books in may

My Names Is Asher Lev, by Chaim Potok

I loved this.  Although it took me a bit to really get into the story and its characters, it had the same feel to me as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.  The coming-of-age.  The setting, to some degree.  But since I have such a love for Judaism and the Jewish culture (especially in America), and as one who believes in Jesus as Messiah, Asher's story resonated with me on a deeper level.  The fact that his Crucifixion was far more offensive to his family and community than his nude paintings gives great insight into their morality.  It's sad.  And beautiful.  For a thinker, I highly recommend this book.

A Room with a View, by E.M. Forster

Yawn.  I'm so sorry - I wanted to enjoy this book.  I wanted it to be dripping with wit and sarcasm and a more scathing insight into the upper class of England during that time.  I wanted The Importance of Being Earnest.  Alas, what I was given was a bland narrative with sometime engaging and intriguing and real characters, and hints of wittiness.  I didn't finish this one, but knew what was coming.  I suppose the end justifies the boringness of the earlier chapters, but I don't care about Lucy and George in the slightest.

What Does the Bible Really Teach About Homosexuality?, by Kevin DeYoung

Such an informative read.  DeYoung really nails the reader with his knowledge and expansive research.  Do not read if you are looking for something other than simply what the title states -- what the Bible has to say on the topic.  There is less pastoral heart here (except in the later chapters); he rather focuses on the interpretation of controversial passages.  If you want to know biblically what to think about homosexuality, read this.  If you don't hold the Bible to be an authority, or know you will disagree with his conclusions anyway, I probably would not recommend it.  

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, by Laura Hillenbrand

Oh my goodness.  Kevin and I watched this movie the weekend before Memorial Day, and by the end of that following week, I had finished reading the book.  A few that I've talked to about it didn't care for the screen adaptation, but I think it was well done and actually spot on with casting and focus.  Obviously, it's long.  Both the movie and book dwell on Louie's horrific experiences and anguish, rather than on his ultimate redemption and the forgiveness he finds for himself and his captors in Christ.  The book delves far more into this.  Louie Zamperini was an incredible, seemingly indestructible man.  PLEASE READ THIS BOOK.  

An Outline History Of the Wesleyan Church, by Lee M. Haines

Maybe the most boring thing I've read since graduating college (when I was forced to read so many uninteresting books and articles for classes).  However, as my husband is now employed by a Wesleyan church, and I have no experience with the denomination myself, I thought it wise to get to know our new roots a bit more.  So, in that regard, I definitely feel I have a grasp on where the denomination came from, what Wesley himself actually believed and taught, and how the denomination morphed and grew and changed throughout its some odd 200 years of existence.  I just could've done without the record of presidents and leaders and Sunday School initiatives and periodicals.  

Shakespeare: The World as Stage

Shakespeare: The World as Stage, by Bill Bryson

Such a satisfying read.  Finally.  Of course, considering the content, this one's pretty par for the course: it's hard to mess up Shakespeare for me.  (The only one who's ever done that is a certain undergrad professor of mine - who will remain unnamed, although that's probably an unnecessary courtesy.  She said once, literally, "Shakespeare was a pretty good writer for his time," as we read through his masterpiece Hamlet.)  This book is comparatively well-informed and -researched, with a substantial bibliography (many works of which I already own.  Yes!)

Shakespeare is a delightful, engaging, and succinct overview of the main points of one William Shakespeare's life.  Bryson discusses and probes various theories to the overwhelming silence of Shakespeare's life outside his plays and poetry, and gives the reader clear understanding of what we may believe to be true, without tremendous assumption (which, unfortunately, Shakespeare scholars and aficionados are wont to do.) 

In regards to his schooling, for instance, Bryson puts it this way:

Shakespeare's genius had to do not really with facts, but with ambition, intrigue, love, suffering -- things that aren't taught in school.  He had a kind of assimilative intelligence, which allowed him to pull together lots of disparate fragments of knowledge, but there is almost nothing that speaks of hard intellectual application in his plays -- unlike, say, those of Ben Jonson, where learning hangs like bunting on every word.  Nothing we find in Shakespeare betrays any acquaintance with Tacitus, Pliny, Suetonius, or others who influenced Johnson and were second nature to Francis Bacon.  That is a good thing -- a very good thing indeed -- for he would almost certainly have been less Shakespeare and more a showoff had he been better read.  As John Dryden put it in 1668: "Those who accuse him to have wanted learning, give him the greater commendation: he was naturally learn'd."

And so, we love him for his humanity.

Bryson also addresses the various theories as to who Shakespeare "really" was (e.g. Marlowe, Bacon, de Vere.)  He sheds light on the origins of these theories - briefly, thank God - and concludes thusly:

In short it is possible, with a kind of selective squinting, to endow the alternative claimants with the necessary time, talent, and motive for anonymity to write the plays of William Shakespeare.  But what no one has ever produced is the tiniest particle of evidence to suggest that they actually did so.  These people must have been incredibly gifted -- to create, in their spare time, the greatest literature ever produced in English, in a voice patently not their own, in a manner so cunning that they fooled virtually everyone during their own lifetimes and for four hundred years afterward.  The Earl of Oxford, better still, additionally anticipated his own death and left a stock of work sufficient to keep the supply of new plays flowing at the same rate until Shakespeare himself was ready to die a decade or so later.  Now that is genius!

Haha.  Oh, Bill Bryson.  Thank you for charming me once again.  

The Search for God and Guinness

The Search for God and Guinness, by Stephen Mansfield

Such a delightful and engaging read!  From the history of beer itself to the (rather in-depth) history of this particular brewery, Mansfield takes the reader through the social, religious and political journey of the Guinness family.  

I was surprised by the way the Guinness family almost single-handedly saved the city of Dublin during crisis.  The care, the flexibility, and the proactivity of these visionaries demonstrated that this company was grounded with an understanding of the grace of God, and the responsibility to affect change in their community and world.  Seriously.  This family was involved.

Sounds sappy from the way I describe it, and I'm sorry.  It's not.  It's informative.  It's inspiring.  It got a little boring for a significant portion of the mid-chapters.  But stick with it.  

If you're a fan of Guinness the stout, you oughta read this book.  

If you're a fan of history, or Ireland, you oughta read this book.  

If you like missionary stories, you oughta read this book. 

If you like well-written books with a journalistic feel, you oughta read this book.

The Other Tudors

The Other Tudors, by Philippa Jones

Little did I know that Henry VIII, one of my favorite characters in all of history, had multiple illegitimate children, let alone plenty of potential male heirs, had they been legitimate.  I suppose that reveals my naivete toward his lifestyle (and the lifestyle of many in his position in that day).  However, this book opened my eyes, to say the least.  Not in a sensational way; Jones merely presents her research, devoting each chapter to the individuals: mistress or bastard or both, as not every affair resulted in a child.  Though Jones' writing is not sensational, it is sentimental.  Take her conclusion for instance:

Henry VIII was a man who longed for love.  His tragedy was that he was looking for love that could never exist.  He had a vision of the perfect woman, an image of his mother, and no woman could measure up to this fantasy.  Apart from this was the obsessive need for a male heir.  These two, together with the power struggles going on amongst the noble families and foreign diplomats, distorted Henry's natural desire to love and, most of all, to be loved.  

Yuck, really?  Please!  Even I, a fan of Henry's, want to gag at this schmalz.  Beyond this, she seems to consider herself the authority on every matter.  Too many paragraphs begin, "Historian So-and-So states such-and-such a timeline, or what's-her-name was close to the king at this point, but that is incorrect...."  I didn't take a lot of time to peruse her endnotes, but not many of her assertions are backed up in order to truly disprove the actual historians' findings.

That all being said, I enjoyed this book immensely.  Henry is fascinating, sentimental lovesick sap or not, and so are his subsequent children, real or alleged.

Why We're Not Emergent

Why We're Not Emergent (By Two Guys Who Should Be), by Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck

This is one I've been working on for... a while.  The 'emergent movement' is a relevant and important issue conversation that all serious Christians ought to engage.  As I think about the manner Kevin and I can portray our faith to the largely unreached Idaho Springs community, I want to guard against sacrificing foundational things for the sake of relevance... as the use of Scripture and the understanding of God and His Church are being redefined in the emergent movement. 

From the intro: 

One of its critics has described the emerging church as a protest movement - a a protest against traditional evangelicalism, a protest against modernism, and a protest against seeker-sensitive megachurches.  Others, sympathetic to the movement have used the acronym EPIC: experiential, participatory, image driven, and connected.

The reason we (more "mainstream") evangelical Christians must take this movement seriously is that it is gaining followers with an attractive message.  Doesn't sound too horrible, right?  But at what cost:

-demoting to mere story the Holy Word of God, 

-reducing the Almighty to a weak (albeit all-loving) power with no semblance of majesty, holiness, or justice, or 

-redefining Church to mean an all-inclusive community of fellow journeyers with little direction beyond "live as Jesus lived"?  

One of the authors described the 'theology' thus: It reaffirms my place in the center of my own universe.  It's about me and my journey.  Is this true Gospel?  Or is it a dangerous sort of placebo for people who have been burned by traditional church, or seekers who can't tell the difference?  Ours is a religion that cannot be compromising to this self-serving, trendy culture.

The dangers of compromising Scripture:

We can wax eloquent about the beauty of the story and how the Scriptures read us, but unless people are convinced that the Bible is authoritative, true, inspired, and the very words of God, over time they will read it less frequently, know it less fully, and trust it less surely. 

The dangers of compromising who God is:

Where sin is the main problem we need a crucified Substitute.  Where pain and brokenness are the main problems, we need to learn to love ourselves.  God is no longer a holy God angry with sin, who, in His great mercy, sent His Son to die on our behalf so that divine justice might be satisfied.  God becomes a vulnerable lover who opens Himself up to hurt and rejection in order to be with us because we are worth dying for. 

I have no doubt that this message will find a receptive audience, but it is not the message the apostles proclaimed and for which they died.  Christians don't get killed for telling people that God believes in them and suffers like them and can heal their brokenness.  They get killed for calling sinners to repentance and proclaiming faith in the crucified Son of God as the only means by which we who were enemies might be reconciled to God (Rom. 5:10). 

The dangers of compromising church - who's in, and its structure:

There is a log of ambiguity, like "take part in spiritual activities" and "identify with the life of Jesus."  Then the thought came to me, If you stopped a random handful of Americans on the street, they would all aspire to identifying with the life of Jesus in much the same way they would hope to identify with the life of Martin Luther King or Muhammad Ali.  The tough part is that "taking part in spiritual activities" won't help a person in the afterlife, regardless of whether or not McLaren is ready to dialogue on that topic.  

...Many in the emerging church lament the central place preaching has received in Protestant worship services.  Pagitt, for example, decries how preaching has becoming "speaching."...The problem, according to emergent leaders, isn't with the people or the preachers, but with the method of one-way communication where one clear message is spoken to passive listeners.  ...Much of the emergent disdain for preaching is really an uneasiness about authority and control.  Discussion, yes.  Dialogue, yes.  Group discernment, yes.  Heralding?  Proclamation?  Not on this side of modernism.

In the final chapter, the authors urge us to consider the examples of the seven churches in the book of Revelation.  There is a message of warning for us, in the camp of the traditional and orthodox church,

The light at Ephesus had grown dim.  They had good deeds, but not in love for one another.  They defended the light, but they were not shining it into the dark places of the world.  ...It is sad but true.  Theologically astute churches and theologically minded pastors sometimes die of dead orthodoxy.  Some grow sterile and cold, petrified as the frozen chosen, not compromising with the world, but not engaging it either.  We may think right, live right, and do right, but if we do it off in a corner, shining our lights at one another to probe our brother's sins instead of pointing our lights out into the world, we will, as a church, grow dim, and eventually our light will be extinguished.  

and for them, the all-inclusive and organic emergent church,

Ephesus was under-engaged with the culture; Pergamum over-identified with the culture.  The Christians in Pergamum bore witness to Jesus, but they had compromised in what it meant to follow Him.  Undiscerning tolerance was Pergamum's crippling defect.  Their indifference to religious and moral deviancy was not a sign of their great relevance to the culture, or their great broadmindedness, or a great testimony to their ability to focus on God's love; it was a blight on their otherwise passionate, faithful witness.

To conclude:

Emergent Christians, to use the language of Revelation, have many good deeds.  They want to be relevant.  They want to reach out.  They want to be authentic.  They want to include the marginalized.  They want to make kingdom disciples.  They want community and life transformation.  Jesus likes all this about them.  But He would, I believe, also have some things against them, some critiques to speak through other brothers and sisters.  Criticisms that shouldn't be sidestepped because their movement is only a "conversation," or because they only speak for themselves, or because they admit, "We don't have it all figured out."  Emergent Christians need to catch Jesus' broader vision for the church - His vision for a church that is intolerant of error, maintains moral boundaries, promotes doctrinal integrity, stands strong in times of trial, remains vibrant in times of prosperity, believes in certain judgment and certain reward, even as it engages the culture, reaches out, loves, and serves.  We need a church that reflects the Master's vision - one that is deeply theological, deeply ethical, deeply compassionate, and deeply doxological. 

This seems to me a message we all need to "catch".  

recent purchases

I had to have:

Out of the Silent Planet, by C.S. Lewis; the first of his Space Trilogy.  Finally, we've got the whole set!

Anna Karenina, by Tolstoy; one that I will force myself to read and to love. Seriously, I've attempted this one twice already.  Third time's a charm, right?

A Daughter's Worth, by Ava Sturgeon; a devotional for teenage girls.  I'm reviewing this one to see if it's any good to go through with some of our youth group girls.  Here's hoping!

Unseduced and Unshaken

Unseduced and Unshaken: The Place of Dignity in a Young Woman's Choices, by Rosalie de Rosset

I never read new books... which is part of the reason I was drawn to this one in the first place.  I was first drawn to it because of its assertion that young women need to read the classics; however, it calls for much more than that.  Dr de Rosset (a professor of my mom's at Moody) wrote this "collection of essays [as] a thoughtful provocation to speak well, read often, make choices that reflect the character of God, and even to establish a theology of play or leisure."

This book touches on topics that all Christians, not just young Christian women, need to tackle.  It demands a return to critical thinking, holy leisure, discipleship one generation to the next - and in that, a love and understanding of tradition - as well as what it truly means to be a "formidably self-possessed young woman with a fully realized, detailed moral sensibility", as one critic says of the character Jane Eyre.  

This is not a typical self-help, Christian how-to for women.  It is a serious, well-researched work whose author pulls no punches.  Unseduced and Unshaken is surprisingly as much an advocate for the rights of the all too silent women in the Church as it is a directive for them.  We have a high calling as women.  Are we living up to our potential in furthering the kingdom, or are we content with the quietness and mediocrity of our lives?  Are we all right with the mediocrity of our women's Bible studies that are too often watered down biblical truths packaged for blithe, unthinking women who care little for being challenged with harder theology?  Do we see Mary of Bethany sitting serenely at the feet of her Rabbi, or do we see her in passionate discussion?  Asking hard questions, learning what it means to truly follow Him?  

Everyone needs to read this book.

My favorite chapter, if you've time for nothing more, is entitled "Mindful or Mindless: a Theology of Play".  This is the section that compares stories like Titanic to Casablanca.  Superficial, hasty, but passionate romance versus authentic, deep, but composed romance.  Scandal versus honor.  Sex versus love.  There is more to what she has to say here: developing a philosophy of leisure, fasting from media, reevaluating the music we listen to.  Her several paragraphs on hymnic worship and tradition are particularly weighty.  Read what she says at the end of the chapter:

What I am suggesting to you today is that you remember the best of what was and include that best with the best of what is, or you will break the link in a historical legacy given to us by God.  This means that popular culture can have a thoughtful place in your life, but should not dominate you by the very definition of popular.  This means that it would serve you well to have at least a portion of your experience the classics in music, art, theology, and literature - those things that have been with us for generations.  That understanding will then help you look at today's music, art, and literature critically, helping you to choose and enjoy the best of it.  Having gone through the process of changing your diet, you will find yourself unable to go back to junk food.

The teacher (and fellow young woman believer) in me craves to go through this book with our youth group girls.  To consider why Twilight is not up to snuff.  To consider the dangers of reading cheap fiction.  To consider the movies we watch, and their portrayals of women and romance.  To consider what we do with our free time, whether we are in fact rotting our brains.  To consider what the role of women is in God's plan, and how we can follow Him in that. 

I ask that we as women raise the standard that's been set for us by the world and our churches - in dress, demeanor, critical thinking, and our pursuits.  It's time we take ourselves seriously.

Loving Homosexuals as Jesus Would

Loving Homosexuals as Jesus Would: A Fresh Christian Approach, by Chad Thompson

Obviously, this is a controversial issue.  But it's one that Christians need to rethink and readdress.  Constantly.  Our view on loving our gay friends (not to mention the gay and lesbians in our nation as a whole) needs to be constantly resubmitted to Christ and His love for these children of His.  

This book addresses practical ways to demonstrate love and acceptance to a group largely rejected by the Church.  Written by a self-proclaimed "ex-gay", Chad explains why he believes that through love (not necessarily clinical rehabilitation, or those awful and oft-stereotyped classes our more liberal friends like to poke fun at and loathe), it is possible for homosexuals to change... but here's the catch... if they want to.  The opportunity is there.  As one who is living this process (because, as he says, it is a process, a journey), Chad offers a sort of inside perspective for those of us who are not gay, or those who do not have close gay friends. 

Read this book.  You may disagree with his approach, but it is just about impossible to disagree with his heart, and his aim: to merely represent Jesus in relationship with the gay community.  Love as Jesus would.  Not just in theory, in practice. 

Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

1 John 3:18

The Abolition of Man

The Abolition of Man, by C.S. Lewis

Though this book (or, rather, collection of essays) is a mere eighty seven pages, I think I read it about three times by the end of it.  His mastery of the argument and the English language oftentimes goes right over my head; I had to reread sentences, paragraphs... Jack, I know you're brilliant, but what exactly did you just say?

Once I grasped where he was headed, I became completely enmeshed in his defense of objective morality.  I was not expecting literary criticism in the defense, though that, and his understanding of ethics flouted by technological and scientific advances, certainly makes me wonder what he doesn't understand or what arena does not fall under his umbrella of expertise.  Further, the connection he sees between this worldview and education makes it an essential read for any Christian, sociologist, and educator.

"Only the Tao [Lewis' term for the Way of objective truth] provides a common human law of action which can overarch rulers and ruled alike.  A dogmatic belief in objective value is necessary to the very idea of a rule which is not tyranny or an obedience which is not slavery.  I am not here thinking solely, perhaps not even chiefly, of those who are our public enemies at the moment.  The process which, if not checked, will abolish Man, goes on apace among Communists and Democrats no less than among Fascists.  The methods may (at first) differ in brutality.  But many a mild-eyed scientist in a pince-nez, many a popular dramatist, many an amateur philosopher in our midst, means in the long run just the same as the Nazi rulers of Germany.  Traditional values are to be "debunked" and mankind to be cut out into some fresh shape at the will (which must, by hypothesis, be an arbitrary will) of some few lucky people in one lucky generation which has learned how to do it" (81, emphases mine).

Phew.  Will have to read this one again.  You need to, too.  Trust me; it's worth the effort.

C.S. Lewis: Christian and Storyteller

C.S. Lewis: Christian and Storyteller, by Beatrice Gormley

This one was short and to the point.  Ms. Gormley has little of the delightful, clever prose of the man whose life she describes.  I did, however, appreciate the balanced look at every era of Lewis' life, and the photographs.  For a person unfamiliar with Lewis apart from The Chronicles of Narnia, formative 'events' like his mother's death, his friendship with his brother Warren, his adopted mother Mrs. Moore, experiences in the Great War, friendship with JRR Tolkien and the other Inklings, and marriage to divorcee Joy Davidman provide a nice backdrop (and explanation) for the stories Jack needed to tell, and the faith he needed to defend. 

This particular biography is perhaps better suited for younger readers, but I enjoyed it for what it was: a teaser, whetting my appetite for more of Lewis.

The Anglo Files

The Anglo Files, by Sarah Lyall

Oh my goodness, what a delightful read!  The subtitle reads, A field guide to the British, and it is just that: everything you wished someone had told you about the Brits before being immersed in their culture.  Lyall is an American journalist living in London with her Brit husband and two daughters.  Her descriptions are vivid, hilarious, and thought-provoking.

Some topics covered in depth:

• Cricket as metaphor
• Meaning behind the bad food
• Princess Di and the emotional revolution she began
• Loving animals more openly than other people
• The connection between repressed feelings and drinking
• Euphemisms
• Hereditary titles and the House of Lords
• Weather, and speaking about the weather

If you have any interest whatsoever in the British tradition, nation, culture, or identifying yourself as an anglophile, this book is for you!

How Wide the Divide?

How Wide the Divide? A Mormon and an Evangelical in Conversation, 

by Craig Blomberg and Stephen E. Robinson

Wow.  What an intellectual and gratifying read!  Written by an evangelical Christian and a Mormon on four of the main "issues" of Christian orthodox beliefs, the book attempts to discern the differences and (significant) similarities between the faiths.  Both are respectful, patient, and willing to work toward a common 'vocabulary' of theological terms that would promote further discussions between evangelicals and Mormons.  As one who has interacted with Mormons extensively (and loves them to death!) I was so pleased to see some of the conversations I have already had (or attempted to have) with my friends in a scholarly format.  It's encouraging to see that we're doing something right - promoting positive discussion and mutual respect!  Highly recommend, if you have any interest whatsoever in Mormon-Evangelical beliefs!

Radical

Radical, by David Platt

Given to me by my pastor as a preview of what we might be reading for a small group later this year, I was at once captivated and challenged by this book.  The author claims that the American church has bought into the American dream - that we feel led to pick and choose commandments of Jesus, based on our society's standards of success and individualism.  Ought this be the case?  Definitely worth a read, if you're at all worried you're not serving Jesus and His world in the manner He intended.  Or, if you're not, maybe you should give it a read, too.  Just in case.  

The Hempleman Story

(This book not reviewed)

The Hempleman Story, researched and compiled by Gene Ebner

My family history.  George Hempleman, the son of a lord in eighteenth century Kassel, Germany, left home and country to marry his love, Margarette Duffe.  Both became indentured servants in the American colonies, separating for four years.  They met, when their times as servants were up, in a church - able to identify one another by a white glove (George had one, Margarette had one).  Fascinating story.  Even more fascinating and excellent, my grandpa (Gene Ebner) traced the children of George and Margarette to my grandma's dad, Earl Rose, detailing the highlights of the lives between them.  I love my heritage, and was excited to have my family's history written out - with pictures, maps and documents!  Thanks, Grampa Gene!  

For further reading, a distant relative (Karen Bowden-Cox) has written a fictional account based on the facts of our common ancestor: Honorable Deception.  Have yet to read, but ought to soon!

Our Search for Happiness

Our Search for Happiness, by M. Russell Ballard

Brief: A good summary of the beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and an interesting look into the history and perspective of this system of faith.  While I admire the sincerity of faith in the Mormons I know (and love!), I cannot accept it as truth from God.  This is perhaps more of a side not, but, a vibe I got was the importance and centrality of personal happiness... rather than the glory of God.

April 23

He reads much;

He is a great observer, and he looks

quite through the deeds of men.

(Julius Caesar, 1.2.209).

Happy 448th Birthday, dear Shakespeare!

I would be remiss, having a blog solely devoted to books, not to acknowledge the life of English literature-and-language's premier and exemplar.

There is much to be learned from this well-read, observant, and discerning man.

Read some.

Observe some.

What's your favorite:

Sonnet?

History?

Tragedy?

Comedy?

(If you can't answer these questions, please do yourself a favor and read/see Shakespeare.  

And form an opinion.)

For further inspiration, see this article.  

passion week timeline

Find the article and PDF on the Bible Gateway blog here.

Such an awesome tool if you're interested in reading through the events of 

Passion Week as chronological events.  

(i.e.: on Sunday, Jesus...., on Monday, Jesus....)

Read the article, too.  Dr Blomberg gets a nice little (and much-deserved) shout-out.

Here are a few of his nuggets of wisdom on the Gospels on my other blog.

:) 

Enjoy!

street vendor

Yes, you're seeing this right.

an italian leather book cover (with lion emblem)

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, with inscription to "Larry" in '48

Theories for Everything: an illustrated history of science from the invention of numbers to string theory

all for under $5 at a roadside stand.  

fare thee well, britannica

According to one journalist, this means Wikipedia wins.

Technology wins.

Traditional research loses.

How do we as readers feel about this?

I, for one, mourn the loss of a literary tradition.

And, frankly, I fear for the future of our collection of knowledge.

Call me a Romantic, but Wikipedia is just not going to cut it.

Goodbye books, hello Internet.  Welcome, e-reader generation!

Fare thee well, Britannica.