Sunday books in video: Kathleen Norris, David Lodge, Daniel Levitin and Johnny Cash

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In books this Sunday, our lead story is on Kathleen Norris, the poet and author. Her new book, ‘Acedia & Me: A Marriage, Monks, and a Writer’s Life’ is a personal study of ‘acedia’ -- dark thoughts that are part depression, part indifference, part ennui. ‘In this hyped-up world,’ she writes, ‘broadcast and Internet news media have emerged as acedia’s perfect vehicles, demanding that we care, all at once, about a suicide bombing, a celebrity divorce and the latest advance in nanotechnology,’ Yet, reporter Lynell George explains, ‘the ceaseless bombardment, she suggests, ‘makes us impervious to caring.’’ Nevertheless, here is Kathleen Norris on video, from Point Loma Nazarene University’s 2002 Writers Symposium. Her discussion of discipline and her writing process touches on themes that appear in her new book -- which makes sense, since she’s been working on it for two decades.

David Lodge has written his 15th novel, ‘Deaf Sentence,’ about a retired professor who is losing his hearing -- and it’s not full of dark thoughts. ‘Deafness is comic, as blindness is tragic,’ he writes. In this short piece from the British television show ‘Midlands Today,’ Lodge speaks about his work, including his latest book.

Daniel J. Levitin’s new book is also about the senses, how our brain works and the evolution of culture -- ‘The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature.’ ‘Making and listening to music feels good,’ Levitin writes, ‘not because of anything intrinsic in the music. Rather, those of our ancestors who happened to feel good during musical activities are the ones who survived to pass on the gene that gave rise to these feelings.’ In this video recorded at Google, Levitin, a former musician turned scientist, talks about his book.

In his review of Levitin’s book, Matthew Shaer writes about another music-oriented book, ‘It Still Moves,’ which traces the roots of roots music. After the jump, music videos from two of its seminal musicians: Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash, each of whom sings about some pretty dark thoughts.

Carolyn Kellogg