30 Day Book Challenge! Day 7: Underrated

Oh dear, not half-way through and I've already fallen behind. I do assure you, however, that I have two very good reasons:

1. Day 7's questions was quite difficult

2. (and the more weighty of the two) I had my studio recital Friday evening - and the prep and recovery of such a grand fiesta took a bit of time (pictures, details, etc coming later).

I will have to do a couple questions a day until I get caught up, because I would like to stay with each day of the month, so bear with me as I do multiple posts...

Day 7: What is the most underrated book?

Honestly, I had no idea. Besides the Bible, which is certainly underrated - but since I could use it as the answer to almost every question in this challenge, I shall abstain from citing it here.

I think most books I read are underrated, and that is part of my problem. I mean, truly, there are very few people who appreciate Dickens, or Wright, or Stratton-Porter, or Chesterton, or Lewis or {infinite listing here}... enough. However, in my specific circle of friends, we revel in these unappreciated authors, so I am left wondering what the most underrated book in our modern society is, which leaves pretty much anything worth reading up for grabs. After days of debating, though, I've decided to choose

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Mansfield Park is definitely an underrated book - even (specifically?) by Jane Austen fans. Perhaps it's because little Fanny Price - sweet, quiet, observant, principled, sensitive Fanny Price - is not your typical Jane Austen heroine. Yet, she is by far the most Godly heroine. She perceives right and wrong with great keenness, but, in humility, remains slow and hesitant to state her impressions, lest she be wrong or give another a bad name. While admirable, this character quality is also her single flaw: in her unwillingness to out-rightly condemn those doing wrong - especially her beloved cousin Edmund! - and thus set herself up as being right against all others, she is unwillingly coaxed to participate in something she knew was wrong. She learns her lesson, though, and the next time she is pressured to bend in a way that feels crooked, she refuses, amidst all pressures, and guilt trips, and well-meaning advices given her. In spite of her quiet, unassuming demeanor, those around her gradually begin to see the true beauty of her heart - made all the more alluring by it's silent steadfastness. Even the villain recognizes her worth and values it highly - almost becoming honorable himself under her influence.

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"'Have you any reason, child, to think ill of Mr. Crawford's temper?'

'No sir.'

She longed to add , 'But of his principles I have'; but her heart sank under the appalling prospect of discussion, explanation, and probably non-conviction. Her ill opinion of him was founded chiefly on observations, which, for her cousins' sake, she could scarcely dare to mention to their father."

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Do you like Mansfield Park? What do you think is an underrated book?
 

30 Day Book Challenge! Day 6: Sadness

Before I get started, I have to share this quote with you that I read in George MacDonald's Annals of a Quiet Neighbourhood last night:

"My own conviction is, that the poetry is far the deepest in us, and that the prose is only broken-down poetry; and likewise that to this our lives correspond. The poetic region is the true one, and just, therefore, the incredible one to the lower order of mind; for although every mind is capable of the truth, or rather capable of becoming capable of the truth, there may lie ages between its capacity and the truth. As you will hear some people read poetry so that no mortal could tell it was poetry, so do some people read their own lives and those of others."

Isn't that a beautifully-expressed thought? It is more or less the same idea as these quotes from Shadow of the Bear, or The Last Battle: the realization that what we can see, what we can touch, what we experience in the physical world, is not all there is in life, and indeed, is - by far - not the most important or most beautiful part. Some people forget, or don't ever come to know, this - and no one can ever know it completely until he moves from this life to the place where Truth dwells - but those of us who see a glimmer of the truth today are filled with the joy of anticipation. We are filled with the sense of longing for something more real and more beautiful that is, as C.S. Lewis says, "more desirable than any other satisfaction." Do you ever get that sort of ache-y feeling?

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Day 6: What is a book that makes you sad?

At first, I just thought of books that I cried while reading (The Christmas Shoes and - though I don't really know why, now - Saddlebag Parson), but those didn't really seem to fit the bill, somehow. And then I remembered the first time I actually read...

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They say not to judge a book by its cover, but the cover and pictures of this particular edition are part of what made it such a lovely read and story (I just learned that it took 4 years to complete the over-50 oil paintings it contains). And yes, though it makes me sad, it is lovely...and very little like the Disney movie everyone thinks of. Exciting, comfortable, and sweet, yet heart-wrenching at the end:

"Then the window blew open as of old, and Peter dropped in on the floor.

He was exactly the same as ever, and Wendy saw at once that he still had all his first teeth.

He was a little boy, and she was grown up."

How tragic that was! For Wendy to grow up and yet have her friend still be in the younger age. The beautiful age of children. Because children can see the poetry in life far better than the rest of us. They can remember that princes and princesses and dragons are real, and merely known by different names. They can remember that we are princes and princesses. They can remember to see life as an adventure. They are continually amazed and awed when the sun comes up each morning, bathing the sky in color. They can marvel at a bug's secret winding passages through blades of grass. They have eyes. They remember.

Peter Pan is a book that makes me sad, because it is, in the end, the story of one who grew up and forgot, even after so many special adventures. Wendy cried that she had forgotten; she was sorry for it - but despite her grief, she had. As I grow up, I hope I will never forget, will never stop seeing the poetry, will never turn my life and others' into mere prose. Perhaps this is why the book touches me so poignantly.




Do you have a book that makes you sad?


30 Day Book Challenge! Day 5: Happiness

Today is a lovely day:
~ the sun is shining
~ students have been prepared, and know their pieces well
~ plans for the recital are coming right along
~ I got a new book in the mail
~ mama made fresh, spicy salsa
~ August plans are on the road either to be turned upside down or completely solidified

...And besides all that, it is just a glorious day! What have your smiles been about today? I promise you that, no matter how crazy or hectic life may seem, God has sent you at least one...just don't turn your nose up at the little things. A bird's song, a gust of wind, flowers growing in an unlikely spot...there's always something beautiful to smile at, because evidence of our Father's character is everywhere. Keep your eye out - you might be surprised at where and when you have a God-sighting!

Day 5: What is a book that makes you happy?

This question completely confused me. Books make me happy. Unless they're terrible, nasty, rotten books - in which case they make me mad for wasting my time. Even sad, turmoil-filled books like Wuthering Heights make me happy, since in the end all is set right. I thought about just saying, "Um...all books besides the dumb ones make me smile," but that kind of ruins the one-book-answer for which I've been shooting. It was then I realized that the question doesn't ask what story, poem, essay or philosophical soliloquy make me smile, but what physical book makes me happy. That narrows it down to only about 50...because as far as the actual book is concerned, it's the old, antique covers that make me smile. My 80-year-old copy of Tennyson's Poems? The 120 year old Henty book? After much deliberation, I finally decided upon...

Isn't it beautiful? Yes, it makes me happy ~ the cover, the age, (it's about 140 years old), and the precious, sweet story. The Opening of a Chestnut Burr is a dear record of an earnest, Christ-following girl and a bitter, angry young man whose anger and bitterness melts away as the Holy Spirit reveals Himself through the girl and her father. One thing I love about this story is that the man does not believe in God as everything falls into place and begins to go well in life. No, he learns to trust God when he is forced to leave the girl forever, when he must submit to the hateful lies, hypocrisy, and triumph of a used-to-be friend who is engaged to the one he loves, when his life indeed looks the most hopeless - that is when he learns to trust. It is refreshing to read a conversion story that so fully smacks of the "real world"; and it consequently teaches far more about wisdom and patience than the typical "everything's good so I'll believe in God" stories. E.P. Roe clearly shows that the real story of the book is the eye-opening, repenting, and conversion of a man...then - and only then - do you get a happy ending.

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"His face was white with fear, and there was terror in his tone as he turned and said to her in a low voice, 'Miss Watson, that is what I have been coming to see and dread of late.... I carry hell in my own heart. When I am alone my imaginings frighten me; and when with others, impulses arise to do the devil's own work.'

'But it is the nature of God to save from all this. Christ, who is God, came to earth for that very purpose. I am so sorry that you do not understand Him better.'

'He saves some,' said Gregory gloomily.

'But many will not let Him save them,' urged Annie.

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Yes, a well-told story of the merciful salvation of our God makes me smile!

 

30 Day Book Challenge! Day 4: "Guilty Pleasure"?

A right interesting question for today:

Day 4: What is your "guilty pleasure" book?

Whenever asked for a guilty pleasure, there must needs be a confession behind it, and here is mine: I have not, to date, outgrown my love for the fairy tale (and I hope I never will). There are so many things wonderful and real about "prince and princess" stories; they are beautiful because they can reveal truth in a new light, and cause you to think about real things in a different way. At least, this is the case for many of them. There are some, however, which are pure sugar: fun, sweet, entertaining reads, with a smile at the end, that one has to be careful not to eat too much of too frequently (lest you rot your literary teeth and find they've grown too weak to tear off meat). This is my definition of a "guilty pleasure" book: a treat that should not be indulged in too often. And by such definition, I submit to you...

A twist on the story of Cinderella, Ella Enchanted is the tale of a girl who is given a most unusual (and not-quite-as-good-as-it-sounds) fairy gift at birth: obedience. Although forever compliant on the outside, she struggles to defy the spell that denies her the gift we often fail to be thankful for, the gift of free will. In the end, of course, love will be the answer - but in the meantime she must suffer the thoughtless commands of those who love her, the cruel commands of those who hate her, and the potentially fatal commands of those who wish to destroy her and all she holds dear.

"Anyone could control me with an order. It had to be a direct command, such as 'Put on a shawl,' or 'You must go to bed now.' A wish or request had no effect. I was free to ignore 'I wish you would put on a shawl' or 'Why don't you go to bed now?' But against an order I was powerless.

If someone told me to hop on one foot for a day and a half, I'd have to do it. And hopping on one foot wasn't the worst order I could be given. If you commanded me to cut off my own head, I'd have to do it.

I was in danger at every moment."

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What is your favorite candy-book?

 

30 Day Book Challenge! Day 3: Favorite Series

"The tree which sprang from the core of the Apple that Digory planted in the back garden, lived and grew into a fine tree. Growing in the soil of our world, far out of the sound of Aslan's voice and far from the young air of Narnia, it did not bear apples that would revive a dying woman.... But inside itself, in the very sap of it, the tree (so to speak) never forgot that other tree in Narnia to which it belonged. Sometimes it would move mysteriously when there was no wind blowing...."

- The Magician's Nephew

Day 3: What is your favorite series?

"'Logic!' said the Professor half to himself. 'Why don't they teach logic at these schools? There are only three possibilities. Either your sister is telling lies, or she is mad, or she is telling the truth.'"

- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

No matter how many series I have enjoyed over the years, no matter how many sequential books I have devoured in my days, there is only one series that deserves the title of "favorite".

"Who are you?" asked Shasta.

"Myself," said the Voice, very deep and low so that the earth shook: and again, "Myself," loud and clear and gay: and then the third time "Myself," whispered so softly you could hardly hear it, and yet it seemed to come from all round you as if the leaves rustled with it.

- The Horse and His Boy

"The first tree she looked at seemed at first glance to be not a tree at all but a huge man with a shaggy beard and great bushes of hair.... The same thing happened with every tree she looked at. At one moment they seemed to be the friendly, lovely giant and giantess forms which the tree-people put on when some good magic has called them into full life: next moment they all looked like trees again....and all the time that strange lilting, rustling, cool, merry noise."

- Prince Caspian

The Chronicles of Narnia is a series I've been listening to, reading, and discussing for as long as I can remember. For years, daddy would read the books aloud to us at the dinner table each night. Hanging on every word, we would beg for "one more chapter" and sit spellbound for over an hour after the evening meal was finished. We read our dear paperback books until the disintegrating spines absolutely could not be held together by tape any longer. Then we got a hardback version that held all seven books at once. The front and back cover are missing now

"'Oh, Aslan,' said Lucy. 'Will you tell us how to get into your country from our world?'

'I shall be telling you all the time,' said Aslan. 'But I will not tell you how long or short the way will be; only that it lies across a river. But do not fear that, for I am the great Bridge Builder.'"

- The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

We memorized and re-enacted lines from the old animated film, critiqued the cast of the BBC version, and attended the midnight showing of each new movie in full Narnian garb.

"'I was wondering - I mean - could there be some mistake? Because nobody called me and Scrubb, you know. It was we who asked to come here. Scrubb said we were to call to - to Somebody - it was a name I wouldn't know - and perhaps the Somebody would let us in. And we did, and then we found the door open.'

'You would not have called to me unless I had been calling to you,' said the Lion."

- The Silver Chair

Our wireless network is called "Narnia" and each computer in the house possesses the name of a Narnian hero or heroine (my dear pink laptop is the none other than the revered Lady Polly). Yes, we are a bit obsessed - but we love Narnia in this house. I love the story, the characters, the adventures - but most of all, I love the insights, and the way C.S. Lewis has of knowing precisely how to explain those deep feelings for which there are no words. Of course, by words no one can exactly explain them, but he alludes to them so perfectly that you know just what he is talking about.

"'Have you not guessed?' [Aslan said]

.... 'all of you are - as you used to call it in the Shadowlands - dead. The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning.'

And as He spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before."

- The Last Battle