, captures something of the essence of the work of poets:

“Poets are seen as the caretakers of language, so working with words no matter what the form is what we do.”

You can read more about his life at the Poetry Foundation.

Miscellaneous Musings

After thirteen years, I made a small tweak to the tagline on my web page, which was “Thoughts about books, reading, and life.” It now reads “Thoughts from a human on books, reading, and life.” Because it is increasingly common to get reviews from AI (which I think sometimes uses reviews I write!). I felt it time to affirm that the reviews on this page are 100 percent human written, based on the reading of whole books by a 100 percent human. Whether that’s better than AI, I’ll leave up to you.

I am an Inklings fan. But Leslie Baynes Interpretation and Imagination reveals that Lewis made scholarly mistakes like the rest of us. He trusted his memory too much when citing others and sometimes misread those he was critiquing. It seems that particularly when he engaged biblical criticism, he was prone to errors stemming from his lack of expertise and background in the field.

Reading Louis Markos’ From Aristotle to Christ challenged me that I had never read Aristotle. He recommended a basic edition, which should be arriving in a few days. Just another example of how reading one book leads to others!

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: Kelly and Zach Weinersmith, A City on Mars

Tuesday: Steven Garber, Hints of Hope

Wednesday: Betony Coons, The Unwinding Path

Thursday: Louis Markos, From Aristotle to Christ

Friday: Jane Austen, Emma

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap  for April 26-May 2.

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

The Weekly Wrap: April 19-25

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The Weekly Wrap: April 19-25

Something Different

Dropped by the local Barnes & Noble yesterday. On one of the front tables featuring fiction, I noticed Leif Enger‘s I Cheerfully Refuse. First it was the artful cover and then this description on the back cover that caught my attention:

“Set in a not-too-distant America, I Cheerfully Refuse is the tale of a bereaved and pursued musician embarking under sail on a sentient Lake Superior in search of his departed, deeply beloved, bookselling wife. Rainy, an endearing bear of an Orphean narrator, seeks refuge in the harbors, fogs and remote islands of the inland sea.”

I bought the book. But I don’t usually buy books this way. Often I buy something I’ve heard of, seen reviewed, or has been recommended. Or I buy books by an author I like or a topic I find interesting. However, this book checked none of those boxes.

So what’s going on? The cover did stand out as something of a departure from other contemporary fiction, so I noticed it. Also, I love quests. And I’ve had good luck with Minnesota authors. William Kent Krueger is a favorite. Enger is also a former journalist, a plus in my book as someone who may know how to write with economy.

I like the serendipity of shopping in a bookstore. You never know what you’ll find. And now, I’ll probably hear of Leif Enger wherever I turn! Look for my review to see if I like him!

Five Articles Worth Reading

This week’s articles all deal in some way with the upcoming 250th birthday of the United States. Three focus on the yet-to-be healed wounds of slavery and race that are an important part of our history.

Firstly, “Mother Emanuel’s Long Struggle” reviews a book on one of the oldest Black congregations, in Charleston, SC, the site of Dylann Roof’s ruthless gunning down of nine Bible study participants, and the forgiveness that followed. However the book traces a far more complex history of this congregation over 200 years.

Thomas S. Kidd, a historian, invites us to take a hard look at American slave trade in “Three History Books on the US Slave Trade.” One of these is even available for free.

Sometimes, historical fiction offers a unique lens for historical insight. In “The Barbarism of Yesteryear,” Jonathan Russell Clark reviews Max Watman’s Tomorrow, the War, an account of the antebellum slave experience in the lead up to the Civil War.


Beverly Gage recently published This Land Is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History. In “13 Books on American History That Mapped Out Beverly Gage’s Travelogue,” Gage recommends thirteen books, one for each chapter of her book, taking the reader on a journey from George Washington to Walt Disney.

Finally, part of our history is the unique canon of American literature from the past 250 years and more. The Library of America set out a number of years ago to publish quality editions of some of the best that Americans have thought and written. In “How Library of America Helped Shape the Modern American Literary Canon,” Max Rudin, current president and publisher of the Library of America discusses its mission. I’m proud to say I have a bookcase full of these editions!

Quote of the Week

Philosopher Immanuel Kant was born on April 22, 1724. He formulated an ethical maxim simple and yet profound in its implications, often referred to as “The Categorical Imperative”:

“Live your life as though your every act were to become a universal law.”

Miscellaneous Musings

There has been a lot of concern about the literacy of our youth, particularly at the fourth grade level. “Another Way to Boost Fourth Grade Reading Scores? Preschool” argues for the effectiveness of Pre-K education to boost these score. Currently, however, we are shifting the burden of funding these programs in the U.S. to the states. It remains to be seen how this will work out across the country. It seems, though, that citizen involvement at the local level could make a huge difference.

Reading Jane Austen’s Emma, I wonder if Emma will have an epiphany of how condescending she is. It is a good study in how we fail to see ourselves as we are seen by others, in this case, Austen’s readers.

A City on Mars portrays the challenges of life on other planets. Mars is the only realistic possibility, with our Moon as a training ground. But the challenges are substantial to keep them from quickly or more slowly killing us. Let’s put it simply: for the next few centuries, except for very few, there is no Planet B. So, we better take care of this one.

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: Andrew T. LePeau, She Teaches Me Still

Tuesday: Laura Baghdassarian Murray, Becoming A Person of Welcome

Wednesday: Dallas Willard, The Renovation of the Heart

Thursday: Miroslav Volf and Dorothy C. Bass eds., Practicing Theology

Friday: The Month in Review: April 2026

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap  for April 19-25.

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.

The Weekly Wrap: April 12-18

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The Weekly Wrap: April 12-18

AI Fatigue

I came up with this phrase in writing this article, but it turns out that it is a real “thing.” Google’s “AI Overview (!) defines it as “the mental, emotional, and operational exhaustion resulting from the rapid, relentless influx of AI tools, news, and pressure to adopt artificial intelligence in the workplace.” My search turned up pages of articles on the phenomenon.

Within this definition, I think I’m able to locate my own fatigue. For me, it is the relentless news and discussion of AI in the world of books. I receive numerous newsletters, and instead of writing about books and the world of reading, they are writing about AI–reviews written by AI, books written by AI, the fear that writers will be replaced by AI, and the difficulty of detecting AI usage unless human developers and publishers are transparent. And the big element is the theft of intellectual property underneath all this. The work of humans. It needs to be talked about.

We also need to come to some solutions. Rules, tracking, and appropriate compensation of intellectual property. Transparency about AI content and blacklisting and withholding of payments for deception. I’d like to see an emblem used indicating a book or other written content is 100% human.

So why do I press for this? Frankly, I’m tired of all the AI stories (even though I’m posting one this week). I’m eager for us to get back to talking about books. Many of us read to engage with another human. And we often talk with other humans about what we read. We like to hear authors read their works. The world of books and reading is actually a highly social world. I also think it would be helpful to make it an AI-free world. Wouldn’t it be great if the world of books and reading could serve as a retreat for the AI fatigued?

Five Articles Worth Reading

John Cheever is back in the news. His daughter Susan has published a new book exploring the relationship between Cheever’s fiction and his own life. Rands Richards Cooper reviews it in “The Father Behind the Fiction.”

Another name in the news is Lena Dunham. Actually, I knew nothing of her until I learned she is a leading voice of young adulthood in these times. I learned much more about her in Sophie Gilbert’s “What Does Lena Dunham Want to Tell Us?,” a review of Dunham’s new memoir, Famesick.

Speaking of names, Andrew Lawler asks “Who Is Blake Whiting?” “Blake Whiting,” for whom no biography or CV exists published thirteen books on complex historical subjects in one week. Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing publishes his work, yet they missed the lack of biography, and the fact that “Blake Whiting” exceeded their ten book a week limit. Of course, there is no Blake Whiting, but only Amazon knows who is behind this.

Another name I keep coming across is Iris Murdoch, novelist and philosopher. We often speak of “the good, the true, and the beautiful.” In “Iris Murdoch and the Metaphysics of the Good,” Matthew B. Crawford explores Murdoch’s thinking about “the good.”

Finally, many of us like to escape into fantasy to gain perspective on the world in which we live. “4 Great New Fantasy Books to Transport You to Bold New Worlds” introduced me to some fantasy writers I’ve not heard of before.

Quote of the Week

Thornton Wilder, born on April 17, 1897, offers a watchword for all of us:

“Seek the lofty by reading, hearing and seeing great work at some moment every day.”

Miscellaneous Musings

We are grieving the passing of my wife’s lifelong friend. They met when my wife was three–sixty nine years ago. She was a dedicated educator and reading advocate, working in our state’s Reading Recovery program for many years and teaching the children of children she’d had in classes. She fed my son’s love of reading and writing. And she typified the very best of public school education.

I’ve come to the end of Deb Gregory’s Spiritual Wayfinding. I had the delightful experience of finding my son’s name in the acknowledgements for a lesson on fractals, one of his loves. Deb used to live in our home town, but I am really curious how they crossed paths. A bit of a wayfinding project in itself. By the way, if you like to walk and care about spiritual life, the book creatively combines the two!

Lastly, I bit the bullet and ordered a new Kindle after Amazon’s email (and had it sitting at my door 6:30 the next morning). I’ll still use my old one to read the many books already loaded on it as long as it works. But I decided to go that route to avoid juggling multiple e-book accounts and different platforms, and to be ready when my old Kindle finally bricks. I really like reading on e-readers versus phones or tablets–easier on the old eyes.

Next Week’s Reviews

Monday: W. David Buschart & Ryan Tafilowski, Worth Doing

Tuesday: David J. Claassen, The Divine Profile

Wednesday: Deborah Gregory, Spiritual Wayfinding

Thursday: Richard Osman, The Bullet That Missed

Friday: Tom Holland, Dominion

So, that’s The Weekly Wrap  for April 12-18.

Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.