All Good Books and Music
** I started this post about three months ago, but finished it just the other day. Read accordingly. **
In preparation for this weekend’s garage sale, I’ve been spending a lot of time rummaging through stuff in my room – old books, journals, pictures, etc. One of the things I found was a page and a half of typed thoughts from my eighth grade year of school.
Here is one of my favorite lines from those thoughts:
“I wish that this world could be all good music, good books, and not having to worry about who is cool or fits in.”
Pretty profound for a 13-year-old, huh? Now, nearly 10 years later, I still feel that way some times. I wish we would all just stop trying to be impress each other all the time by looking cool, or saying something deep, or making fun of someone else, or knowing more about wine than someone else, or whatever it is.
Some times I wish there was no Stephanie Meyer, and no Miley Cyrus, and that girls listened to Joni Mitchell and read Anne Lamott instead.
Some times I wish there was no Tom Clancy, and no Nickelback, and that dudes listened to Bob Dylan and read Donald Miller instead.
I wish these things, not because I want to sound smart or awesome, but because I think Don and Ann, and Bob and Joni, are going to be better for them in the long run. It might take them longer to get used to, or it might not be as instantly appealing, or as easy or whatever, but it’s true. It’s art, it’s beauty, it’s justice, it’s love.
It doesn’t have to be those examples, mind you. It could be The National or Sufjan Stevens or Mumford & Sons, or R.C. Sproul, or Francis Chan, or J.D. Salinger, or Shakespeare, or Vonnegut. Something that teaches you, and changes you, and tells you of both Ruin and Redemption. Not something that toys with your emotions, or makes you want something stupid or unattainable like a vampire boyfriend, or a job with the Disney Channel.
I want us to spend our time reading and listening to things that make us long for the things that last, not the things that come and go.
Which is why I still find myself agreeing with the 8th grade version of me, from time to time.
So Many Books, So Much Unemployed Time (in two weeks. probably.)
My internship with Family Life is over about two weeks from today. I don’t yet have plans about what I’m doing next. Other than finishing the 6th season of LOST (if I haven’t already), and reading a lot of books.
I have a list of just over 15 books that I want to read. I’m gonna post them here, and if you’ve heard of/read/want to recommend any of them to me, please do!
- Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life - Anne Lamott
- Culture Making – Andy Crouch
- Hear No Evil: My Story of Innocence, Music and the Holy Ghost – Matthew Paul Turner
- Imaginary Jesus - Matt Mikalatos
- The Things They Carried – Tim O’Brien
- The Unlikely Disciple – Kevin Roose
- Rediscovering Values – Jim Wallis
- The Value of Nothing – Raj Patel
- Three Cups of Tea – Greg Mortenson
- A People’s History of the United States – Howard Zinn
- Oh The Glory of it All – Sean Wilsey
- Eating Animals – Jonathan Saffron Foer
- Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace
- The Good Man Jesus and The Scoundrel Christ - Phillip Pullman
- How We Decide - Jonah Lehrer
- Can We Be Good Without God? A Conversation About Truth, Morality, Culture, & a Few Other Things That Matter - Paul Chamberlain
I’m sort of resolving to only read books that I can’t put down – compelling stories – so keep that in mind if/when you chime in. I’ll post here when I start reading some of these and letcha know what I think!