December Books

My stack of books grew taller. There is much to do. So many books to read. So much to learn. Can you buy, for me, some time in which to become engrossed in these books?

I did finish two books a few days ago. Then started two new ones. Good thing I have this large, lovely mug my Mum got me, which is big enough to hold a lot of coffee.
What are you reading now?

I just finished reading:

The Discarded Image, by C.S. Lewis - I wrote about my delight when I found this book HERE. Lewis writes about the worldview from the medieval ages and what their thoughts revolved around, with particular attention to the authors of that time. These are images we have mostly discarded in our modern day. He goes through the heavenly, the earthly, and the literary views of those living up through the 15th century. I feel like I learned so much about the medieval worldview and astronomical beliefs mixed in with some history. It's an academic book, which is something I need to really focus on when I read, but it is very accessible. The depth of his knowledge on this era and subject is so clear, and his examples really help paint the picture.

Kiss the Wave, by Tara Leigh Cobble - This is her fourth book and I have loved all her books. She is a singer/songwriter who travels and gives talks and concerts. Her books, though, are like reading her journals and her musings and I love that. A young woman who deals with being single in a world of married friends and family. She looks deeply into herself with insight and Biblical guidance, and deals with living with other girls, dating, moving, illness, and wondering where she is meant to be in this world. What is she meant to do? Well, to me, write books that are inspiring and that I can relate to and be inspired by so easily.

I just started reading:

Surprised By Hope, by N. T. Wright - Through current readings, interests, podcasts, lectures, and blogs, I keep seeing a recurring theme of the doctrine of New Creation, and with the more studying and learning I am doing the more I am seeing how New Creation encompasses everything we know today in our present story and also what is to come. I am diving into this book, which is extremely readable and thought-provoking. I hear Wright's British accent as I read (you should YouTube his lectures. I really enjoy listening to his talks) and his thoughts on how New Creation is already begun, which is why what we do matters so much. Our talents, our art, our writing, our leadership. It all matters. As I get deeper into this book, I know more musings will grow in my mind and onto paper.

The Irrational Season, by Madeleine L'Engle - This is the third of her books of journals. I read the first book in this series when I was in high school, and I think it made me into a better journal writer, just in terms of what I write about and think about. She inspires me to expand my thoughts and let my imagination wander, especially in my journal. What I write doesn't have to be perfect. My poetry doesn't have to have win awards. But reading her journals (this one is from the late 1970s) is comforting, inspiring, and challenging. She writes about her life at that time, living in New York City, with words filled with love of family and the depth of her thoughts and ponderings.