pages in my hymnal. (and the Bible!)
Worthwhile Books
Books have to be heavy because the world's inside them. - Cornelia Funke
Thursday, October 10, 2024
How I Read Ten Books at Once
pages in my hymnal. (and the Bible!)
Friday, September 27, 2024
Set in Silver by C.N. Williamson
Set inSilver is a far-fetched comedy of errors that was perfectly delightful. It’s a
love story in two senses. First, it’s the tale of a man who comes back to
England after many years and rediscovers his passion for the country of his birth.
Second, it is the traditional yarn of boy-meets-girl.
I’m
prejudiced toward British writers and the Williamsons did not disappoint. The
novel was loaded with literary references to Greek mythology, literary classics
and the Bible. It was not Christian by any stretch of the imagination (Lionel’s
sister is annoyingly religious), but if you know the Bible, the off-hand allusions
to scriptural passages were often laugh-out-loud-funny. The frequent references
to Arthurian legends were also a big plus for me. (It’s amazing to think that
this “light” novel was written with the expectation that people would catch all
these references, which they still did in 1909.)
Even though
I could hardly put this book down, it took almost a week to read. It was 400
pages on my Kindle and I refused to skim over the descriptive passages (except
for the last 40 pages when I just couldn’t wait a second longer to see how it
was all going to turn out).
If you like
a good vintage novel that is more lighthearted than sappy, this should do the trick. It
had me smiling from start to finish. And it’s free for Kindle.
Friday, September 13, 2024
A Fugue in Time by Rummer Godden
What a strange and delightful book! It tells the story of a house that has sheltered three generations of the Dane family. The book opens during WWII as Sir Roland looks back over his life and over the century that his family has lived in the house at 99 Wiltshire Place. People are randomly introduced, but are fleshed out as the novel progresses. There are Griselda and John, Roland’s parents. Of their nine children, only three play a major part in the narrative. Another member of this second generation is Lark, an adopted orphan. Finally come Grizel and Pax (the third generation).
Another
major character in the book is the house itself. It seems to hold the memories
and conversations of all who have lived there. These voices sometimes talk to
Roland, which may be disconcerting to some readers, but I found it intriguing.
Take this paragraph which describes a young woman (granddaughter to John and grandniece to Roland) who comes for a visit:
It seemed to her all at once that the house was immensely bigger than she had first thought; it had, she glimpsed, a common life far greater than the individual little lives that were her grandfather and herself. It held them both. He was dead, she was alive, but there was no difference between them in the house. Grizel did not like that. She was insistent. ‘No. No,’ she cried. ‘He is dead, It is I, Grizel, who am alive.’ Then her cheeks warmed. It was as if someone had coldly remarked, ‘What a clamor you make, Grizel.’
It can be confusing because the narrative is not told in a linear fashion, but jumps back and forth between time frames; you only know when a particular episode takes place by paying attention to the names given to the servants or to Sir Roland. (He is young “Roly” in the beginning and grows into “Rollo” as a young man. At the end of his life, he is referred to as “Rolls.”)
Being
musically challenged, I did not know the significance of the word fugue in the
title, but other reviewers helped me see Godden’s genius in using it. Sara (at
Goodreads) explains, “A fugue is a musical movement in which melodic lines run
independently but also merge to create a harmony…. Godden has created a fugue
in her novel, telling individual stories, with individual voices, but layering
them atop one another to show both the passage of time and the continuity of
time, simultaneously.”
It's complicated, but patient reading brings rich dividends. The writing is lovely. For example, the empty nursery is described not as “vacant” but as a place with a sense of an inner cheerful life of its own like the sound of the sea, once known to the shell, that always remains.
One
reviewer calls it a feminist book, but I beg to differ. Yes, one of the women in
the family chafed at the marital yoke and wished she had never had any
children. But the two unhappiest characters are those who have shut themselves
out of relationships to stay “safe.” Grizel and Pax must decide if they will choose
safety and order over the potential discomforts of joining their lives together.
This is a unique book that must be read slowly. Its beauty brought tears to my eyes more than
once.
Friday, August 30, 2024
What I Read and Watched in August
Friday, August 16, 2024
Abide in Christ by Andrew Murray
Friday, August 2, 2024
C.S. Lewis on the Perfect Walking Trip
Thursday opened with discussions. A survey of the maps showed a lamentable discrepancy between the route we wanted to follow and the possible places for lunch. Then emerged the dark and hideous prospect of ‘taking’ our lunch. Perfectly simple you know. Buy some bread and cheese before we start and have lunch where we like. Makes you independent you know. Drinks? Oh, get a few oranges if you don’t feel inclined to carry a bottle of beer in your pack for the first ten miles. I need hardly say that our novice member was entirely in favor of the scheme. I, of course, who have seen days spoiled this way before, was the head of the opposition. The wrong party won. We stuffed our packs with bread, butter, cheese and oranges. The only thing I look back on with satisfaction was that the butter, at any rate, was not in my pack.
Because of rising winds all day, the group was cold and miserable by lunchtime. The packed lunch was entirely unsatisfactory. He continues: The midday siesta, that great essential of a day’s walking, was out of the question in that abominable camp, and we set off gloomily.... [at dusk] no one can describe the delight of coming to a sudden drop and looking down into a rich wooded valley where you see the roofs of a place where you’re going to have supper and a bed: especially if the sunset lies on the ridge beyond the valley. There is so much mixed in it: the mere physical anticipations as of a horse nearing its stable, the sense of accomplishment and the old romance of travelling. It always seems to sum up the whole day that is behind you – give it a sort of climax and then stow it away with the faintly melancholy, but not unpleasant, feeling of things gone past.
In an earlier letter to Arthur Greeves he describes the delight of finding a perfect spot for sitting and "soaking" in the beauty and peace of nature. He writes, I have one great addition to my comfort here, in the discovery of a ‘soaking-machine,’ which conveniences are very scarce in England, owing to the strict customs which prevent the mildest trespassing. My new palace, is at the foot of a great oak, a few yards off a lane, and hidden therefrom by a little row of shrubs and small trees. Completely private, safe from sun, wind or rain, and on a ridge.
Soaking up the beautiful countryside, conversing with like-minded friends, and arriving at the end of the day to a good meal, warm fire and comfortable bed. Sounds perfect!
Blessings, Hope
(Photo by Tomasz Filipek on Unsplash)
Friday, July 19, 2024
Stories of Faith and Courage from World War II by Larkin Spivey
I must confess that most of my reading about WWII (over 100 books) is about the home front or POW stories. I know very little about specific strategic battles. When I picked up Stories of Faith and Courage from WWII, I was expecting the personal narratives that I’m accustomed to (i.e., uplifting stories of people whose faith helped them to get through the trials of the war), but it was something quite different.
Each month covers a different battle or aspect of
the war. January covers the European front with a brief historical overview and includes a map which shows where the major battles were fought. The daily
readings, though not heavy on military details, mention the battles, and it is
very helpful to have the map at hand. Though the readings are mostly personal
reflections from diaries, letters and speeches, I appreciated being able to
read them in the context of the much bigger picture.
Also, though many of the entries were uplifting and encouraging, many
others gave details of the thousands and thousands of lives lost. Intermixed
with letters displaying unusual courage were letters admitting discouragement
and despair. Accounts of heroism were inspiring yet heartbreaking. It was a very sobering read.
Here is
just one example from March 13:
Life aboard
a merchant ship in convoy across the Atlantic was a mixture of boredom and
fear. Long days and nights passed without incident. However, when something
happened, it usually happened suddenly. Life jackets and precious valuables
were kept close at hand. There was also the issue of where to sleep.
The civilian
Merchant Marines who manned the ships grimly calculated where they slept aboard
ship by the cargo they carried. If you were hauling a load of iron ore, you
slept on deck for you had only a few seconds to clear the ship once a torpedo
hit. If you carried general cargo, you could sleep below decks but kept your clothes
on because your survival time was calculated in minutes. If, however, your ship
carried a load of aviation fuel, you were free to sleep naked below decks, with
the door closed since you would never have the time to escape the certain and
sudden oblivion of a torpedo attack.
This is supposed to be read as a daily devotional book, but I
had trouble putting it down. It would be an excellent primer for someone
who wants a good overview of the history of the war. I am so glad I read it.