Helen > Recent Status Updates

For some reason, I wanted to read this book again. It was required reading, as I recall, in our high school years. I don’t know where it’s going, but I think it’s going to be sad. He has some great descriptions in here — not only of his friend, but of nature and his feelings.

The culmination of the book with the discussion between the monk and the robot at the sanctuary was very thought-provoking. The monk was challenged to express why just being in the world was not enough; why did they have to have a purpose? What makes them as a human different from other animals, or for that matter different from the conscious robot, who was happy just existing?

I just finished reading the first book: A Psalm for the Wild-Built.I like the world that they’re in and the writing is fine and the storyline is interesting enough.I find the use of the pronoun “they” for the monk to be quite distracting, but by the end of the book I was pretty used to it. The culmination of the book with the discussion between the monk and the robot at the sanctuary was very thought-provoking.

The perfect children’s book, in my opinion. If you don’t like this, you are a ninny and a nincompoop!

I’m hoping the rest of the book isn’t just some search of the caves. So far, it has been very ordinary really. What is different about it? What makes it stand out? Yes, it has some sense of atmosphere, but the narrator seems like a bit of a dweeb actually. I understand his search for self and self-worth and all that, but I just hope that the book becomes more interesting.

I think and hope he’s finally getting to the “exciting” part. It’s been quite a buildup, reminiscent of 19th century novels.

I’m really enjoying this book. And there is a lot of wisdom here. It’s interesting to see that back in 1972 many of the issues were the same, but in a way simpler.

This book is so depressing that I’m not sure I want to continue reading it. I hope for the best, but fear for the worst.

Got this book from a recommendation in Madeleine L’Engle‘s book A Circle of Quiet: Ann Petry is one of the writers she most admires (p. 96).

I like the descriptions of how Meg calms herself and moves “into that strange place, which is on the other side of feeling.”

I’m getting getting super-frustrated with them explaining things like what the farandolae are and if they’re like trees or not, and the difference between axing yourself or being axed by the Echthroi, and if it’s forever or not. They need to be focusing on saving Charles Wallace! They need to be focusing on Sporos and getting through to him and getting his help. It’s quite annoying!

Doesn’t anyone care that Mr. Driver is a serial philander? Why doesn’t Jane warn Prudence? Why do the ladies all know his ways, and yet pity him and try to get him married again?! I just don’t understand it!

Reading this to learn more about Tucson. So far his childhood descriptions are great: rock fights between neighborhood “gangs” and one of the boys’ mothers fires a revolver into the air and tells the outsiders to “get the hell out of our neighborhood.” They also built giant kites and a one-person “push mobile” which he and his friend would race with other boys. Fun times.😄

An atmosphere is building of uncertain reality — both in the narrator’s direct experiences and in those he describes from his readings.

So far this is quite thought-provoking. She strives to express herself honestly, and seems like a special person.

I really took to this book immediately and am enjoying it a lot. I do in this book see the comparisons with Miss Read which I had read about previously. The main character is great: ironic, self-effacing, intelligent. She usually seems to have something worthwhile to offer when people are in a quandary. I wonder what’s going to happen…?🤔

This is a bit of a slog, along with the Dawn of Everything, but I have made it to book 3 of the 12, and I find it really very interesting. I have to remind myself sometimes that it isn’t actually from the Bible. 😊 It fleshes out things so much, and paints really vivid pictures.

It’s a bit of a slog as it takes a lot of thought-power to analyze the arguments that they put forward. It does seem to be informed by their anarchist viewpoint, but they seem to be trying to be objective. I’m reading this with Charlie and we take some time at a coffee shop periodically to discuss it. His insights are very insightful, and often differ from mine— which makes it fun!

I switched from the book by Louis Rhead, which I found to be too repetitive in format: each chapter having Robin encounter a stranger, fight them, usually get bested by them, then blow his horn for help from his Merry Men—and that person then joining their Band. This volume has more of a story to it, starting with Robin in his early teens. I’m enjoying it a lot more, plus it has illustrations by NC Wyeth!

An intimidating time, but I’m reading it with Charlie — maybe we’ll make it through! 😄🤔

What is real? What is the dream?

Just finished reading the first story: the legend of the sleepers. It’s so well done – – it leaves a spell, really. We left not knowing really what’s going on, and I imagine that was the author‘s intent. What is the dream what is the reality? The 19th section is an ode. At first I thought they were taking them into the cave and then they were taking them out of the cave and then he was back in the cave.

I see that I started reading this back in 2019 per Becky’s suggestion. Well here I am finally! I am quite enjoying this book, although it is slow going with all the notes and vocabulary helps. I’m also very much enjoying listening to it read in Middle English on archive.com.

Although this doesn’t have all of the“Idylls,” it does have lots of really useful notes and I kind of like just reading what someone has determined as the best of the twelve. So far I’ve been most successful with reading it for quite a while in one sitting, rather than just a few pages at a time. After this, I plan to read the recommended Sidney Lanier’s A Boy’s King Arthur.

I haven’t really gotten into this book yet. Maybe it’s partly because I just finished The Dean’s Watch, which is another book about a cathedral town. I generally do like Goudge a lot, so I do plan to finish it.

Taking it a bit at a time. The notes are super helpful, and really flesh out the meanings and puns and historical references. Also subscribed to the Hillsdale College online class, but I’m waiting to get a bit further in the book before I get started so I don’t see any spoilers. Charlie bought copies of a different edition for himself Johnny and me for us all to read, but I already had and prefer this edition.

I’m actually reading the version published in 1929, but it has the same cover. This book was mentioned favorably two or three times in the series The Saturdays that I was reading a while ago, which also features a big family.

Almost done. I’ve read this before and I know it’s got a sad ending for some of the characters. I always feel like this book is way more about Brian, Dubois and Rebecca than it is about Ivanhoe. It’s a good book, but I do find that Scott’s wit and cleverness with words is not as much in evidence here as in some of his other books.