I had a conversation with a friend yesterday about books you come back to, books you re-read, books that become as familiar as old jeans. For him it was Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. You could hear the joy…
Tag archives for Montaigne
How to avoid ineffectual prayers
James, the brother of Jesus, was serious about his prayer. He used to go to the temple and kneel in prayer so often and for so long that his knees were reputed to be as calloused and tough as a…
What goes into a man
It’s no small mercy that one of the most elevated human undertakings can occur during one of the most humbling. Yes, I’m talking about reading on the john. Stop blushing. You know you do it. Everyone does. I only wonder…
Don’t write edifying fiction
Here’s a fact: The way to write edifying fiction is to write what is. Here’s another: The way to write bad fiction is to write what is edifying. I just read a line by Flannery O’Connor in Mystery and Manners…
