August Book Bracket
With school starting up again, I found my reading time drastically reduced. However, with the help of a roadtrip vacation, I was able to finish half a dozen books.
Book Descriptions, Why I Picked Them, and My Impressions
Red Hugh, Prince of Donegal, by Robert T. Reilly
In this adventure tale, an Irish prince, Hugh, must escape his English kidnappers and Dublin guards to return home and defend it against Queen Elizabeth's forces.
Why I picked it up: This was one of the "Living History" book titles recommended to me by my sister-in-law.
My impressions: This book is enjoyable as a sort of easy adventure story, but it's not one that I found truly captivating as an adult. There were many "adventure" elements in it (e.g., kidnapping, imprisonment, multiple escapes, action, danger, injury, battle)(this list brings to mind the "Princess Bride" movie with the grandfather's description of the book, doesn't it?), but the character development was rather underdeveloped. I really appreciated the map that preceded the story because it helped me follow the action and understand where it was happening. I would recommend this book to younger readers - not necessarily adults - who like adventures and castles, especially if they are learning about history during the Elizabethan era. There are some mild elements of revenge and some violence that might be a concern for some young readers, but it is mostly a pretty safe book.
Talking Back: A Monastic Handbook for Combating Demons, by Evagrius of Pontus (trans. David Brakke)
A desert father's collection of Scripture verses to say in response to the eight evil thoughts or temptations of gluttony, fornication, love of money, sadness, anger, listlessness (acedia?), vainglory, and pride.
Why I picked it up: I watched a Zoom version of "Theology on Tap" a few months ago and the speaker, a podcaster for "Catholic Psyche Podcast", recommended it. This seemed appropriate to read after last month's read "The Noonday Devil", which explained the "evil thought" of acedia.
My impressions: Well, I liked the idea of this book. Broken up into sections based on the temptation, Evagrius gives an addressee (God, the demon, the angels, etc.) and a specific situation (e.g., addressing the thought I have regarding my desire to visit my relatives in the world) and the Scripture passage used to combat this thought. Some of the Scripture passages are addressed to God, crying for help, or praising Him for sustaining one through the temptation. In short, there are different kinds of situations. I like the idea, as I said - I should be more familiar with the Bible and I love the idea of using quotes to help me through difficult times. However, I must say that I still have to think about how I'm going to make using this book practical. In the middle of a temptation, it's going to be hard to drop what I'm doing, find this book, and then locate the specific part of the book that deals with the specific temptation I'm facing. This project almost needs memorization if it's to be applied broadly. As it is, I suppose I could find a few very pertinent passages for myself and memorize or mark those. Another difficulty I found was that some of the situations seem to apply primarily to monks (the target audience) and are difficult for a lay person to connect with. I think this book could be of use to adults who are looking for this sort of thing, but I don't know if I'd recommend it wholesale like I've done with other works...maybe in time, once I've found a way to make this book work for me, I'll find myself more ready to recommend it.
The Outcast of Redwall, by Brian Jacques
The badger Sunflash and his hawk friend Skarlath range across Mossflower country and down to Salamandastron fighting the warlord Swartt Sixclaw, while Swartt's son Veil dwells for a time at Redwall Abbey before being exiled and followed by his foster mother, Bryony.
Why I picked it up: Redwall books are the equivalent of a "beach read" for me and I needed one to take with me on vacation. It had been a while since I'd read it, as well.
My impressions: I was surprised by how many elements of this book matched up rather closely with those of "Salamandastron"...but I shouldn't have been. Jacques is an extremely formulaic writer, after all. However, it had all the standard traits of a Redwall book and felt like its own story, in spite of any similarities it had with the previously-written book. Good fights evil and triumphs in the end, although some dear characters die before the end, where everything is celebrated with a homecoming and a feast. I'd recommend this book to readers at that reading level and above. However, due to the issues our society is facing, I do think it worthwhile to note that one character, a hare, presents itself and tries to act as a squirrel, although it is clearly a hare. Though clearly a fictional work and just a bit of innocent fun, the species-pretend-exchange may raise questions from children who are aware of the transgender issues of our time.
Life, by St. Teresa of Avila, translated by Kieran Kavanaugh, O.C.D. and Otilio Rodriguez, O.C.D.
As I understood it, at the order of her confessor, St. Teresa of Avila recounts her life and her journey of growing closer to God. She explains certain types of prayer and describes raptures and visions she beheld.
Why I picked it up: I heard that selections from this work would be assigned in a class I'm auditing and, rather than read just the assigned sections, I wanted to read the whole thing so that I could write about it here and not in the "books not finished" section. I can say I've read the whole thing.
My impressions: This book requires perseverance. I'm a little ashamed to say I found the longer sections on prayer difficult to get through. Even the autobiographical parts were not always quick-moving. Part of the difficulty was that I had trouble understanding the more technical descriptions of prayer ("technical" doesn't seem like the right word, but my lack of understanding prevents me from finding a better term) and I was bogged down by incomplete references to unnamed individuals. For much of the book, I did not feel like I connected with the saint. For example, when she talks about how much of a sinner she was, I always wondered if she was really that bad of a sinner (a la Saint Augustine) or if her sins just seemed bad to her because she was so holy and therefore more sensitive. I think there was some of the latter, but one website that spoke of her life indicated that she struggled with her own mediocrity, amongst other things. That was something I could relate to. I also felt kinship with her when she described her fears and anxieties about certain things. Indeed, even though a Doctor of the Church and a mystic, it seems like she didn't achieve perfection early in her life; it sounds like she still was struggling along like we all are. Because of the difficulty in understanding the work and how difficult it was to get through, I can't say I'd recommend this book. However, now that I have read it, I do feel some encouragement to keep fighting the good fight, even though I will have to do it the rest of my life. Note for myself: Chapter 2 describes how St. Teresa found books of chivalry to lead her away from God into a worldly, and even sinful, life.
Champions of the Rosary: The History and Heroes of a Spiritual Weapon, by Donald H. Calloway, MIC
Fr. Calloway outlines the history of the "Rosary", a Catholic prayer that meditates on Christ's life through Mary's intercession. He emphasizes the Rosary as a spiritual weapon and advocates a devotion to this prayer.
Why I picked it up: I bought this book at an annual Catholic conference held in my hometown. It lay on my shelf for a year or two before it became my evening "read a paragraph before you go to sleep" book.
My impressions: The depth of research that went into this book was incredible and easily recognizable. I found the emphasis on the Rosary as a spiritual weapon rather heavy-handed, especially at the beginning. However, I began to appreciate the prayer in this light because the author made a point of making me aware of how many saints and Rosary advocates viewed the Rosary in this way. The book was very long and I wonder if the structure did not lend itself to an easy read. The organization makes sense in its way: Calloway reviewed Rosary history century by century, then proceeds to biographies of Rosary "champions", as he terms them, and end with essential Rosary knowledge and artistic depictions of the Rosary and saints associated with it. The history chapters were long and the biographies somewhat removed from the context of their century; I thought those first books sections might have been more palatable if the biographies had been placed in their respective time periods. Perhaps the real difficulty was that there was a lot of information to share, regardless of organization. All that aside, I did love that, included in this book, were full-color reproductions of classical art depicting Rosary scenes. This reminded me strongly of when I read the book "How Catholic Art Saved the Faith", a book recounting the history of the Church's Counter-Reformation and the incredible art created during that time period and reproduced in the book. The art worked on my mind through its incredible beauty, while the words of Calloway's text communicated more through truth and goodness. I cannot say that I loved the modern works commissioned by the author, but I can see why he sought out present-day artists to create new works celebrating the Rosary and its champions. This is not the first book I would recommend to someone who is just starting to learn about the Rosary or trying to build a devotion to our Lady - I would go with something by St. Louis de Montfort for that - but it is a commendable work, particularly for people who are ready to really dive in to everything there is to know about the Rosary. This would be a good starting point to someone - high school age or older - doing research on the Rosary because Calloway pulls from myriad primary sources. (Note: I found one section uncomfortable: Calloway had some discussion of occult links one Rosary detractor had, so I skimmed over that part.) I think it rare to claim any work is exhaustive of its subject matter, but I have a feeling this is the most in-depth look at the Rosary that is available in print.
The Eagle of the Ninth, by Rosemary Sutcliff
Marcus Aquila, an injured cohort commander, goes on a quest with his Briton friend Esca to retrieve the golden eagle standard borne by the Lost Legion, which had disappeared into northern Britain twelve years prior, and to unravel the mystery of why his father's legion never returned.
Why I picked it up: This work of historical fiction was recommended by my sister-in-law and I had had enough reading of philosophy for a bit. I picked this up as my "fun read" for a break.
My impressions: The book's cover bears the statement, "Over a million copies sold worldwide", and after reading the book, I can see why. It was even turned into a movie. This book has classic adventure and quest elements, as well as a generous dash of mystery in it. There was enough action throughout to prevent any part from feeling slow (and some parts were gripping), while the history was woven in well and depicted in an exciting way. I did find the feel of the book a little darker than most of the adventures I read, but it fit the story well. I had read another book by the same author and it did not come anywhere close to being as good as this book. I would recommend this book to mature, older middle school students and above, so long as parents are aware of the pagan elements that run throughout the book (this is a pre-Christian, Roman and Druidic Britain). For example, the quoting of the Roman god Mithras' birthday being the 25th of December might be a good discussion point regarding how some people claim that Christians just made holy days to compete with pagan holidays (it looked like the Catholic Answers website would have some good information on that). Also, some warriors are mentioned as stripped naked during a manhood ceremony, so parents, be aware if you're sensitive of children encountering those scenes. The book is the first in a trilogy, so I would not be surprised if I eventually got my hands on the second and third books.
Leisure the Basis of Culture, by Josef Pieper
A philosopher considers the modern push to live in a workaholic world and why leisure, which is the antithesis of work, is necessary outside of utilitarian standards.
Why I picked it up: I meant to read this a long time ago, but never got around to reading this essay until a class I am auditing required it.
My impressions: This is not a full-length book - only an essay - but it gives a lot of food for thought. As far as philosophy goes, it was very straightforward and approachable. It was easier for me to understand than the same author's work on feasts. I felt encouraged in the fact that I read and pursue "useless" hobbies outside of work because of the perspective related in this essay. The work is dyed through with the view of humanity that views persons as intellectual and spiritual beings, and not just automatons working the machine of society. I recommend this book to pretty much anyone who thinks they might find it interesting and maybe, in a particular way, to people who think that there is nothing to be gained from philosophy or any activity that does not produce something "useful". I would say college-age is an appropriate level, or a high school student who has a good head for philosophy and big ideas.
Bracket Play
The bracket was easy to decide. I left the philosophy essay out of the bracket play because it truly felt like it was in its own league. I recommend it, but it was going to be too much brain power to compute how a bracket of seven would work and how the essay would fare in it.
Young Hugh, though an adventure, did not hold up against a classic adventure from my childhood, which ended up better than I recalled it being. St. Teresa's "Life" won over Evagrius of Pontus' work because I gained some helpful insights from her work, whereas I'm still trying to make Evagrius' verses practical rather than a curiosity of antiquity sitting on my shelf.
"Champions of the Rosary" had a buy because "The Eagle of the Ninth" had one and there were no other contenders. That book ended up falling to St. Teresa's because I felt I gained (a little) more from reading about St. Teresa's life than from reading the history of the Rosary and the biographies of those who promoted that prayer.
In any case, "The Eagle of the Ninth" was certainly the most compelling book that I read this month. The religious books were good in their own ways, but I wasn't excited to tell people about them like I have been with other books in that genre - like "The Noonday Devil" or Sheen's "The World's First Love". I can say that "The Eagle" was an exciting story that I told others about and, therefore, I give it the laurel for this month over the religious books. "Leisure the Basis of Culture" I recommend as well.
