Monday, August 1, 2011

The Horse and His Boy

On the very last day of the Narnia reading challenge, I finished The Horse and His Boy. This is the third time I have read the novel. In the past I would not have considered it one of my favorite Narnian tales, although it is growing on me. What never ceases to amaze me is how I can still find new gems of truth--ones that I missed on prior readings. Lewis is a genius here-weaving spiritual truth within compelling stories.
A few areas that stood out this time through The Horse and His Boy:

Shasta is desperately lost in the forest and very afraid. He meets Aslan although he can't really see him and is not entirely sure who Aslan is. So he asks,

"Who are you?"

"Myself," said the voice, very deep and low so that the earth shook; and again, "Myself", loud and clear and gay: and then the third time "Myself", whispered so softly you could hardly hear it, and yet it seemed to come from all round you as if the leaves rustled with it.

This is a clear picture of God in three persons. The first "Myself" is mighty God the Father, the creator of all things and so holy the earth shakes at his voice. The second "Myself" is Jesus, the son, clear and sure and joy-filled. The third "Myself" is the Holy Spirit--soft, small voice of comfort that is ever present.

And the very word "Myself" could be interchanged with "I AM".

Another powerful lesson (that I've missed on prior readings) was when Shasta finds the hedgehogs and the animals greet him with "Good morning, neighbor."
Shasta is quick to point out that he is no neighbor, indeed he is a stranger in the land. Here Lewis sneaks in a quick lesson on who is our neighbor. The hedgehog takes Shasta home and treats him exactly as a beloved neighbor, not a stranger.

And finally, in Chapter 14 Bree is trying to describe Aslan, but he's never actually seen him and even doubts his true existence. That's when Aslan suddenly appears and tells Bree to
"touch me. Smell me. Here are my paws, here is my tail, these are my whiskers. I am a true Beast."
sounds remarkably like John 20:24-29
Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Friday, July 1, 2011

Narnia Challenge





























I've decided to participate in the Narnia Reading Challenge at Reading to Know. This time around I'm reading "The Horse and His Boy" which I feel is a fitting summer adventure. I always like to refer to "Roar" when reading Narnia. It's one of my favorite companions. In addition I'm going to see what Richard Abanes has to say about the land inside the wardrobe in "Harry Potter, Narnia and the Lord of the Rings: What You Need to Know about Fantasy Books and Movies."











Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge

Thursday, March 17, 2011

2011 Books Read

January
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

February
Snow Day by Billy Coffey
Bookends by Liz Curtis Higgs
Desperate Hours: The Epic Story of the Rescue of the Andrea Doria by Richard Goldstein
It's All About Him: Finding the Love of my Life by Denise Jackson

March
The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad
Radical: Taking Back your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt

April
A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck
The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story by Diane Ackerman
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

May
The Lord of the Rings, unabridged, by J.R.R. Tolkien

June
Brother Andrew by Gregg Lewis
Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas

July
Mockingjay (#3 Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis


Sunday, March 6, 2011

2010 Books Read

January
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Crazy for the Storm by Norman Ollestad

February
The White Queen by Phillipa Gregory
The Penny by Joyce Meyer

March
The Other Queen by Phillipa Gregory
Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster
Me, Myself and Bob: A True Story about God, Dreams and Talking Vegetables by Phil Vischer
What Difference Do It Make: Stories of Hope and Healing by Ron Hall and Denver Moore.

April
Literary Hoaxes: An Eye-opening History of Famous Frauds by Melissa Katsoulis
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time by Greg Mortensen
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis
Savage Summit: True Stories of the First Five Women Who Climbed K2, the World's Most Feared Mountain by Jennifer Jordan
A Red State of Mind: How a Catfish Queen Became a Liberty Belle by Nancy French

May
Dark Summit: The True Story of Everest's Most Controversial Season by Nick Heil
The Great Christmas Bowl by Susan May Warren
A Slobbering Love Affair: The True (and Pathetic) Story of the Torrid Romance between Barack Obama and the Mainstream Media by Bernard Goldberg

June
Cherries in Winter: My Family's Recipe for Hope in Hard Times by Suzan Colon
The Compassionate Touch by Doug Wead
Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town by Nick Reding
Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan
A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity: A Memoir by Bill O'Reilly
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

July
The Magicians Nephew by C.S. Lewis
Admission by Travis Thrasher
Thin Air by Bette Nordberg

August
The Sea of Monsters: Percy Jackson and the Olympians #2 by Rick Riordan
The Titan's Curse: Percy Jackson and the Olympians #3 by Rick Riordan
The Battle of the Labyrinth: Percy Jackson and the Olympians #4 by Rick Riordan
The Last Olympian: Percy Jackson and the Olympians #5 by Rick Riordan
I Saw Him in Your Eyes: Everyday People Making Extraordinary Impact by Ace Collins

September
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Help by Kathryn Stockett

October
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Christian Athiest by Craig Groeschel

November
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis

December
The Christmas Scrapbook by Phillip Gulley


21 Fiction
19 Fiction
40 Total

The Bookseller of Kabul


The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad
Non-fiction
Any book with "book" in the title catches my attention and when it's in the bargain bin at Big Lots, so much the better. (a little B alliteration going on there...). I was very curious about "The Bookseller of Kabul" by Asne Seierstad because I hoped it would give me a glimpse into the life of a shopkeeper and book-lover in Afghanistan. And like the author, I was surprised at what I found.
The story is poignant but each troubling scene is relevant to understanding the life of the Afghani's. Seierstad does help readers understand the hard-scrabble existence with unique details about the bookseller's household and business.