Monday Whatnot

Cookiesday on the years ahead.

***

At Books & Culture, a review of Gordon Wood's Jefferson's America. That looks right up my alley, but I'd have to read Wood's previous two books in the series first! A reading goal for 2010?

***

The wealth of Jesus: there's this, and then there's this.

***

I just purchased an old book by pastor/author/blogger Ray Ortlund. The book, A Passion for God: Prayers and Meditations on the Book of Romans, seems to be out of print, but it's just what I'm looking for. I'm planning a long stay in Paul's letter to the Romans in 2010.

***

One of my enduring interests is in classic movies, especially "screwball comedies" of the '30s a and '40s. This week I watched, for the first time, Miracle at Morgan's Creek, which features a great comic performance by Betty Hutton. Directed by Preston Sturges, this 1944 feature was a revelation to me. Everyone chews the scenery with reckless abandon, the fast-paced and very smart dialog is amazing, and some visual humor abounds as well. Intimations of social realities, which needed to be dealt with obliquely in the Hollywood of that era, make this a fascinating piece of entertainment history. Here's critic A. O. Scott's take:



***

Finally, a powerful poem by Alan Shapiro.