Benediction

Fictional life in Holt Country Colorado has some new characters in the latest book ]Benediction' by Kent Haruf. Therer is 'Dad Lewis', the aging proprietor of the local hardware store. There is also a new preacher in town, the radical Rob Lyle, and their two families make up the backbone of the new novel Benediction.

The novel starts off with a definition of the word 'Benediction'; “the utterance of a blessing, an invocation of blessedness.”  I looked up other definitions of 'Benediction' and confirmed that the 'Benediction' usually comes at the end of a Christian service...but this novel does not feel like an end. There is one major ending in this novel, but most of the plot leaves one hanging, leaving the reader feeling that he only knows a small portion of the story.


The version I read was on 7 cd's as an audio book. The reader, Mark Bramhall is capable and captures the dialect and cadence of rural Colorado well. However, the reader seems to carry a single emotion through the entire reading, one of sadness and loss and of aging. Yes, there are all three of those in the story, but there is more. There is joy in life and place, as evidenced by one remarkable scene where 4 women aged between 8 and 80 decide to skinny dip in a muddy and algae enabled cattle watering hole. There is peace and coming to grips with life aspect to this. The reader could have done a bit more with the joyful aspects of the  book.

The author uses beautiful language and stunning imagery to capture a time and a place and a passing into eternity. I have also ready 'Eventide' and 'Plainsong' (mentioned in a previous post) by the same author and I enjoyed all three. If lovely language and good storytelling are enough for you as reader, then I highly recommend this book, however don't go expecting a book heavy with plot, you won't find that here.

Cheers, NCA

p.s. A recent yahoo post about 10 books for the 21st century every man should read includes mention of three novels by Haruf and two other books I have read. Interestingly, they mention 'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy....one of my favorite authors...but I found 'The Road' less interesting then McCarthy's other novels...primarily 'The Border Trilogy' and 'No Country For Old Men'. to be fair,  only 'No Country' was written in the 21st century. I do appreciate someone out there taking 'men' into consideration when mentioning literature....we do exist too...in a world of 50 Shades of Grey, Twilight, and Nora Roberts.

.COM WIth the Enemy

Between book requests at my local library, I simply browsed through the 'book on tape' racks and picked up something that sounded like it could be in my preferred genre. I don't like to be caught without a book on tape on my daily 45 minute each way commute to work. Whatcaught my eye was "Enemy of God" by Robert Daley. What caught my eye on the back cover was what appeared to be a book about the suspicious death of an activist priest, Frank Redmond. Murder, Catholic Priests, that seemed to work for my eclectic appetite.

A chapter or two in, I realised...I've read this one before some time back. That faint familiar feeling, and the lack of surprise as the virtual pages were read (Pretty effectively By Robert Daley). It is funny how we sometimes find ourselves drawn to the same old books unknowingly.

In this case, the fact that I had read before did not deter me. Though the who-done-it mystery was gone, and the plot twists were not cloaked, the story was indeed engaging.

The story revolves around four high school boys,, members of the swimming team and close friends at a Catholic High School in New York City. The death of a grown up version of one of these boys instigates an investigation. The story shifts often from the distant past and the current investigation, and the author is quite adept and this shifting in time and place.

Enjoyable on many levels, my impression after rereading was that the story was quite engaging and well told, both by the author and the vocal talent. The story too, touches a nerve and memories of my Catholic youth.

Though I never attended a Catholic High School or Jesuit College as did the 4 main characters of this story, many of my friends did. Though the Jesuit brainwashing these boys encountered never took place for me, I am familiar with much of the process. All this helped make the story quite vivid in my mind.

The character Frank Redmond could have been someone I knew in my youth. I remember meeting someone at Phoenix College who applied to seminary to become a priest. I remember how awkward and young he seemed, and his choosing a life of religious dedication and celibacy really bothered me at the time. I remember saying a prayer to my Heavenly Father to protect this vessel that he had set apart. My youthful experience with priests was not evil or suspect, but I never did feel comfortable in that world. Though my brothers were altar boys, and at least one attended Catholic High School, I never felt comfortable in that world and never walked those paths.

Good story. This was not so much a murder mystery, it was more a study of faith and growing up under the influence of Catholicism. It was also a love story, and the effects of the Catholic church on sensitive and susceptible Catholic youths.

Two thumbs up if this type of story interests you.

Cheers...NCA

P.S. On the subject of Confession: I remember my 'First Confession' as a Catholic in Catholic elementary school. It just never took for me. I think at most I may have done the act of Confession two or three times after the initial, and never since I finished elementary school.  My adopted religion has  a policy on something akin to confession too. However, I can not personally adhere to confession to an interceding party in either form. My sins don't tend to be extremely serious in nature. In the world of sins, mine would be mostly of a personal nature, though certainly I am sure I have sinned too against my neighbor. My sins against God himself would be rare. It seems that if I am to sin to harm myself, then I should deal with those on my own. If I should sin against my neighbor, then my confession should be to my neighbor. Those against God, those are the ones that might, in theory, require an intercessor...but I prefer to deal directly with my Heavenly Father on those.

What is your opinion on this subject?

Still The One

My spousal unit had bought me tickets to the Shania Twain concert at Caesars Palace. We stayed at the Palace and enjoyed the show over a weekend.

The show was spectacular. It played off of themes from various of her Music Videos over the years. This included riding on two live horses in separate parts. It also include a grand entrance on a video, then a real motorcycle flying over the stage. The songs chosen were most of her top hits over the years.

In one set of songs, her husband draws fans from the upper tier down to sit around a campfire and sing songs with her. This include even the real scent of campfire. It is a charming set.

During the show there were two journeys into the audience by Shania, she sang as she walked around shaking hands and meeting the audience. I must admit, I was drawn to join in the hand-shakers. I found Shania engaging and beautiful. My wife was laughing at me as she noticed my excitement.

Check out the show if you get the chance. I give it two thumbs up.

March 2013: 19, 20, 23, 24, 26, 27, 29, 30
April 2013: 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10
May 2013: 14, 15, 18, 19, 21, 22, 25, 26, 28, 29, 31
June 2013: 1

Cheers, NCA

Mystery Man On Rooftop Is Bigfoot?

I do not intend to make light of a national tragedy. I saw flags at half-mast at McDonald's today, a sober reminder of the events that occurred at the Boston Marathon yesterday. My heart goes out to the victims and family. But a day later and people are already posting about a Mystery Man on the rooftop during the tragedy.

The Internet age, along with everyone carrying digital camera technology and we now have conspiratory theorists and amateur detectives speculating on the mystery man? Was he one of the terrorists?

Maybe he is bigfoot? Could the terrorists be led by an organization of bigfoot warriers?

Could be.

Or could be maybe we should let the authorities do their jobs.

There was another recent example of this...the infamous victim's eye photograph in the Jodi Arias trial. Speculation is that a study of the victim's eye may reveal truths about his murder.

Or maybe we have all seen just too many episodes of CSI and Bones.

In other stories, I read recently where people are studying google satellite photos and seeing odd shapes. This includes jet planes in parking lots and other oddities.

As we get more and more advanced technologically, are we getting less and less realistic, less grounded with reality? Less street smart?

This reminds me of the Fritz Leiber fantasy story 'Rime Isle', where the two main characters (Fafhrd and The Grey Mouser) are both afflicted by 'gods' with curses. One is cursed with an obsession for the mundane and trivial. The other is cursed with an obsession with the far reaching and obscure. They must battle with their curses before they get their mojo back.

Perhaps, we need to battle these same curses. As technology savvy modern Americans, are we becoming too obsessed with the mundane and trivial, or too hooked on the obscure?

Cheers, nca.

Left Outer Join

Fairly famous golfer Phil Mickelson is my favorite PGA Tour Pro. I know, I know..I am an ASU homer to the core. Unapologetic. But Phil is an exciting player to watch, his tendency to go for it with certain impossible (unadvised) shots makes him somewhat unique in the golfing world.With 40+ wins and 4 'Major' victories he is a worthy opponent at all times.

40+ is a lot of wins. But then, he golfs in the age of Tiger Woods, who is sitting at almost 80 PGA victories, along with 14 'Major' victories. So, as is the norm for me, I am once again rooting for the underdog.

Does this have to be so this time? At about half the total PGA victories, and less then half the 'majors', there is something I wonder. Yes, this is me now...who takes me serious anyway. But, Phil golfs as a lefty, always has. BUT....Phil is naturally...Right-Handed. He learned to golf left handed as he walked through the greens and fairways with his father, taking his lessons from his dad eye-to-eye.

So, hypothetically, what if Phil were to....take a page right out of Princess Bride and switch his 'sword' around to the other side? The dark side. I know, all the lefties in the world are surely offended. Blasphemy! But, Inigo Montoya almost pulled it off...

Tiger: Then Why Are You Smiling

Phil: Because I know something you don't know

Cheers, NCA