Monday, November 20, 2000
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
by C. S. Lewis
I suppose I could copy my review of The Magician's Nephew, (see above) change a few words and be done with it. This volume, the progenitor of the Narnia series is as much a delight as its prequel. How could you not love the discovery of a magical land, the mighty lion king Aslan and his overthrow of a cruel tyrant? If you haven't already, buy it, read it and put it on your shelf so you can read it again. (Or lend it to a friend. Such treasures should be shared.)
LibraryThing link
I suppose I could copy my review of The Magician's Nephew, (see above) change a few words and be done with it. This volume, the progenitor of the Narnia series is as much a delight as its prequel. How could you not love the discovery of a magical land, the mighty lion king Aslan and his overthrow of a cruel tyrant? If you haven't already, buy it, read it and put it on your shelf so you can read it again. (Or lend it to a friend. Such treasures should be shared.)
LibraryThing link
Labels: Chronicles of Narnia, CSLewis, OnMyShelf
Friday, November 10, 2000
The Magician's Nephew
by C. S. Lewis
As much as I love books, there are plenty of classic writings which I have yet to read. If it hasn't been assigned as homework, a book has to compete with slick advertising and the capricious nature of my curiosity. Be that as it may, a few of the "classics" manage to get my attention from time to time. For example, I have finally gotten around to reading children's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. The Magician's Nephew is the first volume in the series. It's actually a prequel to the book which was written first, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. As such, Nephew suffers a bit, as the storyteller mentions things that don't contribute to the story at hand, but will rather embellish parts of subsequent volumes. But even with such a handicap, this book is delightfully written. Lewis manages to create descriptions that skillfully work on a child's level yet poetically hint at the deeper complexity. For example, his description of the evil queen alluded to the seductiveness of evil while quite plainly stating that she was no good. Lewis also does a great job of embellishing Biblical teachings to create stories that echo the truth of God and our everyday lives. I can understand why this series has been given such rave reviews. If you like fantasy, put this on your shelf. (If Lewis were still alive and in need of the profit, I would tell you to put it on your shelf even if you don't like fantasy, but he's not so I won't.)
LibraryThing link
As much as I love books, there are plenty of classic writings which I have yet to read. If it hasn't been assigned as homework, a book has to compete with slick advertising and the capricious nature of my curiosity. Be that as it may, a few of the "classics" manage to get my attention from time to time. For example, I have finally gotten around to reading children's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. The Magician's Nephew is the first volume in the series. It's actually a prequel to the book which was written first, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. As such, Nephew suffers a bit, as the storyteller mentions things that don't contribute to the story at hand, but will rather embellish parts of subsequent volumes. But even with such a handicap, this book is delightfully written. Lewis manages to create descriptions that skillfully work on a child's level yet poetically hint at the deeper complexity. For example, his description of the evil queen alluded to the seductiveness of evil while quite plainly stating that she was no good. Lewis also does a great job of embellishing Biblical teachings to create stories that echo the truth of God and our everyday lives. I can understand why this series has been given such rave reviews. If you like fantasy, put this on your shelf. (If Lewis were still alive and in need of the profit, I would tell you to put it on your shelf even if you don't like fantasy, but he's not so I won't.)
LibraryThing link
Labels: Chronicles of Narnia, CSLewis, OnMyShelf
Sunday, November 05, 2000
The Handbook to the Lutheran Hymnal
compiled by W. G. Polack
As a rule, trying to read a reference book is sheer foolishness. However fascinating the contents, you'll soon be lulled to distraction by an overload of facts and figures. However, it can be done if you take the book in small chunks and either have great discipline or a dearth of reading alternatives. I used the latter in my conquest of this tome, which is a companion to The Lutheran Hymnal, the hymn book published by my denomination in 1941. The Lutheran Hymnal (TLH) was the hymn book that I grew up using, and even though they tried to replace it in the late 70's/early 80's, many churches in my denomination are still using it. Anyway, The Handbook is basically a bunch of liner notes on each hymn which can include the piece's history, it's original text (be it English or some other language), deleted verses and the like. There's also capsule biographies for each of of the authors, composers and translators (at least as much as is available for each), indexes and a brief introduction about the hymnal and the criteria used in its creation. I picked this one up at a used book sale and my wife immediately put it on our shelf. Of course, I could not in good conscience reccommend it to the general public, but it might make passable waiting room material to anyone interested in hymns, church history or general nostalgia.
LibraryThing link
As a rule, trying to read a reference book is sheer foolishness. However fascinating the contents, you'll soon be lulled to distraction by an overload of facts and figures. However, it can be done if you take the book in small chunks and either have great discipline or a dearth of reading alternatives. I used the latter in my conquest of this tome, which is a companion to The Lutheran Hymnal, the hymn book published by my denomination in 1941. The Lutheran Hymnal (TLH) was the hymn book that I grew up using, and even though they tried to replace it in the late 70's/early 80's, many churches in my denomination are still using it. Anyway, The Handbook is basically a bunch of liner notes on each hymn which can include the piece's history, it's original text (be it English or some other language), deleted verses and the like. There's also capsule biographies for each of of the authors, composers and translators (at least as much as is available for each), indexes and a brief introduction about the hymnal and the criteria used in its creation. I picked this one up at a used book sale and my wife immediately put it on our shelf. Of course, I could not in good conscience reccommend it to the general public, but it might make passable waiting room material to anyone interested in hymns, church history or general nostalgia.
LibraryThing link
Labels: OnMyShelf, WaitingRoomMaterial
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