NoahLutz

I'm on the fourth book of the Pendragon Cycle and I didn’t like the third and am not liking the fourth as much as the others simply because there is too much focus on the battles and less on the people. The books still do focus on growth and development, but I just don’t enjoy the battles as much as I enjoy seeing characters grow. Still, I am enjoying the books. I’ve also dived more deeply into the second book of the Star Wars Thrawn trilogy (the canon one, not the legends one which I’ve already read). It’s all good so far.

I finally finished Taliesin and started the second book in the Pendragon Cycle: Merlin. Having primed the pump I hope to go a bit faster now. We also finished the Dragon Warrriors series, which was just ok. Now I think we’ll return to the world of Star Wars with the second book of the new Thrawn trilogy. Apparently there is also a 6th book in the Percy Jackson series, so the kids will be starting that as soon as I buy it. And, as blessings and curses come in threes, the book is supposed to be a start to a new trilogy.

Circumstances Lessons

I’ve been horrible on reading for the last two weeks. I’m on the 4th book of the Prince Warriors series with my son, and I’m at the Gospel of Luke in my study Bible, but I am going through both slowly and have basically stopped reading Taliesin. It’s not for any fault in the book as I have found it interesting, it is just laziness. I need to get myself going again. Rhyta, where are you at?

Taliesin, the first book of the Pengragon Cycle.

I’m finishing Alice in Wonderland with Through the Looking Glass.

Something for Nothing What You’re Doing

I’m reading the Gospel of Matthew and A Secret History of Christianity, which is an examination of the idea of consciousness throughout history as seen through the lens of the philosophy of Owen Barfield.

The Trees A Farewell to Kings

Natural Science A Farewell to Kings

A Farewell to Kings Cygnus X-1

I finished Paradise Regained and it was more accessible but less interesting than Paradise Lost. I skipped Through the Looking Glass and went to All the King’s Men. I’m a little surprised that this book is as highly regarded as it is. IT isn’t bad; in fact it is good. But the story is a bit scattered, the writing is repetitive and can be reductive (especially for female characters), and the author leans much too heavily on certain descriptions and phrases. However, once you strip away the uneven writing and incoherent philosophy, there is an interesting story and slivers of eternal truths. I haven’t decided whether to go back to Alice, choose a fun read, or finish another of my self-imposed homework assignments next.

I read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and it was ok. I will tackle Through the Looking Glass soon, but I was a bit disappointed that the Disney adaption is so good. Meaning, there weren’t a lot of themes explored in the book, or different angles on themes. So, kudos to you, Disney! I also “finished” Paradise Lost. Really, it means that I’ve been through it once and have teed up the opportunity to really read it at some time in the future. It is very long, and in the vein of The Divine Comedy - basically taking the classic epics of Homer and Vergil and placing them into a Christian context with way more philosophical heft. The biggest problem for Paradise Lost was probably that I have recently read the Divine Comedy, and there’s almost nothing that Milton does better than Dante. Dante goes deeper, evokes more emotion, has better imagery, and has a much deeper philosophical and social exposition. This all sounds harsh for an epic poem I really enjoyed, but, as I said, it suffers by comparison. Anyway, I’m on to Paradise Regained and Through the Looking Glass.

A Farewell Kings Closer to the Heart

Mission Dreamline

A Strange Habit of Mind, and the follow up, The House of Love and Death were absolutely enthralling stories. While there are touches of deep concepts which cause you to examine the depths of your own soul, there are also thrilling and compelling stories as pure entertainment. I loved them. Now I’m torn between Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, All the King’s Men, and Paradise Lost. I’m going to take the rest of the day off (and perhaps do some work) and see what fancies me tomorrow.

Mission Manhattan Project

Are we really going to make this a racial/ethnic judgment?

Malignant Narcissism The Main Monkey Business

Headlong Flight Malignant Narcissism

Apparently I have too much time on my hands and started and finished the novella When Christmas Comes. It is a good crime drama with a bit of a thriller feel thrown in. I feel like it was made more as a movie script than a novel, but I’ve already started to read the next in the series, A Strange Habit of Mind. All the King’s Men will have to wait at least another few days.

Jane Eyre was good, but not great. The writing is a little too purple for me, and the drama lacks some depth, the author puts very similar speech and speech patterns into different characters (e.g., two different people will describe one thing in exactly the same way), and at least 3 characters have superhuman observation skills which would make them unbeatable at a poker game. Having said that, I largely enjoyed the story and the writing, and look forward to my inevitable trip to visit and revisit the Brontes and Austen. But before that, I think I’m going to go for either When Christmas Comes or Alice in Wonderland. But I won’t know until I fire up my kindle again in a day or two. I also want to read Paradise Lost, The Road, All the King’s Men, and A Secret History of Christianity.

Headlong Flight Face Up

Headlong Flight The Garden

Ceiling Unlimited Where’s My Thing?