What I Read and Watched in January

I started the year with a trilogy that I've been dreading putting off for years, Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigred Undset. These novels of historical fiction take place in 14th C. Norway and earned Undset the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1928. Many members of the Literary Life Podcast Facebook group put it at the top of their list of all-time favorites so I decided to make it my first book of the year to get it over with be able to mark it off my TBR list. It has been an incredible slog, not because the story isn't compelling, but because it causes me so much pain that I have to set it aside every few days for a break. (I wish I could read about other people's bad choices without grieving.) Also, it's more PG than I expected. 

To counteract the heaviness of Kristin's story, I've been reading some lighter books:  The Unselected Letters of Emma M. Lion and a vintage murder mystery called When Last I Died by Gladys Mitchell. I also enjoyed Pink Sugar by O. Douglas, cozy domestic fiction by a favorite author.

All of my sons are adults now and I occasionally worry over their choices. The audiobook, Setting Boundaries with Your Adult Children by Allison Bottke was VERY encouraging. (I listened through my library's Hoopla app.)

Another antidote to the stressful reading, was watching the first 10 episodes of season one of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir on YouTube. We also watched the first two episodes of All Creatures Great and Small. I've practically given up on PBS since several of the "safe" shows we tried to watch last year (Poirot, Father Brown, Miss Marple) were full of PC garbage, but All Creatures seems to be staying true to the spirit of the books so far.

Anybody else start the year by attacking your TBR list? Read anything that you recommend? Any thoughts on Kristin Lavransdatter?

Blessings,

Two Wonderful Quotes on Prayer

A heart clogged with care is like a man trying to swim with heavy clothes upon him, he must get them off if he hopes to swim to shore. Many a sailor has cut his clothes to pieces, because he felt he should sink if he did not get clear of them. I could wish that many Christians would tear themselves away from their excessive worldly engagements, for they have such a mass of care upon them that they scarcely keep their heads above water. Oh, for more grace and less worry! More praying and less hoarding! More intercession and less speculating! As it is, prayers are sadly hindered. - Charles Spurgeon

(Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash)

Pray without ceasing. How can one do it who is surrounded by the cares of daily life? How can a mother love her child without ceasing? How can the eyelid, without ceasing, hold itself ready to protect the eye? How can I breathe and feel and hear without ceasing? I can do all these things because they are the functions of a healthy, natural life. And so, if the spiritual life is healthy, under the full power of the Holy Spirit, praying without ceasing will be natural… Pray without ceasing. How can I learn it? The best way of learning is to do a thing – in fact, the only way – is to do it. Begin by setting apart some time every day, say ten or fifteen minutes, in which you say to God and to yourself, that you come to Him now as an intercessor for others. If at first you do not feel any special urgency or faith or power in your prayers, let not that hinder you. Quietly tell your Lord Jesus of your feebleness; believe that the Holy Spirit is in you to teach you to pray, and be assured that if you begin, God will help you. - Andrew Murray

Blessings,

Reading Goals for 2021

I hesitated to write this post since I haven't been faithful to keep my goals for the last few years. I prefer to read where the spirit takes me and to not be tied down to a list. That said, last year I began to think seriously about reading certain classic works on a regular basis and the only way to do that is to set goals. My specific goals are now fairly simple: one title each year from Shakespeare, Dickens and Austen.

The Literary Life Podcast gang has a list of 19 genres they want to cover in 2021. I don't intend to complete their list, but due to "positive peer pressure" from the group, I'm going to attempt three chunksters that I have long avoided: Kristen Lavransdatter (I have the 45 hour audiobook), Anna Karenina (35 hours), and Bleak House (800 pages). If these are the only books I read this year, I'll be satisfied. 

Since I'm planning to read lighter material in between, I'll also be reading one Shakespeare play and Silas Marner (also with the Lit Life group). There were two Victorian titles I did not read for Victober 2020 that I'd like to tackle this year: The Love Letters of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and something by Cardinal John Henry Newman. Lastly, there were several Christmas titles I could not fit in that I'd like to make room for this December: Hercule Poirot's Christmas and Silent Night: Christmas Mysteries by Martin Edwards.

I haven't decided which Austen title to read yet.

Anyone else have formal or informal reading plans for 2021?

Blessings,

The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom

Sometimes reading non-fiction is like taking a vitamin pill. I do it because I know it's good for me, but my appetite naturally runs toward a well-written story. In The Hiding Place there is no dichotomy between the two. It tells the true story of Corrie ten Boom and her family's work in protecting Jews during the Nazi occupation of Holland. It chronicles their quiet life as watchmakers and how they became involved in the Dutch underground. The dangers they face increase with every chapter. 

Early in the book a young Corrie cries out to her father that she doesn't want him to die. He comforts her by reminding her that when they travel on a train together, he gives her the ticket just when she needs it to board. So, also, God gives the grace to face each trial just when it's needed. That conversation set the tone for the rest of Corrie's life. With each new trouble, God provided the necessary strength. 

The first chapter recounts the 100th anniversary of the watch shop and Corrie writes, It was a day for memories. A day for calling up the past. How could we have guessed as we sat there - two middle-aged spinsters and an old man - that in place of memories we were about to be given adventure such as we had never dreamed of? Adventure and anguish, horror and heaven were just around the corner, and we did not know. O Father! Betsie! If I had know would I have gone ahead? Could I have done the things I did? 

The book is chock full of wonderful stories, some humorous, some horrifying, but all pointing to God's faithfulness. As I read, I grew to love Corrie's wise and good father, her beauty-loving and gracious sister, and especially Corrie, herself, who was used powerfully by God in spite of her doubts and shortcomings. She never brags. Much to the contrary. Every line of the book seems to say, "If God could use me, He can use anybody." I can't give more details without spoilers so I'll close with a hearty five-star recommendation. If you want your faith in a powerful, miracle-working God to grow, this is the book for you. 

Blessings,

Reading Year in Review 2020

I usually look back over my list of completed books and find my heart singing over certain titles that I read during the year. But, as I've stated many times, the multi-layered stresses of 2020 made it a very difficult year for engaging fully with the books I read. Almost every one of them was a slog. 

Stumbling upon the fourth Tommy and Tuppence novel at the end of September, was a turning point because suddenly I had a book to look forward to. Instead of barely getting through one book, I was back to reading three or four at a time. My reading slump was over!

So here are my favorites from the year. 

Most effortless fun: Two new-to-me D.E. Stevenson titles: Five Windows and The Empty World

Most enjoyable classics (both re-reads): Persuasion by Austen and (an annotated) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Hardest-to-put-down: all the audiobooks in the Tommy and Tuppence series (I listened for free on YouTube).

Most inspiring: The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

Best children's lit: Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery (first in a trilogy)

The most work, but worth it: John Wesley's 52 Sermons which I read for a few minutes a day all year.

To be honest, the book that really got me through the year was the Bible. My husband and I have always had our own personal devotions, but this year we started reading a scripture passage out loud together after breakfast. Hearing the words was life-giving in the midst of so much uncertainty.

Goodreads says I read 92 books, but five were DNFs. 

What were your five star reads for the year?

Blessings,