Book Notes

Here are some of the books I have finished lately. Most of my summer reading has been consumed by financial jargon, but I have managed to squeeze these good books in between somewhere. All of these books are worth taking a few extra minutes to read a page or two.

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
This is one of my favourites of Austen's, hence why I read it again. I'll never grow tired of reading the story of contrasting sisters in Marianne and Elinor Dashwood. The former being emotional, loving, and hasty, the latter being calm, calculated, and thoughtful. We can all see ourselves in them and the situations they have to deal with. Nobody else can write about the complexities of society with such detail and character driven internal dialogue like Jane Austen. She's a marvel, and each time I read her books, I catch even more of her sharp wit in the conversations.

The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton
One of my favourites of Chesterton's, which I can read over and over. I recently wrote about this book in my post HERE. This is where Chesterton shines: in his mysterious, paradoxical stories that also hold a good deal of humour. I absolutely love this book.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
I rarely pick up modern fiction because I tend to find myself disappointed with the lack of good storytelling, but I am glad I picked this book up. It was beautifully written and it drew me into the story, I didn't want to put it down. While a pandemic wipes out 99% of the population, you read into the lives of several survivors and how they manage to keep going. There is light in the darkness and hope in the insight. It's not about the disaster so much as it is about the people.

The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge by Rainer Maria Rilke 
Rilke's only novel. His poetry is so wonderful I could not resist this book when I found it recently. There is something about his writing that draws me in. Even when he is writing as someone else's notebooks, I know it is about Rilke himself, and his own worries, doubts, and wonderings when he lived in Paris. 

The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli
This short book reminded me of a George MacDonald book. A child is forced into an adventure across the countryside, aided by a few adult mentors, who help him grow in wisdom. Taking place in medieval times, a king is about to be attacked by a neighboring country, and the vital piece of the story is the young boy, without whom the victory could not be won. Another reminder that even the smallest person can change the course of the future. 

Wearing God by Lauren Winner
I've always enjoyed Lauren's writings. Her intellectual brain always dives deeply into an issue or topic, and this new book of hers does the same. Different elements of our lives are focused on and how those things can help us know God better. Clothing, laughter, food and wine, bearing children, etc. I feel like I am always learning something when I read her work. She has a way of drawing the reader into her topic with a perfect mixture of daily life, historical background, and knowledge. 

Saving the Appearances by Owen Barfield
Sometimes as I read this book, I thought to myself I knew what I was reading, but I had no idea what I was reading. This book is so philosophical, and dense, it stretches me to understand it. Imagery of nature in human history has changed over time. To begin with, the 'original participation' included God as being manifest in everything. The 'final participation' has developed over time as man has taken on the creator role more so. He writes about idolatry as we are today, replacing all participation with idols, mostly due to the scientific revolution.