As you know, faithful reader, the blog series “How I Became R. A. Nelson” reached its conclusion last week in this post.
Blog series are wonderful. I’ve only been posting for about four months now, and I’ve already done two: the aforementioned “How I Became R. A. Nelson” and a shorter one in December about the origins of each Gatekeeper book (The Finding, The Leaving, and The Keeping). Still, the end of any series always leaves me feeling rather at sea, whether I’m reading or writing it. One becomes accustomed to a certain rhythm, the comfortable predictability of sequence; and then, it ends, and one must start again, finding a new rhythm and blazing a new trail. I faced this week’s post wondering, a touch dispiritedly, “So . . . what now?”
Then my husband suggested I write about what I’m reading at the moment, and I cheered up instantly. Reading is fun! I like reading! I spend a healthy percentage of every conversation with friends talking about what I’m reading!
You’re my friend, reader, and I want to tell you about my current literary adventures.
Pour yourself a cuppa, and enjoy.
I am rarely reading just one book at any given time. In fact, I probably read too many books at once. This is the stack of books required for my daily “quiet time”:
And that’s just for the morning, folks.
For leisure reading, I normally go by this formula: one non-fiction spiritual/theological book, one novel I’ve never read before, and one novel I’ve already read. I always enjoy re-reading books; ’tis comforting, like slipping into a warm and well-beloved sweater, and I do miss characters if I am absent from them for too long. Currently, though, I am making my way through this in lieu of an already-read book:
I’ve been wanting to own a collection of Donne’s poetry for years, so when I found this at a used bookstore recently (for SIX DOLLARS!!!), I couldn’t pass it up. And, since I have it, I felt I should read it, particularly since I’m writing a lot of poetry these days and preparing my first poetry collection for publication (coming soon!!!!). So, that’s fun.
For the non-fiction book, we have this:
And now, I’m afraid I have to rant a bit.
I was really excited about this book. My parents gave it to me; I think they met the author, and it’s signed; it’s about Tolkien and Lewis, the patriarchs of both my literary and my spiritual journey. What’s not to love?
Apparently, I am more of a purist than I have ever been willing to admit – at least when it comes to these two authors and their work.
I found myself underwhelmed even within the introduction. The writing felt like a high school research paper, with every other sentence a quotation from some other work. Mad props to the author for doing such thorough research; but I began to wonder if he would ever assert his own thought, or if the whole book would turn out to be a collection of other people’s ideas.
Then, he misquoted Tolkien.
Twice.
“Hence, the hateful realm of Mordor is sustained by its black engines and factories, which Sauron introduces as his forces invade the Shire.”
Sauron never invaded the Shire; Saruman did.
And his forces didn’t “invade” – they infiltrated, slowly and sneakily.
“Treebeard and his companions . . . finally decide to march against Sauron – ‘the last march of the Ents’ – and play a decisive role in his defeat.”
Again, that was Saruman. Not Sauron.
Uncool, man.
THEN, he misquoted Lewis.
“In the opening pages of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, we meet Jadis, ‘the last Queen,’ a woman of immense wickedness. She holds the secret of ‘the Deplorable Word,’ a force that can destroy entire worlds, a power too terrible to contemplate. ‘What was it?’ asks Digory. ‘That was the secret of secrets,’ says Jadis . . . .”
All of that is from The Magician’s Nephew, NOT The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
All of it.
FIE.
Still, I am going to keep reading. I am only in the second chapter, after all, and the author’s research is adding a bit to my knowledge of World War I and the atmosphere out of which it erupted. Furthermore, amidst the misquotations noted above and the numerous paragraphs that are nothing BUT quotations from other authors, I found this gem:
“Tolkien and Lewis were attracted to the genres of myth and romance not because they sought to escape the world, but because for them the real world had a mythic and heroic quality. . . . Tolkien and Lewis sought to reclaim an older tradition of the epic hero. Their depictions of the struggles of Middle-earth and Narnia do not represent a flight from reality, but rather a return to a more realistic view of the world as we actually find it.”
Well said, Joseph Loconte. Well said.
For that, I will forgive even the attribution of events to the wrong character and conversations to the wrong book, and I will stick with you – and, probably, come out the better for it, all ranting aside.
Finally, for my never-before-read novel, I give you:
I had never planned to read this book. In fact, I had little desire to: when I watched the film years ago, Scarlett O’Hara annoyed the stuff out of me, and I cringed at the thought of spending over 1,000 pages with her. Still, many credible sources assured me that it was fantastically written; then, when a friend of ours in Fayetteville who collected rare books pulled a 1938 copy off his shelf and handed it to me the night before we moved northwards, I decided I should give it a go.
Because it is so old and in such beautiful condition, it is one of the few books I grabbed when we had to flee our New England condo; I did not want it to suffer any damage from water or exposure, and it seemed like it would be good company in our indefinite sojourn “elsewhere”. Hence, a few weeks ago, I started it.
I knew from the first line that I was in for a treat:
“Scarlett O’Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it when caught by her charm as the Tarleton twins were.”
At the beginning of Gatekeeper III: The Keeping, Anna writes a letter about the first lines of books and how some manage to be so darn catchy – so arresting – so timeless. This struck me as one of those, and I settled down to put the fate of my literary enjoyment fully into the capable hands of Margaret Mitchell.
She has not let me down, and the book has lived up to the promise of those temptingly saucy opening words. I am already over a third of the way in, and I cannot remember when I have been more surprised and delighted by a novel. My friend, who read it recently, described it yesterday as a “page-turner”. How many 1000-page books merit that description? Any author who can write such a lengthy tome and make it a gripping story to boot is an author with whom I should probably seek further acquaintance, even if only to sit at her feet and learn.
Well, I missed those errors. I had heard him speak and was looking for the expansion of the ideas presented. I guess I read with tunnel vision. I am glad you can have grace for his missteps and hear the heart of his argument/philosophy. I have never read Gone With the Wind. Perhaps I shall soon. Love your insights . . . Even the Randy ones. 😜
Thank you – and thank you for the book! I trust it shall be a worthwhile read, all ranting aside. 🙂
Oops!!! That was supposed to read “rant-y” ones. 😳
I have read and thoroughly enjoyed Gone with the Wind. I’m glad you are too! I am currently reading the Mark of Athena from the Heroes of Olympus series, Between Heaven and the Real World by Steven Curtis Chapman, a compilation of Lewis that takes you through Lent (and is AWESOME!), and I think I started the Happiest Refugee by Anh Do, but haven’t gotten very far thanks to Percy Jackson. 🙂 I did recently go to a book fair and got a few Peter Wimsey books that I am very much looking forward to!!
Percy Jackson is always a good idea. 🙂 So is Lewis – but in a very different way! And Lord Peter . . . be still, my heart.
I have not yet read any Anh Do; perhaps I should!
I never ever saw the movie (I know, I know….) but I read the book years ago and enjoyed it immensely. That is saying a lot for someone who rarely reads fiction!
I enjoy reading historical fiction and have recently read two books set in World War II, one in Germany and the other in England. I just finished reading “FDR’s Twelve Apostles”, an account of the twelve spies who worked for FDR in Africa preparing for that invasion. I am currently reading, “Ocoee, a Novel” about the horrible treatment of African Americans in that little city at the turn of the 20th century. I found it very interesting since I lived there and graduated from Ocee High School and know most of the locations mentioned. AND, I just got N T Wright’s new biography of Paul. Can’t wait!