Magical Shelves

 

There was once a young girl who had a few shelves of books allocated to her on the big family set of bookshelves. She would take a gander at them often, pulling off a favourite to re-read and put back one just finished. They were just everyday shelves of books, and yet they were full of magic. Those shelves were very well known by this young girl, because her eyes would wander over them all on a regular basis. She knew the locations of all the books, even her brothers' collections, and what books were included. She knew the encyclopedias as deeply as her own dedicated shelves, for those chunky, large books would often come off the bottom shelf, and right in front of the shelf the young girl would sit cross-legged on the floor with the selected book open on her lap. There was no internet, at least, not for several years, and even when there was dial-up it was not used very much. This was exploring the world and the abundance of knowledge, but through the lens of books.

She would eagerly anticipate every trip to Walmart (the old school stores of the 1990s) because there was a small book aisle, where she could peruse the 4-5 shelves of paperbacks and inevitably end up with one to take home. It felt like carrying a treasure around the rest of the shopping trip with a new book in hand. Those shelves were also full of magic.

That girl grew up but she stills feels the same thrill of a new book and a familiar book pulled off a magical shelf. I do not shop at Walmart, but whatever bookshop I might be in (or when one arrives that I ordered - book mail is my very favourite kind of mail), holding that new book awakens that childhood sensation of wonder and mystery at what lies behind the cover in black ink on hundreds of pages. That eagerness to stop everything and read it the rest of the day is the same strong urge every time. Of course, now as an adult I more often have to set it aside to wait patiently for time to read, but it sometimes could be right then and there I open that cover.

I am still that girl who wanders her shelves, pulling off titles to re-visit or just dip into. The joy of revisiting a loved book is in the deeper discovery (or even new discovery) of something missed before or perhaps forgotten until eyes settle on those words again. Reading a good book again will open the approach to fresh perspective. The book hasn't changed in those years, but I have. And my attention might be catching different aspects I never saw before, with reflections on my life, which probably has something different going on than when I first read it. This is also why reading Scripture again and again is so beneficial. There are always varying insights to gather from good books. We have much to learn at every turn of our lives. And good books are that steadfast place to return to for wisdom, insight, and perspective. 

Interlude for Anatomy of Melancholy

 

...thou shalt soon perceive that all the world is mad, that it is melancholy...

I offer this appreciation interlude for the labyrinthine masterpiece that is The Anatomy of Melancholy by Robert Burton. There may be more interludes to come, for this tome is a rather hefty one at 1,100 pages, so I imagine I will be dipping into this one for quite some time, and can see that this is the kind of book I will revisit again and again. Robert Burton lived in Oxford and wrote this for himself (as the subject), he writes, to aid himself in his own melancholy, showing us that his own interests and talents were essentially a cure to his own melancholy. To keep busy doing what he loved to do, fulfilling his purpose. He does write as a summation after 1,100 pages of diversions - "Be not solitary, be not idle" and we can all take that into our own souls to ponder the truth in that when feeling melancholy.

Examine the rest in like sort, and you shall find that Kingdoms and Provinces are melancholy, cities and families, all creatures, vegetal, sensible, and rational, that all sorts, sects, ages, conditions, are out of tune...In whom doth not passion, anger, envy, discontent, fear and sorrow reign? Who labours not of this disease?

I love this idea of being out of tune. We can all relate to that as a human condition. Burton shows that all of us are affected by melancholy at some points in our lives. It used to be known as a disease, and I suppose today it would be more so categorized as depression. However, the term melancholy seems more approachable to me, for we can all think about times where we are caught in a mindset of melancholy, no matter how short-lived. This is an everyman's book. Full of humour and anecdotes - surely Burton would be a hoot to hang out with. Records and letters show that he was.

It's difficult to describe what this book is exactly - published in 1621, it is a collection of writings, musings, history, diversions, and poetry exploring various aspects of the human condition (cutting up each of the aspects, or anatomizing them), subdivided into sections of causes of melancholy and then cures for melancholy. It is full of diversions and side notes, stories, quotes, many lists, and tales from Roman and Greek philosophers. He often throws out quotes in Latin in the middle of a sentence (which are translated, thankfully). He was a Christian, and he pulls quotations from Scripture. It has medical aspects that would impact one's melancholic state, as well as looking into one's mental awareness. I think our modern world of mental health and medicine should pay attention to this book. There is a lot here that is not considered today.

How many strange humours are in men? When they are poor and needy, they seek riches, and when they have them, they do not enjoy them, but hide them underground, or else wastefully spend them. O wise Hippocrates, I laugh at such things being done, but much more when no good comes of them, and when they are done to so ill purpose.

I have reached my favourite subsect thus far, titled - 

Love of learning, or overmuch study. With a Digression of the misery of Scholars, and why the Muses are Melancholy.

I can very much relate to the "overmuch study" (and will use that phrasing from here on as it makes me chuckle), even though I am not a technical student at the moment, I consider myself a life-long student, poring myself into study of books and writing my own books at my own peril, so indeed, these words ring very true to me when he gives - 

...many reasons, why students dote more often than others; first is their negligence...only Scholars neglect that Instrument, their brains and spirit (I mean) which they daily use, and by which they range over all the world, which by much study is consumed.

Now, I shall go back to my writing, but hopefully not to neglecting my brains and spirit. 

That Girl Who Reads Poems

 

I realize that I might be in danger of being known as that girl who always reads poems for every situation (and that's okay, because poems written by those I deeply admire are words wiser than my own). With every speaking opportunity I am given (through church or other gatherings) and with every written opportunity I am given (articles, cards, etc) I find myself reaching for a poem to read or write.  I apologize in advance if you ask me to lead/speak/write, for you will surely be faced with a poem.

A poem (or fragment of a poem) is going to be short to read (often not even reaching the right margins or bottom of a page) to convey something big I am trying to say or wish to explore in a concise yet beautiful way. 

So this book I stumbled upon a couple weeks ago, Rhyme's Rooms: The Architecture of Poetry by Brad Leithauser, showed up in my life right at the ideal time, casting that reinvigorated enjoyment of playing with words in the ways that poetry can (much more than prose). 

I love the author's opening of the book detailing the way poems set up a certain expectation to the reader, as one who is not aware of where the poet is going, to hopefully present a pleasant surprise by delivering a clarity and beauty that one did not even expect. This is a wonderful gift we have as humans to appreciate "that primal human pleasure, rooted in inadequacy and ignorance, that arises when clarity dawns unexpectedly: the joy of enlightened surprise." He introduces this as the prosodic contract of the poet (it's the pattern and rhythm and sound used in poetry).

Then, the book dives into the various aspects of poetic architecture, and it's such an enjoyable ride through the structures of rhyme schemes, meter, stanzas, patterns, indentation and capitalization, enjambment, iambic pentameter, iambic tetrameter, off rhyme, rim rhyme, etc. Along the way, he includes fun little poetic puns (oh yes, puns are discussed as poetic elements, too, as saying two things at once) and while I do have a natural inclination to enjoy reading a book about poetic structure (and most would not), it was never overdone with technical language. In between good examples pulled from all ages of poetry, he would include fun little lines that made me chuckle, like a good P.G. Wodehouse novel. 

For example, in his chapter on "Enjambment" (the running over of a sentence or phrase from one poetic line to the next without punctuation), he writes:

The word is derived from the French enjamber, "to stride over" or "go beyond", and ultimately from jambe, "leg". You might say that an enjambed line is legging it.

I am a forever advocate for reading more poetry, which is meant to be read aloud, for the ideal appreciation of it's structure, sound, meter, and rhyme. It's impossible to sum up the book in just a few short paragraphs. I might need to write a poem to sum it all up, but in this age of distraction and too much information at our fingertips all the hours of the day, I loved his line - 

Poetry is forgiving of almost any shortcomings we show it, except the disloyalty of inattention.

Measuring the Seasons by Light

 

I measure the seasons by the dawn light streaming into my east-facing kitchen each day as the angles of light hits the table in my tiny home. Here in the photo from about a month ago, the light was lined up almost perfectly like stripes on the table. Already though, that has shifted, in the last couple weeks, the light has cut a varied path, grazing the table at a sharper angle from bottom left, to upper right. The season is shifting. 

Spring days were blooming sweet and fine - 
The heavenly wisdom allotted such time - 
To shape hearts of many by love so divine.

It is interesting how subtle shifts in our lives can easily go unnoticed - whether it is a seasonal shift or some other relational shift. We tend to get so trained in our everyday we focus on our schedule or the next thing we need to do, rather than noticing the moment we are in and what might be happening in it. What beautiful mystery might be wrapped up in that moment?

Something I have been working on for years is noticing and appreciating the moment I am in. In our modern distracted world, I have found that it takes a lot of effort to slow down but when I actually do, I realize how deeply my soul needs that. Part of this effort has been made by simplifying my life in myriad ways, from decluttering and organizing, choosing fewer products to buy in general (and not buying cheaply so I don't have to replace the item in one season), and making the simplest moments lovely and special. I might drink coffee or tea in my favourite antique cup and saucer because I want to, and it enhances the experience and causes me to slow down to enjoy it. 

These small things add beautiful moments to my life, but they take a little bit of effort. Is it easier to buy cheaply and throw everything away? Is it faster to make coffee and drink out of a paper cup to toss? Sure. But there is something missing for me (aside from the environmental impact) - the enjoyment aspect. We are meant to enjoy this life we have been given. I want to savor each moment in its own unique way that it is. Each season holds treasures in it that we might gloss over if we move too fast. 

So, measuring the seasons by the light on my kitchen table has been a way of just simply noticing that in the bigger picture, our planet is tilted and as we circle the sun our seasons shift as we get a tiny bit closer or farther away from our star, and that huge solar system movement impacts me here directly in these tiny ways every single morning, by the light shifts. But only if I am willing to notice. This noticing isn't going to change the world, but it just might change my view of it, by appreciating all the wonder-filled moments that are present every day. And that appreciation goes beyond myself and outward to others.

Week of Books - The Seven Dials Mystery

 

The Seven Dials Mystery
Agatha Christie

"You'd have liked him, Father. I never saw anyone more cheerfully inefficient than he was."
"I don't like anyone who comes and dies in my house on purpose to annoy me," said Lord Caterham obstinately.

(Page 35)

Sometimes you just need a good murder mystery, as Aristotle would say, because we take pleasure in the image of a murder. Perhaps because it is so distant from our actual everyday experience - twists and turns, dangerous clues, intrigue. And if it's Agatha Christie, it's just a fun read overall.

This murder mystery had me chuckling quite a lot. It reads much like a P.G. Wodehouse novel, which always make me laugh. The set-up is a group of young people, who decide to play a joke on Gerry Wade, who tends to sleep in everyday until almost noon. They decide to buy eight alarm clocks to place in his room and set them all to wake him at 6:30 am. Except, the joke backfires. He doesn't wake up.

This starts the mystery of how he died. Accident? Murder? The more Bundle investigates this question, the more she somehow gets wrapped into a secret society, warning notes, another death, and her own inquisitive nature that puts her in danger.

I love how Agatha as the creator of this story leaves clues and breadcrumbs along the way, and when you get to the end when it is revealed, you look back and see how obvious it was if you had paid attention to those clues.

Maybe I was so distracted along the way, having a grand time with these characters and fun dialogue. 

"I haven't been to London," said Bundle, "I ran over a man."
"What?"
"Only I didn't really. He was shot."
"How could he have been?"
"I don't know how he could have been, but he was."
"But why did you shoot him?"
"I didn't shoot him."
"You shouldn't shoot people," said Lord Caterham in a tone of mild remonstrance. "You shouldn't really. I daresay some of them richly deserve it - but all the same it will lead to trouble."
"I tell you I didn't shoot him."
"Well, who did?"
"Nobody knows," said Bundle.
"Nonsense," said Lord Caterham. "A man can't be shot and run over without anyone having done it."
"He wasn't run over," said Bundle.
"I thought you said he was."
"I said I thought I had."
(Page 52)

Week of Books - Poetics

 

Poetics
Aristotle

A common phenomenon is evidence of this: even when things are painful to look upon - corpses for instance, or the shapes of the most revolting animals - we take pleasure in viewing highly realistic images of them.
(Page 20)

I am not sure how I haven't picked this one up yet, but I am so glad I did. An alternative title for it could be "Advice to an Aspiring Author (with special notes to the murder mystery writer)". In this book, Aristotle is rejecting the previous philosophy of Plato's in the theory of ideas, and branching out to his focus on philosophy, poetry, and history. He sketches out the development of poetry, and argues how it is more philosophical than history, where history just give facts and poetry explores universal truths. The depth of morality can be explored through tragedy in story and plays, he explains. All the elements he depicts of course would be familiar to us as the Greek tragedy he finds some faults in those, however, it also could fit quite well (was he writing for the future?) with a very different kind of story we know today as the murder mystery or detective novel. You could study these guidelines in the context of the tragedy of King Oedipus or any of the Lord Peter Whimsey mysteries (by Dorothy L. Sayers). In each of these, the morality of the characters, the gruesome murder scene, the emotion and how they attempt to be virtuous, the twists of the story, etc all fit into Aristotle's guidelines for the storytelling of tragedy. 

I love that this book even includes a talk given by Dorothy L. Sayers in Oxford in 1935 titled "Aristotle on Detective Fiction." She discusses Poetics specifically, as an outline for writing detective novels. "In one phrase he sums up the whole essence of the detective story proper. Speaking of the denouement of the work, he says: 'It is also possible to discover whether some one had done or not done something.' Yes indeed."

Now let me get on with writing my next (detective) story, taking my notes/reminders from Aristotle.

Poetry is more philosophical and more serious than history; poetry utters universal truths, history particular statements.
(Page 28)

Week of Books - The Naked Don't Fear

 

The Naked Don't Fear the Water
Matthieu Aikins

You tended to look at the next person's fear to see if it was more or less than your own. We had to act confident for each other's sake.
(page 119)

I finished this book a couple weeks ago, and am still thinking about it. In an effort to be more aware of global issues and cultural topics, I have been more keen to broaden my horizons with books that are a departure from where my comfortable zone usually takes me in my reading. I want to be a widely read bookish soul.

I was riveted by the storytelling and beauty of prose in Matthieu's book. He is a Canadian journalist who has been reporting/living in Kabul, Afghanistan for more than ten years. He went undercover with an Afghan friend, Omar, as a refugee, and wrote about the experience and journey. It is quite an adventure, full of danger, darkness, and some human kindness along the way. But it is harrowing reality for those who are trying to escape to Europe for better lives and opportunity. Visas are very difficult to come by, and paperwork is either very expensive or not granted for most. The borders creates these kinds of conditions - the tougher the borders, the more opportunities for the ill-intended minds. Not only are smugglers an essential part of those refugees trying to get out, but it is a dangerous choice to use smugglers for so many reasons.

This book so beautifully brings to light the fact that we are all human together, and yet we have created such walls and divisions in our world that place others at immediate disadvantage and suffering. Who is considered a refugee? Matthieu asks. Through this book, we see through the eyes of an observant writer who shows us these scenes and takes us on this journey that could be our own.

For years now, blending in for my own safety had been a habit. In turn, passing as an Afghan had made me aware of how, as an Asian face abroad, I had to perform my own Western identity if I wanted to wield its privilege. The American ring to my voice, the way I made eye contact, the clothes I wore - these were levers that could shift the world. Passing, in this sense, is a universal condition, wrote Asad Haider.
(page 101)

Week of Books - War and Peace

 

War and Peace
Leo Tolstoy

'I don't say it's a plan I approve of,' he said, 'I'm just telling you how things are. Napoleon has his own plan and it's no worse than ours.'
(Page 103)

This mammoth of a tome is my long journey. I shall be dwelling in these 1,300+ pages for a long time, so you may catch glimpses every now and then. Ahh, this book. I liked it from the first page. These characters introduced are full of quirks and hopes, goals and failures. I love how Tolstoy sets them all up. You quickly get to know them, and then without any delay, the story jumps into action. Social parties allow the characters of this Russian upper class to be known, and then when a battle with Napoleon begins, you see it all play out in action, whether on the battlefield or off. 

I think the general turn-off of this book is the size. The sheer 1,300 pages is pretty daunting, I will say. I do delight in a book I can carry with me, and this one just doesn't fit into my bag nicely, because it's like carrying around a brick. Although I am only 400 pages in, I can confirm that this book it well worth the time. It's so well written and really fun to read. There's no dullness in my opinion, which might be another assumption people have of this book. 

It's a sort of parallel to our own history playing out in some similar fashions, from the 1805-1810s perspective. I really enjoy when I have time to dive into this world.

You dread crossing that line, and yet you still want to cross it. You know sooner or later you will have to go across and find out what is there beyond it, just as you must inevitably find out what lies beyond death. Yet here you are, fit and strong, carefree and excited, with men all around you just the same - strong, excited and full of life. This is what all men think when they get a sight of the enemy, or they feel it if they do not think it, and it is this feeling that gives a special lustre and a delicious edge to the awareness of everything that is now happening.
(Page 150)

Week of Books - Going to Church in Medieval England

 

Going to Church in Medieval England
Nicholas Orme

Churchgoing as a religious and social activity in Britain can be envisaged by at least AD 313 when the Emperor Constantine recognised Christianity as a lawful religion and allowed it to have permanent public places of worship.
(Page 5)

Why am I so drawn to the Medieval time period, specifically in Britain? I could probably point to a few things: my love of learning, history, books, England, architecture. All these things play a role in the Medieval time period. Over this time, books became more widely available (not just manuscripts, but eventually the printing press), which allowed more learning opportunities as more and more people became literate, as the reading culture was shifting from Latin to English. 

As one who is a long-time reader and appreciator of C.S. Lewis, I firmly believe that one cannot read his books and not be pointed into the Medieval ideas and books. From his early published The Allegory of Love on courtly love in Medieval time period, to the literary tome of his academic career The Oxford History of English Literature in the Sixteenth Century Excluding Drama, and all his writings in between, almost every book or story he wrote harkens back to writers, beliefs, quotes, and ideas from Medieval Britain. To better understand Lewis and what he was writing about, one must venture into the Middle Ages. So, needless to say, my interests have taken me along that similar journey of discovery, and now I am led to the churches in this time period, pre-Reformation and up to the Reformation. 

The book covers the time period from Augustine's arrival around 597 in south England (setting up in Canterbury) to the time of Elizabeth I in 1559. I have been learning about the origins, the church building itself, the staff of churches, the congregation and their activity and behavior, the seasons, etc. 

He also covers interesting literary connections from the books at that time, in their references of the church, from The Canterbury Tales, Piers Plowman, and many other works. It's a history book, full of details and anecdotes from records of churches. Some of them quite humorous when the behavior of people is detailed. People were not always so well-behaved as we might think from our modern perspective. Crying babies were an annoyance to many churchgoers, and in some country parishes, dogs and animals seemed to be difficult to keep out of the church (and they asked that weapons be left out on the porch), it's a wonder to me how a service of solemnity could have taken place!  

Wider literacy during the later Middle Ages, at least in reading French or English, enabled the language gap to be bridge to some extent. Primers and books of prayers in the vernacular languages helped, as did guides to services like the 'Lay Folks' Mass Book'.
(Page 187)

Tiny Bookish Views

 

I am sitting here at my desk by the window with my Lent book of poems at my elbow. The winds are gusting outside on a sparklingly bright day with lovely temperatures from the upper 50s to the low 70s. I am sipping a London Fog, missing the namesake city across the ocean, but feeling so thankful for this little home I get to live in and recharge over a weekend before entering Holy Week. Praying for time to reflect in my little space. Over the years I have tweaked this tiny home bit by bit making it more my own - a mixture of simple, classic, bookish. The only thing I have an abundance of is books. And I wouldn't change that at all. 

What are some things I love about my tiny home? You may sense a theme here, but around here, it's about books. A comfortable, simple atmosphere with beautiful small details and books. Lots of books. Old books, new books. And all the nooks.

When I travelled to Iceland and Norway, the beauty of their design and furniture really left an impact on me. I gravitate toward the natural light wood tones, clean white, and tapered lines. My favourite pieces of furniture are from Sweden or Denmark, or molded from that example of design. I admire the way the Scandinavian countries use elements of nature alongside something antique or modern, creating an effortless look, simple, timeless, and comfortable. 

My space is just over 500 square feet, and I honestly don't need more space. It means I am very selective in what I actually do have. Picking and selecting beautiful, well made items means I create a more pleasurable experience in the simplest of everyday things. I want pieces that last and are well made and look lovely after having them for years. Pieces I want to display and see. The simple pleasures of the everyday. 

And the books - lifelong companions they are. Old, new, and in between, they are always moving around my home, whether in my hands or open to be referenced for my book, my blog, just for fun, or a presentation I am giving.  I tend to research things just because something mentioned will spark my intrigue and I must dig to find that word or phrase, concept, or passage. A library must always be at my fingertips. Everything else is optional. 

As we travel deeper into the paths of Holy Week, may the comfort of knowing Jesus goes with us in every step or our daily lives guide our hearts and souls, leading us into more meaning-drenched moments and contemplative mindsets.