18
Mar

Words on Wednesday - The Quality of Redemption

I'm always fascinating by the discussion of what makes art.
art quality of redemption
I first saw this quote from Raymond Chandler in Lucy Worsley's book about murder mysteries: The Art of the English Murder: From Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes to Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock.

"The quality of redemption" makes sense to me. And it can apply to art or literature.

For another definition of what makes art see this Words on Wednesday post: Brilliantly Managed Tension.

What I'm Reading:

mar 18 stack
I haven't actually read that many books this month, or added that many to my stack. But you can see what's occupying my reading time right now in the right hand corner of the picture: curriculum catalogs and another flip through The Well-Trained Mind.

Our co-op is getting classes for next year lined up and our first used curriculum sale is this Saturday, which made me realize that I really need to know exactly what I'm needing for our oldest.

She will be - deep breath - a freshman this fall and that means we need to have some idea of what we're aiming for as far as her complete high school transcript and credits and all that.

No big deal. (Except it totally is.)

I'm feeling a bit of pressure from that, but I also know I need to enjoy the journey.

But I'm still sitting there with a stack of curriculum catalogs, Susan Wise Bauer's recommendations, a notebook and pen.

The fiction in my stack has dwindled to practically nothing. I gave up on:
After the War Is Over: A Novel. Loved the cover and the time period, but that's about it.

The main character was a "Mary Sue". (Annoyingly perfect in every way.)

There wasn't enough meat to the story or conflict for the characters to deal with. I gave this one several chances but, ultimately, life is too short and there are way too many books to read to stick with something that's not working for me.

Recently Finished:

The Magic Apple Tree: A Country Yearby Susan Hill. Lovely. If you enjoyed the Anne books or any sort of gentle British fiction (like the Miss Read books or anything by D.E. Stevenson), you might like this non-fiction look at a year of village life.

Recently Added:

The Language of Food: A Linguist Reads the Menuby Dan Jurafsky. Food and words, two of my all time favorite things united in one book. Loving this one.

Recent Kindle Additions:

The Buried Giant: A novelby Kazuo Ishiguro. I got this one through our library's digital library program. Haven't really loved it so far, but I think my husband would enjoy it so I may order him a physical copy. It kind of reminds me of Neil Gaiman in some ways, but it's a slow starter.

Current Read Aloud:

We have another couple chapters of Betsy-Tacy. We may go on to Betsy-Tacy and Tibnext since we own a copy, or we may try something else. We haven't decided yet.

Current Book to Review:

Women of the Word: How to Study the Bible with Both Our Hearts and Our Mindsby Jen Wilkin. I recently joined the Crossway books review program and this is the first book I've reviewed for them. I had a little trouble getting the book on my Kindle at first, which worried me. But once I got that all figured out I dove into this one.

I have loved every bit of it and I HIGHLY recommend it. I'll post a more complete review once I've completely finished.

Another program I do reviews for is supposed to be sending me Savor: Living Abundantly Where You Are, As You Areby Shauna Niequist, but it hasn't come in yet.

What are you reading right now?

Dover Books

Linking up with:

WWW ladydusk

Comments

  1. dawn says:

    That quote is fantastic. I want to think about it some more. I love your graphic, too.

    And I'm glad you enjoyed The Magic Apple Tree. I just adored it.

  2. What a lovely quote and beautiful image to go with it. I especially like the look of the books you are reading.
    (I am an INTJ -I think- as well! Just thought I'd share that *smile*)

  3. Carol says:

    Just pinned your quote. Words can jump out from unexpected places!

  4. Anna says:

    I'm a year behind you - my eldest will be an eighth grader in the fall - and I'm already getting nervous. :/ Any books or websites you would recommend besides The Well-Trained Mind for understanding transcripts and such?

    1. Karen says:

      This ebook just came out and it looks helpful: http://www.sweetness-n-light.com/homeschooling-high-school-3/
      I haven't actually read it yet but I've worked with the author for another homeschool organization.

      Otherwise, I recommend searching for your state's graduation requirements. I've printed our state's out (I found it here:http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/What-s-Happening-with-Ohio-s-Graduation-Requiremen/Graduation-Requirements-2014-2017) as a guideline.

      I know it's stressful to figure out but we can do it!

      1. Anna says:

        Thanks, Karen! I'm in Ohio, too, so that link was perfect. :)

  5. hopeinbrazil says:

    What a wonderful quote. This was the theme of Art for God's Sake (a book I read recently). I really enjoy your blog and book recommendations. The Susan Hill book has been on my radar, but you convinced me to get my hands on it. Also, the Women in the Word book.

Comments are closed