Booked: Literature in the Soul of MeI really enjoyed reading Karen Swallow Prior's book on the 18th century life of Hannah More, a poet, reformer and abolitionist.
Karen is a professor of English at the Liberty University. And when I heard she had written a book on literature, I knew it would be something I'd like to read it.
She says here of her book:
"...for much of my life, I loved books more than God, never discovering for a long, long time that a God who spoke the world into existence with words is, in fact, the source of meaning of all words. My journey toward that discovery is the story of this book.
I thought my love of books was taking me away from God, but as it turns out, books were the backwoods path back to God, bramble-filled and broken, yes, but full of truth and wonder."
And author of Bonhoeffer, Eric Metaxas, says of this book:
"Ever wished you'd had a teacher who made you want to read the classics? Your wish has come true in this beautifully-told book.
Karen Swallow Prior movingly and honestly tells a compelling story of self-discovery and coming to faith through some of the greatest books ever written."
Sounds intriguing!
David Copperfield
I've started reading this one and I'm really enjoying it so far. Dickens writing can be drawn out but it's so beautifully descriptive, I find myself completely immersed.
It's going to take me awhile to get through this close-to 1000 page book but I'm getting a little help from an audio-book from the library. I can cook, bake, clean and drive around doing errands while listening!
Dickens says of this novel:
"Like many fond parents, I have in my heart of hearts a favorite child, and his name is David Copperfield."
Amazon says of it here:
"Millions of readers have taken young David into their hearts as well, weeping over his misfortunes and exulting in his triumphs. Dickens' seventh novel, David Copperfield, appeared in 1850, by which time he was a British national institution.
Based on the author's own tumultuous journey from boy to man, this epic traces David's progress from his mother's sheltering arms to the miseries of boarding-school and sweatshop, and the rewards of friendship, romance, and self-discovery in his vocation as a writer."
I loved the 'Little House on the Prairie' TV show when I was a child. I've also read a few of the Little House books.
So I'm looking forward to reading this story based on Caroline's point of view of the Ingalls life together.
Goodreads says of it here:
"In this novel authorized by the Little House estate, Sarah Miller vividly recreates the beauty, hardship, and joys of the frontier in a dazzling work of historical fiction, a captivating story that illuminates one courageous, resilient, and loving pioneer woman as never before—Caroline Ingalls, "Ma" in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved Little House books...
...For more than eighty years, generations of readers have been enchanted by the adventures of the American frontier’s most famous child, Laura Ingalls Wilder, in the Little House books. Now, that familiar story is retold in this captivating tale of family, fidelity, hardship, love, and survival that vividly reimagines our past."
I've always been fascinated by British history. My mother is from England and though I've never been there I feel a kinship to it.
Lady Jane Grey is one of my favorite royals. Though she was only queen for 9 days and only 17 years old when she was killed, her strength and determination to not recant her Protestant beliefs in Christ alone, is inspiring.
Goodreads say of it here:
"Crown of Blood is an important and significant retelling of an often-misunderstood tale: set at the time of Jane’s downfall and following her journey through to her trial and execution, each chapter moves between the past and the “present,” using a rich abundance of primary source material (some of which has never been published) in order to paint a vivid picture of Jane’s short and turbulent life.
This dramatic narrative traces the dangerous plots and web of deadly intrigue in which Jane became involuntarily tangled—and which ultimately led to a shocking and catastrophic conclusion."
I loved Jen Wilkin's last book, 'Women of the Word' and have been interested in reading this new one ever since it came out last year.
Doesn't it have the prettiest cover? : )
Amazon describes the book here:
"This exploration of ten attributes that belong to God alone reminds us of why our limits are a good thing in light of God’s limitlessness―celebrating the freedom that comes from letting God be God."
I love this....'celebrating the freedom that comes from letting God be God'. This takes the stress off from trying to be the perfect Christian, and teaches us to put our trust were it belongs...in Him.
I'm really looking forward to this book!
