December Book Brackets

 December Books Brackets

I didn't want to catch COVID, but I did. At least I was able to get a little bit of reading in during all those days at home!

Parnassus on Wheels, by Christopher Morley*

Helen, tired of caring for her author brother and taking care of the farm when he goes rambling for materials, purchases a large van that is a traveling bookstore and has adventures in the New England countryside over the course of half a week.

Why I picked it up: I was at home during COVID and struggling; a fluff read was greatly desired, and I recalled at long last that a friend had recommended this book to me and it was waiting on my Kindle.

My impressions: Yes, this was a fluff read, but a quick and easy one. The story itself was not very ambitious and lacked a driving plot, but it was a fun little romp. Not a Chesterton-sized or -styled romp, but a modest little one that every now and then celebrated the joys of being a reader. It also wrapped up nicely at the end. The story had a negative perspective on "hobos", or homeless men, but it was very much a squeaky-clean sort of book. The small romance was predictable (the author gave it away in the introduction) and not terribly well developed, but it was sweet. This is a great pick for someone who wants a clean, very quick fluff-read. I'm curious about the sequel.

Life of Christ, by Fulton Sheen

The famous Archbishop Sheen dives into Scripture and explores the life of Christ.

Why I picked it up: This book (and probably most other works by Sheen) was on my to-read list and I felt like I hit the jackpot when I found a copy at the garage sale of one of my friend's mom.

Quote: There are too many, so I include several here.

"Knowing all, the Son of God made Peter, who knew sin, and no John, the Rock upon which He built His Church that sinners and the weak might never despair." -p. 339

"Sacrifice does not mean 'giving-up' something, as if there were a loss; rather, it is an exchange: an exchange of lower values for higher joys." -p. 167

On Jesus and the Good Thief: "A dying man asked a dying man for eternal life; a man without possessions asked a poor man for a Kingdom; a thief at the door of death asked to die like a thief and steal Paradise. One would have thought a saint would have been the first soul purchased over the counter of Calvary by the red coins of Redemption, but in the Divine plan it was a thief who was the escort of the King of kings into Paradise...It was the thief's last prayer, perhaps even his first. He knocked once, sought once, asked once, dared evertying, and found everything." -p. 374

My impressions: This is an amazing book. Incredible. Insightful. Thoughtful. I could tell Fulton did a lot of praying and thinking for this work. I loved reading it, bit by bit, in my morning meditation. I felt like the makers of "The Chosen" show would benefit from reading this work. It was so good. I recorded favorite quotes as I read; Fulton has an almost Chestertonian turn of phrase at times, sometimes making a point with a paradox, and other times, wowing the reader with a well-worded thought. I highly recommend this book to anyone to loves Jesus and can handle the reading level.

Searching for and Maintaining Peace, by Father Jacques Philippe

As described before, the book examines content indicated by the title: searching for and maintaining spiritual peace.

Why I picked it up: I was again anxious and worried about many things and decided it was a good time to reread it.

My impressions: This book didn't hit or help me as it has the last three times I've read it. I suppose that is to be expected when one reads a book: it doesn't always have the exact same effect. However, that doesn't keep it from being an excellent book. See previous posts for more details on my thoughts on this one.

The Haunted Bookshop, by Christopher Morley*

The couple from "Parnassus on Wheels" have settled into life in Brooklyn, New York, as second-hand booksellers, and they and two young people work through a mystery that comes to their shop.

Why I picked it up: Another fluff read was required.

My impressions: This was another solid fluff read with not much plot, but just enough - especially as the story goes on - to be a little mysterious. There was some anti-German sentiment sprinkled throughout the book, and some negative portrayals and/or discussions of Germans. I disliked the long tirades the bookshop owner Mifflin went on either in conversation or in his imagination - they were lecture-y and it sounded like he was spouting what I assume is the author's views on literature and various other subjects. Or maybe they are just the character's views. In any case, they were too-well-expounded. This book is a fun sequel to "Parnassus on Wheels", although it had some questionable anti-German sentiments.

The Thirty-Nine Steps, by John Buchan, read by Adrian Praetzellis**

This adventure tale follows a South African in England as he flees his enemies after being drawn into a spy's attempt to ward off a political assassination that could result in war.

Why I picked it up: I was going through a period when listening to my usual podcasts seemed to be exacerbating some concerns of mine, so someone recommended that I switch things up. I thought giving an audiobook a try might be nice, so I found this recording on LibriVox, which is a site/app that provides free audiobooks of works in the public domain. Volunteers help record these works, and I have marked the title with a ** to indicate it was not read from a regular book or from an ebook, but was an audiobook that I listened to.

My impressions: This was a pretty short book - only ten chapters - but filled with lots of excitement from the first few pages. Some of the escapades of this untrained and unsuspecting main character were unrealistic from someone who had never done any spy work before, but those unlikelihoods didn't detract from the story. The story was fast-paced and not bogged down by politics, which I found refreshing (some political intrigues take too much time, in my opinion - but not in this story). There was a scene in the first few chapters that described a murdered chap - not in gruesome detail, but it was enough detail that I might have skimmed if I were reading. The narrator had different voices and accents for some of the characters and did a great job overall. This audiobook is an exciting and quick work to listen to, especially quick if one listens to it at 2x speed like I did.

Letters From Father Christmas, by J. R. R. Tolkien

The famous author of The Lord of the Rings series wrote letters to his children for many years - he wrote them as if he were Father Christmas and responded to the letters they wrote to him. Characters such as a North Polar Bear, a secretarial elf named Ilbereth, and various others make debuts through the years and continue their appearances as Father Christmas prepares toys, fights goblins, and deals with the North Polar Bear's foibles from year to year.

Why I picked it up: Earlier this year, a cousin asked if I had read this book before, and I had not. Closer to Advent, I decided I wanted to read it, so I put it on hold through the library's FREE hold system.

My impressions: This is a very interesting work. I appreciate that it has some of the same story-telling qualities that Tolkien's other works showcase, but it has a different feel because the letters are so personal and written for his family. Illustrations were included in this work, and that was an absolute joy to look at - the experience just wouldn't have been the same if I couldn't see the pictures "Father Christmas" was referencing. It was obvious that Tolkien put a lot of time into these letters and pictures. Reading these letters was like looking through a little window into the lives of a family around Christmas time; yes, it's a limited view, but a very sweet and, in some ways, intimate experience. I think this book would be good to read around Christmas if one is a fan of Tolkien, or perhaps wants to share some Christmas joy with others. Maybe it would be a good family activity to read it together (not my idea, but it sounds like it could be a good one).

Praying the Rosary Like Never Before, by Edward Sri

Dr. Sri explains the reasons for praying the Rosary, its history and background, different methods for praying it in a meaningful way, and reflections on the twenty different mysteries.

Why I picked it up: I bought it as a three-book deal at the Midwest Catholic Family Conference this year and wanted to knock out another book from my never-shrinking "to-read" stack.

My impressions: There are other books that go more in-depth into the background of the Rosary, but I liked that Sri referenced an encyclical by Pope St. John Paul II throughout his book (I hadn't heard about the encyclical before). He also provided ten verses for every mystery for those who want to pray a Scriptural rosary (a Rosary where one recites one or more Bible verses per mystery to assist meditation on that mystery) and practical tips for praying the Rosary. I do hope to use the Scripture verses and reflections sometime in the future when I pray the Rosary by myself. Overall, I'd say the book was a mix of information I'd heard before and solid new insights and ideas for connecting better with this prayer. It would be a good introduction to the Rosary or a good book for someone who is familiar with the Rosary, but hasn't read much on it.

Bracket Play

In the opening round, I paired the weaker fiction works by Christopher Morley with stronger works of fiction (the exciting "Thirty-Nine Steps" and Tolkien's letters as Father Christmas). This may scandalize some who know me, but I decided I liked "The Thirty-Nine Steps" better than Tolkien's work. The letters are sweet, but I don't find them as memorable as the action-packed story by John Buchan. I can imagine myself rereading Buchan's work sooner than Tolkien's Father Christmas letters, but who knows if that will be the case in reality, or if I will have the chance to reread them? The play-in game was won easily by Sheen's "The Life of Christ," which is simply fantastic. That book won the bracket this week and definitely has a chance at winning the championship for the whole year.