Three Reasons I've Gone Back to Rote Memorization

When I was a child, my sisters and I participated in a Bible memory club that gave kids prizes for memorizing Scripture. My husband's father used to pay him a dollar for every verse he memorized. Needless to say, we are highly motivated. But as he and I grew up, went to college and seminary, married, started a family, and moved to the missionfield, we left that practice behind. We still loved and studied the Bible, but somehow Scripture memory fell off our radar. 

When I read The Count of Monte Cristo many years ago, something began to stir in my heart. In one of the early chapters in the book, Dantés is in prison and feels like he is about to go mad. Then he meets Abbé Faria who tells him that at a certain point in his life he read and re-read the great classics and stored much of them away in his memory. Hence, his mind was constantly having meaningful dialogue with all the ideas he had stored away in his brain. I was intrigued by that! (The complete post is here.) I began to hope that "someday" I might have the time to do the same thing.

Then, about ten years ago, I read an article about how cell phones and the internet were robbing us of our ability to remember things. Phone numbers, addresses and other information were automatically stored for us on our devices. There were even apps for managing your passwords. With a click of a button you could access any Bible verse by typing in a few key words into your search engine. No need to try to remember anything! This was my second prompt to dive into action. 

The final step toward putting these thoughts into practice came when I stumbled upon Andrew Wilson's book An Approach to Extended  Memorization of Scripture, which clinched my resolve. (I've written an entire blog post about my journey here.) 

  

I've been at it for ten years now and I've memorized some wonderful Scripture verses, hymn lyrics and classic poetry. Sometimes my 65 year old brain doesn't cooperate and it takes me a whole month to get a short Bible passage down pat. (I've discovered that a chunk of twelve verses is my limit.) Poetry comes more easily because of its cadences, but whether it's Scripture, prose or poetry, constant review has been a necessity. 

Do you know what has surprised me most? How much fun it is! (I always get a warm glow when I recite Wentworth's letter to Anne from Persuasion.) and it's gratifying to always have something "nutritious" in my brain to think about. It's like having a secret chocolate stash that I can raid anytime that I have a quiet moment. It also keeps me from doomscrolling while waiting for a doctor's appointment or while standing in a long line. I just whip out the list of memorization projects that I keep in my wallet and start working my way through it. 

The purpose of the post is not to brag as much as it is to encourage you to give memorization a try. You might be surprised at how fulfilling it is. And your brain will thank you!

Blessings,

What I Read and Watched in July 2026

My reading was limited, but rich, this month. I finished Volume 8 of John Wesley's Works (mostly correspondence), which I enjoyed. One of my goals this year is to read the Iliad, the Odyssey and the Aeneid. I read the Aeneid last month so this month I listened to Elizabeth Vandiver's lectures on Homer's Odyssey and then listened to the audiobook (narrated by the marvelous Dan Stevens.) I did not know that there was a new Odyssey film coming out till I finished the book, but it definitely made it easier to understand what all the criticisms of the film were about. 

To round out the month, I read two delightful shorter books: My Dear Charlotte by Hazel Holt and Lassie, Come-Home by Eric Knight.

I watched two patriotic movies in July. The Wings of Eagles starred John Wayne playing naval aviator Frank Wead (1895-1947). He and Maureen O'Hara have great rapport, but it was hard to believe her as a hard drinking American wife. The film was directed by film-genius John Ford so I was surprised at how much slapstick was included. And it actually pained my heart to see Wayne, someone who always plays "bigger-than-life" characters, limping along with canes. 

A Bell for Adano (based on John Hersey's Pulitzer Prize winning book) was my second film. It is about a small Italian town ravaged by World War II and the American major who comes to restore order. John Hodiak's wooden acting was grating, but William Bendix shone as his underling. It could have been heartwarming if it hadn't been so depressing. 

The highlight of the month was Project Hail Mary, which I enjoyed so much that I'm going to write a separate blog post about it. 

What about you? Did you read or watch anything related to American Independence Day?

Blessings,

Reminscing about Books #7

This will be my last nostalgic post this year because my teaching schedule is lightening up, and soon I'll have the head space for reading and reviewing. I've missed writing about books!

In the year 2014, I wrote my one and only post that went viral (in a modest sort of way). I had discovered Librivox a few years earlier and was able to recommend some of the better readers. That garnered enough interest to get almost 8,000 views (rather than my average of about 50). One responder told me about Adrian Praetzellis who is absolutely remarkable as a narrator, especially for Treasure Island.

Two children's classics bowled me over that year: Charlotte's Web (reviewed here) and C.S. Evans' beautiful version of Sleeping Beauty (reviewed here and here). 

My final gem was David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (reviewed here). I'd been trying to like Dickens for decades, and this book turned me into a devoted fan. 

That was also the year I wrote my personal favorite post on Christian romance novels. I got a lot of suggestions for "better" Christian fiction, but am still not convinced. I devoured Grace Livingston Hill books as a teen, and read other Christian authors until I was about thirty. But when I began to read the classics (especially Trollope), I somehow lost my taste for the fluffier stuff. (I still like an occasional light, fun book, as you know if you've read this blog for any amount of time.)   

Have you found that your reading tastes have changed over the years? 

P.S. Amazon usually has an end-of-the year deal on Kindle Unlimited for 99 cents for three months. I saw it earlier, but couldn't find the link to post here. It would be worth it just to read the first ten Ngaio Marsh novels. But there are also quite a few D.E. Stevenson and Miss Read titles (cozy British village settings).

Blessings,

Reminiscing about Books #6

My last post was on the literary riches of 2011, but the next year was no different. In truth, because I read a book per week (sometimes two), 80 percent of them aren't worth blogging about. BUT the "cream" that floats to the top makes it all worthwhile. 

In 2012 I read a mix of theology, biography, detective fiction, and classic children's literture. I read my first Betsy-Tacy book, and was enchanted. (Review here.) Andrew Murray's book on The Two Covenants was profound, and gave me a deeper appreciation for the Old Testament (and for how all of it pointed to the future reality of the Cross.) I reviewed it here.

I rarely read modern titles, but Unbroken by Lauren Hildebrand was so highly tauted that I caved in. I could hardly put it down! (Review here.) Another WWII favorite that year was Helmet for my Pillow (reviewed here). 

I love books, but am very careful to wait for good deals so that I can stay within my budget. Anyway, when I heard about The Truest Fairy Tale, based on the writings of G.K. Chesterton, I went against all my financial principles and sent away for a copy. It was worth it! (Reviewed here.) 

The last two highlights were Elizabeth Goudge's The Dean's Watch (reviewed here), and the Lord Peter/Harriet Vane mysteries by Dorothy Sayers. (I reviewed the first book, Strong Poison, here.) What a glorious year!

Blessings,

Reminiscing about Books #5

Well, 2011 brought quite a revolution to my reading life when my husband gave me a Kindle! I was not interested at first. (Some of my regular readers may remember that I wrote many blogs about how digital reading causes us to read less deeply), but I finally succumbed because I could carry dozens of books with me when I travelled and because my favorite genre, literary classics, was almost always free. 

Anyway, my Kindle opened the door to discovering some lesser-known vintage authors such as O. Douglas, Ralph Henry Barbour, and C.N. Williamson, whom I have thoroughly enjoyed when in need of light, clean reading that is not dumbed-down. (I wrote two posts on favorite titles here and here.)

I was introduced to three wonderful new-to-me authors in 2011: Jon Hassler (review of Green Journey), Joseph Crosby Lincoln (review of Fair Harbor) and Maurice LeBlanc (review of The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin). 

It was also the year I first read the first two Lord of the Rings books. Truly, you are never quite the same after reading them. 

A good year for literary riches!

Blessings,

What I Read and Watched in October 2025

One of the items on my schedule recently was to fly to Sri Lanka and speak at a few events planned by my sister who is a missionary there.

The 20-hour trip allowed me to watch more than my usual quota of movies so I was able to watch three that have been on my radar for a couple of years. "Sullivan's Travels" (1941) had come highly recommended by Anthony Esolen (in his monthly newsletter "Word and Song"). It managed to be quite funny while still addressing some serious issues. "The Miracle Club" (2023) is a story about four women who leave Dublin to go to Lourdes seeking healing for various maladies. Mostly, they just need healing for their brokenness. Will God grant a miracle? Or is it all false propaganda? The movie shows that there is more than one way to be cured. It was especially poignant for being Maggie Smith's last performance.

The final in-flight movie was "The Great Escaper" with Michael Caine, the true story of an 80-year-old WWII veteran who flees from his nursing home in England to attend D-Day celebrations in Normandy. Caine is brilliant in the role and I loved the conclusions made about the value of a life well-lived. (Please note that airplane movies are often edited to be more family friendly so I do not know if the original movies had bedroom scenes or heavy profanity.)

I was able to do quite a bit of reading during my travels and enjoyed two Ngaio Marsh titles: Surfeit of Lampreys (#10 in the Roderick Alleyn series) and Death and the Dancing Footmen (#11) both of which were excellent mysteries.

When I got back to Brazil, I read two books about WWII in the movies, and watched a film (on YouTube) from 1943 called "First Comes Courage" about a female spy in Norway. It had its cheesy moments, but it was VERY suspenseful.

I also enjoyed an abridged version of Emma, wonderfully narrated by Emma Thompson.

Finally, I had a glorious serendipitous moment this month. I've been reading three fables a week from Ovid's Metamorphoses. On a Monday I read the story of Pomona, a woman gardener who I had never heard of before. On Tuesday, I was reading a Richard Crashaw poem about rotten apricots and he blames Pomona (!) Later I saw a reference to her in Little Women.

Don't you just love the literary life?

Blessings,

Reminiscing about Books #4

2010 was a good year for accumulating new favorites. It was the first year I read D.E. Stevenson. Winter and Rough Weather is the third in a trilogy, but stood up on its own. I've read almost 40 of her novels since then and very few have disappointed. I even own 20 of her audiobooks! She is light without being fluffy, which gives me a good break from heavier reading.

I'd read some C.S. Lewis by this time, but when a friend loaned me Experiment in Criticism. I was so enamored that I shamelessly underlined fifty percent of it. (Of course, I bought her a replacement copy.) I wrote a review here.

Also that year, I read Peter Pan, and was absolutely charmed. (Reviewed here)

Two Catholic novels stretched me in good ways: Canticle for Liebowitz by Walter M. Miller and Silence by Shusako Endo. In my review of Silence, I explain how I've learned to appreciate the gravitas that Catholic authors bring to their fiction. Canticle for Liebowitz (reviewed here) turned me into a die-hard dystopian novel fan.

Another delighful discovery was Wednesday Wars, YA fiction by Gary Schmidt (a living author, for a change), which I reviewed here. 

Any thoughts on these authors or titles?

Blessings, 

Reminiscing about Books #3

Continuing my walk down memory lane, these are the classics I tackled for the first time in 2009. Almost every one was a delightful surprise to me.

I certainly didn't expect to love Frankenstein, but the book dealt with issues that the movies never tackle - principally about the potential misuse of science. I am so glad I read it! (Reviewed here.) The Count of Monte Cristo was over a thousand pages and took me a month to complete, but it was definitely worth it. (Reviewed here).  

A modern classic that I read was Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, which stunned me with its quiet beauty. (Reviewed here.) 

These next two titles were not new, but became favorites the second time around. I read Persuasion again and completely changed my mind about it. (Reviewed here.) Watching the 1995 BBC version helped because Amanda Root managed to portray Anne's meekness as strength rather than wishy-washiness. Another Austen re-read was Northanger Abbey, which was redeemed by the audiobook version. I have to admit, when I read it the first time I did not know it poked fun at Gothic novels. In the audiobook, all the spoofiness came through loud and clear, and caused many a chuckle. 

I've read all of Austen now, but Persuasion is the one I re-read most often. Next to Jane Eyre it's my favorite literary "comfort food." 

Blessings,

Reminscing about Books #2

When I started blogging, I had a few classics under my belt (Jane Eyre, Wind in the Willows, Alice in Wonderland, and Persuasion), but I had a long way to go before considering myself "well-read." As I look back at my "Reading Year in Review" posts, it is fun to see the classics that I read for the first time during each year. I also enjoy recalling when I was introduced to new-to-me authors (many who were recommended by readers of the blog).

Here is the list of classics I discovered in 2008. I still love all of them.

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (reviewed here)

Middlemarch by George Eliot (reviewed here) 

Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell (reviewed here) 

Hard Times by Charles Dickens (reviewed here)

China Court by Rumer Godden is not technically a classic because it was written in 1961, but I am happy to have discovered this author through another blogging friend. (reviewed here)

What were some of the first classics you tackled? 

Blessings,

Reminiscing about Books #1

(Charlotte Brontë)

It's hard to believe that my first book blog post was on December 31, 2007 when I shared about my favorites of the year. Librivox was fairly new back then. That was also the year I discovered one of my favorite books of all time, The Giver by Lois Lowry. (But I didn't actually review it till I re-read it 6 years later.) I also read Jane Eyre for the umpteenth time!

I started blogging because my sister-in-law encouraged me to "help people who were scared of the classics to know where to start." It has been wonderful over the years to hear from other book lovers. Considering that most of the books I review are by dead authors, it was thrilling to hear from author Tim Townsend when I reviewed his book Mission at Nuremberg. Twice I've had the grandchildren of an author reach out and thank me for reviewing their grandparents' books. I've even had people ask for recommendations in various genres. I didn't know what to expect when I started, but it has been a rich experience for me in every way. I read more deeply in order to write thorough reviews. And I've "met" a lot of wonderful people who have encouraged me on my literary journey. 

Blessings,

Blogging Break

Due to an unusually heavy teaching schedule over the next few months, I will be taking a break from blogging. I will continue to read books (it is an addiction after all), but probably won't have the mental leisure that is necessary for writing about them. I hope to pop in now and then, but in the mean time I will be republishing some of my favorite posts from my early years of blogging.  

Blessings,

Reading Year in Review 2024

It's always fun to look over the year and pick out my favorite books. The most challenging books still "haunt" me many months later - probably because they demanded so much of my heart and mind when I was reading them. Here's the list:

Favorite Light Reads: The last eight books in Jan Karon's Mitford series (four of which were new to me) and three Agatha Christie mysteries: Sad Cypress, Five Little Pigs, The Secret of Chimneys

Most Challenging: Till We Have Faces (The Lit Life Podcast episodes from 2020 added helpful commentary.)

Favorite Audio: The Iliad (lectures by Elizabeth Vandiver) 

Favorite Non-fiction: When Morning Gilds the Skies (reviewed here)

Favorite Vintage: Set in Silver (reviewed here)

Most Delightful Discovery: The poetry of William Wordsworth

Classic that I Tackled (for the second time): Dante's Inferno. I have physical copies of  Ciardi's translation, but longed for something more beautifully written. Happily, I found Hollander's delightful audioversion on Chirp for 99 cents! Reading along with the 100 Days of Dante group was one of the highlights of my year.

The Book That I Loved In Spite of Myself: The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene. Such a dark story, but so beautifully written. Many important religious themes.

Favorite of the Year: The Christmas Pig by J.K. Rowling. Brilliant storytelling (reviewed here)

This link  to Goodreads shows all 95 books that I read in 2024.

It was a very good year for building my literary muscles! What about you? Did you read something good that caught you by surprise?

Blessings,

What I Read and Watched in December 2024

I normally have a low tolerance for Hallmark movies (except for the mysteries), but I watch a couple at Christmastime to relax and enjoy the snowy scenes. Imagine my surprise at loving A Biltmore Christmas! It a time-travel story, and, yes, it is extremely silly, but it pays homage to several delightful vintage Christmas flicks. This spoof of classic Hollywood had me chuckling all the way through. I also watched Elf, The Nativity Story (reviewed here), a Christmas western (!) called Three Godfathers, and a 1937 tear-jerker, Make Way for Tomorrow) because it came highly recommended by Anthony Esoloen). Lastly, I watched Since You Went Away, a classic movie (nominated for nine academy awards) which details the homefront sacrifices of one American family during WWII. Claudette Colbert is always fun to watch and the cinematography is phenomenal. 

It's summertime here in Brazil, so I can't actually curl up with a book
next to the fire, but I did the next best thing by reading the following Christmas titles: The Anne of Green Gables Christmas Collection, Winter Fire (advent readings based on G.K. Chesterton's writings), and The Christmas Mouse by Miss Read. Two comforting audiobooks were The Hobbit and Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson. 

It was a very good month! Did you read any good Christmas titles?

Blessings,

How I Read Ten Books at Once

It is one of my greatest joys to sign into Goodreads and mark a book "finished." But every time I do that I see the eight or nine books that are still in progress. And they never go away! That's because I actually read that many books at one time. This is how I do it: (All of these are physical books unless marked otherwise)

1) With my morning Bible reading I always read a Bible study book (usually Kay Arthur) and a few
pages in my hymnal. (and the Bible!)

2) After breakfast my husband and I have prayers together and read a book with daily Bible passages related to the church calendar and another book of inspirational devotional thoughts.  

3) Friday is our date day and we read outloud to each other from a book of short stories. (It's been James Heriott for the last four years.) 

4) An audiobook to listen to while in the kitchen or doing exercises (varies between fiction and non)

5) One non-fiction book on my nightstand to read before bed

6) One non-fiction book on my Kindle to read when I'm bored (usually on a long trip)

7) One fiction book (Kindle or physical) for escapist reading

To tell the truth, beside the four titles I read every morning, I probably read only one or two of the others each day. So it's not as overwhelming as it seems. Still, it looks pretty crazy!

Anyone else a serial reader???

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 September

I read a nice variety of books this month. I'm enjoying the 100 days of Dante challenge more than I thought I would. It is not easy reading, but the short teaching videos put out by Baylor have been outstanding. Two audiobooks that I enjoyed were Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Pied Piper by Nevil Shute (reviewed here)

The rest of my fiction was pretty light. Least favorite was One Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury (reviewed here). I also read a WWII mystery called Proceed at Will (reviewed here), A Man Called Trent by Louis L'amour (reviewed here), Sarah's Cottage by D. E. Stevenson, and The Proper Place by O. Douglas. (I bought it for $1.99 for Kindle, but can only find the link to the overpriced hard copy.) 

Two non-fiction titles were Matthew Henry's commentary on Song of Solomon (review here) and an abridged Journal of John Wesley (reviewed here) 

My favorite book of the month was All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot, reviewed here.

I found several Hallmark mysteries on YouTube. Sweet Revenge is the latest in the Hannah Swenson "Murder, She Baked" mysteries and is definitely the funniest of them all. Mystery 101: Deadly History and two Aurora Teagarden mysteries rounded up the list. 

Blessings,

What I Read and Watched in August

As I look back at the month, I can hardly believe how much I read. Nina Balatka by Anthony Trollope was my "Obscure Book Mentioned by Thomas Banks" for the Lit Life 2021 Reading Challenge. I didn't love it. I read "The Rocking Horse Winner" (short story by D. H. Lawrence) along with the podcast group. Just for fun I also read three novels by D. E. Stevenson: First was Smouldering Fire (which may be my least favorite of her titles so far); then I read The Blue Sapphire, which I enjoyed very much - even though it was a little high on the fluff meter. Sarah Morris Remembers was delightful in its portrayal of a British family trying to make the best of their world-turned-upside-down during WWII. Unfortunately, one event in the book soured the book for me. Lastly, I re-read a favorite poetry anthology for children called Silver Pennies.

I'm taking daily sips from three other books: Dom Casmurro is a Brazilian classic that I'm reading slowly because of the archaic Portuguese. I'm reading 4 to 5 letters a day from Letters of C.S. Lewis (Vol. 2). The abridged Journal of John Wesley is my bed-time book.

I listened to three delightful audiobooks: Anthony Esolen's lectures on The Roots of Western Civilization, (via Hoopla) WWII middle grade novel A Place to Hang the Moon by Albus, (via Hoopla) and J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan (re-read)

I enjoyed a movie on YouTube, Adventures in Manhattan, starring my favorite old-time actress, Jean Arthur. My husband and I watched Marvel's The Black Panther (2018), which we had heard was quite good, but I thought the storyline wasn't that strong and the violence was stressful (I don't watch enough TV to get used to watching women beating up men.) I received the Signed, Sealed, Delivered series for my birthday and chuckled through the first two episodes.

It was a good month for reading. Do you have an opinion on any of these books or movies? Did you read or watch anything you'd recommend?

Blessings,

"Reading as Fortress Building" - Quotes from Philip Yancey

In a recent Washington Post article, Philip Yancey laments the death of his reading life. Here are a few excerpts:

Here’s the simple truth behind reading a lot of books. It’s not that hard. We have all the time we need. The scary part—the part we all ignore—is that we are too addicted, too weak, and too distracted to do what we all know is important.

We’re engaged in a war, and technology wields the heavy weapons. Willpower alone is not enough, he says. We need to construct what he calls “a fortress of habits."

I’ve concluded that a commitment to reading is an ongoing battle, somewhat like the battle against the seduction of Internet pornography. We have to build a fortress with walls strong enough to withstand the temptations of that powerful dopamine rush while also providing shelter for an environment that allows deep reading to flourish. Christians especially need that sheltering space, for quiet meditation is one of the most important spiritual disciplines.

Amen!

(pic is a photo sketch of my brother reading to his first grandson. We start fortress building VERY early in our family!)

Blessings,

What I Read in July

It was a good month for reading books bit by bit. The first book I read was the Greek play, Antigone, which I reviewed here. I made it through a third of Shannon Hale's The Goose Girl (a fairy tale re-telling) before giving up because of the annoying voices. (Can someone tell me if this an author who merits another try?) I read Rod Dreher's Live Not by Lies for Cindy Rollin's summer class and enjoyed it very much. It has the same emphasis as The Benedict Option (that authentic Christian community is the only viable response to a crumbling society), but LNBL seems less hopeless in tone since it tells survival stories how many believers fought back against communism and totalitarianism by participating in strong religious communities. (A more complete review is forthcoming.)

I finished Dorothy Sayer's book of short stories called Lord Peter Views the Body, which was a treat that I gave myself every afternoon between lunch and my to-do list. I also listened to the ten-hour audiobook of How Dante Can Save Your Life by Rod Dreher each evening while working through some new puzzle books. It's much more about Dreher than about Dante, but was a good intro into The Divine Comedy, which I plan to tackle in September (#100daysofdante). During my morning exercises, I worked my way through Agatha Christie's Why Didn't They Ask Evans? (audiobook), which isn't one of her best, but was a fun mystery to try and solve.

I also enjoyed a couple of short stories that I read along with the Literary Life podcast: The Machine Stops by E. M. Forster, and Reunion by Fred Uhlman. Since I'm out from under my heavy academic load, I'm not watching movies for stress-relief. I'm thankful to be back to reading, writing and blogging. 

Blessings,