Threats

My son, Harrison, is 7 years old and, for the past 2 or 3 of those years, has been not just someone I loved because he's my son, but someone I loved being around, simply because he's a joy to be around. He's an introvert, like his dad, and he spends a lot of time (too much time?) in his own head. As a result, the stuff that spills out into drawings and songs and stories and general observations is often strange and wonderful and hilarious. It's magic. My response to this spillover is often, "you're a weird little dude, y'know that?" My wife, Rachel, mentioned to me, awhile back, that Harrison might be taking this the wrong way and that I might want to be more clear. So, I sat down with him and said to him, "you know when I say you're weird, I mean it in a good way, right? I'm weird and your mom's weird and most of the most interesting people I know are weird. Weird is good." There was a pause in which I began to panic, worried that I had been damaging my son. Then he looked at me with his weird little half grin and said, "I know, dad, it's one of the things you love about me." I say all that to say, Threats by Amelia Gray is a weird little book.


David knows something has happened to his wife. He's pretty sure she's dead. Detective Chico believes she is dead. David is pretty sure he can trust Detective Chico. He's not sure that he can trust anyone else.


Most fiction that deals with loss, deals with it in a linear way, a way that tugs at heartstrings as we cue music. Threats deals with loss in a broken, confused, and disjointed way. An "I think I might be losing it" way. It doesn't try to make you sympathize with its main character, it tries to put you in his head. People who lose spouses don't cry in a poignant way that exudes quiet strength. They don't speak in insightful proverbs. They feel crazy and sweaty and angry and broken. Threats feels that way too. Which makes Threats far more than just a weird little book.

9-27-11

Fiction and Essay

• The Ceremonies by T.E.D. Klein
• Reamde by Neal Stephenson
• Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson

Theology

• Into The Silent Land by Martin Laird
• Karl Barth: Theologian of Freedom by Karl Barth (edited by Clifford Green)
• A Life-Giving Way by Esther de Waal
• The Presence of The Kingdom by Jacques Ellul
• Still by Lauren Winner

Re-Reading

• The Unvarnished New Testament translated by Andy Gaus

What Should Kester Be Reading?

    Do you know Cole? If you don't, you should, he's great. If that isn't feasible, you should read his blog, Vitagraph American. Full of engrossing reviews and insightful commentary on the world of film, I find myself often wishing that I had a year to play catch up to Cole by viewing one-tenth the films he has.

    But, the truth is, I'd probably spend that time reading. Not because I don't enjoy films, but because I will always enjoy books a little more.

    Which got me thinking; Cole recently had the idea to have friends choose his queue; what he would watch in a given week, for one week, every month. I liked the idea so much that I swiped it and tweaked it to fit my purposes.

    Once a month, on the first of the month, one of you will choose 5 books for me to be reading that month. I will not be able to read a book of my choosing until I have completed a book of your choosing*. I must finish all five books before month's end. I will then write up reviews as I complete each book.

    Where this gets tricky is in terms of cost. My buddy, Cole, knows the chosen films are available by limiting his queue choosers to what is streaming on Netflix. My options work, as follows:

·      You choose a book that I already own and either haven't read or will re-read. Problem solved.

·      I don't own the book, but would like to and will treat this as an opportunity to purchase it.

·      I'll finally get a fricking library card

·      In rare cases when the book is harder to find**, you will lend me said book. I'm careful.

    Let me know if you want to pick 5 for October. I will begin reading soon. Here we go.

*exceptions to this rule will be the two books required for the book clubs that I host and the Bible, which I am committed to reading every day
**I will assume that this won't attract pranksters that assign me textbooks or untranslated works. I reserve the right to ignore said prankster requests. I doubt it's going to be an issue.

9-24-11

Fiction and Essay

• The Ceremonies by T.E.D. Klein
• Reamde by Neal Stephenson
• Threats by Amelia Gray
• Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson

Theology

• Into The Silent Land by Martin Laird
• Karl Barth: Theologian of Freedom by Karl Barth (edited by Clifford Green)
• A Life-Giving Way by Esther de Waal
• The Presence of The Kingdom by Jacques Ellul
• Still by Lauren Winner

Re-Reading

• Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
• The Unvarnished New Testament translated by Andy Gaus

9-17-11

Fiction and Essay

• The Ceremonies by T.E.D. Klein
• Reamde by Neal Stephenson
• Threats by Amelia Gray
• Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson
• Zone One by Colson Whitehead

Theology

• Into The Silent Land by Martin Laird
• Karl Barth: Theologian of Freedom by Karl Barth (edited by Clifford Green)
• A Life-Giving Way by Esther de Waal
• The Presence of The Kingdom by Jacques Ellul
• Still by Lauren Winner

Re-Reading

• Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
• The Unvarnished New Testament translated by Andy Gaus

9-11-11

Fiction and Essay

• All-Star Superman (Volume 2) by Grant Morrison
• The Ceremonies by T.E.D. Klein
• Reamde by Neal Stephenson
• Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson
• Zone One by Colson Whitehead

Theology

• Into The Silent Land by Martin Laird
• Karl Barth: Theologian of Freedom by Karl Barth (edited by Clifford Green)
• A Life-Giving Way by Esther de Waal
• The Presence of The Kingdom by Jacques Ellul
• Still by Lauren Winner

Re-Reading

• The Unvarnished New Testament translated by Andy Gaus

9-7-11

Fiction and Essay

• All-Star Superman (Volume 2) by Grant Morrison
• Anno Dracula by Kim Newman
• The Ceremonies by T.E.D. Klein
• The Pearl by John Steinbeck
• Reamde by Neal Stephenson
• Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson
• Zone One by Colson Whitehead

Theology

• Into The Silent Land by Martin Laird
• Karl Barth: Theologian of Freedom by Karl Barth (edited by Clifford Green)
• A Life-Giving Way by Esther de Waal
• The Presence of The Kingdom by Jacques Ellul
• Still by Lauren Winner

Re-Reading

• The Unvarnished New Testament translated by Andy Gaus

9-5-11

Fiction and Essay

• All-Star Superman (Volume 2) by Grant Morrison
• Anno Dracula by Kim Newman
• The Ceremonies by T.E.D. Klein
• A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin
• The Pearl by John Steinbeck
• Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson
• Zone One by Colson Whitehead

Theology

• Into The Silent Land by Martin Laird
• Karl Barth: Theologian of Freedom by Karl Barth (edited by Clifford Green)
• A Life-Giving Way by Esther de Waal
• The Presence of The Kingdom by Jacques Ellul
• Still by Lauren Winner

Re-Reading

• The Unvarnished New Testament translated by Andy Gaus
• The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle