Monday, January 5, 2009 - December Book Reviews
All My Road Before Me: The Diary of C. S. Lewis, 1922-1927
We know him as a master apologist--the so called "apostle to the skeptics". But he also was once a skeptic. In fact, C.S. Lewis was more than a skeptic--he was an outright atheist. Lewis' conversion didn't occur until his early thirties. This diary was begun when Lewis was only a young man of twenty-three.
We're given a unique glimpse into the early life of Lewis in his journal that he devotedly kept during an important time of his life. For four years, we are treated to snapshots of every day life--such as taking the dog for walks, Lewis' reading schedule, and what Lewis had for tea. We're also given a look at some of the bigger moments in Lewis' twenties, like getting a Fellowship, continuing his education, moving, and meeting influential friends such as J.R.R.Tolkien. Slowly, we see Lewis begin his gradual path towards Christianity as his life changed during these five years.
In some ways, the C.S. Lewis of the 1920's is the same C.S. Lewis we've always known. Yet in other ways, he is completely different. This diary shows this so well--showing us the man who ended up writing theology books as a man who had no need for God, yet also showing the brilliant intellect that Lewis exhibits even then--the very intellect that was slowly shaped for the glory of God.
Surprised By Joy
This is Lewis' first (of two) autobiographical work. However, this is a bit different from your typical autobiography. Rather than focusing on his entire life, Lewis only takes portions of his whole life--the very portions that tell the tale of his conversions.
How did a young boy raised Protestant turn atheist, then to Christianity? What led Lewis on these two seemingly opposite paths? Lewis writes about several occurrences in his life that shaped his religious and spiritual beliefs--or lack thereof--through his childhood, teen and college years.
The situations vary--from reading a certain book to the death of his mother to his experiences in the trenches of France. All of these, though, somehow helped shape the mind--and soul--of the greatest apologist for Christianity of the twenty first century.
Poems (C.S. Lewis)
C.S. Lewis wrote everything--theology, children's stories, literary criticism, academic essays, newspaper articles, science fiction--and of course, poetry. He first tried poetry at age fourteen, and continued to write it through his life. Even his classic myth, Till We Have Faces, originally started as a narrative poem.
This collection of shorter poems deal with a variety of subjects--mythology, God, nature, love--Lewis covers it all.
The Complete Works Of Josh Billings
Josh Billings was the most famous humorous writer after Mark Twain in America. Unfortunately, he is not read as much now as he was during his own time. This is disappointing--because the man had a very unique style and was quite funny. This book itself is hard to find--my copy was from 1876, and I'm not sure that it has been reprinted in recent years (although I know it has since 1876!).
Billings wrote a variety of essays in an unusual manner. He employed an informal writing style, complete with phonetic spellings and local slang. His essays cover many subjects--from animals, philosophy, morality, and finally, just plain humor! I think you'd get a better idea of how Billings wrote, though, if I just gave you a few quotes:
"'Familiarity breeds kontempt.' This only applies tew men, not tew hot bukwheat slapkakes, well buttered and sugared. "
"It iz a darned sight eazier tew find six men who kan tell exactly how a thing ought tew be did than tew find one who will do it. "
"About one haff the pitty in this world iz not the result ov sorrow, but satisfackshun that it aint our hoss that haz had hiz leg broke. "
"Men are often praized for their sagassity, but all the fore sight in the world kant tell a dubble yelked egg untill it itz broken. "
While most people haven't read Josh Billings (although you Yankees who use the expression "just joshin'" are more familiar with him then you know, as he coined the term after himself!), he is well worth it!
Sister Carrie
While this book may not be nearly as good as the author's other big work, An American Tragedy, I enjoyed the read all the same.
Carrie is just a young country girl. She wants change, though--so she moves to the city to live with her sister, brother-in-law, and nephew in Chicago. Yet Carrie finds Chicago to be a very different place then she imagined. Carrie must work hard to find the American Dream--but will she find it?
Carrie finds a factory job to pay her keep, but soon becomes more interested in a young salesman. Carrie finds herself in a relationship with this man, as she realizes that Drouet would be able to care for her with his money. She could live an easy life and not have to work for it.
Yet Drouet, despite his promises, won't marry her, and she begins to feel that maybe he isn't the one for her. She meets another man, older and wealthy, but soon she has to learn that to reach her American Dream, she will have to rely on herself, and not others.
Prometheus Unbound
In Greek mythology Prometheus was a Titan who stole fire from Zeus. Because of this, Zeus punished him by having his guts slowly eaten out. Lovely, huh?
Ironically, it makes for a lovely narrative poem. In Shelley's four part play, he explores the torture of Prometheus. Can Prometheus overturn Zeus (presented in this poem as Jupiter)? Or will he be forever bound to the anguish inflicted upon himself?
Shelley was one of the most famous of the Romantic poets. Although I personally prefer Coleridge or Byron to Shelley (and I prefer his wife, Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein to him as well!), I cannot deny that the man was a master at verse. I've been fascinated with his personal life for years, and reading this poem specifically helped me to better understand Shelley the man.
The Redemption of Sarah Cain
Since it was December, and the end of the semester, I wanted to take my Christmas break to relax a little bit. So I picked a couple of light works to read. You know, the kind that don't require much imagination or intellect. This was one of them! Of course, that is not meant to be an insult to the book or intellect of the author--just different for me as something actually written in my own lifetime! That's a change--you don't see much of that from me.
Sarah Cain is a successful woman of the world. Single, with no children, and few responsibilities other than work, she lives the perfect life--so she thinks. Other than a want-to-be- suitor, her life as a real estate broker was just where she wanted it.
Yet Sarah's family is very different. Years before, her sister and her husband had become Amish and moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania (rather far from her state of Oregon!). Sarah grew apart from her Plain sister and her family.
Now, though, upon her sister and brother-in-law's death, Sarah finds herself appointed guardian to her five nieces and nephews. The news is startling--how in the world could she possible raise Amish children? And how would these children react to their 'worldly' aunt? Can they ever reconcile their lifestyles?
Fahrenheit 451
451. The temperature at which a book will burn.
In Ray Bradbury's novel, set in the future, we find a very different world. In a future America, reading is, in essence, outlawed. The main character, Guy, is a fireman. He doesn't put out fires in homes though. He doesn't save people from burning flames. No, instead, he is a book burner.
Yet as Guy burns the books, he is faced with a startling temptation. What are in these books? Are they really so bad as they seem? What would happen to him if he tried to read just one book?
The Idiot
Before you even think about cracking a joke, no, my biography is not out already. Sorry, my brother already tried that one!
Prince Myshkin returns to his country of Russia after being away for many years. Myshkin is a sickly young man--an epileptic--but he is also an almost perfect man. Dostoevsky wrote the book to depict a "good man", a Christ like figure, who enters fallen Russia and thrown into the world of betrayal, deceit, and the wickedness of all men.
However, will Prince Myshkin be able to remain a good person as he "walks with the wicked"? Myshkin is surrounded by darkness--can he be a light? Or will he too fall? This story explores Myshkin's relationships with those around him--such as the beautiful Nastasya, the playful Aglaya, and the wicked Rogozhin. How will each of them react to this "perfect" man?
Keeping Holiday
If you haven't already read my review of Keeping Holiday and interview with author Starr Meade, you can check it out here:
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Earthling/635118/
Twilight
Before I review this book, I do want to make a disclaimer--there are some out there who will think I shouldn't have read this book. I understand your position. However, this is my review about it. I have plenty of reasons why I believe there is nothing wrong with this book; why it is not dark nor occultish nor evil, but in fact, a book with a message of light in a world where evil and darkness DO exist--yes, even in our world. Sorry, that is a fact. I'd be more than happy to go into this with you, if you want to send me an email or private message or even in a comment. But if you don't want to discuss it and hear my side properly, I ask that you refrain from bashing my choice here. I'm perfectly fine with discussing it as mature Christians, but I reserve the right to edit/delete your comment if it only attacks me rather than try to engage in a civilized discussion! Right now, though, I'm not here to give my thoughts on why I felt comfortable reading this book, but what my thoughts on the book as a literary work were.
And of course, if you haven't read these books and aren't sure about them, and want to talk, feel free to ask any questions you may have.
Phew. Now that that is over...
Bella is a high school junior who moves to Oregon to live with her dad. When beginning school at her new high school, Bella meets Edward Cullen. At first Edward seems to hate her, but eventually, when he saves her life, Bella sees another side to him. The two become close friends, but Bella knows that Edward has a secret--could her new friend really be a vampire? How will Edward be able to control the desire for the blood of this girl he finds himself falling in love with?
The story itself isn't badly written. It kept my interest. The characters were amazing--Bella is my long lost twin; while Edward is hopelessly Byronic, and lesser characters equally held their weight.
There is a powerful message as well. The worldview of the author (a Mormon) clearly seeps through in this tale. Dark and light. Temptation and resistance. What makes them? Is it worth it to succumb to temptation for short term pleasure, or does it have long term tragedies associated with it? Our world today needs this book--if only because it dares to show that we have choices to make, and they can hurt us--we can't live for ourselves and our pleasures. There's something greater out there--and we must resist temptation, as well as, when we do fall, receive forgiveness. This book allegorizes these truths in a fantastic way. The book also contains a strong pro-abstinence message (although underneath the surface, as sex plays basically no part in this book. It's a surprisingly clean book!), and Bella is a decent role model, which is saying something, as this book is being read by preteen girls across the country.
Now that I've said the good about Twilight, I must focus on the bad.
It is kind of stupid.
Sure, the message is good, the characters are good. The story is even interesting. So what is the stupid parts, you ask? Well, I think it mostly revolves around the fact that these two main characters are seventeen. (well, since Edward is a vampire, he's technically older...but he lives as a teenager). I think that part is just laughable--maybe it is because I'm seventeen myself. This isn't 1860 anymore. A deep, dark, mysterious romance--between two modern American teenagers. I'm sorry, that just doesn't work for me. I'd be able to appreciate the book much better if these two characters were thirty.
Now that I've got that out--I can't say that everyone will like this book. I am in no hurry, to be honest, to read the rest of the series. I'm sure I'll get to it one day--I did enjoy reading this one--but there was enough cheesy moments to turn me off just a little bit for now. If you think it sounds interesting, you will probably like it. If you read this and think 'No way--that sounds so dumb!" then I would guess you'd think that of the book as well. Everybody seems to have a different reaction to this book--and although it is not my most favorite book in the world, it is fun, enjoyable, and thought provoking--and most of all, I'm extremely pleased with the fact that this book, with such a great message that is taboo in modern America, has become so popular with our young people. Hopefully, it will change the minds of those who read it and need it most.
Comments
Monday, January 5, 2009 - Untitled Comment
Posted by ChristineDaae
When do you guys get your Christmas decorations up? We put ours up the week after Thanksgiving this year. To be honest, after Christmas I like to just get rid of the decorations and get back to "real" life! ;-) I don't know, something about seeing the decorations linger, makes me depressed...weird, I know. Last year since Dad was gone we took them down later, to make the fun last longer and because we were sort've putting it off. We spent a lot more time decorating last year then usual.
Ooh, the Spy Museum sounds cool. Is that on the mall? I am looking forward to our trip to DC next month. We are going to both the history museums my Mom told me. I tried to persuaded her out of the Natural one, since you said it was boring, but unfortunately it was to no avail! Oh well...
I have to get back to my reading. Right now I am working on Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens, Emma, and a book by John MacArthur. Usually I try just to focus on one at a time, but they all just kind of hit me at once!
Thanks for your comment. I really appreciate the time you spend communicating with me! We don't really have a lot of friends here, so I am really enjoying keeping up with my blogger friends, like you! God bless.
In Christ,
Christine
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - Untitled Comment
Posted by ChristineDaae
Yeah, Monday's do seem to come flying at you sometimes!
I do understand what you mean about the Christmas decorations. It is definitely depressing the day you take them down! Especially the tree:-( So your b'day's in March? Cool! Mine was in September...I have a ways to go until my next one! ;-)
Okay, we'll keep an eye out for that stuff at the Natural History Museum. We recently went to the Benjamin Franklin Museum in Philadelphia (my Dad's mom lives really close to there) and there was this Prince Caspian exhibit up. We went through that and there were just these couple of rocks on display (I can't remember why they were there) and they had evolution written all over them...supposedly. "Forty-five Billion Years Ago" kind've stuff. It is so annoying! But I guess you just have to get past that sometimes, we know the truth, we just have to get it out to others!
We wanted to go to the expos workshop but we had something going on unfortunately. That's too bad that we won't see you at any tournaments, but it would be really fun to meet sometime! I would love it if we could set that up:-)
I am reading Nothing But the Truth by MacArthur. I pretty much just started a couple days ago, but it is really good. I am thinking about being a missionary, and it is all about explaining God's truth to others, so it's really neat. Have you read much Dickens? He is one of my fav. authors. I have read Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, Christmas Carol, The Chimes, and The Old Curiosity Shop by him. Our Mutual Friend is my longest one yet, so I'm taking it pretty slowly. Emma is moving along though, and I'm really enjoying it. It's funny!
In Christ,
Christine
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 - Untitled Comment
Posted by carygrant19
Wow. If you'vd got to talk about Twilight, that's the way to do it. I avoided talking about it on my blog after I read it, but that's what I would have said. I loved the fact that, though this is a popular teenage novel, there is no sex involved, and that Edward stopped it for the right reasons. As far as the later books go, if you liked the first one then I would read the second and third. The end of the second one is amazingly cool, and there's a character introduced that I really like.
No, I didn't see the movie. I sort of want to, though, to compare and contrast.
I'd love to come to DC! I find it so humbling to be so near extremely famous and gigantically important buildings, monuments and...documents.....and I'd love to see the 'Spirit of St. Louis' too. We used to live in St. Louis, you know!
I have to write a movie review for a class!! What should I do? It can be one that I've seen or a new one. Any suggestions?
Don't you think Clark Gable is just fabulous in 'Gone With The Wind?' :)
Wednesday, January 7, 2009 - Untitled Comment
Posted by CrossView
I want to read Lewis' diary! That sounds awesome!
Ooh! And Josh Billings!
Sister Carrie sounds familiar. I wonder if it's one I read waaaaay back when....??!!
I saw the movie about Sarah Cain. LOL! But from what I *hear* it's really different than the book.
I've been wanting to read 451. I need to.
The 19-yr old has been wanting to read Twilight. But she didn't want it purchased for her.... LOL! She wants to check it out of the library. We're both curious about it because of all the hype. If she ever checks it out, I'll read it.
http://www.reddirtlane.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, January 7, 2009 - Untitled Comment
Posted by sharla88
Good books! I really want to read F. 451 that has caught my interest many times. I also want to read the Jungle I have been looking at that at the book store.
LOL I thought some tourist were funny, but I understood that I lived in an area that all the country hears about so I knew they'd think it was neat. (later you realize that Hollywood and Disneyland is NOTHING compared to DC) I would be a totally tourist-y if I ever get to go there!
GB~
Sharla~
Friday, January 9, 2009 - Untitled Comment
Posted by ChristineDaae
Oh I love North and South (the movie). I haven't read the book, but the movie is very sweet! I've watched it a couple times. That is funny that you were going to watch it tonight! Actually, I think I just had a lapse of brain this morning, but we are actually watching it tomorrow night! :P All this school is confusing me!
The Narnia Exhibit was amazing. They had tons of the real costumes and objects from the sets of both movies. The crowns, and swords and armor. And then at the end they say "And Coming Soon, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader!" and then you're really excited. You guys should go. And the rest of the museum is really nice too. This was our second time going, so our main purpose was to see the Narnia Exhibit, but we toured around a little. I would have taken pictures, but I forgot my camera:-( You weren't allowed to take any in the Narnia room anyway.
By the way, do you just do speech or have you ever done debate before? I am only doing speech, but my sister does both.
I haven't read David Copperfield, but it is next on my list after Our Mutual Friend... which means it could be a while before I read it! It is pretty slow going. Emma is coming along well though. Have you seen the movie with Gwyneth Paltrow? I like that one better then the BBC version. It is very close to the book, as far as I've read;-D For Christmas I got this Jane Austen Treasury book. It gives sort've backgrounds to the story, tells about the author, and has some drawings that Jane's sister did of her, as well as letters that Jane wrote, etc. It is pretty neat!
Do you play any instruments? Just out of curiosity...
In Christ,
Christine
Awarded By Crossview
Awarded by ChesapeakeSailor and Sassy92
Awarded by Sharla88
Awarded by Jocelyn Dixon
