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Reading Journal 2024: Goodbye Eastern Europe: An Intimate History of a Divided LandAuthor: Jacob Mikanowski “This is a history of a place that doesn’t exist.”So begins the prologue of this much anticipated boook. Took me a while to get around to it, mostly due to the lengthy wait period at the library. Now that I’veContinue reading “Reading Journal 2024: Goodbye Eastern Europe: An Intimate History of a Divided Land”

Film Journal 2024: Immaculate Directed by Michael Mohan That final 5 minutes though. This is next level stuff from Sydney Sweeney. For all the ways this checks conventional boxes, how it tells its story and some of the turns it takes makes this one a bit unconventional in its approach. Some of it works betterContinue reading “Film Journal 2024: Immaculate”

Reading Journal 2024: Field Notes For the Wilderness: Practices For An Evolving FaithAuthor: Sarah Bessey We all bring ourselves to the things we read and watch. To try or want to remove ourselves from the equation so that we can speak to something truly objectively would be to miss the point of why we readContinue reading “Reading Journal 2024: Field Notes For the Wilderness: Practices For An Evolving Faith”

Film Journal 2024: The Promised LandDirected by Nikolaj Arcel If nothing else, I would hope this period western helps bolster a case for The Datk Tower adaptation being desperately underrated. As it’s own accomplishment however, The Promised Land is an exceptional film, operating on a whole other level. If it is possible for Mad MikkelsenContinue reading “Film Journal 2024: The Promised Land”

Reading Journal 2024: Ireland: A Novel Author: Frank Delaney Delaney’s imaginative exploration of the identity and history of Ireland hinges on this one, single conviction- you cannot come to know Ireland simply through a distant and cold articulation of historical facts, you can only truly know Ireland by hearing and experiencing its stories. The storiesContinue reading “To be Irish in a Foreign Land: Thoughts on the Power of Story in Frank Delaneys Ireland: A Novel”

Reading Journal 2024: Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood Author: Gary Paulsen There are a handful of books that I would call formative when it comes to my love of reading as a young child. Hatchet was one of those books. What was it about Hatchet that captured my imagination? The adventure? TheContinue reading “Reading Journal 2024: Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood”

Film Journal 2024: Bob Marley: One LoveDirected by Reinaldo Marcus Green A rough and uneven first half finds its footing in the final 40 minutes. I think part of the issue is that it struggles early on to figure out what kind of film it wants to be and how to tell what is aContinue reading “Film Journal 2024: Bob Marley: One Love”

Film Journal 2024: Madame Web Directed by S.J. Clarkson I keep waiting for the cynicism to die, but alas, here we are. Another fringe Marvel film left having to dig itself out of a pre-dug hole before it even releases. Sunk before it even had a chance to swim, and not likely to find itsContinue reading “Film Journal 2024: Madame Web”

Reading Journal 2024: The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels Author: Beth Lincoln It’s definitely fun, quirky, even cheeky when it comes to its use of the dictionary and word play. And for all the ways it caters to its upbeat and carefree nature, it also takes on some big ideas. It explores that intersection betweenContinue reading “Reading Journal 2024: The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels”

Reading Journal 2024: Stride Towards Freedom: The Montgomery StoryAuthor: Martin Luther King, Jr. “One of the sure signs of maturity is the ability to rise to the point of self-criticism.” For as prominant a figure as Martin Luther King, Jr. was (and is), he writes with the sure handed and grounded nature of someone whoContinue reading “Reading Journal 2024: Stride Towards Freedom: The Montgomery Story”