Category Archives: books
books i’ve, read, re-read, skimmed, and those i wanna read…and how literature has influenced my life
bookworm wednesday – spirit-led parenting
if you don’t already know megan, you may remember her from when i guest-posted at her blog, sorta crunchy. well, her wisdom and talent are finally available in a published book! today’s bookworm review is of a title i am so happy to promote and am looking forward to applying to my life in the future: Spirit-Led Parenting: From Fear to Freedom in Baby’s First Year by Megan Tietz & Laura Oyer (5 of 5 stars).
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i don’t really feel qualified to offer a bona fide review of this book, because i have no personal experiences in parenting to reflect from. but i can speak to the quality of the writing, the wonderful conversational ease of the style, and the soundness of the scriptural foundation.
megan and laura have shared openly their own struggles as first-time moms, and the road that led them into joyful and enriching motherhood. they have created a parenting book that is the opposite of a detailed how-to manual. rather than listing every do and don’t, the authors outline the attitudes of raising a child as you seek God’s guidance in every step.
this book gives me hope for the time when i walk through the first year of mommyhood, and i already feel the release of the subconscious apprehension i’ve always felt when thinking about getting motherhood right. the principles and lessons they share have already begun to work on the maturity of my character and the stubbornly self-centered parts of my spirit.
speaking from my own place in life, i highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever thought of becoming a parent and been paralyzed by the overwhelming feeling of wanting to do everything “the right way.”
don’t forget to stop by the book release party in honor of megan this saturday at studio midtown in okc from 5-7 pm. hope to see you there!
bookworm wednesday – the invention of hugo cabret
usually i like to read the book before i see the movie it inspired, but in the case of scorsese’s epic film Hugo, i didn’t know i was dying to read the book until i was captivated by the story through the magic of 3D and other cinematic technical feats. this week’s bookworm review will inevitably be more of a comparison of the written and filmed versions than a true book review since i’ve seen the movie, but there is no doubt that the story is a gem: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (4 of 5 stars).
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reading the book was a sort of deja-vu of watching it on screen, because the script stuck so closely to the novel. the biggest delight was drinking in the author’s drawings, or “mini-movies,” throughout the pages. it’s obvious that these illustrated scenes are not used just to supplement the story, but to actually drive the action forward without words. and the super-detailed hand-drawn pictures had a clear influence (gladly) on the movie adaptation.
i thought reading the book might give me more of the story that could not fit into the film, but what i got instead was a deeper look into hugo’s world. the book is focused more on hugo’s journey and point-of-view, with all the other characters playing a supporting role. the movie placed several characters in the spotlight, investing the viewer more in the feelings and struggles of isabelle and papa georges as well.
selznick’s drawings truly enhanced the book for me. they gave the extra-thick volume an enchanting effect that made me want to read the book lying on the floor on my stomach with my legs kicking up behind me like a kid engrossed in a treasure map. sitting in a chair or in bed with a side lamp seemed to grown-up.
do you like to read books that have inspired movies before or after you’ve seen the film? do you enjoy it when authors include illustrations in novels, or does it distract you?
bookworm wednesday – all is grace
a biography makes it’s way into our bookworm review lineup this week. i was eager to read the final written work of an author i’ve always admired: All Is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir by Brennan Manning (3.5 of 5 stars).
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manning has never been afraid to expose himself as a ragamuffin soul, tattered and flawed, but wholly accepted by God’s grace and love. his autobiography is no exception.
the author takes his readers on a meandering tour of his life, offering a brutally honest recount without a trace of sugar coating. his story might feel depressing and hopeless if it weren’t coming from a man whose central theme throughout his career has always been “Abba Father is enamored with you, warts and all.”
leave it to manning to not only indirectly inspire hope with his own story, but to explicitly challenge his readers to develop a trusting heart and openly accept the overwhelming love, grace, and forgiveness of a God who is enough.
have you read any of brennan manning’s books? do you think a non-fiction author can share a message more or less effectively through his or her own story?
bookworm wednesday – ender’s game
i have plenty of newly-released books on my to-read list, but when i overheard my brother-in-law recommending this book to my husband, i remembered that the sci-fi “classic” has been on my i-should-read list for quite some time. so this week’s bookworm review is of an oldie that is still going strong: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (4 of 5 stars).
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set in earth’s future, the novel presents humankind in conflict with an alien species called “buggers” by the humans. in preparation for an anticipated third invasion of the buggers, an international fleet has a school to train future commanders…among very young children. the world’s most talented children, including andrew “ender” wiggin, are taken as early as age six to a battle school where teachers train them in the arts of war through increasingly difficult games in zero gravity.
card’s takes a potential contrived plot and creates something extraordinary with skillful development of his main character’s genius, brutality, and vulnerability, and clever pacing in revealing the complexity of the tactical games.
some of the major underlying themes at play here are the same as another wildly popular story about a game — violence among children and the government taking children from their families. the moral dilemmas presented in ender’s game are the source of much criticism toward the book.
i truly enjoyed the story, and then i listened to an interview with the author (regarding this novel) that gave me an even deeper appreciation for ender and his game. i want to read more books in ender’s saga and also the ender’s shadow series, and am now really looking forward to the movie due out next year.
how do you feel when reading dystopian books like ender’s game and the hunger games that address political and moral issues so directly? why do you think these types of books become so popular?
bookworm wednesday – special topics in calamity physics
between last week’s retreat and prepping for several activities this weekend, i haven’t finished any new books. that’s why this week’s bookworm review is a title i first read five years ago and recently revisited: Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl (4 of 5 stars).
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in the airport bookstore on the way to our honeymoon, lee and i each picked out a novel to enjoy on the long airplane ride and lazy days on the beach. this was my choice. it’s thicker than i usually go for in a traveling book, but my interest was piqued by creative syllabus format (each chapter in the “core curriculum” is named for a classic work of fiction, with a final exam at the end and a glossary of terms on the cover flap). i was convinced to give it a try by the description of the sixteen-year-old heroine, blue van meer, as brainy and deadpan with a head full of literary, philosophical, scientific, and cinematic knowledge.
after moving to yet another remote academic outpost with her professor father, blue finds herself eyeball-deep in a series of inexplicable events and eventually a murder mystery. at first i was completely delighted by pessl’s bibliography-style descriptions and hand-drawn “visual aids” sprinkled throughout the book. the perpetual student in me was thrilled to be immersed in academic vocabulary and references to great literature as a tool to paint detail into a work of fiction.
somewhere around chapter 24 the incessant research paper-esque citing became tedious…and then i began to appreciate it for it’s significance to the story and not just a clever writing style. i was also pleasantly surprised by the skilled weaving in of uncommon words and the unexpected turn in the plot. i was certainly entertained and closed the book quite satisfied with my impulsive choice.
have you read this book? does the idea of reading a novel with style elements of a term paper sound exciting or mind-numbing to you?
bookworm wednesday – our magnificent bastard tongue
in honor of national grammar day on sunday, i’ve been celebrating our lovely language this week. today’s bookworm review is on a book that does just that: Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold Story of English by John McWhorter (4 of 5 stars).
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i have always enjoyed mcwhorter’s style of teaching — i borrowed his lecture on “the story of language” from the library and listened to all twelve hours in rapt attention. i admit that i’m already a fan of the subject matter, but mcwhorter has a way of making the international origins of English words and syntax patterns seem like a lively story.
he covers everything from the the odd use of the word “do” in question form to the claim that language reveals culture. i connected with his attitude toward the maddening nature of arbitrary English rules…he seemed to convey an exasperated affection as you would feel for an unruly family member.
one of my favorite things about this book is that he points out how it’s silly to get upset over broken rules like a preposition at the end of a sentence or split infinitives, because the entire history of the English language is of an ever-changing grammar with many broken rules along the way. somehow my brain naturally distinguishes between an evolving way of communication like simplified sentence structure (acceptable), and blatant, lazy errors like mistaken homophones: it’s/its, their/there, or your/you’re (so annoying).
this book may not be your cup of tea, but it is certainly not out of reach, even if you are not a linguaphile. if you speak English, you can appreciate this story.
do you ever think about why we use the words we do? what is one oddity of the English language that has always made you scratch your head in wonder?
