Living Unabridged

Philip and Carol Zaleski quoted this inThe Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings: J.R.R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams. I'd like to hand this quote to people who ask me why I love reading so much. I feel like Lewis summed it up nicely (as he always did!).

I loved this book. At times it strayed into some analysis and criticism that I didn't love, but considering their subjects, how could I not love this book? C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams and Owen Barfield are the main focus but I would argue that it's also about Warren Lewis (C.S. Lewis's older brother) who also met with the Inklings and wrote books on French history.

This book is filled with personal observation and insight. Here's one quote (of many!) that made it into my commonplace book:

Far from breaking with tradition, they understood the Great War and its aftermath in the light of tradition, believing, as did their literary and spiritual ancestors, that ours is a fallen world yet not a forsaken one.

Fallen, yet not forsaken. That sums up so much, doesn't it?

Recently Added

Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel (A Chief Inspector Gamache Mystery Book 1)I got this one based on a recommendation at Modern Mrs. Darcy. I'm several chapters in and there are already a few things that bug me. The worst thing is how POV is all over the place. I don't mind POV shifts, but they need to come at the end of paragraphs or chapters, not every couple of sentences. I'll stay with it before I make my final judgment whether to continue with this series or not.
The Distant Hours: A NovelAnother one I ordered based on Modern Mrs. Darcy's recommendation. I really want this one to be good, but I haven't started it yet.
Writers' Houses: Where Great Books BeginI picked this one up on a whim at the library but I haven't started it yet.

Current Read Aloud

We'll get back to All-of-a-Kind Family Uptownonce we get everyone home from traveling.

Current Book to Review

The Colson Way: Loving Your Neighbor and Living with Faith in a Hostile Worldby Owen Strachan. I'm looking forward to this one. My husband will be teaching a college class this fall about Christianity and the culture so I think he'll probably read this one too.

Current Kindle Deals

Fierce Convictions: The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More?Poet, Reformer, AbolitionistI highly recommend this biography and it's only $1.99 for Kindle today. (You can see my original review here: Fierce Convictions.)

Death by Living: Life Is Meant to Be Spentby N.D. Wilson is also $1.99 today. I quoted this book in a previous Words on Wednesday post: The Dead Made Living.
Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and BetrayalI enjoy these biographies and histories written by Ben Macintyre and this one is $1.99 today.
How To Blog For Profit: Without Selling Your SoulThis is $1.99 today also. It's not my favorite book about blogging, but it does have a lot of advice and suggestions for bloggers.

What are you reading now?

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