February 2022 Book Brackets
I have to admit, I panicked a little when I came to the start of the month and realized I had some very long or slow-moving books I was working on. I ended up with only three books for the bracket, but perhaps there will be more next month.
My Reviews
The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien
A hobbit, Bilbo, who is quite content with his quiet life, is sent on an adventure by a wizard in which he will save dwarves, be almost captured by goblins, steal from a dragon, try to avert a war, and find a magical ring before returning home.
Why I picked it up: My boyfriend and I agreed to read this book aloud together soon after we officially started dating. It was at least my third, maybe my fourth time reading it, but his first time.
My impressions: This is a fantastic book for young and old alike. Some people (rightfully) complain that the narrative tone is that of an adult talking down to a child, but it's still a fantastic adventure. The story is engaging, well-told, and the ends are tied up nicely at the conclusion. It's one of the few stories I know that has no hint of a romance and, frankly, has absolutely no need of one. Bilbo has fantastic development throughout the story, and the passing of a character at the end is poignant and touched me, even after having read the book before, recorded the quote, etc. It was definitely a good book for reading aloud. I recommend this book to all readers, young and old, who are at that reading level; it may not be beloved by all, but it has been a favorite of many. Don't watch the Peter Jackson movie adaptation; if you must, read the book first.
Bible in a Year Podcast with Father Mike Schmitz**
Catholic priest Fr. Mike Schmitz reads through and comments on the Bible every day for a year in this podcast.
Why I listened to it: Although it's a podcast, I'm counting this as an audiobook because Fr. Schmitz does, in fact, read the entire Bible. I decided to give this a try because although I'd finally read through the entire Bible, I definitely felt like I should try to engage with it more deeply. I WILL NOT be including this in the bracket because I feel that 1) how could you say the Bible is NOT the best book you'd read? and 2) the podcast was completed primarily in 2021 and just finished right at the beginning of January, so it doesn't even technically fall in this month.
My impressions: One or two of the professors of a class I audited in 2021 implied that trying to read through the Bible in an entire year was a bad idea. No podcasts were named, but I felt this one was implicated in that statement. In brief: I disagree. In detail: I think this podcast is great for the general public, especially Catholics who really haven't taken the time to encounter God in Scripture. I'm sure there are better ways to really engage with the text than the way I did (listening in bursts at 2x speed and taking no notes and always doing something while listening), in which case the professors are correct. However, I loved the commentary Fr. Schmitz gave that didn't shy away from hard topics or confusing passages. Some passages of the Bible were still pretty dry to me, but I would definitely recommend this to Christians and Catholics high school and older (after all, there IS adult content in the Bible).
Hannah Coulter, by Wendell Berry
An aged Hannah Coulter looks back on her life, which spanned much of the 20th century, and gives thanks for it all, from her upbringing in poverty to her first marriage, widowing, motherhood, second marriage, and family life.
Why I picked it up: I had multiple people tell me I had to read this book. I picked it up at my favorite local bookstore a while back (a year or more?), but hesitated to pick it up because one of the people who had recommended it told me to wait until I had time to sit down and savor it. I picked a busy January back at work anyway and read a portion of it during my lunch breaks.
My impressions: Friends, please don't hate this review, but I can't say I was hit super hard by this book. Lovely writing? Yes. Deep insights about life? Yes. Poignant moments that reflected realities that I haven't lived? Yes. But it has no plot outside of the plot that most lives follow: youth, maturation, love, growth, growing old. It is beautiful, for sure, and that hominess and normalness is part of the charm. But it is a book that requires a lot of time to just sit and reflect. It's not a book that I imagine turning to in times of high stress. It's a work that requires a low level of stress and a high level of receptivity already established in the reader for the ideas to sink in. Maybe this review just shows that I wasn't in the right place to read the book (sorry to you, wise recommender, who said to wait till I could savor it). I think this book would be like a drink of cool, refreshing water to the right person in the right time of life. This apparently wasn't it for me. I think it's well written and any adult in the right mindset could enjoy it (but that's true of many books, isn't it?). I'm not quite sure who would like it...I got a"Little House on the Prairie" aura at some points in the book, so maybe people who appreciated those books could find comfort in a story that's very different, but has perhaps something of the same environment as that series. There is some deft wording of intimate things that keeps anything from being sexually explicit - in fact, it's handled pretty tastefully for letting you know what's going on - but I'd say this is a book for adults. I don't think a high schooler would enjoy or appreciate it.
On the Incarnation, by Saint Athanasius
Doctor of the Church St. Athanasius defends the Church's teaching that Christ truly became man, addressing arguments that might be made against this doctrine.
Why I picked it up: I heard from the Word on Fire podcast that this is a seminal work in Christian theological literature, and when I was asked to find one more thing that I wanted for Christmas, I decided this copy (with introduction by C. S. Lewis) from my favorite bookstore fit the bill.
My impressions: This is a text that I think would be good for Catholic high school students to encounter. It is pretty short, but chock-full of apologetical language that powerfully and intelligently defends this elemental doctrine. My one complaint about this edition is that, following the C. S. Lewis preface, there was an introduction that dragged on for 28 pages. The book was only 110 pages long. I felt the information, though I'm sure helpful to the serious student, would have been better appreciated as an afterward, or study guide, of sorts. Frontloading all the analysis at the front end of the book was NOT fun. I didn't feel like I had any major spiritual moments from reading the book, but it is so good to be able to say that I've read this work and to know that I can reread it.
Bracket Play
As mentioned above, I did not include the Bible in bracket play because it would win by default.
