January Recommendations

Who doesn’t like recommendations?? Eh? Who? No-one. So, even in the midst of piles and piles of books, here are some for you from me:

Florence & The Machine – Lungs

Review here

Listen here

Soul-tinged, bluesy alt-rock. Lyrically interesting. Highly recommended by U2. Music the wife and I can agree on.

Sufjan Stevens – The BQE

Review here

Listen here

His first classical album. Some excellent tracks. Number three sounds quite like Satie. Being received well in the ‘classical community’ apparently.

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Philip Goodchild – The Exceptional Political Theology of St. Paul – PDF here

Fine article, if a bit rough around the edges, arguing for the exceptionality of Paul’s political theology, in conversation with recent atheist treatment from the likes of Badiou, Žižek and Agamben.

Philip Goodchild – What Is Wrong With The Global Financial System – PDF here

Another good one, Goodchild giving his diagnosis of our ongoing economic troubles, and arguing that a more radical solution than simply “better regulation” is required to fix them. Actually offers quite a bleak outlook.

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The Radical Orthodoxy Reader (Oliver & Milbank)

Details here

Love it or hate it, and people do, this is an absolutely stunning introduction to all things radically orthodox. Articles by Milbank, Pickstock, Ward and Cavanaugh. Lucid introductions to each section by Simon Oliver.

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Democracy & Tradition – Jeffrey Stout

Details here / Preview here

Interesting discussion of the place of traditioned communities in liberal democracies, contra Rawls et al on one side, and Macintyre, Milbank and Hauerwas on the other. Suggests a mode of genuine ‘conversation’ is achievable in political discourse without any notion of ‘public reason’. Not entirely convinced, but an interesting read.

AND FINALLY

Dr. Samuel Johnson’s fabulous Twitter Feed

link here

I’m not a fan of Twitter, but this alone has made me glad it exists. Witty 18th Century commentary on 21st Century news and culture from writer of renowned dictionary. Here are a few gems from the last few days:

“In England, Snowfall & Society do proceed in Lock-Step: one Inch of Snowfall does equate to one Day of SOCIAL COLLAPSE”

“He who wishes to brush the Cloak of Mortality should brake in Herr AUDI’s Prussian Carriage ‘pon an icy Highway”

“Mister JOBS descends from Cupertino brandishing a TABLET unto the same Adulation as MOSES descending from Mt. SINAI”

[Via http://simrav.wordpress.com]