You go into a bookstore and you see that Stieg Larsson’s latest book has just hit the shelves.  This excites you, except that you haven’t read the other two books about The Girl Who Did Other Fascinating Things, and this latest work is part of a trilogy.

This girl who may or may not kick a literal hornet’s nest will have to wait for very practical reasons.  First of all you haven’t read about the girl who happens to be inked with a dragon or the girl with pyromania.  More importantly, you’re broke or at least cheap, and Hornet Kicker is still full price.  Normal suspense authors might chide you to buy their book even if you are broke.  I doubt Larsson would; he’s a Swede, and above all else, Swedes are practical (and frugal, and speaking for myself here – handsome).

My personal library has reaped the benefits of a summer phenomenon known as the Garage Sale.  Where else can you pick up 10-15 hours of fictional delight for a quarter?  There is a trick to garage-saling for books.  You look for specifics.  Both of Larsson’s previous books are on my shopping list this summer.  It is a kind of mini-adventure.  The trick is a simple; best-sellers hit yard sale tables 2-3 years after publication.  Whatever shining, hard-bound story you ogled at Borders two years ago, now becomes the prize.

While I cannot tell you if any of the books by Stieg Larsson are worth the read, this summer I have read Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen using my stingy garage sale technique.  This is a great summer read, which needs no review.  It cost me one dime and one nickel – cheap even by garage sale standards.  Feeding the addiction to great stories has never been so enjoyable.  By the end of this weekend you could even turn off your cable TV service – for the summer, not forever; because Parenthood has restored your faith in TV as a medium of good storytelling.

Now get out there and buy cheap books.

Donald Miller has written a book about writing a movie about a book he wrote.  And it is great.  A Million Miles in a Thousand Years takes on the meaninglessness of life.  I’m not sure the book triumphs over life, but it will inspire you to give living a shot.  Miller is honest as usual:

“I wrote a memoir a several years ago that sold a lot of copies.  I got a big head about it for a while and thought I was an amazing writer or something, but I’ve written books since that haven’t sold, so I am increasingly insecure again and things are back to normal.”

Even if you aren’t a reader, order one to display in your library; it has a very sexy dust jacket.  If you choose to read it, you might find yourself challenged to take risks and to live a more worthwhile story.

Music Review – Dave Matthews Band – Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King

The first track, a haunting saxophone, notifies listeners that what follows will be a tribute to the late LeRoi Moore.  The twelve remaining tracks leave you feeling as if you’ve just attended a wake in New Orleans on Mardi Gras.  How does that feel?  Well, happy, reflective, sad and weird; throw in some disappointment and some raucous dancing and you have Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King.

The opinions of early reviewers have been scattered.  Some have mandated this album be added to the “Big 3.”  Others have thought it a continuation of DMB’s recording mediocrity since 1998′s Before These Crowded Streets. Big Whiskey will not have fans razor-blading the Fire Dancer stickers off the back of their Subarus.  But it probably won’t draw a huge new audience from those living outside of the Warehouse either.

Lyrically listeners get what they’ve come to expect: love and sex, a tall drink, a review of social ills and a search for God and/or meaning.  Musically, many of the tracks are a hard-driving detour from the standard Dave fare.  The album’s second cut, Shake Me Like a Monkey is a sonic party filled with horns.

Funny the Way it is, the first and probably only single on Big Whiskey, will no doubt make it into many future set lists with it’s overly simple juxtapositions.  The bridge on Funny makes the album worth the purchase.  The syncopated telling of “now the world is small,” is, perhaps a perfect microcosm of the whole album in a few measures.

Tim Reynolds adds some driving electric guitars on Why I Am (an unashamed song about LeRoi) and offers some sitar on Lying in the Hands of God.  The departure from Dave’s lonely acoustic offerings is sometimes distracting or at least different.

While the last few DMB albums have been critically panned and dismissed by fans, Carter Beauford’s percussion has been a consistent highlight.  No exception here.  Throughout the record, faithful listeners will remain grounded by Beauford’s work.

Squirm makes you feel uneasy, so it is followed by the nonsensical Alligator Pie, a song you can imagine turning into an eighteen minute jam on stage.  This will be the point in the summer tour where my wife says, “Sometimes I hate Dave Matthews.”  Don’t worry, she’ll snap out of it before the encore.

For fans waiting for the next Ants Marching; sorry, it’s not on this album.  For non-fans hoping to figure out why their DMB-fan friends take their summer vacations traveling around American in earth-conscious vehicles, shelling out a fortune on tickets and merch, you’ll still be wondering at the conclusion of Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King.

Should I buy it?  If you’re a fan, you already have.  If you’re not already a DMB fan, it is unlikely that this album will win you over.  Non-fans should save their money and go see the band at a tour stop this summer.  Then you can buy all of their albums, a Subaru and a bumper sticker that will properly identify your newfound fandom.  Many tour stops, including the Cleveland show, are slated to be opened by Old Crow Medicine Show, a super cool bluegrass/Americana band.

order surprised by hope here

Surprised by Hope – Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection and the Mission of the Church – N.T. Wright

What we believe about life after death shapes what we do with the life we’re allotted before death.  N.T. Wright, one of the world’s most recognized biblical scholars, takes his readers on a journey of hope.  Not only does Wright deftly contend for the historical resurrection of Jesus, but he demonstrates that Jesus’ message and the hope of the early church was also resurrection.

Bishop Wright asserts that it is God’s intention to restore his good creation, under Christ, in the fullness of time.  While much of modern Christianity teaches a rescuing from a fallen creation, this belief undermines the biblical narrative of God’s revelation of himself through Israel and redemption of humanity through Jesus.

As for judgment: Wright says it is good news indeed; an end to tyranny, oppression and violence.  The day of the Lord will bring to light what each person has built from their lives.  (I Cor. 3:10-17) In his writing about judgment, he poses a necessary question: “What would happen if we were to take seriously our stated belief that Jesus Christ is already the Lord of the world and that, at his name, one day every knee would bow?”

For most of us we’re simply concerned with life after death.  This book forces one to consider “life after life after death.”  Using 2 Corinthians and C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce, as templates, Wright suggests that believers should expect a more solid, more real life after life.  This hope is meant to infect our present state, the practical conclusion of Surprised By Hope.  The mission of the church is then summed up: “Precisely because the resurrection has happened as an event within our own world, its implications and effects are to be felt within our own world, here and now.

If you make space for one book of theology this year, make it Surprised By Hope.  You’ll be grateful and hopeful!

order "no line" from Amazon by clicking here

I must admit, I am a U2 junkie.  Joshua Tree was the first rock-n-roll album I owned, and to this day it continues to be the best album I own.  Having been hooked on U2 since childhood, I anticipate each new album as if I am getting a new puppy.

No Line on the Horizon has everything you’ve come to expect from U2.  Every track has enough signature U2 sound and feel to ground long-time fans, but the album as a whole is a sonic tapestry.

Fans have come to expect poignant lyrics from Bono, the part time activist for grace and peace and debt forgiveness.  Check.  We’ve come to expect Edge’s simple triads that continue to sound new and brilliant.  Check.  As for the rhythm section: we know that Adam Clayton will provide an interesting heartbeat and the steady drums of Larry Mullins Jr. will fade into the background and then WHAM! wake you up as if from a dream about falling off a cliff.  Check and Check.

The wonder of No Line on the Horizon is in the production.  Moving from track to track reminds me of reading a collection of Flannery O’Connor stories in the hands of Brian Eno, Steve Lillywhite, a little help from Will.i.am, but most notably Daniel Lanois.  In addition to production, Lanois collaborated with the band on both lyrics and music.  If you are unfamiliar with the work of Daniel Lanois, let me bring you up to speed.  If the Pope listened to rock-n-roll, he would issue an edict demanding that the world listen to his work before arriving at mass.  He is a deep spiritual fount of music.  Lanois’ fingerprints are all over this record.

As with How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb‘s first single – Vertigo, the most avoidable song on No Line happens to be it’s first single.  Get On Your Boots is, well, a bit awkward, while being radio-friendly.  If you don’t enjoy thinking about lyrics please download that new Brittney Spear’s single, something about seeking Amy.  However if you are a person who depends upon music to bring moments of transcendence, buy this album now.

The refrain in the final track, Cedars of Lebanon, implores, “Return the call from home.”  While I doubt the band’s goal was to stimulate blog responses on the websites of self-indulgent reviewers like myself, please take a second to let me know what you think of the album.  Return the call from ReamofPaper…

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Sea Sew – Review

Lisa Hannigan has been making music with Damien Rice for several years.  Fans of Rice, have been mesmerized by Lisa’s vulnerable and haunting vocals.  The story goes something like this: Damien fired here right before they were to take the stage sometime in 2007.  Rice’s genius is not in question, however in Lisa’s debut, full-length album, she breaks from the Damien Rice lyrical pattern of cheating, leaving, missed opportunities and heartbreak.  It seems she may have given him the pink slip.

Sea Sew is surprisingly happy feeling.  When Lisa reminisces, she seems to recall the happy times in relationships, a lesson she has learned somewhere other than from her former collaborative partner, though there are a few darker vibes, most of them resolve to a sort of calm.

She has toured the late-night talk show circuit playing the inquisitive “I Don’t Know,” which amounts to an endless list of wonderings about someone she’s recently met and apparently hopes to get to know just a little bit better.  Flawless, poetic lyrics are uncovered throughout the recording.

Too fantastic and beautiful to achieve much pop success, a la American Idol, the album is so smooth, it just might work a few knots out of your shoulders after work.