The first two on my list are repeaters - will be repeated often in my life.
To Be Told by Dan Allender - I reread this again in light of the publishing of my friend
Elizabeth's new study . It is a comfort to me that it is God writing and working out my story - especially the parts I don't like. I want to more fully enter in and understand my story - as much as is possible through this veiled life I live. I know I will see more fully the other side of Heaven, but until then, resources such as this and Elizabeth's help me to gain greater insight into the Author and how my story fits in with The Story He is ultimately writing for His glory. 9
Depression: A Stubborn Darkness by Ed Welch - Another repeater, I read this in tandem with Allender's book. This is the best book on depression I have read - and I believe is out there. Welch is firm, and gentle in his handling of such a delicate topic. This book is for the wounded (who isn't wounded?) and for those who love them. Please. Read. This. Book. 10
my literature geek book for the month.
The Discarded Image by C.S. Lewis - Lewis is not only renowned for his apologetics, but among literary academia, this is the go-to book on Medieval literature. Pretty impressive. I found myself intrigued yet struggling as Lewis introduced me to many influential authors, who influenced the writer of the middle ages, of whom I had never heard. He also spent considerable time explaining the medieval mindset, as that is what the writers were writing out of - it matters in a big way. What was important to them, how they viewed God, nature, themselves, what kind of symbolism did they employ to communicate their messages - all of this was deeply insightful and overwhelming. I could not take it all in on one read. So I guess it's good I own the book. It will be a great resource as I dive more deeply into the works of the middle ages as well as, and especially, contemporary authors who are heavily influenced by these works. 9
Speaking of contemporty authors influenced by medeival lit...
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende - I have not seen this movie - only know it by the big dog thing that flies - and I am glad I have not seen the movie. I might have been overly influenced by the movie and missed out on the rich symbolism and structure Ende went to a lot of trouble to write into a story. I won't go into much, except that this is a fairy-tale of a boy and his journey. There are magical creatures, and much like Narnia, there is more to these creatures that just what is on the surface - and more to the world. As a whole the story ebbed and flowed, but when we discussed it in book club, we wondered if the slow-going parts were not intentional as symbolizing the slowness of the main characters journey. sometimes the road is long and slow, but persevering always has it's rewards. And there was more like that. I do recommend it, although some of the book club gals found it didn't work as well for a read-aloud to their kids - the slowness at times being part of the problem. 8
London by Edward Rutherfurd - True confessions, I am not quite done with this book, but it is over 1000 pages long! And the pattern remains the same, so I am guessing that what I think now is what I will think by the end of the remaining 300 pages I have to read. This is a historical fiction novel following the development of London as a city from it's very beginnings to the present day. Rutherfurd uses fictional characters that, as family lines, carry through the entire novel. At times the story lines can become tedious and I find myself skimming quickly to get to what I need to know to move on to the next chapter. Each chapter is another time period - the next time period, as the tale is told chronologically. I am enjoying the interweaving of the fictional story with the historical stories -like Geoffrey Chaucer being the godfather of one of the characters, and Shakespeare being a part of the theater set of another character. So basically, I recommend this with reservations - it has taken me six months to read it - on and very off, but pushing towards the end, I am glad to have read it. 6
Oh yes, my dear Sherlock - what a treat you are.
I am currently working through
The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle. I picked this collection up after watching Justin's new BBC series,
Sherlock (not for children). I do love Mr. Holmes and his brilliance as well as the humble and loyal Dr. Watson. The stories are not only mysteries to get lost in and enjoyed, but Doyle had strong opinions about his times, which can be found woven among the mystery itself. I refer particularly to A Study in Scarlet which is a scathing account of the tyranny of Brigham Young after the settlement of the Mormons in Utah. From a Brit? Oh yes. Sir Arthur was not ignorant of his times. Very entertaining - can't wait to get through them all, but yet I long to savor the stories as well. Love me some Sherlock. 10
