A story of one man's dealing with mortality in the face of a terminal illness. Planning suicide in order to preempt a more ignominious death, the main character goes on a journey through the verdant landscapes of Pacific Northwest. The epic-sounding title, however, positions his suicide mission within the bigger and delicately suggested narrative of (religious?) hope in the midst of the perceived lack of personal agency. As in his other novels, Guterson's prose is evocative and gentle, conveying both the sense of frailty of the human condition and the indomitable power of the spirit.
Another in Allen's series of Quaker-themed crime novels. Elizabeth Elliot, an elderly Quaker with a propensity for encountering gruesome acts of crime in the most unlikely places, solves another mystery thanks to her power of deduction and devout allegiance to Quaker ethics. Sweet.
One of the leading contemporary theorists revisits Sophocles' Antigone and presents her analysis of the complex intersection of gender, kinship, custom and ethics. Not so much a treatise on Antigone per se, the book is a continuation of gender theories introduced in her earlier works. In a nutshell: power structures and norms function only as long as individual human beings consent to them, there is nothing foreordained and cut-in-stone about them. Plus: universal is actually pseudo and the "genuine" is never really genuine. 
I have never read or seen any of Hal Porter's plays. Even on Amazon they seem difficult to find. Were it not for his 1977 autobiography "The Watcher on the Cast-Iron Balcony" that had accidentally come my way, I wouldn't even be familiar with the name. Australia is a land far away, and its mid-20th century literature seems even more nebulous.
Porter's life was one of lustful experimentation and unpremeditated life-altering decisions, bohemian as it were (as a side note, I wonder whether this is/was also something of a cultural attitude). Clinton's, the way she writes about herself, has been quite the opposite, with a single focus on public prominence and success in the political arena. Her writing tends to be much more factual: true to its title, it is a history book, albeit personal. We learn who said what to whom on a particular date, what diner she and her colleagues went to after a specific event... Lying behind all these facts and details (sometimes a bit dull to read through) is the singular drive toward political success and the power it affords, plus the nobility of her objectives in the grand scheme of things. On her linear path to public office, plans do get changed, life does get in the way here and there, but not for long; sooner rather than later she's back on track. Written at the height of her pre-Obama career (the book was published in April 2004), one can be left with the impression that this is political campaign material; memoirs of prominent politicians often are.
After a while I figured out how to live with its shortcomings: by liberating it from its re-writers' political agenda with a little help from the texts in the original languages and a humble correction tape dispenser. I am absolutely positive that my intention is by no means more blasphemous (if at all) than the numerous textual interventions done by the "translators." Besides, the letter killeth and the spirit giveth life.
A perfect book for those chilly late autumn evenings. This book is a wonderful story of faith, hope and opportunities for mercy in the midst of family tragedy. I seldom make notes in books I read, but while reading this one I had to have a pencil and post-it flags at hand. One of my favorite sentences: "...exile is a country of shifting borders, hard to quit yet hard to endure, no matter how wide your shoulders, no matter your toughened heart." Enger is now officially one of my all-time favorite authors.
Walk with God can be, and often is, a troubling affair. Prayers go unanswered, the whole world seems to conspire against you, there are dangers and difficulties regardless of one's piety and devotion. Buchanan writes about experiencing God in the midst of hardship and heartache, explaining that the God of Judeo-Christianity is both unpredictable and dangerous on one hand, loving and faithful on the other. For those struggling with the eternal question of why would a good God allow bad things to happen, this book may provide some insights.
Does the name Jacob Spener sound familiar? August Hermann Francke? Johann Anastasius Freylingausen? Probably not, yet those are some of the leading people of an influential spiritual movement of the 17th and 18th century Christianity, known today as Pietism. It's surprising how little we know of them today. Placing emphasis on one's personal relationship with God, they heavily influenced Wesley and the nascent Methodist movement. They seem to be the first ones who came up with the idea of Bible study groups. This collection serves as a reminder on the origins of some of the beliefs and practices that contemporary Christianity takes for granted, but which were quite revolutionary at the time.
Chris McCandless had a burning wish to abandon a life of materialism, meaningless college diplomas and dehumanizing 9-5 jobs. The wish became a journey of a lifetime that ultimately led him to Alaskan wilderness where he tragically died. Krakauer has done a superb job investigating McCandless' enigmatic personality and narrating his heartbreaking story. Makes you question your ideals and how far you're ready to go in pursuit of happiness. Inspirational and cautionary.
The leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) thought that their support for Proposition 8 in California would consolidate the Church's moral teaching and that by fighting alongside conservative Catholics and fundamentalist Evangelicals they would come a few steps closer to the desired ideal of being perceived as a mainstream Christian denomination.
This one was day 1 in Karin. I blogged about the place this time last year, so read through that post, too.
Here's the story behind the picture: I've had another sleepless night (maybe due to centipedes in my room, real or imagined, or the hot weather, or that late cup of coffee) and decided to get up around 5am. It's 6.15 and the sun is rising behind the hill opposite our summer house. I'm likely plowing through my Bible, continuing with my read-the-Bible-in-a-year project.
And here I am actually doing it on the terrace; the Good Book, coffee, post-it pen and all.
Another early morning pic. The small island in the middle will disappear in less than half an hour due to a rising tide. Next morning it'll be there again, each time shaped differently.
The beach near our house is largely empty until about 10am. People still tend to go swimming and sunbathing at the hours when they really shouldn't be out in the sun. As for me, having the beach all to myself is one of the perks of being an early riser.
The place lovingly referred to as "the mud." It's supposed to have healing properties, but only if you apply it to your body following very strict and ancient rules (possibly made up by my mom). Without being ethnically prejudicial, you really can tell a German tourist by how deep they're willing to sink in. There's a Franciscan convent in the background...
... and much prettier scenery to the right: Mt Velebit, with Alan, one of the highest mountain peaks in Croatia. Any afternoon spent on that beach is pure serenity.
I was worried about these guys for the first couple of days, as I couldn't spot a single one. It turned out they had migrated about half a mile northward, toward the confluence of the Karisnica river. I know they are nothing much to look at, but they're the true natives there and one has to respect that. And if you've read that blog post of a year ago, you'd know how much I like them.
A fairly typical sunset.
At the spring of Karisnica. There's not much water at this time of year, though. Lovely old stone mills on the way there. Moving on...
My family, catching some breath from sightseeing (and shopping); visiting relatives on the island of Hvar.
More of Hvar; the central square with the Cathedral.
Typical architecture of Stari grad on the same island.
I do love shopping and Plodine is my favourite Croatian supermarket chain. The new store in Benkovac. 
Back in Karin; the medieval Franciscan convent, completely destroyed in the civil conflict of the 1991-95, recently rebuilt according to the original architectural plans.
One of two phallic structures conveniently placed at the convent's entrance; originally erected by an Illyrian tribe living in these parts about 2,000 years ago.
In the city of Zadar.
