“I wish I had the boy,” the old man said aloud. The old man wasn’t in the habit of speaking aloud before the boy left him. Now alone at sea, Santiago of Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea mutters wistfully as his skiff is towed by a monstrous fish. As the hours while away, thisContinueContinue reading “Growing Old”
Category Archives: Books
The Wicked Lack Courage
Famous books often have famous opening sentences. Pride and Prejudice’s iconic, ironic first line comes to mind. Even those who haven’t cracked the cover of Melville’s Moby-Dick know its three word intro: “Call me Ishmael.” Well-crafted first sentences manage to set the tone, pique the reader’s interest, and introduce major themes. They serve as aContinueContinue reading “The Wicked Lack Courage”
Canterbury Tales: Stories for the Pilgrim Way
Medieval folks always did love a good pilgrimage. Grueling journeys had a way of proving the mettle of heroes, and far-flung reliquaries held forth a treasury of grace to any long-suffering commoner willing to tread the pilgrim way. The road to Jerusalem provided Richard I the way to earning his moniker Cœur de Lion–the Lionheart.ContinueContinue reading “Canterbury Tales: Stories for the Pilgrim Way”
Farewell to the Farm: A Personal Note
“My farm was a little too high up for growing coffee.” Karen Blixen (1885-1962) begins the chapter “Hard Times” with a statement of surrender. This unyielding truth had brought a life both foreign and familiar, beautiful and dangerous, wearisome yet rewarding to a punctilious end. Blixen’s memoir Out of Africa (1937) does not wrap upContinueContinue reading “Farewell to the Farm: A Personal Note”
Books Are Friends
“Books are remote but reliable friends.”-Victor Hugo “A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24). Books are that kind of friend. Books are always there, waiting to be opened, waiting to be read. A good book sticks closer than a brother. AContinueContinue reading “Books Are Friends”
The Problem with Audiobooks
Kids love audiobooks. Heck, parents love audiobooks! Our family has enjoyed listening to entertaining renditions of Mr. Popper’s Penguins and My Father’s Dragon on long car rides up the East coast. Many commuters have found audiobooks to be a handy way to redeem the time. Who can say no to a good audiobook? The Read-AloudContinueContinue reading “The Problem with Audiobooks”
Ivan Ilych and the Middle-Class Avoidance of Death
“What do you want?” There are certain questions that cut straight to the core. Many of us go to great lengths to avoid such questions, filling the silence with noise, Netflix, friends, busyness, work. We cope with the uncomfortable seriousness of these eternal questions with humor and sarcasm. In the end, it’s avoidance. We don’tContinueContinue reading “Ivan Ilych and the Middle-Class Avoidance of Death”