Mar 29 2008
Saint Francis of Assisi by G.K. ChestertonI didn’t simply decide on day to big up G.K. Chesterton’s paean to St. Francis of Assisi. Actually, the slim tome was given…
Mar 20 2008
God Is Not Great by Christopher HitchensContinuing a long and somewhat tawdry literary affair with the much-loved and oft-maligned Christopher Hitchens, I am reading his…
Mar 05 2008
Apocryphal the adjective is derived from the word Greek apokrypha (ἀπόκρυφα), meaning “that which is hidden”—or, alternatively, through Latin apocryphus. It originally simply indicated writings (usually of a religious or religio-historical nature) which were not part of a canon.…
Mar 01 2008
The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot by Bart D. EhrmanWhen I was young, and first beginning to understand the story of the passion of Jesus, and the…
Feb 16 2008
The Da Vinci Code by Dan BrownThe Da Vinci Code has been making headlines ever since it inexplicably crept up the best-seller list. It’s a controversial book, which does nothing…
Feb 14 2008
Jesus Freaks: A True Story of Murder and Madness on the Evangelical Edge by Don LattinI distinctly recall reading about the murder/suicide of Ricky Rodriguez in 2005 and thinking “Man,…
Feb 11 2008
Monkey Girl: Evolution, Education, Religion, and the Battle for America’s Soul by Edward HumesI was a little hesitant to read Edward Humes’ Monkey Girl, not because I believed it…
Feb 08 2008
Condensed Knowledge ed. Will Pearson & al.My brother’s been reading mental_floss and its associated books for several years. Condensed Knowledge is, to the extent of my knowledge, the first of their…
Feb 04 2008
The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. JacobsMy brother introduced me to A.J. Jacob’s first book, The Know-It-All (he, I assume, learned about him from Mental Floss), and…