What I Read and Watched in August

I've been too busy recently to do these recaps, but this month I watched two movies that were too good not to mention. A Hidden Life  tells the true story of Franz Jagerstatter (an Austrian who refused to pledge allegience to Hitler), and shows the terrible consequences he suffered. It is beautifully filmed (though the constant shots of windows and doorways seemed a bit quirky at times) and very harrowing. We had to spread it out - an hour a night for three nights. Not exactly a "feel-good" movie, but our hearts were strengthened after viewing it. 

No Highway in the Sky is an underrated gem that we found on YouTube with Jimmy Stewart as the proverbial "absent-minded professor." But this is no comedy. Theodore Honey is a widower. He is an aeronautical engineer who believes that a newly manufactured plane has not been tested sufficiently, and he goes to great lengths to prove that it is not safe for flying. There are many poignant moments and wonderful acting by Stewart - and also by Janette Scott (who plays his young daughter) and Glynis Johns and Marlene Dietrich (who both fall for him). The movie was extremely engaging and had a good balance of light and tense moments.

I also finished three books that I've been reading for months: The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis (Vol. 1), Poems and Letters of Emily Dickinson, and Listening to God in Difficult Times by Kay Arthur (a three month deep dive into the book of Jeremiah.)

I continue to plow through the Mitford series and read books 8 to 10: Shepherds Abiding, Light from Heaven, and Home to Holly Springs. I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook of Agatha Christie's The Secret of Chimneys and C.N. Williamson's vinatage novel, Set in Silver. (review coming soon)

Honorable mention goes to an excellent book I finished in July that will be reviewed here soon: A Fugue in Time by Rumer Godden. 

It was a great month! Has anyone else enjoyed these movies or books?

Blessings,

What I Read and Watched in April

I had some heavy reading to do for two classes (Thaddeus William's Don't Follow Your Heart, which is a diatribe against radical individualism and Reflecting the Divine Image by Dunning), so it was great to escape into a few Molly Clavering novels: Because of Sam and Yoked with a Lamb. I also read two free Kindle titles: The Quest of the Simple Life (a memoir of a Londoner who moved to the country, which was just okay) and The Storme Centre (historical fiction of the American Civil War, which was surprisingly good). Both were published in 1906. I tried very hard to get through Everything Sad is Untrue because of all the rave reviews, but it's depressing tone was adding to the stress in my life so I had to put it aside. 

I listened to the wonderful audiobook Poirot Investigates. These short stories by Agatha Christie were read by Richard Armitage, the crème de la crème of narrators.

My husband was kind enough to watch the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice with me. The script was excellent and kept us chuckling throughout the four nights that we spent viewing it. On my own I watched Two Aurora Teagarden mysteries (The Julius House and Till Death do Us Part) because they were being shown on Brazilian TV. 

A very satisfying month! Any opinons on these books or movies?

Blessings,

What I Read and Watched in February 2024

We arrived back in Brazil in January which is summer vacation month. Hence we were able to ease back into our ministry responsibilities and I had loads of time for reading. I read (or finished up) nine books in January and eight in February.

J.K. Rowling's The Christmas Pig was my favorite January read (reviewed here) and the quirky movie "Esio Trot" with Judi Dench and Dustin Hoffman was my favorite movie. (I purposedly did not post a trailer because they all give the story away!)

In February I read more non-fiction than usual. Stories of Faith and Courage from World War II was an excellent overview of the war with inspiring stories (review forthcoming), How to Flourish was an abridged version of Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics. Then came two books on the Christian life with an emphasis on prayer. Henri Nouwen's The Way of the Heart dovetailed nicely with The Dazzling Darkness by Guy Bowden (review forthcoming). Interestingly, both had completely different takes on what it means to "pray without ceasing." A Quiet Life in 7 Steps by Susan Cain was one of the dumbest books I've read in a long time. Cain makes a not-too-convincing case for spirituality without God. 

I read two books in preparation for the Literary Life Podcast. Howards End surprised me by being much more than a comedy of manners. Many snippets of its excellent prose went into my commonplace book. The second LLP title was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which I liked more than I thought I would. Last of all, I read Esio Trot by Roald Dahl after I saw the movie, but it wasn't nearly as delightful.

We mostly watched selections from our DVDs (My Three Sons, Perry Mason, I Love Lucy). We had our annual viewing of True Grit, which, in spite of its violence and rough language, is one of our favorites for its excellent filming and storytelling. And the soundtrack!

Blessings,

Worthwhile Movie #21 - BBC's North and South

It’s been four years since I have recommended a movie, but a recent viewing of BBC’s 2004 production of North and South proved that good movies still exist if you are willing to look for them.  

Based on Elizabeth Gaskell’s 1854 novel, North and South tells the story of how Reverend Richard Hale moves his family from the (traditional) south of England to the (industrial) north after he loses his curacy due to “matters of conscience.” Living at reduced means with a sickly wife, Mr. Hale tutors young pupils and even gives lessons in Latin to John Thornton, overseer of a large cotton mill.  

One of the main story lines is how Hale’s genteel daughter, Margaret, adapts to this new reality. Members of Milton's upper class are suspicious of her father’s mysterious departure from the ministry and do not welcome her into their circle. She reaches out to several factory workers, but they misunderstand her overtures of friendship. It is delightful to watch her grow as she stumbles along (yet persists) in building relationships under these difficult circumstances. 

A secondary story, but a no less crucial one, is about the dynamics of power. Are all the factory owners villains who care only for money and not a bit for the laborers? Do the workers have a right to strike for better wages? In our present-day understanding (relying heavily on a “critical theory mood”), there are only two categories: the oppressed and the oppressor. No “master” can ever be right. And the oppressed can never be wrong. I was stunned by the deft, nuanced handling of these subjects in this film. It would have not been made in the same way today.

Third, is the love story, which, though central to the narrative, was understated, simmering just below the surface for the most part. I love a story of unrequited love (don’t ask me why!) so the fact that it took four hours for the romantic misunderstandings to be resolved was fine by me. I also appreciated that the lead characters were not over the top good-looking. He was a little too hawk-nosed and she a little too plump by Hollywood standards, yet they were perfection in their respective roles.

I am not sure where this can be streamed (maybe Brit Box?), but we found it on DVD and were so glad to have discovered it. Now I may have to go back and re-read the novel!

Blessings,

What I Read and Watched in November

When I'm overwhelmed, I do more movie viewing than book reading, so November was light on books. I finished the excellent Norms and Nobility by David Hicks, which is a marvelous book primarily about the fundamentals of classical education, but secondarily about what it takes to be a flourishing, virtuous society. (It's pricey so I'm glad my library had a copy.) Next came Women's Diaries of the Westward Journey, which I really liked after getting past the feminist intro and reading the actual diaries (last 1/5 of the book);  then came Rose-Garden Husband (a fluffy vintage novel), which fit the reading mood I was in. Edith Schaeffer's Hidden Art was not difficult reading, but my brain couldn't quite take it in.  

I enjoyed all the films I watched this month. We like the older Hitchcock movies because they are less grizzly and have a good dose of humor in them. Dan and I watched Foreign Correspondent (1940) and The Lady Vanishes (1938) on YouTube. On another date night we enjoyed I am David (2003) for its good acting and filming. By myself I watched the classic holiday film, The Shop Around the Corner, with the wonderful Jimmy Stewart. I also chuckled through Signed, Sealed and Delivered for Christmas.

Ever have months when reading just seems impossible? With less deadlines in December, I'm hoping to improve! 

Blessings,

What I Read and Watched in October 2023

Our rented apartment has no television so I continue to get a remarkable amount of reading done. The books I read in order of most-to-least appealing were 1) The Bridge on San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder (simply astonishing in its breadth of understanding of the human condition), 2) The King's Equal by Katherine Paterson (a delightful fairy tale with a strong, yet feminine heroine), 3) Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorenson (1957 Newbery winner), 4) Reading for the Love of God by Jessica Hooten Wilson, 5) When the English Fall by David Williams (dystopia in an Amish community), 6) On Asking God Why by Elisabeth Elliot (collected essays), 7) Out of a Far Country (non-fiction redemption story), 8) The Gabriel Hounds by Mary Stewart (I love her suspense novels, but this one droned on for 150 pages before my heart rate even mildly accelerated.)

The movies that I watched on my computer were: The African Queen (via Hoopla), which was a fun classic that my husband and I both enjoyed. On YouTube I started to watch a Hallmark mystery called The Curious Caterer, but turned it off after 5 painful minutes of poor acting, banal script and odd situations. The Carrot Cake Murder is a sequel of sorts to the Murder, She Baked movies that I've raved about, but was so badly done that I barely hung on until the end. Finally, I watched another Hallmark mystery (via Frndly TV), The Dancing Detective. The male character was over-the-top ridiculous, but he kept me laughing. Plus, the footage of Malta was breathtaking. 

I linked to the books so you could read more about them, but I read all of them from library, thrift store or loaned copies. Hopefully, so can you. 

Blessings,

The Duchess of Bloomsbury by Helene Hanff

Consider this a belated review of 84 Charing Cross Road which I enjoyed in 2021 and again in January of this year. I am a fan of epistolary novels so the 20 years of correspondence (1949-1968) between Helene Hanff (book lover from New York) with Frank Doel (a book seller from London) was pure delight.  The audio version is spot on in highlighting their differences of manner. And the 1987 movie, with stellar performances by Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins, is one of my favorites. (You can watch the trailer here.)

Because of her success with the book 84 Charing Cross Road, Helene is finally able to afford a trip to London. The Duchess of Bloomsbury recounts her dream-come-true:

All my life I've wanted to see London. I used to go to English movies just to look at streets with houses like those. Staring at the screen in a dark theatre, I wanted to walk down those streets so badly it gnawed at me like hunger. Sometimes, at home in the evening, reading a casual description of London by Hazlitt or Leigh Hunt, I'd put the book down suddenly, engulfed by a wave of longing that was like homesickness. I wanted to see London the way old people want to see home before they die. 

Marks and Co., the bookshop that had been her main supplier, has closed and so she meets a host of new people who offer to show her the town. She's a bit overwhelmed with the modest fame that her book has brought her and jokingly calls herself "The Duchess of Bloomsbury" since that is where her hotel is located. Many of the characters she meets are as quirky and endearing as she is. 

This is a must for every bibliophile if only to identify with how easy it is to go off on to rabbit trails while reading a good book. Helene remarks that one set of books by Arthur Quiller Couch took her eleven years to read because of all the books she read in between to better understand his comments. She so identifies with Couch that she nicknames him "Q" (which explains the title of her next book, Q's Legacy.) 

I was fascinated by the fact that though she had not read as widely as she would have liked, she had read deeply; My problem is that that while other people are reading fifty books I'm reading one book fifty times. I only stop when at the bottom of page 20, say, I realize I can recite pages 21 and 22 from memory. Then I put the book away for a few years.

I'd love to be able to do that. 

I was able to get these first two books via digital download from my library, but it looks like Q's Legacy may cost me $6!

Blessings,

What I Read and Watched in February 2023

I read a mixture of theology, light fiction and ancient classics this month. 

Death in a White Tie by Ngaio Marsh is a fun mystery and In the Teeth of the Evidence by Dorothy Sayers is a pleasant set of short stories. I read Aristotle's Poetics for the Lit Life podcast and also a children's version of the Iliad by Jeannie Lang. Light fiction included O. Douglas' A House that is Our Own, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I also read The Awakening of Miss Prim and the delightful At Home in Mitford. (review forthcoming) Once a year I try to read a title on John Wesley so I read John Wesley and William Law by Green. I liked it, but think it would be boring to any but an avid Wesley fan.  

As far as movies go, we had our yearly viewing of Kenneth Branagh's Henry V. I enjoyed the novel Busman's Honeymoon last year so I watched the black and white movie on YouTube. Lord Peter was played by an American so you can imagine what a desecration it was! I watched it anyway. But worse disappointments were on the way. On the Wings of Eagles is a sequel to Chariots of Fire that barely mentions Liddell's faith and the final episode of season 3 of The Chosen fell flat for me. Is it just me or are seasons 2 and 3 just a shadow of the fine productions we saw in season 1? 

Have you read any of these books? Watched anything that you can recommend? Thoughts on The Chosen?

Blessings,

What I Read and Watched in October

I usually have three or four books going at the same time, but for the second half of October, I had six, which made it impossible to finish anything. Earlier in the month I read The Day of Small Things and Jane's Parlor by O. Douglas, which I did not enjoy as much as the first book in the series (The Proper Place). I got these quite cheaply for my Kindle and am not sure why there are no longer links to them at Amazon. (The best Douglas novel, Penny Plain, by the way, is always free.) I read Helen Keller's The Story of My Life while listening along on YouTube. Thomas Ramundo's The Prayer Life You've Always Wanted was simple, but encouraging. 

The books I'm presently reading at a snail's pace are: (1) Dante's Inferno, (2) Six Centuries of Great Poetry, (3) Mansfield Park (audiobook), (4) C.S. Lewis' Letters (Vol II), (5) Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome, and (6) Christian Faith in the Old Testament by Cockerill. 

We watched Blue Miracle with Dennis Quaid (2021) and Sense and Sensibility with Emma Thompson (1995). For some odd reason I love stories of unrequited love and enjoyed suffering along with Colonel Brandon! Come to think of it, that may be why I love most of Jane Austen's novels. Anyone else suffer from that malady?

Blessings,

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot

My husband and I enjoyed the new BBC version of All Creatures Great and Small so much that we decided to read the book out loud to each other. We loved every page of these delightful stories of a rookie veterinarian and the quirky members of his household. Although you'll read more about cow anatomy than you ever wanted to know, you will also laugh (and sometimes cry) through many a chapter. Herriot's love for the land, the people and the animals is richly described on every page. Halfway through the first book, he writes:

How on earth, did I come to be sitting on a high Yorkshire moor in shirt sleeves and wellingtons, smelling vaguely of cows? The change in my outlook had come quite quickly - in fact almost immediately after my arrival in Darrowby. The job had been a godsend in those days of high unemployment, but only, I had thought, a stepping-stone to my real ambition. But everything had switched round, almost in a flash. 

Maybe it was something to do with the incredible sweetness of the air which still took me by surprise when I stepped out into the old wild garden of Skeldale House every morning. Or perhaps the daily piquancy of life in the graceful old house with my gifted but mercurial boss, Siegfried, and his reluctant student brother, Tristan. Or it could be that it was just the realization that treating cows and pigs and sheep and horses had a fascination I had never even suspected.

Probably it was because I hadn't dreamed there was a place like the dales. I hadn't thought it possible that I could spend all my days in a high, clean-blown land where the scent of grass or trees was never far away; and where even in the driving rain of winter I could snuff the air and find the freshness of growing things hidden somewhere in the cold clasp of the wind. Anyway, it had all changed for me and my work consisted now of driving from farm to farm across the roof of England with a growing conviction that I was a privileged person. (p. 246-247)

My husband read the biography, The Real James Herriot, written by his son, which recounted that James was asked by the editors to "spice up" the first book by adding in a few chapters about Helen. I'm glad he did because those were some of the most amusing and endearing chapters in the book. 

I just ordered book two, All Things Bright and Beautiful, and can't wait for it to arrive!

Have you read the books? Watched the series?

Blessings,

Postern of Fate by Agatha Christie

I was sad to finally finish the Tommy and Tuppence series. Postern of Fate was not only the final T&T book, but the last book Christie ever wrote. Critics panned it, saying that it showed her age and how she was slipping. But they obviously never heard it read by Hugh Fraser because he makes up for any defects the novel might have. Especially when he's imitating the voices of the pensioners at the old folks' home!

I haven't read enough of Christie to know if this is true or not, but it seemed to me to be a very personal book. The funny descriptions of the dog made me think that Christie was describing one of her own beloved pets. And as Tuppence and Tommy talk over all of their favorite childhood books, I wondered if they might have been Christie's too. 

In the beginning of the book, the Beresfords have just moved into their retirement bungalow. As they remodel the old rooms, they stumble across a mystery involving Mary Jordan, a former resident. Yes, the critics are right. The resulting sleuthing is a little confusing, but I didn't enjoy this entry in the series for its mystery so much as I loved it for its references to many beloved books, its charming and unique characters (beautifully voiced by Fraser), and for bringing closure to my literary relationship with this delightful couple. 

By the way, I tried to watch a few of the TV adaptions that were available on YouTube. In the 1984 version, Tuppence seems painfully silly. In the 2015 version, I was appalled by Tommy's complete indifference to Tuppence because in the books, he adores her (which is one reason I love them).

Anyone else read these?

Blessings,

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,

What I Read and Watched in November

I am reading nine books, which is too many, even for me. Four are buddy reads. Two are for ministry-related projects. One is my morning exercise audiobook. The other is on my nightstand since I don't read on my devices before bed.The last book is my Bible, which might technically not be eligible for this list, but I read it every day. 

Because I'm reading and never finishing anything, I had several quick, escapist reads this month: The Moonspinners by Mary Stewart, The Lieutenant's Lady by Bess Streeter Aldrich, Mail-Order Bride: Tess by Rose Jenster, and The Flowering Thorn by Margery Sharp. (None were good enough for a complete review, but they are linked to my thoughts on Goodreads.) But I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook, N or M? by Agatha Christie (review forthcoming).

In the movie department, I watched the delightful Murder, She Baked series. I also watched The Virginian with Bill Pullman. I was enamored with it a few years ago, but this time the acting and script seemed stilted. I'm wondering if the new True Grit movie has ruined me for all other westerns. My husband and I also watched Henry V with Kenneth Branagh for the umpteenth time.

I'm hoping to finish up most of the books mentioned above by the end of the year as well as complete two trilogies. We'll see how that goes! Are there any books you are hoping to read before the end of the year?

Blessings,

Murder She Baked Mystery Series

I gave myself a treat this month by finally watching all the Murder, She Baked movies in order. They were available in Portuguese on YouTube so I kidded myself that I was improving my language skills. I'll give a brief synopsis of each film and explain why they are some of my favorite cozy mysteries. (The titles are linked to each movie's preview.) 

1. Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery - In this first installment, we are introduced to baker Hannah Swenson, her meddling mother, her best friend/sister, Andrea, and two handsome rivals for her affections, Norman the dentist, and Mike the detective. Just to keep things interesting, Hannah finds two dead bodies and feels Mike's ire over her interference in both cases. 

2. Murder, She Baked: A Plum Pudding Mystery - The second movie takes place at Christmas time. Hannah finds another body and Mike tries to keep her out of danger. There are lots of suspects and it doesn't always make sense who is who. But who cares? Half the fun is watching Hannah relate to all the people in her life. Her mom strongly urges her to choose Norman while Andrea favors Mike. 

3. Murder, She Baked: A Peach Cobbler Mystery - Someone opens a bakery across the street from Hannah's and, yep, she finds another body.

4. Murder She Baked: A Deadly Recipe - Hannah is putting together a community cookbook to raise funds for charity. Someone submits a recipe calling for one teaspoon of a mystery ingredient. It's fun to see the gals trying to discover the ingredient. Oh, and Hannah finds another body. The romantic triangle continues.

5. Murder, She Baked: Just Desserts - The background story is a televised bake-off. This time someone else finds the body. But Hannah's sleuthing leads her to the killer. She finally makes her choice between the two eligible bachelors.

This is the second time I've watched these movies and I vaguely remembered the identity of the killer in each one, but solving the mystery is not the only reason I enjoy these movies. I like Hannah as a heroine. She's smart, pretty and capable, but just insecure enough to gain your sympathy. There is something endearing about how she talks to her cat about her troubles. I loved the family dynamics between mother/daughter/sister. What's not to like about the gorgeous food shots? And I appreciated a sweet romance without the syrup (or the drama) of the regular Hallmark movies. They always make the third person in the love triangle look like a complete jerk, but that was not the case in these films. The other guy was nerdy, but handsome and likable.

These movies are based on the cozy mysteries written by Joanne Fluke. There are 27 of them, but I tried to read the first one and found the characters much less likable than in the movies. 

Has anyone else enjoyed these? Any other cozy mysteries to recommend? (book or film)

Blessings,

What I Read and Watched in May

We started the month with a re-watch of Hidden Figures, which was just as good the second time around. In general I have very little patience for Hallmark movies, but I enjoy their mysteries when I get a chance. So I was happy to find Roux the Day and Three Bedrooms, One Corpse, which were good, clean (yet forgettable) fun. BUT Fixer-Upper Mystery: Concrete Evidence was the most suspenseful HM movie I've ever watched. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I was delighted to see that hard-to-find author, O. Douglas, (who wrote Penny Plain, a vintage favorite) had more titles available for Kindle and immediately bought six of them. I re-read Penny Plain before tackling its sequel, Priorsford. Sadly, Priorsford did not meet my expectations.

My other reads for the month were theological: The Power of the Blood of Jesus by Andrew Murray (reviewed here) and Grace, Faith and Holiness, a theology textbook that I've been reading for months. (review here)

My absolute favorite of the month was L.M. Montgomery's  Emily of New Moon, which I'll be reviewing soon.

I discovered several free books this month: 365 Meditations from George McDonald's Fiction, Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life by William Law (Christian classic, 1729), and The Last Man by Mary Shelley (possibly the first post-apocalyptic novel, 1826) I can't vouch for any of these titles, but thought if you are reading this blog, you might have similar tastes in books.

Blessings,

What I Read and Watched in September

We finally had enough down time to watch movies, and I'm surprised at how many we watched. We liked them all, but I'm ranking them in order from "okay" to "really good."

The Long Goodbye - a documentary on Netflix about Kara Tippet's battle with cancer. Good, but not fun to watch if you know what I mean.
Overcomer - newest Kendrick Brothers' pic at the theatre. We liked this, but the Christian clichés were pretty thick by the end.
Maltese Falcon (1941) - saw this classic in the theatre, but didn't love it as much as I thought I would.
Good Sam (link leads to trailer) - Clean movie on Netflix. Fun, but too much like a Hallmark movie by the end.
Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (link leads to trailer) - on Netflix. What's not to love about a film that shows the transforming power of books? Plus three actors from Downton Abbey. Beautifully filmed.
The More the Merrier (1943) - A favorite screwball comedy with Jean Arthur
Ramen Shop (link leads to trailer) - on Netflix. Japanese foodie movie. Showed the importance of love and forgiveness without all the preachiness.

I read five books. Village Diary by Miss Read was a treat. So was the mystery Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart. I read a good missionary biography called An Irrepressible Passion and a disappointing cookbook called How to Eat by Nigella Lawson. I only made it halfway through James Russel Lowell's poetry book Heartsease and Rue because it was so unpleasant.

Blessings,

What I Read and Watched in January

I've had a terrific start to the New Year. If you read this blog regularly, you know I determined to read more physical books for the purpose of more careful reading. (Digital books, whether we admit or not, encourage scanning.) Anyway, I've LOVED the books I've read so far. This may be due to the fact that I read them more attentively OR just due to the fact that I'm very choosy about which books I lug to Brazil with me. Probably both are factors.

The books I read were:
1) The Bird in the Tree by Elizabeth Goudge - Book One of a wonderful trilogy. Review forthcoming.
2) The Shallows by Nicholas Carr - contains many valid points on how the internet and social media have changed our thinking and reading habits.
3) Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey - a rip-roaring mystery

I read Be Right (Warren Wiersbe's commentary on Romans) on my Kindle as a part of my morning devotions. And listened to What's Wrong with the World by G.K. Chesterton. (Some of it was laugh-out-loud funny.)

We enjoyed United Kingdom, the story of an interracial marriage that rocked the evolving country of Botswana. This would be a great date night movie since it's based on a true story (something my husband loves) and yet has good acting and a sufficiently happy ending (which I love).

The movie that knocked our socks off was Richard II, the first of four movies in The Hollow Crown series. We've watched Kenneth Branagh's Henry V at least a dozen times so we have accustomed our ears to Shakespearean English. But the pronunciation and clarity of Richard II far outweighed even our beloved H.V. Richard II was not a pleasant story, but it was wonderfully scripted (of course!) and the acting was extraordinary.

Blessings,

Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang by Ian Fleming

I have a soft spot in my heart for British children's books that include a mix of silliness and wisdom (Think Toad in Wind in the Willows and Eeyore in the Winnie the Pooh books.) Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a personal favorite and I recently read it to a group of rambunctious second graders. It was the only quiet half hour our class enjoyed each day.

Although I'm a big fan of the movie, it bears no resemblance to the book. So I love the movie for its songs and its joy (not for the Child Catcher or Baron Bomburst), and I love the book for it's sly humor (which the film captures wonderfully via Dick Van Dyke as Commander Potts).

In the book Caractacus Potts not only transforms a junkyard car into a gleaming driving machine, he also discovers the hideout of a famous gangster, Joe the Monster, and has various run-ins with him and his gang of ruffians.  I especially like Fleming's attitude toward his young readers. For the skeptics he offers semi-believable solutions to Chitty's antics, but to the ready-to-believe-anything crowd, he offers up fantastic possibilities.

One example: Fortunately Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang had smelt trouble. Heaven knows how, but there it is. There was much about this magical car that even Commander Pott couldn't understand. All I can say is that , as the gangster's low black roadster stole away down the moonlit streets, perhaps its movement jolted something or made some electrical connection in the mysterious insides of Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang, but anyway there was the tiny soft whirr of machinery, hardly louder than the buzz of a mosquito, and behind the ornament on the hood, a small antenna, like a wireless aerial, rose softly, and began to swivel after the gangster's car, which was now hurtling up the great main road towards Paris.

A lovely read-aloud!

Blessings,

Worthwhile Movie #15 - The Railway Man

I rarely like a movie more than the book on which it is based, but Railway Man is one exception. I read the book a few years ago and felt the conclusion was flimsy.

It tells the story of a young soldier in WWII, tortured by his Japanese captors. After the war he spends many years planning how he will take revenge. But when he finally meets his arch enemy, things turn out quite differently. Yet the motivation for forgiveness is never quite clear.

That's where the film fills in the blanks. The movie invents quite a bit of drama regarding the reconciliation of Lomax and Takeshi, which makes the reconciliation more believable.

I like films that are more cerebral than action-packed and this one does not disappoint. (Although mercifully few, the flashbacks of torture scenes are very violent. Pressing the mute buttons helps me to get through them.) The filming is excellent, the dialogue good, and the acting understated. I've heard mixed reviews on Colin Firth's acting ability, but he plays the silent sufferer to perfection. Nicole Kidman is quite good even though the film makers were unsuccessful in making her look like a plain housewife.

Unbroken, To End All Wars and Jacob De Shazer's personal testimony are more satisfying stories than the one by Lomax, but I highly recommend this film to fans of WWII POW history for it's fine filming, excellent dialogue and redemptive truths.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The only thing I knew going into this book was that it was about a white lawyer defending a black man in the South. I expected it to be gritty and so held my breath for the first half of the book; If I'd known that the trial would not be as tawdry as expected, I would have enjoyed the book that much more.

Atticus Finch is a small-time lawyer in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama. He is a gentle, book-loving widower who never sets out to promote himself. But because of his firm conviction that all people are created equal, he takes on the "lost cause" case of Tom Robinson who is accused of raping a white woman. Finch is the hero of the novel, but there are many others who are equally as heroic in their quiet ways. In fact, I don't think Atticus is the main character as much as a mirror from which we see reflected all the other characters.

Scout and Jem's mother has passed away and their absent-minded (but loving) father spends little time on developing their manners and social graces, much to the horror of his sister Alexandra. I tried my hardest to hate the small profanities coming out of Scout's mouth, but the more I read, the more I saw how pitch perfect Lee's writing was in giving voice to a young motherless girl growing up without much parental intervention.

Scout may not have had a lot of input from her daddy on how to speak like a lady, but the book makes it very clear that he had a powerful influence of another kind. Because of his strong stance on helping the weak, both of his children learn hard lessons about human nature. When Jem  (the older brother) is "forced" to read to a cranky elderly lady as a punishment for ruining her flowers, he begins to learn compassion. Jem's coming-of-age through various difficult events was one of my favorite parts of this book.

Through Atticus the children learn that:

(1) People aren't always as bad (or good) as they seem.

(2) Life isn't Fair - though Atticus had used every legal tool available to save Tom Robinson, he could not influence the secret courts of men hearts. (p. 241)

(3) Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand - It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. (p. 112)

Harper Lee introduces us to many brave people who will work their way into your heart. No wonder this book is considered a classic. I'm still astonished that Lee could write such a sad story with so much humor, wisdom, pathos and beauty. Remarkable. 

Keep in mind this novel was banned for its use of the N word, but much like Huck Finn, the word was used to reflect the times, but not the author's view which is clearly against racial inequality.