Hannah Rosson > Recent Status Updates

Still not my favorite of Orwell's . . . 1984 is way more enjoyable to read and the themes are more universal. I think Animal Farm may have been more relevant to Orwell's time. It addresses a very particular portion of Russian history. I can still appreciate though--I just don't enjoy it as much as 1984.

Requested this book from the library because it's been on my list for a while and I haven't read anything focused on history in a while. I knew about some of the historical misconceptions he's mentioned so far, such as how abusive Columbus was. Others, I did not know about. There are definitely many ways in which American history has been skewed in the way it has been taught.

I picked this up at the library randomly and was hooked. The main character is really interesting and made me want to keep reading.

C.S. Lewis’s writing is so good. I’m reading it out loud to my brother and we both cannot stop reading. We read half of it in a day.

I’ve been thinking about the problem of suffering a lot this year and wanted to read this book because it provides perspective on Christ’s heart for sufferers. The intro says this book is for the "discouraged, frustrated, weary, disenchanted, cynical, the empty. Those running on fumes." After a year like this one, I feel those words can describe a lot of people and Christians.

"The twinkling of an eye...that little incandescence you see in people when the charm of a thing strikes them, or the humor of it. 'The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart.' That's a fact."

Reading this aloud to my siblings has made me realize how redundant Dickens is sometimes! He really likes to repeat and emphasize things. My teenage brother enjoys his writing style though. Especially the dialogue. By the end of the first section of the book, my brother had a strong impression that "Scrooge is a jerk" which makes me think that Dickens did his job, even if he is a bit repetitive.

I think this is a book you’d want to read slowly. It’s written in the last days of the narrator’s life and as he records little moments and memories here and there, it’s nice to read it and think of your own life and memories.

Reading the letters between Franz and Fani is at times a little boring, reading about the monotonous details of their lives. At other times, it's insightful, endearing, and hilarious. Their letters show the struggles they had while being separated and their love for each other. And they capture little moments of sunshine and little moments of pain in their lives. I'm looking forward to reading Franz's journals.

"You can’t see anything properly while your eyes are blurred with tears. You can’t, in most things, get what you want if you want it too desperately. . ."

"Aren't all these notes the senseless writhings of a man who won't accept the fact that there is nothing we can do with suffering except to suffer it? Who still thinks there is some device (if only he could find it) which will make pain not to be pain. It doesn't really matter whether you grip the arms of the dentists chair or let your hands lie in your lap. The drill drills on."

I am glad that this book is so honest and Lewis doesn't shirk away from expressing his emotion and doubts.