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,

15th Anniversary of Worthwhile Books

How did 15 years of blogging go by so swiftly? When my sister-in-law, Diane, suggested that I start a blog to point people to the classics, I never dreamed it would become my new favorite hobby. Many of my blogging friends have stopped posting because their lives have taken different tracks. And I have slowed down to twice-a-month. So why do I even keep going?  

I don't do it for the stats, although I am always pleasantly surprised during my 5-year checkups to see which posts have garnered the most attention. And I don't do it for the accolades, although I love it when readers comment. I do it because I love stories that nurture the heart and mind. I read a book more carefully and thoughtfully when I know I have to write about it. Writing then helps me to sift out the main ideas and cement them into my brain. A much needed help as I grow older!

By the way, the top five posts are still Code Name Nimrod, The Horse and His Boy, Recommended Librivox Recordings, The Two Towers and Aesop's Fables although a dozen other posts have reached a thousand views. Small potatoes in the blogsphere, but still gratifying.

Thank you to those who have been reading my posts through the years. I hope we can keep encouraging one another to read the best books.

Blessings,

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

(Be aware that some mild spoilers are inevitable in this review.)

I avoided Uncle Tom's Cabin for years anticipating caricatures, bad writing, and preachiness. Frankly, it was much better than I expected. Yes, there are some stereotypes, but there are also many nuanced, well-drawn characters. I had to read all 300 pages before I could decide in which group to fit Uncle Tom. It would have been easy to write off him for his unusually placid outlook on life, which is why I think Stowe was wise to create a needed contrast in the character of George. 

Sometimes Stowe was preachy, but she also worked hard to show different points of view on slavery.  It was fascinating to see every possible Scripture verse (both to defend and denounce it) coming out of the mouths of the main characters. Some, like Maria, hold to their views of slavery no matter what they see with their own eyes. Others, like Ophelia, grow in their understanding of the problem. Though Ophelia is convinced that slaves have eternal souls and should be educated and treated well, she is initially horrified when Eva kisses one of the black servants. She slowly evolves, becoming a tender and true woman of faith. 

Three drawbacks: Stowe, in her effort to be gracious toward blacks, unknowingly writes condescendingly, often making blanket statements about them as "a sensitive and impressionable race," or describing a person as acting "after the manner of their race." It doesn't wear well today, but I'm sure that at the time of her writing, it was seen as sympathetic. Also, the "N" word is used frequently by both whites and blacks. Last of all, the saintliest person in the book was, to me, the least believable. 

I was intrigued by the fact that even though slavery was the primary issue in the novel, a strong secondary theme was theodicy. Is it possible to trust God in the midst of extreme suffering? Very thought-provoking!

Blessings,

Lord Peter Wimsey Books 11-15 and One More

It took me three years, but I have finally made it through all of the Lord Peter Wimsey novels. And what a wonderful ride it was! I had my favorites along the way, but I can see myself revisiting ALL of them again.

9. (#11 was accidently reviewed in my previous Wimsey post.) Hangman's Holiday - All of the stories in this book had me on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed the protagonist, Montague Egg. My full review is here.

12. Gaudy Night - The 3rd novel with Harriet Vane. Lovely to watch their relationship deepen. Review here.

13. Busman's Honeymoon - the last official Lord Peter novel. My very favorite. Reviewed here (w/ spoilers).

14. In the Teeth of Evidence - Good stories, but not enough Lord Peter.

15. Striding Folly - A quick fun read. Only three stories, but two of them are about Lord Peter as a father. Very endearing.

The Wimsey Papers - A collection of letters and documents supposedly written by the Wimsey clan during the first year of WWII. I enjoyed eavesdropping on many of the characters from the previous novels. Though it was all too short, I thought it was a great way to conclude the 15 books in the series.  

The novels are quite pricey at Amazon, but I was able to get all of these through my library via digital download. I bought a compilation of the short stories (books 4,9,14, & 15) when it was on sale for $2.99. Also, I saw that you can buy the first three novels and a dozen short stories for 99 cents. (the price at the time I wrote this post.)

Blessings,

What I Read and Watched in June 2023

This was a hectic month as we taught our classes, kept up with ministry responsibilities, and tied up loose ends before leaving our apartment for six months of home assignment. I am looking forward to easy access to libraries and cheap books in the U.S!

The books I read in June are listed in order of favorite to least favorite, although I enjoyed them all:

All the Light We Cannot See by Doerr, which I reviewed at Goodreads. (some foul language, but what an amazing story!)

Holy Happiness by Kinlaw - a superb series of sermons on Genesis 1-3 

Praying the Bible by Donald S. Whitney seemed a little hokey at first, but when I began to put it into practice, I received rich dividends. Still learning how to pray through the Psalms. 

The Way to Pentecost by Chadwick was another devotional book that encouraged me to trust in Christ's strength and not my own.

The Medieval Mind of C.S. Lewis - I learned a lot, but it was uphill climbing.

A Maid in Arcady by Ralph Henry Barbour - Vintage fiction that I read when sidelined by a bad cold.

I finished up three books that I have been reading for months: All Things Wise and Wonderful has been our date night read-aloud since September of last year and evoked much laughter and a few tears. I started Amazing Grace: 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories in January, but finished it early because I couldn't just read one a day. I also finished Living a Life of True Worship, my favorite 40-minute Bible study from Precept Ministries.

 All our Friday night movies this month were via my library's Hoopla app. Lilies of the Field with Sidney Poitier (for which he won an Oscar) was delightful. The Hallmark Hall of Fame, Harvest of Fire was also excellent. (The trailer makes it look a lot more melodramatic than it was. And I got a kick out of seeing Eric Mabius from the Signed, Sealed, Delivered movies as a gawky teenager.) Finally, we watched the Hallmark mystery, Abracadavar, which had just the right amount of suspense for me (very little. ha!) 

What about you? Did you read or watch anything commendable?

Blessings,

Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales

Introduction to the Devout Life has been on my TBR list for at least 20 years so when I heard that the Catholic Classics podcast was going to cover it, I jumped on board. What better way to understand a Catholic classic than through the eyes of two priests? I ended up getting "two-for-the-price-of-one" because they not only commented on each chapter, they read the chapter at the beginning of each episode.

The book is based on actual letters written to Madame Louise de Charmoisy, the wife of one of St. Francis' cousins, who had asked him for spiritual guidance. He was later encouraged to compile his advice into a volume aimed at a more general audience. In the book, he addresses his letters to "Philothea" (lover of God) and it is written in a wonderful, fatherly tone.

Therefore, my daughter, I say that although it is lawful to amuse yourself, to dance, to dress, to feast, and see seemly plays, - at the same time, if you are much addicted to these things, they will hinder your devotion, and become extremely hurtful and dangerous to you. The harm lies, not in doing them, but in the degree to which you care for them. It is a pity to sow the seed of vain and foolish tastes in the soil of your heart, taking up the place of better things, and hindering the soul from cultivating good dispositions.

One of the great strengths of the book is its powerful imagery. After he advises Philothea to read and ponder over Scripture each day, he writes, At the end of your meditation linger a while, and gather, so to say, a little spiritual bouquet from the thoughts you dwelt upon, the sweet perfume whereof may refresh you through the day.

Sometimes the chapters were meaty enough to require no additional comments. At other times the chapters were "just okay," but the commentary that followed was stellar. On Day 16, for example, the subject was on the necessity of humility and Father Gregory remarked, We can enter this life of humility because we realize it is not ours to create, but ours to enter into. There's a beauty to that. There's a difficulty, but also a beauty and a confidence that we ought to have as Christians that God is at work. He loves you. He wants to share His life with you. And that's what the devout life is all about. Full stop. That's what we are chasing after. Like Holiness, it's His gift to give and ours to receive.  

Even though I underlined something on almost every page, I'm not sure why I am not more enthusiastic about Introduction to the Devout Life. The Catholic emphases were off putting at times, which may be why I don't recommend it wholeheartedly. It could be because my top book in 2022 was William Law's A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, which I think is more accessible. 

While I couldn't always keep up with the podcasts, I managed to read one short chapter from the book each day and was enriched by each one. I'm very glad I finally tackled this devotional classic.

Blessings,

The Story of King Arthur and His Knights by Howard Pyle

I had been primed for Howard Pyle’s King Arthur and His Knights by two previous retellings of the Arthurian legends (Green’s and Knowles’). But I wasn’t prepared for how deeply I would love this third version.

From the very first page, I was captivated by Pyle’s affection and reverence for this legendary king. In the introduction he wrote, I believe that King Arthur was the most honorable, gentle Knight who ever lived in the world. And those who were his fellows of the Round Table – taking him as their looking glass of chivalry – made, altogether, such a company of noble knights that is hardly to be supposed that their like will ever be seen again in this world.

Truly his heart was “stirred with a noble theme.”

Unlike the two previous authors I read, Pyle manages to weave the legends together into a cohesive and beautiful adult fairy tale, which I found enthralling and at times achingly beautiful. Because he was unconcerned with brevity (this is the first of four volumes), he also includes many details that the others left out about Guinivere, Sir Pellias, Excalibur, Merlin, and much more.

The rich language made my heart sing! At times it was something simple like the black knight being called the “Sable” Knight. At other times it took on fabulous fairy tale tones such as, Thus died that wicked man, for as King Arthur drave past him, the evil soul of him quitted his body with a weak noise like to the squeaking of a bat, and the world was well rid of him.

I normally hate moralizing in books, but I thought Pyle was very effective in making connections between the knight’s actions and his expectations that his readers would also live lives of faithfulness and honor:

So endeth the story of the winning of Excalibur, and may God give unto you in your life, that you may have His truth to aid you, like a shining sword, for to overcome your enemies; and may He give you Faith (for Faith containeth Truth as a scabbard containeth its sword), and may that Faith heal all your wounds of sorrow as the sheath of Excalibur healed all the wounds of him who wore that excellent weapon. For with Truth and Faith girded upon you, you shall be as well able to fight all your battles as did that noble hero of old, whom men call King Arthur.

This is a book that I can’t wait to own so that I can underline it to my heart’s content. I listened to the audio version by Stuart Langton (via Hoopla) and then read the chapters on my kindle to savor them a second time. Though the language is occasionally difficult, most of the old-fashioned words can be deciphered within their context. Highly recommended if you love beautiful storytelling.

 I am only on the beginning of this fantastic journey. There are no less than 456 books listed at Goodreads of Arthurian Legend retellings!

Blessings,