This behaviour is strange for me. I like being around people. I find all people to be fun and amusing to interact with (well honestly some are a pain in the butt). Being alone doing something I find very tedious, having others around makes it fun. Even the most boring jobs can be fun when shared with others. A day with out people in it to me is a waste of a day. But, when it comes to book hunting I would rather be alone.

Over the years I have tried to analyze this strange trait in me but with no success. I have gone book hunting while out with other people but it doesn’t hold the same joy or excitement. The rushing though looking because I don’t want to hold them up usually means I end up with a book I really don’t want. When alone I can spend my time my way. Holding on to one book and continuing my search till I find just the right book. It feels great when you hit that right book that makes you want to rush home and start reading. The trophy book just like the trophy buck in deer hunting.

As I have gotten older I have found that solitary time more and more rewarding for me. For a few years I didn’t do any book hunting because my arms had gotten to short—and I wouldn’t give into getting reading glasses. Now I don’t care that I have to use my glasses to read a menu they have become part of me.

So I shall remain loving to have people to interacting with—except when book hunting. Then I become the solitary hunter.

After hours looking at different books from hardwood flooring to a humming birds life I choose one of the stupidest reasons for buying a book. I liked the dust jacket so I bought it. Like most readers on the hunt, you’re tired and bag what ever fancies your eye. The story does sound interesting but it is a sequel and I have never read the first one. The artwork on the dust jacket is great and it does meet the “cool dude” theory I have. So once again I got stupid while book hunting. It happens more times than I will ever admit. Guess I should tell you the title. “Defender” by C.J. Cherryh.

There is once saving grace I have in buying this book. Well, it is an excuse I use often. One of the best books I have ever read I bought for the “Cool Dude” on the cover.

Ok! on with what I read. “Tyrannosaur Canyon” by Douglas Preston. It is a book I totally enjoyed. He is a new author for me and I found him a master story teller. Each page was something new to lead you farther into the depth of the story. I was finished too quickly wishing it was twice as long. After finishing, I read the reviews on the dust jacket, which brings me to my point.

All the reviews were good. The problem was how they described what I had just read. It seems they read a “thriller”. Now I know I am getting old, but a “thriller”, come on, It was a murder mystery. I found it as good a murder mystery as any by Agatha Christie. Yes, I know, high praise, but it is my opinion (and what that is worth, we’ve covered). So, being a very large pain about things, I decided to look up “thriller” in the dictionary. “A work of fiction or drama designed to hold the interest by the use of a high degree of intrigue, adventure, or suspense.” Ok! so it covers that loosely. Murder mystery covers it exactly. Call a duck a duck.

Then again maybe I am a purist about books. Drama is drama, humour is humour, science fiction is science fiction, fantasy is fantasy, murder mystery is murder mystery, and thriller is best left to Michael Jackson. Since I am getting old I guess you can call me a dinosaur, at least when it comes to describing books I hope.

Ian grew up with books all over his room. We started buying them when he was about 6 months old. Every-night he had stories read to him, not that he understood a word we were saying at that age. as he got older, the age of his own son now, he would pretend to read. I would be reading in the evening and he would get a book and sit beside me and pretend to read. I tried to avoid reading bedtime stories to the kids (will explain later so I don’t get the bad father rap). The kids had favourite books that they had to have read over and over. It was almost as irritating as Ian’s popcorn popper toy. They both would twist me around their finger and get me to read their favourite. One evening Ian sat beside me and started reading his favourite book out-loud. I was totally shocked. Took me a few minutes to realize he wasn’t actually reading, he had memorized the story. But he did learn to read, which he surprised his grade one teacher with the first day of school. Over the years you could always find Ian when you needed him. In his room with his nose in a book. I thought it would stop when he got his TV in his room but it didn’t. Slowed him down a bit was all. It was the same with Nintendo. Now he is as bad as he ever was. Today I helped his habit. Told him the discount store had recent hardcover books on sale for $2.98. But he isn’t the only Stewart with the habit. I had to buy 2 book there myself today.

Now I guess I had better explain the not wanting to read bedtime stories to the kids. I preferred to make up stories and tell them a story. They never realized my stories always had the moral twist to them. It was my way of filling their heads with “do the right thing”. Of the hundreds of stories I told them, some purely made up by me to drive a point home, the one they most remember was a bible story. Could be they remember it because they had me tell it so many times. I take the high road on it and say it was because the moral of it made sense to them.

I hope Ian will find time to tell Nathan some stories too.

First of all we’re going to pretend that we don’t have braille or books on tape. Those are out of the question. We’ve got a few months left and aside from spending time memorizing the faces of loved ones and visiting what Lennon calls the “places I remember“, we’re going to spend some time with a good book or two. I mean, you’re going to have some time to kill on those flights around the world, right? What are you going to read?

Do you read for pleasure? Reveling in the comforting pleasure of a good book; the sound of the pages turning, the heft of the thing, the color of the type, a familiar story made into an old friend? Or do you read for knowledge? Spiritual comfort? Or just practical knowledge? How to Read Braille might be a good title.

For the record, I’m not going blind. I had a bit of an eye scare but everything is perfectly fine. Thing is though, when you forget your book and you’re stuck in a waiting room for a few hours, People magazine gets old and you start to think of things like this.

Anyway, it’s like a desert island list only… more final. What would you read if you were going blind?

The book is “Tactics of Mistakes”. I found it while I was in the time in my life where reading how-to-succeed-in-business books were important. It was a break for me to read it, an escape from work related books. I had purchased it about five years earlier and never even started it. May have been the “cool dude” on the cover was the reason I bought it. To my surprise the book gave a clearer picture of what all the business-for-dummies authors were saying. Maybe that’s because it was hidden in the science fiction aspect that I related to it more. But the concept they were trying to teach was there. I read it about four times to make sure I understood it, but it finally sunk into my thick skull. As I was forced to read more of the business-for-dummies books, I found they were all saying the same things just saying it a little differently. Some I related more to than others, still, I always went back to Tactics of Mistakes at least once a year.

So being the goofy father I am, I wanted Ian to find what I had. I didn’t succeed since he hadn’t read it. So my writing this is a father’s hope he may. Fat chance likely, but it is a hope.

I did find one other useful thing from reading it. That is, don’t let the subject matter cloud your judgment of a book–look past the story and see what else you find.

I always wondered if the first self-help business book author had read Tactic of Mistakes.

My most unique book is of all things a school book. It is “The History of Canada”. It was published in England in 1869. Canada as a nation was only 2 years old. My Aunt Kay gave it to me. I find it fun to read and see how far we have come as a nation. Only 72 pages long so it is a quick read. Isn’t it funny how some books can hold a special place in our minds? When I read it my mind goes to all the things I have learned over the years. Some have been good things and some have been bad. The reminiscing of them is still nice. This book put me on the hunt for more unique books. I can’t explain fully how much fun I have had over the years. I will just say I have had a BLAST!

More recent in time. “Challenging the Skies” by Donald Fonger. Don was a business friend and I liked spending time talking to him. His book isn’t a story, it’s a chronicle of his flying around the world with his son in a twin Comanche airplane. What makes it fun for me is that I knew him and learned more about the world through his book. It is just his experiences but it shows the uniqueness of our world.

They last of my top 3 unique books is “The Graham Kerr Cookbook” published in 1969. Ian gave me this book and I hold it in a very special place in my heart. Most important of the reason it is special to me is that Ian gave it to me. The other is Graham Kerr is the reason I love to cook When I was 14 I was stuck at home on a rainy afternoon and, given there were only 3 TV channels, ended up watching the Galloping Gourmet cooking show. I saw a man who had fun cooking and, since I love to eat, thought I could make what he made. So I wrote the recipe down and, after the rain, went next door to the flower shop where my mother worked and told her I was cooking supper. She gave me the money to buy what I needed and told me to give it a try. God bless her. The Swiss Steak I made was good. So that summer, every time Graham Kerr made real food (rather than desserts), I made them too. Over the years I have gotten decent at cooking (Ian here: he’s being modest, he’s a phenomenal cook). Damn glad I have the cook book now, it brings back special memories.

Well I guess I have bored you enough with my babbling and it is time for me to start supper. Remember, unique books can be fun.

In the late 1970’s my work put me in contact with the pilots and crew of Flying Tigers Airline. They are a unique group and a story of their own. Over too many drinks the crew talked the senior pilot into telling me about Roswell and the Aliens. In the senior pilot’s words he was the pilot that flew the debris and the alien bodies out of Roswell. I promptly filed it away with other stories told to me by people who had too much to drink. But a couple of years later I caught a TV show on Roswell. I was amazed that his name was mentioned and most of what he told me was on the program. Then the FEEDING FRENZY started. I started reading everything I could find on Roswell and UFOs. I got crazy just like sharks do in feeding frenzies. It passed until the next time: Oak Island, a mysterious island just off of Nova Scotia. There are more but the point is I read and read which isn’t a bad thing. So if UFO’s can create feeding frenzy reading in kids, HURRAY, bring it on quick.

Did I learn anything? Yes, most of the UFO books are the authors flights of fancy veiled with a few facts. But I did learn some just cannot be explained. Charlie Red Star at Carman, the one that stops all the debunkers in their tracks.

Now I use the computer when something peaks my interest. Still, I need the books to read so I know I have the full story not just the reader digest version. Luckily, the computer has stopped the severe cases of feeding frenzy in me. But not all.

See, it can be OK to go a little crazy like a shark does.

Personally, I think not. Have I? Many, many times. Sometimes their opinions were correct, but just as many times I found them wrong. I have read books that everyone told me were crap and found them to be some of my favourite books to read over and over. Other times I have read books everyone said were great and found I disliked them immensely. Sometimes not even finishing them. The last time was Hooper’s “Once a Thief ” and “Always a Thief “. I bought both at the same time and have never even started the second one.

So why should we buy or read a book? For me I have found that if the story line intrigues me I usually end up at the least feeling it was worth it.

So what good are opinions? They should peak our curiosity and make us want to find out for ourselves whether a book is something we would like to read. So, if anything I babble about makes you want to check out a book then my babbling has had a use. But, in most cases my opinion isn’t worth repeating.

Remember, it is totally based on my personal taste.

I just about gave into temptation today and bought a book off the best seller list. All the literary pundits are high on the author. Every few year it happens to me. I forget what is important and get swayed by all the hype about and author. Today I was good and didn’t give in. In the past I have given in and bought what is best described as dribble. I won’t name any names on the fear of offending you because the author is your favourite. There have been some real stinkers in the past. Yet somehow they stay on the best seller list. I have always wondered if people buy books because it is on the best seller list and never read it? They do get to say , “I have that book.”

To me the important thing about books is the story. Never the author. I have read great stories that are poorly written yet are still favourite books of mine. ie: Bush pilot with a briefcase. It is a biography of Grant McConnihie the man who started Canadian Pacific Airlines. Hollywood Pilot, biography of Paul Manz. Merchanter’s Luck about space pirates. Not written by literary giants but great stories.

I will admit that great writers can make almost anything an interesting read, but is that enough of a reason to read it? Personally I don’t think it is. Yet still I get trapped by all the hype from time to time. It comes from my having the addiction to reading. It is about the only GOOD addiction there is.

Well I have bored you enough with today’s dribble from me.

I totally disagree with my Dad about the author, by the way. We read authors because they’re artists. The failures of great authors hold interest despite the story because they tell us something interesting about interesting people, people who can tell us something about us.

Plus, I get to say snootily, “Oh yes, I’ve read so and so, haven’t you? Ho Ho Ho. You must read so and so.” I like to wear a beret when I do this.

Hello! I am Ian’s Father, Graham. The reason I am writing here? Sunday after supper I made a comment that he was neglecting his Blog. His wife agreed but suggested I should write in it since he is so busy. I am a man who loves books and love to read. He grew up with books everywhere and me reading all the time so I guess I have to take some responsibility for his love of books and thus this Blog.

I differ from Ian in why I read and what I think makes a great book. I have no patience for books or authors who write in the style that promotes debate over the exact meaning of what they are saying. ie: you can say “winged migratory feathered waterfowl” and leave the debate open as to which one, or you can say Duck and make it clear. I prefer authors who say Duck.

Previously Ian talked about books I had given him to read and which were likely my favorite books. He got it wrong. I think he only remember me reading Science Fiction. Which I do read for pure escapism. My favorite book? Well, that would have to be “Day to Day with Stevenson”, a little known work by Robert Louis Stevenson. It is comprised of short motivational quotes for each day of the year. I think it is the father of all motivational books that have followed. Favorite Novel would have to be “Kidnapped”. Guess I really like Stevenson. Science Fiction book, “Skylark”, By Smith. Series of 4 that went down hill after the first one. Now this will be giant surprise for Ian. A book I keep in my den and read parts of often. Modern English Prose, a compilation printed in 1922 by Macmillan Company in London.

Like most children I am sure Ian sees things about his parents in one dimension. I know I did. So my writing here should be a learning experience for him. Guess I should say Duck. Until he has more time I will bore you with my thoughts on books I read. If he lets me.

If any of you get a chance, look at the books I mentioned and let me know what you think.

Ian here. I think I’ll be borrowing Skylark from my dad. If I haven’t stolen it from him already. Thanks, dad.

This weekend I designed and developed a mini-site for my Church. It was kind of fun and it was the first collaboration between my wife and I where we weren’t at each other’s throats (designing our wedding invitations together almost ruined our marriage) but it sort of ruined my weekend. I’ll update this post when it’s live. Thanks, Will Wilkins, and John Boardley for the feedback on the test site.

Update: The site is up. It’s a mini-site for The St. Margaret’s Consultation on Doctrine, Liturgy, and Preaching advertising their upcoming conference on Human Sexuality and the Nuptial Mystery.

Of course, I’m following that up with more work: tweaking the already awesome modifications Jason Simon has made to my Essay theme over at Open To Difference. Jason’s a great guy and his blog’s great too. Check it out.

And then—yes, more—I plan on launching ThemeShaper.com. Subscribe! Link! Tell your mom! All that other good stuff.

All this is fun but—there’s something wrong with me, isn’t there? Anyway, if you were wondering, I’m not dead, just fighting for my life.

Rather nice site design, isn’t it? Not surprising, considering who Evan’s dad is.

Much better of course, is a comprehensive overview. Any comprehensive, or exhaustive, overview is going to to introduce the subject anyway and in as few words as possible. That gets the introduction out of the way as soon as possible so the good stuff can be gotten to. Even better, you’ll be reading an introduction from an expert.

Avoid the advice of people who want you to read “An Introduction To…”. They think you’re dumb.

That said, an introduction written by a phenomenally knowledgeable expert doesn’t count. A perfect example: Tokens of Trust: An Introduction To Christian Belief by Rowan Williams. You know the Archbishop of Canterbury is going to have something interesting to say in the matter of an introduction. I’d read “An Introduction To…” written by his eyebrows.

Anyway, I’m sure you all will be able to guess what the book is. The author’s old. He likes cowboys. And violence. Critically acclaimed this year. See? Easy. But wow. What a read.

I’ve wanted to read this mystery author’s work for a while now. Specifically the older book of his that shares the same initials as, um, Bowel Movement. I understand that this current book of his is sort of out of line with the rest of his work, in style alone, not thematically. I think I’d like to read everything he’s written.

This book: Buy it. Read it. I know I’m going to.

• We now have over 675 public domain and creative commons books available for free.We have started to release bestselling and award-winning titles (for a small fee) including the #1 New York Times bestselling title, SKINNY B**CH (for $4.95); a Berlitz Spanish course created exclusively for DailyLit (for $6.95); science fiction and thrillers such as IN FURY BORN (for $4.95) and BLOOD DIAMONDS (for $4.95); and even an exclusive Kaplan SAT course (for $4.95). Harlequin titles are also in the works, available in just a few short weeks.
• We have added many new features, including reading via RSS, advanced customization of installment delivery times and installment length, and forums for discussing books with other DailyLit subscribers.
• To celebrate the holiday season, we have just added the ability to give a DailyLit book as a gift and add a personalized message to be included in each installment. You can send a classic book as a gift, including such holiday favorites as LITTLE WOMEN, with a personalized message — all for free (our gift to you). DailyLit gifts can be sent at the last minute and received seconds later.

I’ve tried DailyLit before and ultimately gave up on it. RSS sounds interesting but do I really need more noise in my feed reader? Anyway, I’ve decided I want books to read in my email as much as I want poetry read to me by phone. That is, not at all.

Man, that makes me sound old and grumpy. Maybe I should sign up again.

When I’m actually reading the book it’s great. The pages turn and the plot surprises. But when I stop reading it I ask myself, “Why am I reading a book about rich hippies that talk to fairies?” It’s a good question.

It’s a good book though—when I’m reading it and not reflecting on it. And, I mean, to be fair, I’m not even halfway done. I won’t be surprised if it turns out to be a favorite of the year. Plus, any book that throws out a sentence like, “And twenty-five years passed” and still survives, is special.

But really, rich hippies talking to fairies, it’s tough to get over.

Launching two new blogs in January

Yep, that’s right two. But I’m only writing one, a WordPress theme/blog design/graphic design blog/God help me they’ll find out I don’t know what I’m doing blog. I’ve written about twenty-five posts, brainstormed ideas for seventy-five more and developed three themes, with at least two more on the way, not counting the theme I’ve developed for the main blog itself which will be released once I eventually get tired of it and develop a new one, which, if history repeats, should be about three hours after I launch. Needless to say, that’s been a lot of work.

I’ll probably explain more about this blog’s genesis once I launch it but it should be fairly obvious that it’s related to my goal of building web-design skills.

The other blog I’m launching has been developed for one of the toughest clients in the world, my wife. She’s caught the blogging bug and is currently writing up on a storm on branding and graphic design—that being what she does for a living. All I’ve done is develop the theme, once so far, and probably twice when I go through her revisions. Plus, I did all the WordPress setup, which, frankly, is a heck of a lot of work.

I like to think of her as the Seth Godin of graphic design. She has a unique way of looking at the subject and communicating her ideas in simple, but unexpected and ultimately profound ways. Really. You’ll want to read her stuff.

Actually, you’ll want to read both of these blogs. But not yet. They’re not ready and it’s not January you see. Hold your horses already.

Secret Kid’s Book Web Project

I’m not actually sure how much I want to say about this project. I’ve been thinking about it and working on it for three months now at least. It’s not a blog, I can say that much. It’s sort of a portfolio piece crossed with an idea that’s dear to my heart (corny—but true) and a service that could actually be of some value. It involves very little programming (PHP) on my part, thanks largely to the effort of thousands of other people. In other words, hooray for open source.

I think that’s all I want to say about that.

The Minstrel

As previously mentioned I’ve managed to hack up a WordPress theme that will deliver content like a quarterly magazine and will be using it to bring our local theology journal, The Minstrel, to the web. If you’re interested you can go visit it’s vast nothingness at TheMinstrel.com. Ultra-minimalism in the extreme.

Once the theme blog is launched I’ll be sharing exactly how to code a quarterly-magazine WordPress theme yourself. And I’ll probably release a stripped down version of The Minstrel theme.

But what about Upper Fort Stewart?

Well, I haven’t given up on it. Just hold tight. And I haven’t lost any of my ridiculousness. I do feel bad that having met my goal of 100 daily unique visitors and 100 RSS subscribers—thanks for that by the way—I sort of dropped off the face of the web. That’s kind of embarrassing, isn’t it? I’ll probably have to start lifestreaming or something. Yechh.

Anyway, what I’m reading now: The Great Ideas Today and Little, Big by John Crowley.

I bought three of the things on the weekend, at the library “Giant Used Book Sale.” The sale wasn’t exactly giant. Sure, 5 dollars for as many books as can be carried in a stretched out grocery-store bag was kind of cool—although some of the bags were slimy-dirty—but the selection wasn’t really there. For instance, my son and I were excited to find an animated Rikki-Tikki-Tavvi film in the A/V section, until we realized it was Beta. Beta! Anyway, The Great Ideas Today.

I’m sort of a Mortimer Adler nut. His How to Read a Book was kind of influential on me—I’m sure you noticed. He’s even had me reading Aristotle. Consequently, I almost fell over when I saw The Great Ideas Today. I mean, look, here’s the volume I’m reading now: 1963, Does The Conquest of Space Increase Man’s Stature? Not, is it good to spend money on space exploration? Not, what will we find out there? But, what will the conquest of space do to the noble animal? And what does this mean in terms of the book? Well you get Aldous Huxley and Paul Tillich, amongst others, essaying on it. You get the classical-minded editors writing an essay on The Tempo of History, the speeding up of the world. Plus, an essay on Saul Bellow and an unabridged Death of Venice by Thomas Mann. Aldous Huxley and Paul Tillich on the Space Race? Yes! And it annoys them in interesting ways I can’t immediately argue with? Yes!

The other two volumes discuss Heroism and Tradition. I’m in heaven. If you ever see these volumes lying around at a used book sale, put them in a slimy grocery bag and take them home. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Bonus link: In looking for information that would help me pretend I know what I’m talking about I found Mortimer Adler’s Favorite Books. Cool.

But first travel back in time with me to the day I bought it and the events leading up to it, mainly who I was hanging out with. A friend of mine was working out, building up muscle mass, particularly on his biceps in preparation for receiving a tattoo. Of course, the bizarre swirl of events whirling around me that I call life being what it is, his tattoo was going to be a stack of his favorite books down his arm. I’m not a fan of tattoos generally, but it’s kind of a neat concept. Permanently scarring my flesh in the name of books that changed my life might not be for me—I’m somewhat embarrassed now of my over-enthusiasm for Generation X—but the idea is good.

Anyway, Four Loves, I’m sure you’ve guessed, was one of the books. How am I not supposed to buy a book that makes the tattoo list? So buy it I did. That was about four years ago. I don’t think my friend ever did get that tattoo. And me, obviously, I never read the book. Until now. Sort of.

I have the flu and I’m overworked (secret projects!)—but Lewis, you cost me a reader! And in my usual embarrassing manner I’m probably going to lose more. That is to say, I’m not liking it. More accurately, I don’t like the first chapter. It’s all I’ve managed to read. Like I said, embarrassing. There’s more to come I think, and I’m sure I’ll warm up to it, but if you like Lewis you might want to look away.

I’ll leave you with this telling quote from the always interesting Elliot in the comments on Lewis vs. Chesterton:

…the formal apologetics of both sometimes bring out the agnostic/atheist in me because they can be so… I dunno what the right word is. Bombastic? Over-reaching? Like, they seem to imply that if you want to think correctly you’ve got to take their particular extensive systematic theology on board, and it includes a dislike for tinned meats, pacifism, vegetarians, feminism and modernist poetry, which are all signs of creeping heresy.

Hey, I like over-reaching! But I think Elliot is getting close to what it is that bothers me, essentially, with Lewis. Time will tell.