Mrs. Dalloway (1925) is a brussels sprouts book for me. For some reason the M.A.S.H. episode where Radar is in love with someone musical, and Hawkeye Pierce coaches him that he should respond to anything said about Bach with a knowing “Ahhhh, Bach!” comes to mind. This is one of those well-known books I’d like [...]
Archive for January, 2008
Mrs. Dalloway: Humanity under glass
Posted in Decades Challenge, Fiction on January 31, 2008 | 5 Comments »
Blogospherics
Posted in Life on January 29, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Both of my kids are sick this week. Yesterday at the pediatrician’s office, while I read a magazine article about blogging, I heard the little boy across from me say to his mother, “Now will you read this to me? No cell phone??”
Hmm. Interesting confluence of impressions.
The article made the point that bloggers are seeking [...]
Lucy and the book
Posted in Bible, Lewis books on January 29, 2008 | 2 Comments »
I’ve been struck lately by the uniqueness of the experience of reading the Bible as compared to reading other books. Normally I hate the term “strategy,” but in the same way Lucy goes into the silent and mysterious upstairs of the wise magician’s house in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader armed with a plan [...]
Many Moons musings
Posted in Children's books on January 28, 2008 | No Comments »
This is a profound book. I marvel every time I read it. It’s about a princess sick in bed whose father promises her he’ll give her whatever she wants. She wants the moon. His counselors all give long-winded, complicated reasons why it’s too far away, too big, and too heavy, but the court jester suggests asking [...]
Night watchman
Posted in Life, Lists on January 26, 2008 | 4 Comments »
Here are my activities since going to bed last night:
12:14 AM: I bolt from bed and rush in when my 4-year-old has a coughing fit. She stares at me briefly and uncomprehendingly, then goes back to sleep.
3:00 AM: I wake suddenly while standing aimlessly beside my bed, then realize - my 6-year-old’s light is on. I tell her what time it is. [...]
Ultimate Motherland
Posted in Decades Challenge, Fiction on January 26, 2008 | 2 Comments »
How would a society composed exclusively of women function? This is the question Charlotte Perkins Gilman takes up in Herland (1915), a tale about three male adventurers who go exploring (and are held captive) in this unique, highly civilized, well-protected country. I chose this title for the Decades Challenge because “The Yellow Wallpaper” is one of the most [...]
A classic lives on
Posted in Poetry on January 25, 2008 | 1 Comment »
It’s Poetry Friday at Mentor Texts, and I find myself thinking about C.P. Cavafy’s “Ithaka.” It’s a new discovery for me, though for years I’ve loved Tennyson’s poems about Odysseus, “Ulysses” and “The Lotus-Eaters.” Cavafy is a Greek poet who gives yet another spin on this classic Greek hero.
As someone easily distracted from the joy of the journey, Cavafy’s poem speaks to me. How [...]
If therefore your eye is clear…
Posted in Bible on January 24, 2008 | 4 Comments »
…your whole body will be full of light. (Luke 11:34)
I’ve written before about the Bible and children, wondering here how to approach reading it to them, and touching on the illustrations here. I’m thinking about it again today as a result of visiting Wonders for Oyarsa (a title that can’t fail to bring a smile [...]
Old wineskins
Posted in Bible, Church on January 23, 2008 | No Comments »
Jared over at The Thinklings has posted some interesting pieces lately. This one, “For I was hungry and you told me to self-feed,” pretty much nails one of the things that bothered me in the church my family recently left after 9 years. And ”Stingy with the gospel: preachers and the new legalism“ as well as “The wierd [...]
Learning from David
Posted in Bible on January 22, 2008 | No Comments »
One observation:
I’ve never noticed before how much like David Uriah is. If he wasn’t so excessively honorable, he’d probably have stayed alive…
David’s first impulse wasn’t to murder him; it was to bring him home so he could spend a few nights there and eliminate any raised eyebrows when Bathsheba’s pregnancy became public knowledge. But Uriah was as stubbornly [...]
