Dale Ahlquist would rather be reading Chesterton than reading anyone else, and he wants to bring us, his readers, to the same place. I will readily affirm that this book greatly magnified my appetite for reading Chesterton–and it was already high–if for no other reason than the sheer volume of topics that Chesterton wrote about. He was one of the most prolific writers of the last 100 years, and literally every view he expressed–on any topic–was cohesive, internally consistent, and related to all his other views. He was able to discern the true heart of an issue and to describe it with a clarity of insight that was often surprising in its simplicity.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
Takeaway: Fairytales are important, especially for adults.
We need more fairy tales in the world. And I don’t mean either vampire paranormal tales or moralistic children’s stories. I mean stories that show the world we see as part of a greater world. Stories that get at the real meaning of life. Stories that you can lose yourself in. There are lots of great authors, but few people that write fairy tales.
Gaiman is the best modern fairytale writer that I know of. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is either my second or third most favorite book by Gaiman. I think Stardust is his best (also a great fairy tale for adults). And this vies with Neverwhere as his second best book.
Offsite Review: Words for Readers and Writers: Spirit-Pooled Dialogues
I am a big fan of beautifully written words. It is not just a good story, good stories are important and necessary for good fiction. But there is something else about the richly written phrase. Carolyn Weber is one of the masters of this craft.
James Matichuk has a review of Word for Readers and Writer: Spirit-Pooled Dialogues by Larry Woiwode that evokes the kind of love I have for Weber’s writing. Looks like a book worth picking up.
When I picked up Word for Readers and Writers: Spirit-Pooled Dialogues I had no idea who Larry Woiwode was. I had read his bio and knew he was an award winning novelist (William Faulkner Foundation Award, John DosPassos Prize, plus a finalist for the National Book Award and Book Critics Circle Award), recipient of the Medal of Merit from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Poet Laureate for the state of North Dakota since 1995. But I had not read any of his works, much less heard of them until I picked up this book.
Waterfi’s Waterproof Kindle Paperwhite
I am a huge fan of my
Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Summary: A Butler of one of the great houses in England reflects back on his life.
Remains of the Day ended up in my reading list after being nominated for a 2013 Audie Award. I watched the movie years ago and knew the had won a Booker Award in 1989 when it came out. So after Audible had it on sale I started listening to it.
It is an excellent audiobook. Simon Prebble was a very good choice as narrator.
Mr Stevens has been at Darlington Hall for 35 years. Lord Darlington, his long time employer, passed away 3 years ago and the great house was purchased by an American business man. While the new owner is away, Mr Stevens decides to take a trip to see the former housekeeper.
Plastic Donuts: Giving That Delights the Hearts of the Father
Summary: Quick read about the things that are important to think about when we think about Christian giving. Giving is something that church staff fear talking about and most Christians have at least some guilt about. On the staff side, no one likes to fundraise or ask people for money (although some are good at … Read more
Guest Post: Marketing Tips for Self-Published eBook Authors
Welcome Jori Sams, author of several independent books with an article about ebook marketing. One night I was lying in bed some months after I returned from six months traveling in Europe. Some of the colorful people I had met were dancing across the recesses of my imagination. In a dream-like state I imagined a little girl … Read more
Catholic Spiritual Practices: A Treasury of Old and New
Summary: Short introductions to a variety of spiritual practices. This book is good for what it is, concise introductions to spiritual practices. But the problem is that I am not sure who should read it. When most people are interested in doing many of these spiritual practices, they want more than a cursory introduction. And … Read more
Volcanoes by Nicole Hamlett (A Grace Murphy Novel)
Summary: Third book in a fun adventure series where a single mom finds out she is the daughter of the Diana (of Greek God fame) and suddenly has a variety of powers (and enemies).
The Grace Murphy books are classic summer reads. They are fun, light reading. A good bit of action, a little bit of romance and something quite different from my standard fare.
The cover of this one is a bit more ‘provokative’ than the previous covers. But it does make sense. Grace Murphy is ‘a god’. Well not actually a god, but one of a race of alien that live a long time and after whom the Greek Gods were modeled. So her mother is Diana, and her father is Zachary (also known as Zeus).
Rifts by Nicole Hamlett (A Grace Murphy Novel)
I am on vacation this week, so only pre-written reviews will be posted. Everything will be back to normal next week.
Summary: Everyday single mom finds out she is ‘a god’ with lots of powers and even more responsibilities (and people trying to kill her.)
It is summer and for me that means at least some mindless fun books. On spring break I read Huntress, the first book in this series.
Grace Murphy is a romance writer, recently divorced single mom, a bit of a sci fi geek and quite recently found out that she is the daughter of Diana.
In this series the Greek god are not actually gods, but a race of people from another world that protect the Earth from cross-dimensional bad guys. Grace has been hidden for her own protection and in the previous book came to terms with her new life.