And we’re back with February’s edition of What I’m reading Wednesday! Here’s a few good reads (and listens) you might want to check out yourself.

FictionThat Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis

Continuing our adventure in the conclusion of the Ransom Trilogy and it’s all coming together. I’ve been reading this as part of a book club- plenty to discuss at our first meeting about THS! As we’re all busy homeschooling moms, we’re taking our time and will be in this for the next few months.

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“A Time to Die” by Robert Mullin (from A Time for Everything: A Speculative Fiction Anthology Based on Ecclesiastes 3)

Robert Mullin’s “A Time to Die” is a story set in his The Wells of the Worlds series. I’ve just started the story, but it’s intriguing and its portal travel/mix of high fantasy and advanced sci fi tech puts me in mind of The Song of the Worlds series by Brandon Barr. I’d recommend checking it out! Mullin has made this story free on Kindle here.

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Nonfiction/DevotionalDeeper Heaven by Christiana Hale

This is a commentary on the Ransom Trilogy and provides a lot of helpful summary, context, and explanation of Lewis’s allusions, symbols, and themes. Admittedly I’m sort of just leafing through this, but I’d recommend to anyone who wants an accessible yet academic commentary on the trilogy (and don’t let the foreword by Douglas Wilson scare you out of giving it a shot).

Heart Aflame by John Calvin

I’m returning to this devotional after a multi-year break (turns out my post-partum brain couldn’t really handle much Calvin at the time). Heart Aflame is styled as devotional daily readings through the Psalms, but each section is lifted from Calvin’s commentary. As expected, it’s pretty cerebral, but I love how Christ-focused it is. If you pick this up, be sure to clear a mental and spiritual space as you read!

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers

This is, once again, a devotional I’m returning to after many years. I started my re-read while working on our latest issue of Christian History (coming soon!). I’ve found it much more poignant now than I did in my teens, and the Modern Classic Edition is easy to understand and enjoy. However, if you grew up in Christian circles, you probably have it on your bookshelf already! Give it another try. I bet it’ll hit differently this time around.

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Audio Adventures The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène du Bois

I’ve been on the hunt for good stories to enjoy with my kids, so I turned to some classic lists for help. We discovered this endearing story of a hot air balloonist who, in his attempt to spend a year ballooning around the world to escape from people, found himself on a much briefer and more dangerous adventure instead. I was surprised the kids enjoyed the story as much as they did since it defies much of current conventional wisdom on storytelling. But I do think children don’t come at stories with a lot of the modern biases we have and don’t care when authors use a lot of past tense or long, technical descriptions. At any rate, this has inspired in me a desire to finally read some Jules Verne!

The Mysterious Benedict Society and The Riddle of Ages by Trenton Lee Stewart

The Mysterious Benedict Society series is really fantastic— great stories that both children and adults can enjoy with solid, engaging plots and four distinct, interesting children as protagonists. In this 4th book, the children, now almost adults, come together for one final mission and threat. So far, the story has retained a lot of what made the first 3 books fun and exciting while also dealing with themes of change and growth as the characters face the next chapters of their lives.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

I’ve really only ever explored 1960s sci fi through short stories, so I think it’s high time I read (heard) the novels that have shaped the genre. I think the audio version I found is only called Blade Runner because it came out when one of the movies did— as far as I can tell it’s PKD’s original text (the audiobook says “unabridged”). The story takes place in 2021, after nuclear war decimates Earth’s population. Most of those who survived the radiation intact and without mental and physical defects/deformities (called “regulars”) have left earth for space colonies elsewhere. Those unable to pass the mental and physical health tests remain on earth as “specials", although a few regulars, like bounty hunter Rick Deckard, remain. His job is to hunt rogue androids who’ve murdered their masters in the colonies and have come to earth to hide among the remaining humans. There’s a lot to unpack in this story already. So good!

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Podcasts

I used to really struggle with podcasts because I had the mistaken belief that you had to listen to every episode before you could understand what was going on in the episode you’re actually interested in. Turns out there’s no rules and you don’t get any points or accolades for being a podcast completionist, so now I do whatever I want. That includes cherry picking episodes from the 1000 Hours Outside podcast. My most recent listen was “When You Stop Moving, You Start Dying”, which was about the benefits of walking over constant running. This was fascinating and helpful as someone who has depended on HIIT cardio to keep in shape, but with aging, has experienced diminishing results.

Another podcast episode I listened to came from The Theology Pugcast, recommended by a friend. The episode, called “Magic [Systems?] in Fantasy Literature” is a response to I think this Screen Rant article about Lewis’s world-building and magic system (or lack thereof) in Narnia. I didn’t really agree with all their conclusions, perhaps because the podcast hosts are primarily theologians and not necessarily well-read on current fantasy literature, but I thought it was worth a listen and provided a lot to engage with.

Thanks again for joining me for What I’m reading Wednesday! Any recommendations or thoughts? Let me know!

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By the way, if you like sci fi, fantasy, and speculative fiction, I’ve probably written something you’ll like reading! Check them out here:

Stories by me!