“And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history—money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery—the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.”
-C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity Clive Staples Lewis, a former atheist who later turned to Christianity, tackled the doctrine of the Christian belief in several informal radio broadcasts during the 1940s. Originally published as three separate books -- The Case for Christianity, Christian Behavior, and Beyond Personality -- Mere Christianity brings all three books together to discuss several different theories, theologies, and beliefs regarding the Christian faith. Lewis tackles everything from the idea of Intelligent Design to what the Christian faith has to say about sex. Witty and whimsical are the only two ways I can think to describe C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity--and in general. His atheistic background gives his arguments depth and delivers insight on his personal spiritual journey to finding the Christian faith. Lewis also has a way about him, making the most serious analysis about a particular idea so riveting, while at the same time so humorous that you'll find yourself questioning what you believe one minute and laughing out loud, alone in your reading nook the next. Lewis, in my humble opinion, is one of the greatest writers of his time. His careful use of language makes this book beautifully well-written (or spoken as a broadcast) as well as personal and easy for any reader to read and understand. Don't get me wrong--this book is heavy. It requires a great deal of active reading. You'll often find yourself reading a paragraph, scratching your head, and having to reread it over a couple of times. Not because it is confusing or poorly written, but rather because he introduces concepts you may never have stopped to think about before. Isn't that why we read? Yes, sometimes to escape reality, but to learn, to grow, and make us think about the way the world works around us. Lewis is one of the best at this. For this reason, I'm inclined to give Mere Christianity a 5 out of 5 stars. Seriously, go get it. Go turn some pages. Go grow.
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Goodness. Gracious. Sakes. ALIVE. THIS BOOK. Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain is a genius work of fiction that will leave you falling face down on your couch, clutching your pillow for emotional support. Really, I should have known the second I picked up a dog book, but still I read on.
Stein's story takes us through the eyes and life of the young, opinionated shepherd-poodle-terrier mix, Enzo. Enzo begins his life on a farm, but is quickly adopted by the semi-professional race car driver, Denny. Told from Enzo's first person narrative, we get to witness the beautiful "man's-best-friend" relationship between Enzo and Denny. They play together, confide in one another, and even watch racing footage alongside each other. We see years pass and relationships change as Denny gets married, has a child, and Enzo rediscovers his role in his new family unit. Enzo is exceptionally bright for a dog. He often watches documentaries during his free time and observes the day to day interaction between Denny, Eve, and Zoe. One day, Enzo notices a particularly bad smell (that only he can smell) inside of Denny's wife, Eve, and from this point on we begin to brace ourselves for the worst. It becomes a difficult read from here as life gets harder and harder for Denny and his family and we're strung along for the emotional ride. "That which we manifest is before us." This incredibly brilliant dog gives us better insight into the human soul than any other human can. While the story is a heavier read, it's also an encouraging message of resilience and perseverance. Of choosing to press on in the face of what may feel like total defeat. “That which we manifest is before us; we are the creators of our own destiny. Be it through intention or ignorance, our successes and our failures have been brought on by none other than ourselves.” Stein's book was extremely well-written and contained beautiful language, imagery, and insight. It's the kind of book you have to read actively. The kind of book that makes you think twice about where you're at in your own life and if you're living it right. My only complaint about the book is that because Enzo was remarkably insightful and knowledgeable, it sort of made him unbelievable as a dog. If he had toned it down just a hair, it would have been just perfect, but this leads me to have to rate The Art of Racing in the Rain a 4.5 out of 5 stars. A great read. Go get it and turn some pages, kids. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne takes Potter fans back into the wizarding world to give us a glimpse into what has been happening for the last 19 years since Harry and his friends fought the battle at Hogwarts, defeated the Dark Lord, and restored peace to witches and wizards in said magical world. The story, written in a playwright-script style, centralizes around the relationship between Harry and his son, Albus. While the rest of the witches and wizards in Rowling’s world praise Harry for his accomplishments, Albus does not share in their sentiments. Oh, the angsty teenage years. Albus goes to Hogwarts, just like Harry and the rest of his siblings, but finds that his time there is very different than it was for those that went before him. Albus befriends a Slytherin *gasp* and, well... the rest you'll have to read and discover on your own. Rowling, Tiffany, and Thorne's play is exactly that... a play. As a reader, it is important to note that it is not the eighth sequel to the Harry Potter series. It is a separate story entirely and as such, it should be held to that expectation. Unlike the Harry Potter series, where Rowling takes an entire book to devote to each year that Harry and his friends are in school, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child jumps through time rather swiftly. We quickly see Albus go from his first year to his fourth. This did make the book seem a little rushed at times, although the writers did attempt to fill in the gaps with the general gist of what we needed to know. As readers, we get to see the main characters that we know and love years later, but there isn't even a brief mention as to where many of the side characters went, or how the main characters wound up where they are today. While I understand the focal point of the story was Albus and not all of the characters from the original book series, there should have been a little more help from the authors to string together what we've missed in the last 19 years. Most of the characters did hold true to what we know and love about them. However, there were a few moments where I wasn't sure if a character really would have done or said something that they did. In these moments, it was clear this was penned by three different authors, but Rowling would never have let this story go public if she wasn't behind it 100%. After all, this is her creation. Her world. Overall, I really enjoyed this read. The nostalgia alone is enough to make any Potter fan's heart melt, but to get a glimpse of the magical world after 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' is no longer a part of it truly is the most magical of all. Due to some of these time gaps, the story feeling a bit rushed, and a lack of some detail - I'm led to rate it a 3.5 out of 5 stars. If you take it for what it is and aren't expecting the eighth Potter book - hopefully you'll enjoy it too. Read away and turn some pages, my friends. Recently, I was able to give a quick read and review to Scott Hughes' Achieve Your Dreams: Why You Don't and How You Can.
Read the review here. |
AuthorStephanie can be found curled up with a good book, playing her ukulele, or enjoying the occasional (everyday) taco. ArchivesCategories |