Katia > Recent Status Updates

~This is how I’m going to track Bible reading.~
Habakkuk. As of today (Oct.4th). I’ve read its entirety in the NLT and NASB versions. Studying this book alongside Bible students as part of an acquisition project throughout the month of October. Seeking to update weekly.
Also in progress:
Read through of Genesis in KJV (aloud)/ NIV (read along) for school. In chapter 30.

About halfway? Reading before watching movie.
Most enjoying thus far: Count Cristo assisting the Morrels; parrying words and fortune with Danglars [Chapter 46, Unlimited Credit—deliciously funny]; rescue from Roman bandits; historical connections with royalists and Bonapartists; pirates, smugglers, treasure, and treachery; philosophical, theological, moral, & ideological discussions betwixt characters. Exquisite!

WHAT!?
Nooo! Had to stop mid-chapter (18).
Big time jump occurs.
Does the candle still burn?

Misadventure with the treasure!

The treasure hunt is on!
Poor, sweet Grace. (Aptly named.)
Disguises, a new town, and a cursed jewel to uncover… maybe?

Plenty of harrowing developments. Danger and tension are well built and FELT. The first person POV as he relates his story is effectual; his worries are relatable for his age, and he overcomes his fears and challenges.
The rival’s bidding battle, the landing, escape experience, and hiding out… it’s all building. Deepening father-son relationship between Elzevir and John.
This, to me, is very well written.

John is trapped in the grave, then recovered, but a locket with verses is found. Could this have some hidden meaning? Where might Blackbeard’s treasure be?
We learn more of the characters Mr. Glennie, The Maskews, and John’s aunt.
Listening to “Dark Academia at the Ocean’s Edge” — the PERFECT ambiance.

Great, classic prose! Good read-aloud thus far. Mysterious, adventurous, maybe a little reminiscent of Tom Sawyer? (At least, with this hidden cave/passage, and John’s treasure hunt afoot!) The setting!? Perfectly described and imagined. Excited to read on.
Loving my Wordsworth edition cover, too!

This chapter on Davy introduced me to several other people: poets, scientists, philosophers. The gas experiments were particularly disturbing! The field of chemistry replaces alchemy as elements are separated, studied, discovered. Really revolutionary. Davy blazes a trail for chemistry; broadens its scope. Man’s search for answers to the universe, meaning, continue to push God aside, yet… can’t get rid of Him!

Never learned about Mungo Park before, but his stalwart and quiet temperament are admirable. Saddening that he does not survive, nor does his son in hopes of finding him.
pg. 219–my favorite quotation from him “Can the Being… who planted, watered, and brought to perfection…a thing which appears of so small importance, look with unconcern [upon man]… surely not!” He gets up, and goes on in assurance.

[Reading as part of Hillsdale online course]
Chapter 8– A fair view of slavery’s development in America (specifically the South) and eventual stubborn entrenchment by the mid 1830s. Accurately compared to Europe’s feudal system. After that, polite discussion became near impossible. Goes to show that greed and love of money/commerce do not lead to good ends. Surprised at how proslavery arguments mirrored Marxism

[Reading as part of Hillsdale online course]
Chapter 7– Covers the forming (and fomenting) American culture movements. Mainly religious, philosophical, and literary. Second Great Awakening. Evangelism. Utopian communities. Transcendentalism, a branch from Europe’s Romanticism; reaction to the Enlightenment, Protestantism, and Unitarianism. Enjoyed learning about American authors—ie Emerson, Hawthorne, Melville.

Deeper understanding of the universe is sought. Appreciated the heavier focus on Caroline Herschel sweeping the stars. Slightly alarmed and saddened by the growing dismissal or questioning of God. Human observers basing all truth and knowledge upon self’s discovery (“I” have searched and “I” have not found…). Fallible.
Economics of a 40ft telescope. Ice cream with Napoleon. Science influencing poetry.

[Reading as part of Hillsdale online course]
Chapter 5– a new Constitution, Federalists and Anti-Federalists and how they defined a nation, the first two presidencies of Washington and Adams. The play between American sentiments, and what America would be.
Chapter 6– Jefferson’s presidency, war & expansion, Good Feelings, to Jackson. Two ideas of democracy. Rational hesitancy. Flaws and virtues well presented.

“Beautiful and terrifying” (p. 161). Exactly how I would describe heights.
Touched on the first successful cross-channel crossing of an aerostat. (Whew!) Cloud classification.
Ballooning wasn’t really picked up again until the American Civil War.

When are the British going to fly? Well, eventually. This short section detailed the first female aeronaut, and some of the dangers involved in ballooning.
Yikes, did not like that note about Ralph’s end. Dreadfully unpleasant.
I could only imagine what it must have been like to first see people taking off in hot air balloons! I would probably pay something to see it… but I understand the sentiments of others!

Finished the chapter on Herschel. Surprised how much Caroline Herschel, the sister, was a part of his story! A true helper. The historical figures become candid with written quotes. The ballooning chapter thus far is particularly entertaining. (The communication btwn Banks and Ben Franklin! British and French rivalry!) FLIGHT becomes a reality. How it will be used… unknown. Loved Pilâtra’s level-headedness.

More history. Has been on my Thriftbooks wishlist for so long.
Pros: captivating prose; easy to read; utilizes quotations from the historical figures and those surrounding Banks. First chapter about the Endeavor’s voyage to the S.Pacific, focusing on Tahiti.
Cons: seems to relegate Christianity as a corrupting influence, anathema to progress/science. More humanistic interpretive approach. Scandals are a highlight.

Finished Yarmuk.
Detailed the first 4 caliphs and the expansion of Islam across North Africa. I didn’t know that this area had been pretty heavily “Christian” before Islamic expansion. It gets that moniker for being part of the Roman Empire. Really interesting history covered here, as well as looking at the explanation for WHY from both POVs. Slavery, making $$c and conquest are main/recurring topics.

Yikes—chapter one on Battle of Yarmuk so far is… disturbing.
Intrigued by info dropped that the Egyptian Christians sent missionaries to Switzerland, Britain, and Ireland—I’d NEVER heard of this origin! There is apparently obvious Egyptian influence on churches and cultural art forms in those parts of Europe. Wow!
Felt so bad for Herculean. Valid “crash out”.
Taking slow, lots to digest…

Reading to deepen my understanding of world history.
Intro covers the rise of Islam and its outlook on the West and Christianity.
The author assumes that those reading have a basic understanding of the rise of Christianity and its connection with the Roman Empire. I would argue that reviewing such history is a pre-req for this book, which is set to highlight military defeats/victories. Religion is a key for context.

Picked back up at the attack. John and Samkin come in handy. They escape from a fiery tower and the angry peasant mob. Robin hood vibes
The crossroads: share in honor and glory in service to king, or depart and laze for self and for riches. (Sir Nigel gives a moving speech.)
Traveling ensues. Alleyne takes in the snowy mountains and arrival of mixed troops.
Friendly competition while encamped. Crossbows or longbows?

Alleyne almost spills the beans about his crush to Sir Nigel. Ensuing chapters detail a Wicliffe-aligned English cloth merchant, a “dying” scam artist of “religious relics”, an unfriendly welcome, a magnetic prophetess, and a violent peasant revolt! These chapters were entertaining! The grim realities of the time foreshadow the harrowing event. (Was reading about the revolt when WHCD news came. Eerie.)

Such fun! I loved the French-Italian painter with a bias against Englishmen. Peak dialogue. Ford and Alleyne’s banter over the painter’s painting/daughter. Perspectives bounce between the Comp. and the prince’s diverse entourage as a tourney begins. Jousting, combat, honor, and politics. Sam’s telling tales. Sir Nigel succeeds at the list! But wait!? Who is this mysterious knight? A Frenchman!
Ally or enemy?

[Reading as part of Hillsdale course]
Chapter Four highlighted the Revolution and the challenges of the early union. George Washington leads— the primary moral example. The French come to aide. Key documents (the Articles, Ordinance of 1787, and Constitution); the checks/balance system. It ends with a history of servitude/slavery in America, foreshadowing impending conflict. Reminders of imperfect human nature.

[Reading as part of Hillsdale course]
Tracing the culmination of the American principle of self-rule. From the unifying evangelical religious revival of the Great Awakening; the Scientific Revolution’s cosmological focus on order, design, and experimentation; to the Enlightenment’s emphasis on natural laws, reasoning, and an individual’s rights and responsibilities in relation to greater authority.
Revolution!

Some court politics. I’ll admit that I was a bit lost with the dialogue. The prince seems an admirable fellow, willing to lay down payment for what he perceives to be righteous causes. (Do I sense that he wants credibility? I can’t pin the age/goal of the guy.)
Oh! And Alleyne stands up for himself against a teasing & bulky brute. Most amusing. ‘Twas was an insult he took personally! I love how that played out.

[Reading as part of Hillsdale course]
Awesome chapter that demonstrated the realities of the world confronting the hopes of “utopia”—breeding forms of self-governance in English colonies. Religious background is acknowledged, from Luther & Calvin in the Protestant Reformation to King Henry VIII & his ruling daughters. Wow!
I can appreciate what the settlers had to endure.
DIG BOYS & 3 cheers for John Smith!!!

[Reading alongside Hillsdale online course]
Great intro, and I appreciate the clearly stated goal of this book. Solid quotes.
In Ch. 1, McClay goes over the first “unsettled from their homeland” peoples to migrate to America (using the 10-20,000 year ago timeline). Leif Eriksson mentioned. Christopher Columbus is given the proper commendation.

Searching for honor. Coastal pirates. Recognition of heritage. The rise of Bordeaux, France.
Alleyne, now a squire to Sir Nigel, is experiencing it all for the first time. He can scarce take it all in. He’s survived his first battle, and is now amidst a new land, finding famed friends… (and foes?) To be continued!

Highlights: A menacing brother, wayside philosophers, a bear, a clever maiden, and a severed leg. Ha!
What a fun mash-up of characters! The trio works well together. Strong and fiery John, the war (and women) experienced Sam Alyward, and fresh from the religious cloister Alleyne finally make their way to the welcoming castle of Sir Nigel Loring.
I love how Maude and Alleyne meet, and how their beliefs “clash”.