May 2021 Book Bracket

With school finishing up, I did not get as many books read as I would have liked, but a few readable fantasy novels for children helped boost my reading count, as did a push on the last day of May to finish "True Devotion to Mary", a spiritual book I've been working through for a while.

Red Falcons of Tremoine, by Hendry Peart

Leo, who has spent his whole life at a monastery, learns that he is the son of nobles and finds himself kidnapped in a power struggle between the antagonistic sides of his family, both of which claim him as their heir.

Why I picked up this book: A children's book of Medieval historical fiction - I've become quite interested in ferreting out books in this niche.

My impressions: This book ended up being somewhat uncomfortable to read because of the Stockholm Syndrome-esque quality it had. Young Leo dislikes the injustice found in the lands of his kidnapping Uncle Rolf and hates his uncle, but by the end, when (spoiler) said uncle dies, he says the uncle really hadn't been that bad, and in spite of his cruelty, had loved Leo in his own way. Yikes. No, people are not just black-and-white, all good or all evil, but it seems a little much to write off the very obvious shortcomings of the uncle at the end. This man manipulated Leo in at least three decisions so that he makes choices under duress. The time period seems very well researched, but I've now read enough of these books to start wondering if orphans being raised by monks in monasteries is a trope for the genre. In spite of the book's flaws, it hasn't soured my appreciation for this type of book, although I don't know if I'd be comfortable recommending this particular work to others.

Return: How to Draw Your Child Back to the Church, by Brandon Vogt

Written for parents, Vogt outlines the reasons why people leave the faith, "game plan" for how to engage fallen-away Catholic children and create the environment that is most conducive to them returning to the faith, and how to answer specific objections.

Why I picked it up: There is someone in my life with whom I'd like to engage and see if I can, God-willing, improve our relationship and start laying a foundation for their return to the faith.

My impressions: This book is a must-read for anyone with a loved one who has fallen away from the faith, even if it's not one's child. It is chock-full of helpful content and suggested reading. It was hard to read the "no-no's" and realize I'd committed at least some of them, but I think this book is very right to remind the reader that the person trying to do the drawing has to do a lot of work in their own soul before and while they are trying to interact with their fallen-away loved one. There is great orthodox, intellectual content as well as pastoral tips - the "what" as well as the "how to", as it were. I am still intimidated at the thought of reaching out, but I don't consider that a shortcoming of the book - I think it stems from my own flaws. I will probably be rereading some sections of this again very soon, but it is not a hard read by any means. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has had a loved one fall away from the faith.

Tolkien: Man and Myth, by Joseph Pearce

Joseph Pearce writes a biography on Tolkien, world-renowned author of "The Lord of the Rings".

Why I picked it up: This book was read for me and my book-club-friend to discuss.

My impressions: As with most of Pearce's works, much of the content is solid, but it must be taken with a grain of salt. Pearce presents with favorable biases towards his subjects, but at this point, I can usually pick out areas where he presents his perspective as opposed to the bare facts. The books feels a little like a series of Tolkien essays that have been grouped together to form a sort of biography; this feeling stems from the fact that Pearce references the same sources, and even the same quotes, multiple times throughout the entirety of the work. I found some references unnecessary or unnecessarily long, particularly one which he quoted at length about a feminist interpretation on one scene in "The Lord of the Rings" - it was nasty; I wish I'd skimmed sooner - and passages from the books (I did skim those since I've read them before in the actual work). I do like that Pearce is widely read on his topic and explores even critical voices on Tolkien, even if only to denounce such positions. I am grateful to Pearce for being a second voice that has at least implicitly questioned the motives of Humphrey Carpenter, Tolkien's official biographer, whom I gather may have had some negative biases towards his subject. For more on this, please refer to the previous blog post. I found that, for someone who's already read a biography or two and academic essays about Tolkien, there wasn't much new ground covered in this biography, but I really liked Pearce's opening chapter. The first chapter considers several British polls at the close of the 20th century that indicated Tolkien was the favorite author of the era (or perhaps all time), and the ensuing fury of the academic literati. I think this biography would be best for someone who has heard of Tolkien and his works, but may not be ready to dive into Carpenter's longer biography or "The Lord of the Rings" series right away. As always, with Pearce, I would encourage the reader to consider his ideas critically (not negatively, necessarily - just with a posture of not feeling obligated to agree with every surmise) and skim parts if needed.

The Monster in the Hollows, by Andrew Peterson*

The third book in the Wingfeather Saga follows the Wingfeathers when they arrive across the sea, seek refuge in their mother's hometown, and deal with the prejudice the residents bear against strangers and, especially, the wolf-transformed young Kalmar.

Why I picked it up: A few years ago, I read the first two books of this fantasy series, but stopped after book two because I found one development kind of disturbing; I picked up the series again because a recent Facebook ad revealed that a group is crowdsourcing funds to create a family-friendly television series.

My impressions: This third book continues the humorous but dangerous adventures shared by the three royal Wingfeather children and their mother. I appreciate that the author takes time to dig into the dynamics shared between the siblings, the long-reaching effects of bad decisions (sin), and how the Maker (God) can take something broken and turn it into something wonderful. Regarding sibling dynamics: I found the struggles and disagreements within the family believable and wondered if Janner's relationship with Kalmar could perhaps be reflect a little of how a neurotypical child might feel about a sibling with special needs. I still found some descriptions of the evil side's doings a bit disturbing, like in the second book, so sensitive children would probably want to avoid this series. As far as storytelling goes, I think thought the pacing worked pretty well and did not feel like there were really any slow parts of the book, but there's nothing particularly mind-blowingly awesome about the series. It follows in the vein of worldbuilding established by Tolkien, with its own maps, set of lore, histories, and even family trees. I think the writing is better and more consistent than that of the "Green Ember" series, but I don't think this is a series that I'll be reading more than once. I enjoy the author's sense of humor and some of the whimsical ways he has of writing, but there's some definite potty humor that, although probably realistic amongst siblings, is not exactly what I would consider necessary. Nothing else objectionable for young readers here, other than some content that could end up being scary for some readers.

The Warden and the Wolf King, by Andrew Peterson*

The fourth and final book describes the adventures of the Wingfeather children and their friends that lead to the battle with the terrible enemy, Gnag the Nameless.

Why I picked it up: I figured I might as well finish the series while the previous book was fresh in my mind, before I moved on to something very different.

My impressions: This book was a solid end to the series: it had plenty of action, displayed characters performing acts of heroic self-sacrifice, wrapped up some loose ends, and made me cry a few times. However, it was not enough to make me love the series as a whole. One section led up to a major battle and there turned out to be no conflict after all - this was good for the sake of the many characters, but it left me with a feeling of deflation. The demise of another character and, at the end, the way the Hollowsfolk ended up acting did not quite impress, or ring true for, me. The final battle at the end flirted with running a little too long. There were still creepy descriptions that I was not a fan of in this book. I had the feeling that the author has studied his Tolkien and knows how to pull together a pretty great eucatastrophe. There was one thing I was still saddened about at the end, but the epilogue leaves the door open to a more complete happy ending. I wished I could know if what I wanted would happen or not, but I suppose leaving that bit to the imagination helps keep the ending from being too saccharine. I appreciated subtle hints dropped throughout that all would end well - or pretty well, at least, but others may not like that aspect. Major Christian undertones run through the entire series, but come out very clearly in this book, especially. I would recommend those who have read the first three books in the series to go ahead and finish with this one. However, I don't think I'd personally recommend this book. Others might find it enjoyable (I feel like the author has a great, whimsical sense of humor that comes out in his writing style), but it wasn't quite my cup of fantasy tea.

True Devotion to Mary, by St. Louis de Montfort

St. Louis de Montfort explains consecration to Jesus through Mary, its importance, and a roadmap for consecrating oneself.

Why I picked it up: I've already consecrated myself to Jesus through Mary, but I thought it would be a good idea to brush up on it from the saint who wrote extensively about it.

My impressions: This book is worthy of the title "spiritual classic." De Montfort's love for Mary comes through clearly in his writing and he is not afraid to dive deeply and develop ideas fully. The book is well structured and ends with the consecration program. There is a lot of reading to get through for the consecration, and I admit I did not follow the program exactly, as he describes it should be completed. I did not have much trouble with the book, but I've encountered reports from other people that this work may not be the best for someone struggling with scrupulosity; I would say that the excerpts from "The Imitation of Christ" might be the most troublesome in that area. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to really explore Marian consecration. I would recommend Fr. Michael Gaitley's "33 Days to Morning Glory" as a first experience of Marian consecration, but this work is excellent in different ways.

Bracket Play

My bracket looks a little wonky this month, but I didn't feel like fixing it up to be more aesthetically pleasing.

In the first round, one Andrew Peterson children's book beat out the less-liked "Red Falcons" with ease, but the previous book in the Wingfeather series, "The Monster in the Hollows", lost to the spiritual classic by de Montfort. Also in the first round, Brandon Vogt's informational and practical book about creating the most conducive environment for discussing faith with fallen-away Catholics beat the Tolkien biography by the interesting but sometimes biased Joseph Pearce. "True Devotion to Mary" had a buy in the second round, while Vogt's book beat out the exciting and emotional, but not-likely-to-be-read-again, Peterson adventure. "Return" edged out the book by St. Louis this month because it has a lot of stellar information that I think many Catholics need to hear. Of course, we all need to learn more about and turn more often to Our Lady, Mary, but Vogt's book meets a need I am experiencing in my life right now, and I feel like I would be able to recommend it to a wider Catholic audience at this time. I noted that two books (the Wingfeather saga novels) were most readily available to me in Kindle form, so I read ebook versions*.