“She who had never failed in duty did not fail then. She who had always submitted and bowed the head, submitted and bowed the head then. She had sucke“She who had never failed in duty did not fail then. She who had always submitted and bowed the head, submitted and bowed the head then. She had sucked in with her mother’s milk the profound truth that a woman’s life is always a renunciation, greater or less.”
This has all the social critique you’d expect from a Victorian novel, especially concerning a woman’s place in society. Bennett pulls no punches with Christianity either. Perhaps what stood out most to me is how this novel is something of an anti-Silas Marner. There, the daughter is the miser’s rescue. Here, the miser is the daughter’s oppression.
(The Literary Life Podcast’s 19 in 2021 Reading Challenge – An obscure book mentioned by Thomas Banks) ...more
I must admit, I didn’t go into this book with much excitement. My primary thought was, “What does this book have to say about the church that I don’t I must admit, I didn’t go into this book with much excitement. My primary thought was, “What does this book have to say about the church that I don’t already know?” (What pride.) But that’s not really the point of this book anyway, is it? We’re not here to discover the church but to rediscover the church. So no, I didn’t really need this book to teach me something new (though as it turns out, it did help me clarify my thinking on several points). But I did need it to help me remember and more deeply internalize what I have known for a long time about the church. The hardships of the pandemic certainly made me more grateful for the gift of meeting in person regularly with my church and having a group of believers whom I can love and serve and who do the same for me, and this book only added to the gratitude....more
A solid Advent devotional that works each day through the first two chapters of the gospel of Luke (my favorite gospel!). My favorite consideration waA solid Advent devotional that works each day through the first two chapters of the gospel of Luke (my favorite gospel!). My favorite consideration was that when John the Baptist leaps for joy in his mother’s womb, “we learn that the whole of the Old Testament, as it were, jumps for joy in the presence of the One to whom it has pointed, for whom it has longed for all these centuries of waiting.” As someone who has grown increasingly enamored of studying how the Old Testament points to Jesus, I love how Ash expressed this idea. ...more
This Bible study was exactly what I needed to prepare my heart for Christmas. The genealogy of Jesus offers such a rich consideration of the story of This Bible study was exactly what I needed to prepare my heart for Christmas. The genealogy of Jesus offers such a rich consideration of the story of redemption and builds the anticipation for Jesus’ birth like nothing else. One name after another, we see exactly the kind of people that Jesus came to save, and we see more and more glimmers of the gospel until Jesus finally arrives. No one tells a story better than God.
I appreciate that this Bible study doesn’t spoon-feed but does offer some guiding rails. Very helpful for those times when we need some extra support during inductive Bible study. The opportunity to write out prayers throughout the study was an especially welcome addition. I also commend the publisher for making the Bible study book itself high quality. It is fitting that when we study the most beautiful book ever written, our study resources reflect that beauty....more
Here’s how Agatha Christie opens the foreword to this novel:
There are certain clichés belonging to certain types of fiction. The “bold bad baronet” f
Here’s how Agatha Christie opens the foreword to this novel:
There are certain clichés belonging to certain types of fiction. The “bold bad baronet” for melodrama, the “body in the library” for the detective story. For several years I treasured up the possibility of a suitable “Variation on a well-known Theme.” I laid down for myself certain conditions. The library in question must be a highly orthodox and conventional library. The body, on the other hand, must be a wildly improbable and highly sensational body.
Variation on a well-known theme, indeed. My culprit instincts were on the right track, but Dame Christie still won out in the end with a plot twist I and all the innocent characters in the story were too credulous to see coming. Well done. Also good to see Miss Marple more front and center in this novel compared to the first in the series. ...more
“O pardon and vouchsafe with patient eare The brave adventures of this faery knight The good Sir Guyon gratiously to heare, In whom great rule of Temp’ra“O pardon and vouchsafe with patient eare The brave adventures of this faery knight The good Sir Guyon gratiously to heare, In whom great rule of Temp’raunce goodly doth appeare.”
I love Sir Guyon and his trusty guide, the Palmer! As I already said about Book One, this is great if you just stay at the level of Guyon’s adventures, but when you go beyond that to all the images of temperance and intemperance, wow. Spenser, you have blown my mind again. Special shoutout to Canto Three, the one about Braggadochio. It felt straight out of a Shakespearean comedy and was a delight to read. ...more
“I knew myself, at the first breath of this new life, to be more wicked, tenfold more wicked, sold a slave to my original evil and the thought, in tha“I knew myself, at the first breath of this new life, to be more wicked, tenfold more wicked, sold a slave to my original evil and the thought, in that moment, braced and delighted me like wine.”
Masterfully done—both the story itself and the Richard Armitage audiobook I read along with. I already knew the nature of the relationship between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde going into the book but was still drawn into the wonderful suspense of the storytelling (it does help that I didn’t know how Stevenson gets readers from Point A to Point B, as it were). It keeps crossing my mind how much this story embodies Romans 7, but without the hope of verse 25 (which makes the truth of that verse even more remarkable). Powerful, chilling, devastating.
One more comment on the audiobook—Armitage brought the sense to the story so well, and the way he read the last chapter was especially brilliant. I got chills multiple times. If you enjoy audiobooks, definitely listen to this one....more
“A river flows through the center of your heart’s castle and out into the city of man. Set your little bread—be it a word or an idea—upon the water an“A river flows through the center of your heart’s castle and out into the city of man. Set your little bread—be it a word or an idea—upon the water and let it follow the current. Someone downstream will pick it up and take it home and be fed by it.”
Through letters penned to his daughter, Ben Palpant offers rich spiritual bread for writers, but other artists and really any Christian desiring to use his or her gifts and talents for the glory of God will find nourishment here, too. As with every other Palpant book I’ve read, I walk away with a treasure trove of commonplace quotes. Read and be fed. ...more
A fabulous audiobook. Timson is an excellent narrator of Spenser's poetry. I am quite certain I would not have made it through The Faerie Queene withoA fabulous audiobook. Timson is an excellent narrator of Spenser's poetry. I am quite certain I would not have made it through The Faerie Queene without being able to listen to him while I followed along in my book. ...more
From the opening line of the poem to its end, the tale of Redcrosse Knight and Lady Una is just a str“A Gentle Knight was pricking on the plaine. . .”
From the opening line of the poem to its end, the tale of Redcrosse Knight and Lady Una is just a straight-up good adventure story. For that alone, I’d give Book One of The Faerie Queene a great rating. But then when you dive into the allegory since this is also a quest for Holiness, oh my goodness. My mind is spinning in all the best ways from how richly layered everything is. And all told in brilliant poetic form. Spenser, you genius. ...more
These prose retellings are a good way to orient oneself to the storylines in Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene. I read a section of this book before These prose retellings are a good way to orient oneself to the storylines in Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene. I read a section of this book before reading the corresponding FQ canto(s) and found that doing so really helped me keep my bearings. Note: Because children are the intended audience for MacLeod’s retellings, some of the more “adult” portions of the original are not included....more
The storyline had plenty of potential, but the writing was a mess at basically every level. The climactic moment of the final chapter made me laugh soThe storyline had plenty of potential, but the writing was a mess at basically every level. The climactic moment of the final chapter made me laugh so hard I cried, and I know for a fact that's not the reaction the author was going for. My absurdity cup had finally overflowed....more
“He came into my life in February 1932 and never left it again.”
I love finding the hidden gems of literature, and this is one of them (thank you to Ci“He came into my life in February 1932 and never left it again.”
I love finding the hidden gems of literature, and this is one of them (thank you to Cindy Rollins and the Literary Life Podcast). A great WWII story and tale of friendship. Phenomenal twist ending....more
“Of happiness the chiefest part Is a wise heart: And to defraud the gods in aught With peril's fraught. Swelling words of high-flown might Mightily the god“Of happiness the chiefest part Is a wise heart: And to defraud the gods in aught With peril's fraught. Swelling words of high-flown might Mightily the gods do smite. Chastisement for errors past Wisdom brings to age at last. ”
I’m sorry, Sophocles, I didn’t appreciate this play enough when I read it in college several years ago. This is an excellent play exploring human law vs. divine law, foolishness vs. wisdom, pride vs. humility. Don’t let anyone try to convince you ancient Greek drama isn’t still worth reading today....more
“Maggie, in all her time of yearning to become Joan of Arc, or some great heroine, was unconscious that she herself showed no little heroism, in beari“Maggie, in all her time of yearning to become Joan of Arc, or some great heroine, was unconscious that she herself showed no little heroism, in bearing meekly what she did every day from her mother.”
Yes, I suppose Gaskell is too heavy-handed with the morality (hello, Victorian literature), but she still tells an enjoyable story. The final chapter was surprisingly action-packed.
Good considerations of family, duty, and sacrifice. Maggie is cut from the same cloth as Fanny Price, which means I have plenty of reasons to love her!
(The Literary Life Podcast’s 19 in 2021 Reading Challenge – A lesser-known book by a well-known author) ...more
“I have the sense that you haven’t really given yourself up.” “Given myself up?” “You’re holding on to something, guarding yourself—just in case. I ca“I have the sense that you haven’t really given yourself up.” “Given myself up?” “You’re holding on to something, guarding yourself—just in case. I call to mind what George Herbert said—you know, the English cleric—‘Love bade me welcome, yet my soul drew back.’ Am I right?”
I am finding Mitford to be as endearing in its place and people as Avonlea. Glad to be back after reading the first book last year.
Quite often I wanted to shake some sense into Father Tim. Nevertheless, his character development in this book is worth the periodic frustration. The Emily Dickinson quote he remembers hits the nail on the head: “The truth must dazzle gradually, or evermore be blind.” I enjoyed his slow but steady journey of facing his own selfishness and fears and learning to open his heart to love others. ...more
“There is no detective in England equal to a spinster lady of uncertain age with plenty of time on her hands.”
Miss Marple is a gem! Only time will tel“There is no detective in England equal to a spinster lady of uncertain age with plenty of time on her hands.”
Miss Marple is a gem! Only time will tell if I prefer her to Hercule Poirot, but I do quite like this start. Nice touches of humor throughout the story. I’m also pleased that I deciphered some of Christie’s clues to figure out a couple subplots. Nevertheless, she still completely surprised me with one of her classic twist endings! ...more
There’s no denying how war shaped this book both in tone and content. Although it still feels like Montgomery’s writing at heart, there is a particulaThere’s no denying how war shaped this book both in tone and content. Although it still feels like Montgomery’s writing at heart, there is a particular kind of sadness and/or cynicism undergirding much of it. I enjoyed most of the short stories well enough, but much preferred the interspersed sections of poetry and Blythe family dialogue....more
“Maybe I did not live as I should have?” would suddenly come into his head. “But how not, if I did everything one ought to?” he would say to himself a“Maybe I did not live as I should have?” would suddenly come into his head. “But how not, if I did everything one ought to?” he would say to himself and at once drive this sole solution to the whole riddle of life and death away from him as something completely impossible.
Books like these are why we so desperately need stories. Let others lecture and philosophize on the questions of life and death that confront us all. I’ll take Tolstoy’s novella any day. Powerful and penetrating. May I live well and die well.
It’s been a few years since I last read this, and I had it in my head for some reason that the story was utterly tragic, ending on a note of complete despair. How glad I was to be wrong. The final section had a beautifully redemptive quality I’d completely forgotten. Ivan finds grace. Death gives way to life. ...more
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