Reading By the Glow of the Computer

Stuff I've read recently (thanks to a pile of books I received for Christmas!)...

• "My Ox Is Broken!": Detours, Roadblocks, Fast Forwards and Other Great Moments from TV's The Amazing Race - An enjoyable recap of the first nine seasons of The Amazing Race, with extra stories, interviews & commentary. It was fun to catch up on the races I'd missed... and to be reminded of the races I'd enjoyed. Here's hoping Drew & Kevin are part of the Amazing Race All-Stars!
• Television Without Pity: 752 Things We Love to Hate (and Hate to Love) About TV - It's an encyclopedia of snarky commentary on television... it's sometimes rude, sometimes odd, and almost always funny. The authors are the main folks behind the Television Without Pity website, which recaps TV shows each week with varying amounts of sass, in-jokes & just plain attitude. And, well, it's the first book I devoured post-Christmas.

Just in case you think I've sold my soul to the television set, I need to also mention:

• The Gospel According to Disney: Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust - an interesting if occasionally dry analysis of the theology & morality in the classic Disney films. To Mark Pinsky's credit, he gives both critics & defenders a fair hearing... and there's an entire chapter on the SBC boycott. (To no one's surprise, esp. mine, the Southern Baptist Convention does not come off looking good here. Remind me to post sometime about my personal feelings about the boycott and the "joys" of starting a SBC church plant when the Convention was spending their time sparring with Mickey & friends.)

And I'm currently about 1/2 way through Confessions of a Pastor: Adventures in Dropping the Pose & Getting Real with God (by Craig Groeschel), which I'm really enjoying. Of course, any book about being a pastor with chapter titles like "I can't stand a lot of Christians" and "I hate prayer meetings" has instantly got my attention.

Coming soon, I'll let you know how I feel about the treasure trove of novels I received: Showdown and Saint (by Ted Dekker), 24 Declassified: Trojan Horse (yes, from the TV series - the new season starts Sunday night!), and Hood: King Raven Trilogy Book 1 (by Stephen Lawhead).