We've had a week of snow days; life has come to a stop as the wind spins the drifts. Since my husband walks to work, I've ended up having a sabbaticalWe've had a week of snow days; life has come to a stop as the wind spins the drifts. Since my husband walks to work, I've ended up having a sabbatical week, a cloistered space where I've lived mostly in solitude and silence, reading and writing. I hear the clock ticking, the neighbor's shovel chinking against the ice, the fire in the woodstove shifting.
The Rest of God was the restorative I've needed. It engineered an unusual feat: it emptied and filled me simultaneously. Buchanan calls Sabbath a form of mending. Most of this book is a reminder of what I know. But there were jolts of recognition where my memory lapses were evident. Oh, right! I whisper.
Buchanan is a winsome wordsmith. He crafts phrases that captivate me: a few tricks of diction. He shares his own struggles with a discipline relatively new to himself and foreign to our culture. I recognize the arc of turning to legalism, then to excuse making.
He references stories and quotes from a broad array of writers: J.R.R. Tolkien, Wendell Berry, Rabbi Abraham Heschel, Mary Oliver, and an airline magazine.
In the middle, almost an aside, he writes three paragraphs about cousins being intimate strangers, a thought I've often considered expanding into an essay. It's as if he articulated my ideas and gave them a glorious patina.
It is hard to pick only a few quotes!
No work is so menial that it cannot be rendered as worship.
The twin of pride is despair.
Manage time less and pay attention more.
The secret impetus behind legalism is its competitiveness. The point is not just to win: it's to beat everyone else.
...it's a pure gift, like being born in peacetime....more
After reading Van Doren's 800-page biography, I was happy to listen to Isaacson's abridged audiobook with my husband. It was gratifying to see his resAfter reading Van Doren's 800-page biography, I was happy to listen to Isaacson's abridged audiobook with my husband. It was gratifying to see his responses (especially when they mirrored mine, haha!) as he learned more about BF.
Bottom line: Benjamin Franklin was an extraordinary person, remarkable both in his talents and in the way he employed them.
I was impressed at how consistently, though he wasn't a pansy or a pushover, he pursued peace.
Isaacson was a more critical biographer than Van Doren. He touched on some of the odder aspects of BF's life and asked excellent questions. At six discs, this is an easy way to learn more about a man whose influence continues to be felt....more
When I saw an E. Nesbit title I was unfamiliar with, I quickly searched my library system for a copy. It turns out this is an excerpt from New TreasurWhen I saw an E. Nesbit title I was unfamiliar with, I quickly searched my library system for a copy. It turns out this is an excerpt from New Treasure Seekers. The pen and ink drawings by Erik Blegvad are a lovely embellishment.
I love the six Bastable children and highly recommend all the books about them. No Elsie Dinsmore types, this is a family that squabbles and evades, yet has a sharply honed sense of honor. And pudding matters. I looked back at the first Bastable book (Treasure Seekers); on the first page, currant pudding and sago pudding have been described.
In this book, Mother has died, Father was absent; the General (the kids' name for the servant, Matilda, who does everything) was instructed to make a good plain pudding for Christmas. Far from cheering the children, the prospect of plain pudding cast a pall. They decide to make a plum pudding, secretly, in the nursery. This is the story of that pudding: where they take it and where it took them.
It is funny, but a two-syllable-chuckle sort of funny as opposed to a chortle or guffaw funny. ...more
Marilyn McEntyre has much experience keeping vigil at death beds. The book has short meditations, infused with personal observations, ending with prayMarilyn McEntyre has much experience keeping vigil at death beds. The book has short meditations, infused with personal observations, ending with prayer.
The prayers (except I am saddened her prayers, though Trinitarian, never address Our Father) were comforting and encouraging, especially when death often leaves us incapable of articulating our soul's cry.
Help my grief to melt into gratitude in due time, and teach me complete reliance on your holy will.
McEntyre knows her Bible; she also quotes Denise Levertov, Wendell Berry, Jane Kenyon, Gerard Manley Hopkins, T.S. Eliot, and C.S. Lewis. One section of the book is devoted to mourning, a discipline that makes our sorrow hospitable to those who are willing to enter into it.
But as surely as we have to let go of the one we loved and walk away, finally, from the bedside, we have to let go of that part of ourselves that was shaped and animated by his or her presence, and let ourselves be bent by the wind of the Spirit to new and modified purposes.
While she writes about the agony of a lingering death, she passes over many other difficult death scenarios, ones that, for various reasons, could never be called good or satisfying.
My perception is that, these days, more people are dying from wasting diseases. A Long Letting Go offers guidance and prayers for those supporting and caring for the ill, and words which could be encouraging to send in a note....more
4.5 stars Having just completed a 800 page biography, I took this juvenile bio off my shelf to compare. I think the D'Aulaires did well reducing the fa4.5 stars Having just completed a 800 page biography, I took this juvenile bio off my shelf to compare. I think the D'Aulaires did well reducing the facts of Franklin's life to a child's level. As always, their illustrations shine. The pages have short maxims from Poor Richards at the bottom.
Delightful sentences:
Poor Richard made Benjamin Franklin prosperous.
The Americans thought he was too slow, the English thought he was too sly.
To the French, Benjamin Franklin was the wizard of the American wilderness. ...more
Short biography, originally published in 1850, Volume 3 of the Makers of History. Abbott's sources are Herodotus and Xenophon. This was an enjoyable rShort biography, originally published in 1850, Volume 3 of the Makers of History. Abbott's sources are Herodotus and Xenophon. This was an enjoyable read which reviewed familiar stories, but taught me new ones. One complaint I have was that the writing failed to portray Persian culture. I couldn't/didn't picture an Asian boy/man while I read this.
Unrelated to the story, there were two exhilarating word-bird moments. After Cyrus conquers Croesus, they meet face to face. There were difficulties in respect to language, too, which embarrassed the conversation, as the two kings could speak to each other only through an interpreter.Embarrassed: an archaic meaning is to hamper or impede, complicate.
Explaining the engineering of the land around Babylon, the author compared the raised banks to the levees of New Orleans with a glorious asterisk*: From the French word levée, raised.
Commenting on monuments: In fact, statues of brass or of marble generally make far more durable monuments than statues of gold; and no structure or object of art is likely to be very permanent among mankind unless the workmanship is worth more than the material.
To Bible readers, Cyrus is the king who liberated the Jews from Babylonian captivity. Abbott framed this in a way I'd never before thought of (emphasis mine):
The march of this peaceful multitude of families—men, women, and children together—burdened as they went, not with arms and ammunition for conquest and destruction, but with tools and implements for honest industry, and stores of provisions and utensils for the peaceful purposes of social life, as it was, in its bearings and results, one of the grandest events in history, so it must have presented, in its progress, one of the most extraordinary spectacles that the world has ever seen....more
I found this book at my public library while looking for another title. It is a memoir written (2006-2008) in letters to friends and family. It beginsI found this book at my public library while looking for another title. It is a memoir written (2006-2008) in letters to friends and family. It begins with the diagnosis of lung cancer, concludes at a period of remission.
I read this at the end of 2016. Before I had read two chapters, I had to know Wangerin's fate; how comforting to discover he lives! He used to be a pastor, then taught writing at Valparaiso University.
He asks quirky questions: Why does cancer have to be a battle? How is it heroic? He explains why he doesn't pray for his own healing. As a writer, he has to prioritize which projects to complete, which ones to set aside. One letter details how he views death. He incidentally quotes two writers whose names always remind me I want to learn more: Jaroslav Pelikan and Jeremy Taylor.
A quote, so appropriate for those contemplating retirement:
Ah, but as long as I make commitments to others—to teach, to sustain, to befriend, to love: as long as I willingly and knowingly schedule new commitments, I have no right to self-pity. My project, then. To get good and old. Spiritually to approach my losses with the same craft and talent and devotion which I bring to the writing of a novel, a poem, a sermon.
I appreciate this book. While I don't agree with some of his assumptions, he challenged my thinking. I have a visceral loathing for cremation (but an almost equally strong opposition to embalming). I found Walter's explanation of how he wanted to be cremated and the ashes buried, not scattered, plausible, which is a first....more
Ahem. The Dutch writer Anne de Vries is a male. (Rainer Maria Rilke comes to mind as another writer with a conventionally female name.)
Judging by theAhem. The Dutch writer Anne de Vries is a male. (Rainer Maria Rilke comes to mind as another writer with a conventionally female name.)
Judging by the cover, this looks self-published; my expectations were minimal. I was pleasantly surprised by the writing, and found the story of Everett De Boer's family's work with the Dutch Resistance compelling. Journey Through the Night is four volumes (written in Dutch 1951-1958, translated in 1960) published as one.
The De Boer family is likeable. The architect father has pluck, the mother is kind-hearted, oldest son John is capable but inclined to hesitate, and impetuous Fritz can't keep out of trouble. There are other children, but these are the main characters. They are Christian — the winsome kind whose faith is more acted on than spoken of, not off-putting.
What impressed me most in a world of checkpoints, false IDs, and fascist occupation was the advantage of being relaxed and calm, casual and nonchalant. Terror is perilous.
The De Boers had recently read Isaiah 16:3 Hide the outcast, don't betray the fugitive, when a young man knocks on their door, seeking refuge. A procession of Jewish families and resistance fighters are hidden and helped. Such a small thing, and yet it changed the course of war: simple courageous people opening their homes and risking their lives for all kinds of strangers.
What I discovered: DKW cars (Dampf-Kraft-Wagen = steam-driven car) The Dutch National Anthem (worth a YouTube watch) OSO (Orange Shall Overcome) the slogan of the Dutch Resistance
Favorite quotes: No one could stop the course of the sun, and no one could stop the course of God's justice - not even Hitler.
Don't let impatience make life miserable for you.
I highly recommend this to readers who liked Corrie ten Boom's The Hiding Place and Anne Frank's Diary.
This is not the easiest book to read aloud, but it's the only brief book written by a passenger of the Mayflower. Primary sources are my priority. ThaThis is not the easiest book to read aloud, but it's the only brief book written by a passenger of the Mayflower. Primary sources are my priority. That, alone, earns five stars.
Some say it's a translation, others an adaptation: Margaret Wise Brown's editing retain the flavor of 1620. We found great mussels, very fat and full of sea pearl, but we could not eat them. They made us all sick that did eat, sailors as well as passengers, causing us to cast and scour. [I had to look up scour: to suffer from diarrhea]
Some words sounded discordant. I read 'savages' aloud once; thereafter I substituted Indians. My sweet grandson said, "Does he mean Native Americans?"
Diary entries — September 6, 1620 through March 23, 1621 — document the discoveries, from sailing from Plymouth to making peace with local Natives.
To keep the boys' interest kindled, I printed out blank calendars of the seven months covered. [Long story: 1620 is on the Julian calendar, 2016 is Gregorian calendar. The days and dates won't match if you simply print out September 1620. The 2017/2018 calendar fits. Days are often named. December 11th — On Monday we sounded the harbor...]
After each diary entry, we discussed a good symbol for that day. 5 deer, an ear of corn, rain, etc. The experience was fun, but would've been more so if we had the time to spread the reading of the book over a week.
A visit to the Cotswolds is always a gentle bit of joy, even when the main character is morose, maudlin, and miserable. Mrs. Pringle is a retrospectivA visit to the Cotswolds is always a gentle bit of joy, even when the main character is morose, maudlin, and miserable. Mrs. Pringle is a retrospective of earlier Fairacre books, a rewriting of the source material.
I anticipated a cliche--when we discover Mrs. Pringle's back story we'll come to love the curmudgeon; she transforms into a ray of sunshine. Happily, I was wrong.
This is a book for people who like to read the word jollification; for folks who like to read about vicars and jumble sales; for patient readers who enjoy vignettes of daily life without a sizzling plot.
It occurred to me as I read, that Miss Read books are particularly suited for followers of Charlotte Mason (an English educator). Not for precepts, but for the atmosphere. Nature walks where the kids collect empty shells, rook feathers, and catkins.
I'll end with a quote: He had that knack of making any woman feel that she was the only person in the world that interested him. He had a way of gazing intently into one's face, and although I was pretty sure that it was because he was short-sighted and too vain to wear spectacles, the result was still very pleasant.
I relate to Hermione Granger; I love, love, love Molly Weasley. She wails, she cooks, she scolds, she hugs, she wJanuary 2017 (read the print edition)
I relate to Hermione Granger; I love, love, love Molly Weasley. She wails, she cooks, she scolds, she hugs, she worries, she runs errands, she sends off and she welcomes in.
I am puzzled how one character was not who he appeared to be, in many ways. His concern for Harry looked so genuine, he seemed to be a solid, trustworthy friend.
Rowling uses words and language from long ago, and yet they never feel out of place. Beset, behooved, betwixt, belike, hither and thither.
One benefit of reading the book, as opposed to listening to audio, is seeing the words. I heard 'Pensive' and thought it was another case of converting an adjective into a noun. But I read 'Pensieve' and it took on a whole new meaning. Clever!
True confession: I started the Harry Potter books simply to reclaim shelf space that the hardback set occupied. It didn't seem right to remove them without reading them. As I've finished the books I've given them away. I never imagined these would be books I'd want to re-read. Now, I can imagine reading the entire series again, looking for crumbs of understanding along the way.
---------------------------------------------- December 2016 This is the first Harry Potter I rated 5 stars. Skillfully crafted, with plentiful allusions, it leaves one sighing with satisfaction at completion. Listening with my perceptive husband is pure joy. "Echoes of Beowulf" is the kind of comment he makes. As we were driving over Snoqualmie Pass, the great duel unfolded. Perfectly paced, full of drama and emotion. "A cloud of witnesses," Curt murmured, a comment I can't explain without spoiling the story.
Again, I am struck with how well Rowling knows grief and yearning. When Harry receives a mother's affection, I cried in commisseration. It was touching how Harry wanted to emulate his father as he fought in a mortal conflict. The Weasley family's surrogate role is a beautiful thing.
The Britishness of these books is another pleasure. The British convert statements to questions by adding a phrase like "isn't it" to the end, don't they? I am charmed by: there's a good chap, he's a git, he fancies her, gawping, erm, sorting out people, etc.
Humor showed up. The veelas, women with the power to turn men and boys into prancing gits, provided multiple guffaws.
In my Grangeresque way, I will read the print book soon, to lengthen the experience and for a closer look at Rowling' s structure and techniques....more
Reading this (library book, chosen for its cover) on the heels of J.D. Vance's Hillbilly Elegy, was pure serendipity. Based on the author's life, thisReading this (library book, chosen for its cover) on the heels of J.D. Vance's Hillbilly Elegy, was pure serendipity. Based on the author's life, this is a gentle story of a little girl being raised by her coal-mining Grandfather and her okra-frying Grandmother. [Okay, I was dismayed that Rylant didn't use the Appalachian terms, Papaw and Mamaw.]
There is a warm, Little House in the Big Woods feel, but always with an hillbilly twist. For instance, Grandmother threatens a black snake with a hoe (like something Ma Ingalls would do); the next page, they have a photograph taken with the dead snake draped across their necks!
The story is straightforward, describing life without plumbing and electricity without a whiff of self-pity. A discerning adult would sniff poverty but a child only smells hot cocoa from the woodstove. I appreciated the sense of contentment without syrupy sentimentality.
Diane Good's illustrations are warm and inviting. My only complaint is that the illustrations look late eighteenth century instead of mid-twentieth (when the author was born). ...more
Among my bibliophile friends, is a subset who enjoy historical biographies. A friend loaned me this bio of Benjamin Franklin, a 1939 Pulitzer winner tAmong my bibliophile friends, is a subset who enjoy historical biographies. A friend loaned me this bio of Benjamin Franklin, a 1939 Pulitzer winner that occupies >800 dense pages. I flinched, but Steve loved it, so I put my head down and tucked in.
Other than facts learned in grade school, my first exposure to Franklin was from his autobiography. What a man! Then I looked at him through John and Abigail Adams' eyes: lascivious and scandalous. What a jerk! So help me, after reading this I now find him charming and witty. And amazing. Though he is flawed, I applaud.
This is a sympathetic biography. I don't believe it crosses the line, but it is certainly in the suburbs of hagiography. Here's how it begins.
This is a long book. It could twice as easily have been three times as long. From Franklin's beginnings as a journalist at sixteen to his retirement from public affairs at eighty-two there was no break in his activity, and he was—and is—unsurpassed by any man in the range of his natural gifts and of the important uses he put them too.
I've copied quotes and made notes in more than 30 pages of my journal. Here are a few things I noticed:
♥ He lived a considerable time overseas as a diplomat. Ten years in England. Nine years in France. Before there was a United States, Franklin was its first ambassador. ♥ He was estranged from his son, William, because William (governor of New Jersey) was a loyalist. Their relationship before the war was very close. ♥ At one time he was considered the most famous man in the world ♥ His was inquisitive: electricity, Gulf stream, Scottish tunes, women's make up ♥ He loved children; he loved big families; BF's friends' children became BF's friends ♥ He shared a bed with John Adams when the inn was full ♥ He was the reason France loaned millions to America ♥ He was once a slave-owner, but ended his days as an abolitionist ♥ He is the epitome of an autodidact, a life-long learner ♥ The short list of people he personally knew: Cotton Mather, George Whitefield, King George III, Adam Smith, King Louis XVI, Edmund Burke, William Pitt, William Wilberforce
I don't think I've ever read an index of a book before, but I read this one as a review. And there it is: Nudism, BF's, 405. What?! Yep, he spent his first hour awake reading and writing sans clothes.
There were sections of slogging; but I can't remember them now. The closer to the end I got, the sharper my interest became....more
That a scavenged beam from the World Trade Center was used for the bow of the USA New York was news to me. This gorgeously illustrated book tells the That a scavenged beam from the World Trade Center was used for the bow of the USA New York was news to me. This gorgeously illustrated book tells the story. I read it to my grandkids and was reminded that what to us are vivid memories are foreign concepts to them. The book notes that the towers came down without explaining the terrorist attack. This is easy enough to explain while reading aloud....more
I'm spoiled by John Ciardi's How Does a Poem Mean? Nevertheless, this was a helpful overview of essential elements to good poetryI liked this, I did.
I'm spoiled by John Ciardi's How Does a Poem Mean? Nevertheless, this was a helpful overview of essential elements to good poetry. Perhaps because nothing seemed new, it didn't strike me as a "must read."
Oliver articulates what I've always believed:
To write well it is necessary to read widely and deeply.
When she talks about revision, she admits that her poems have roughly 40-50 drafts. Well, now.
The crowning jewel of a quote came at the end. These are her closing words. I've made some line breaks for easier reading.
There is nourishment in books, other art, history, philophies—in holiness and mirth. It is in honest hands-on labor also; I don't mean to indicate a preference for the scholarly life. And it is in the green world—among people, and animals, and trees for that matter, if one genuinely cares about trees.
A mind that is lively and inquiring, compassionate, curious, angry, full of music, full of feeling, is a mind full of possible poetry. Poetry is a life-cherishing force. And it requires a vision—a faith, to use an old-fashioned term. Yes, indeed.
For poems are not words, after all, but fires for the cold, ropes let down to the lost, something as necessary as bread in the pockets of the hungry. Yes, indeed.
Walker Evan's photographs are the appeal of this book.
I'm not, however, a fan of the format of pairing art and poetry. The poet's interpretation is aWalker Evan's photographs are the appeal of this book.
I'm not, however, a fan of the format of pairing art and poetry. The poet's interpretation is an overlay that, in my opinion, obfuscates more than it embellishes.
Carol Bakker
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2016
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