Free Reads: 12/26, Boxing Day Edition

“Hey Dan,” people keep saying “what ever happened to ‘Free Reads?’” Well faithful readers, I’ve decided to bring back this roughly compiled snapshot of internet artifacts. Unsorted, many-splendored and with as little commentary as possible i bring you the best of what’s interesting. Feel free to comment on any of these links or add something related of your own. True story: in high school there was a cart of discarded books in the cafeteria with a hand-lettered sign proclaiming “Free Reads!”. I never saw anyone take a book from there.

First: What is Boxing Day? Do you “celebrate it”? Hope you bought local for xmas this year. I did, but i also didn’t, so i’m a jerk. Find a local business group like Our Milwaukee in your area and figure out how you can be a more community-oriented consumer in the next decade. Speaking of local, Atomic Records returns from the grave in t-shirt form (get a free sticker with every order!). Also absurdist literature stimulates our brains (what’s the difference between absurdist and surrealist?). R. Crumb illustrates a non-sardonic version of Genesis (i had to look it up too: “disdainfully or ironically humorous”). In related news The Mountain Goats walk through the bible in their 2009 release The Life of the World to Come, and as we wait patiently for Petra’s Rock Band release, we contemplate the place religion plays in video games (hint: not much unless you’re killing “demons”). In other christmas news we tried to make some new stuff this year – like modified books. I spent $12 at the goodwill and came away with some real treasures, including an original printing of The Space Child’s Mother Goose, which has the best cover ever (seen here) and some truly bizarre content. Also Frank Schaeffer gets all up in the dispensational grill of Tim LaHaye in his new book, and The Economist takes Karen Armstrong, the original Freelance Monotheist, to task for her new book. Karen Armstrong herself delivers a skeptical Christmas message with a heart of gold at the L.A. Times. Finally “Was Jesus Rich?” the prosperity theologians would like you to say “yes, please”.