What I Read and Watched in May

Another exceptionally busy (but fulfilling) month meant I could barely fit in time for reading: Fahrenheit 451 was a great re-read along with the Literary Life podcast group. All the rest were new-to-me titles. Spring Magic by D.E. Stevenson was a nice, light novel. Miss Plum and Miss Penny by D.E. Smith was another pleasant vintage novel. It had a few brilliant moments, but I rarely engaged with any of the characters. Unfortunately, I've become quite attached to the folks who live in Thrush Green (12 novels by Miss Read), and no other villagers seem to match up.

I finished up with two non-fiction books: Dorothy Sayers' Mind of the Maker and a book in Portuguese for my theology class (Introdução à Teologia Armínio-Wesleyana by Vinicius Couto), which was excellent. 

I squeezed in a movie each week: Three Hallmark mysteries (Dating is Murder and Murder, With Love, which are Hailey Dean Mysteries, and The Peach Cobbler Mystery - from the Murder, She Baked series). My husband I also watched the newest episodes of The Chosen, season two. 

Blessings,

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

The nicest thing about re-reading a favorite book is that you are not in a hurry to find out what happens and can savor the beautiful passages. It was a great pleasure, therefore, to read Fahrenheit 451 after a 15 year break. I loved it the first time because, as a bibliophile, I could identify with the horrors of a world without books where everyone is numbed by mindless entertainment. 

This time around my satisfaction was doubled as I thought more deeply about each of the characters and their (often painful) journeys toward self-awareness. Guy Montag, an official book burner, is the central figure and the novel recounts his awakening from his cultural stupor and his road to redemption. 

Listening to the comments on the Literary Life podcast enhanced my reading even more as the hosts pointed out themes I would never have noticed such as the fairy tale motifs and Bradbury's nods to Dante. I'm glad I had them as "reading buddies" this second time through.

Books were only one type of receptacle where we stored a lot of things we were afraid to forget. There is nothing magical in them, at all. The magic is only in what books say, how they stitched the patches of the universe together into one garment for us. (p. 79)

Blessings,

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

I have avoided Anna Karenina for decades, but felt encouraged by the Literary Life podcast group to finally take the plunge. The main thing that helped me overcome my fears was finding out it was not "all about Anna." It was a relief to find the novel peopled with other interesting characters whose stories were woven around hers to make a rich tapestry showing man's longing for love and for meaning. An essential parallel story is that of Levin and his search for faith.

It's hard not to give spoilers, so I'll give the only one that I think everyone already knows: Anna's unhappy marriage and her search for love elsewhere. I marveled that her lover encouraged her to be flirtatious and never had a moment's agony over other men's attention toward her. Levin, on the other hand, was often unreasonably (it seemed to me) jealous over any attention his wife received.  As I pondered this, I thought of the holy jealousy of God as expressed in the Scriptures, which is not pettiness because His desire is for the good of the loved one. His purpose to have a deep, loving relationship with His people means that any rivals must go. So even though Levin comes off as more plebian and Vronsky as more sophisticated, the reader knows that their difference in attitude is a significant expression of their characters.

The biggest challenge was the sheer length of the book (and learning everybody's names), but it was not hard to understand at all. I found my mind wandering during the bits about politics and farming, but was able to appreciate those sections when I switched over to the audiobook. (free on YouTube or at Librivox) 

Tolstoy was a master at conveying the longings and disappointments of his protagonists, portraying them in all their glory and their brokenness. This is unquestionably a masterpiece. 

Has anyone else tackled it? Any thoughts?

Postscript on the various translations: I am no expert on translations, but sometimes I much preferred the Nathan Haskell Dole version (1899) at Librivox to the version I own (2004). Here's a brief example from the end of Book 8.

[After the storm,] they gathered up the wet napkins; the nanny took the baby out and carried him. Levin walked beside his wife and, guilty on the account of his vexation, squeezed her hand in secret from the nanny. (Peavar/Volokhonsky)

[After the storm,] they hastily picked up the wet diapers, the nurse took the baby, and Levin, ashamed of his vexation, gave his arm to his wife and led her away, pressing her hand gently. (Dole)

By the context we know that the baby had to be changed, which kept the two women from getting home before the rain storm. The use of the word "napkins" is awkward. ("Napkins/nappies" are diapers in British English, but this translation was done by an American and his Russian wife.) This highlights the problem of "literal vs dynamic equivalent" methods of translation. One tries to be true to the Russian-sounding phrases and goes for more of a word-for-word rendition. The other tries to render the translation with flow and beauty. In this case, I preferred the smoother flowing sentences.

The most readable version by far was the one I checked out from my library (Mint Editions - no translator listed): "They gathered up the baby's wet belongings; the nurse picked up the baby and carried it. Levin walked beside his wife and, penitent for having been angry, he squeezed her hand when the nurse was not looking."

 

Blessings,

What I Read and Watched in April

I started teaching an online class on April 19, so I worked hard to finish three hefty books before that deadline, knowing I wouldn't have much time after that. 

I finished Anna Karenina and was greatly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. (review forthcoming) I finished up two books for my theology class: The Transforming Power of Grace by Methodist theologian Thomas Oden and John Wesley in Theological Debate by Allan Coppedge (who was my advisor when I did my masters 30 years ago). I loved both books but they are definitely for theology nerds.  

In between the heavy reading, I watched lighter fare: nine episodes of "Julia," a TV series I enjoyed as a child, which is available on YouTube. I also watched two Hallmark mysteries (Murder 101: Killer Timing, and Crossword Mysteries: Riddle Me Dead) which were just okay. Dan and I also watched the first two episodes of the second season of The Chosen. 

Once my class started, I had much less time for reading or movie watching. Our son let us log into his Netflix account to watch the new Tom Hank's western, News of the World last weekend. I loved the book and love Hanks, but felt this movie didn't come up to the quality of storytelling that True Grit had.

Did you watch or read anything wonderful in April?

Blessings,

Audiobooks are Amazing! (Except When They're Not)

I am a huge fan of audiobooks. They helped me get through intimidating books like Moby Dick, Anna Karenina and Nicholas Nickleby. And literary classics are twice the fun when heard in a British accent. Occasionally I abandon an audiobook if the narrator isn't that great. Sometimes I'm frustrated at having to "rewind" the book in order to capture a choice quote. But these are small quibbles. Audiobooks are what got me out of my slump last year so I shouldn't criticize them, right? 

This year I've discovered a few additional reasons why they are not always ideal. 

(1) Sometimes listening to a book makes the story come to life in a bad way. That happened when I tackled Kristin Lavransdatter earlier this year; I became so emotionally immersed in the story that I had to revert to the written page to manage the stress. 

(2) Sometimes they come dangerously close to sounding like bad preaching. Recently my small group began reading the book, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Scazzero. It has some good ideas mixed in with pop psychology. Listening to it often made me angry. But when I read the actual page, I was able to overlook the flimsy reasoning and sift out the good stuff.

(3) Sometimes you miss important details. I listened to several Dorothy Sayers' mysteries in February. When I went back through the written text to find favorite quotes, I discovered some essential clues that I'd missed while listening. This is not the fault of the audiobook as much as it is the fact that I usually listen while doing something else (cooking or exercising) so my mind is less engaged.

Still, I'm a huge fan because there's something scrumptious about being read to. Yet I'm aware that it has its limits. What about you? Did you ever find that listening to a certain book was a bad way to "read" it?

Blessings,

Eating Together as a Basis for Culture - quote from Sean Fitzpatrick

Breaking bread together is a deep sign of cultural togetherness, for it bestows both natural and supernatural nourishment. What’s more, a meal is a ritual. It’s a manifestation of living together in harmony and health—an enactment of human civility and civilization. Food provides a happy occasion for gathering and collective enjoyment, which is one of the pillars of friendship and a healthy culture. As an essentially life-giving activity, the meal is a sacrament of family and friends; it is a sign and a strengthening of the life that flows from those labors of love that bind people together....

Today the idea and ethics of dining are deteriorating into a hurried, harried, pre-packaged affair punctuated by interruptions. The very expression “fast food” is inimical to the most essential reason for meals, which arises not out of speed but out of care, consideration, and conversation. Just as Mass and prayer are not for hastening through, neither are meals. The current tendency, however, is not only to eat in a rush, which prevents the enjoyment of a meal and demeans the dignity of food, but also to eat alone, which diminishes the sense of community. When meals are sacred, the labor and leisure of communities will be sacred—and that sanctity is the basis of culture.

Food for Thought by Sean Fitzpatrick (from Crisis Magazine)

Blessings,

The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch

The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch is not a "how to" as much as a "why to" book on limiting technology. This book is about much more than just social media, or even screens. It's about how to live as full, flourishing human beings. Maybe it will even turn out that in that quest for flourishing, technology in its proper place can actually help. Crouch's definition of a family, and what it takes to make a family healthy, made this a strong four-star read for me. Technology must serve the needs of the family, and not be its master. Technology is in its proper place when it helps us acquire skill and mastery of domains that are the glory of human culture (sports, music, the arts, cooking, writing, etc.) When we let technology replace the development of skill with passive consumption, something has gone wrong.

I appreciated his many insights into the false promises of technology to make life easier. Easier and flashier platforms, games, and programs often encourage us to opt out of activities that take more mental and emotional energy. These harder activities are the ones that enrich us and help us grow. The last thing you need when you are learning, at any age but especially in childhood, is to have things made too easy. Difficulty and resistance, as long as they are age appropriate and not too discouraging, are actually what press our brains and bodies to adapt and learn.

I was completely taken aback by the last chapter on how Christians must live in incarnational community, including the dignity of "low-tech" dying. This probably wouldn't have hit me so hard if it hadn't been for the families I know who suffered the loss of a loved one due to COVID and could not be with them at the moment of their passing. Crouch writes, We are meant not just for thin, virtual connections but for visceral, real connections to one another in this fleeting, temporary, and infinitely beautiful and worthwhile life. We are meant to die in one another's arms, surrounded by prayer and song, knowing beyond a doubt that we are loved.

Crouch wrote so winsomely of his daily, weekly, and yearly fasts from his devices, that I decided to get on board by making Sunday a no-screen day. I had no idea how hard that would be. Ignoring my TV and computer was a cinch, but because I use my cell phone as a kitchen timer and podcast source, and my Kindle's white noise app for taking naps, the temptation was always there to  mindlessly scroll through social media when I picked up these tools. This is a fast that I'm still determined to learn how to do.

I never dreamed that a little book on the dangers of technology overload would be so inspiring. Definitely another of my favorite books of 2021.

Blessings,