February Bracket 2024
February started off strong, but for some reason, it seems like making a major move can derail reading projections! It also made my post for the month over a week late. We're very grateful to our family who helped us move!
The Rule of St. Benedict, by St. Benedict - Edited by Timothy Fry, O.S.B.
The "Father of Western Monasticism" wrote a rule of life for the Benedictine Order to follow.
Why I picked it up: I remember someone brought up this work at a book discussion group years ago and it's lowkey been on my to-read list since. This copy came from my sister; I attempted to read it the previous summer, but put it down for a time.
My impressions: What struck me most about this book was its pastoral tone. It is a strict rule, and one that would be hard to live by, but time and time again, St. Benedict talked about allowances being made for the weak, or giving multiple verbal reprimands to erring monks before more drastic disciplines are taken. At the same time, I get the feeling that the strictness of his rule was due to him having seen some crazy stuff and some tough cases in his own monastic experiences. He is detailed, but the details are oriented towards growing in devotion and love for God and for the brothers of the community. My favorite part of this short read was St. Benedict's preface - the love and fatherly concern he has for any who would live by this rule in his community is clearly evident in his introduction to the Rule. A good portion of the Rule - especially that regarding the designation of which psalms to pray for the Liturgy of the Hours - wasn't directly applicable to me, but there were gems sprinkled throughout that provided me with good opportunities for reflection. Consider this: "Brothers will read and sing, not according to rank, but according to their ability to benefit their hearers" (pg. 40). That's one sentence, and it had me thinking about how any talents God has given me are not to bring honor to me, but rather are for me to use to serve others. This is a great little read and I think any high school or older Catholic desiring to love God could benefit from reading this book.
Time for God, by Fr. Jacques Philippe
Fr. Jacques Philippe provides a short introduction to mental prayer.
Why I picked it up: I was on a Fr. Jacques Philippe book kick and this one looked good to read for my morning meditation.
My impressions: This is another winner. I wrote out tons of excerpts from this book and it makes me want to be better about praying consistently in adoration. I haven't made it happen yet, but the desire is in me! The book makes prayer and deeper union with God approachable, while still being real about the commitment it requires. I think anyone reading this would want to already have some rudimentary knowledge about the different kinds of prayer Catholics generally talk about, such as meditation and contemplation, but I think any high school and older Catholics desiring to love God could benefit from reading this book.
Theology of Home II, by Carrie Gress, Noelle Mering, nad Kim Baile - with Dori Greco Rutherford
The team who created Theology of Home shifts its focus from house to homemaker, reflecting upon the natural and spiritual realities one encounters as a woman who maintains a home.
Why I picked it up: I want to read a good number of nonfiction and Catholic books this year, and this was sitting on my shelf of books to read.
My impressions: This was a good book, with the most profound part being the introduction. I appreciated the focus shifting to the homemaker. I'd encountered some of the ideas before, but it was neat to learn the stories of woman who exemplified the ideas being explored. Some of these stories were very sad and ended up being skimmed over, but the pictures were just as beautiful as in the first book. This book didn't rock my world the way the first one did, but it was still good and those who enjoyed the first book, or would like to reflect upon homemaking, would likely appreciate this work.
Lost Feast: Culinary Extinction and the Future of Food, by Lenore Newman**
A food scholar explores the connection between cuisine and extinction in plants and animals, and enjoys some delicious (and somewhat less tasty) dishes along the way.
Why I picked it up: I was in a weird mood to read about extinct animals brought on by thinking about the aurochs, wild cows mentioned in the book Quo Vadis. This book was available for free through my Audible subscription. It was a perfect combination.
My impressions: This book helped scratch my extinction itch, but I could see myself pursuing that topic further. The author covered lots of ground with her research and lived experience, leading me to wonder how one gets a degree that leads to traveling the world to study and eat food. But, that aside, there was so much to learn and I found so much of it fascinating. The book kept my attention, being a good combination of factual but attention-keeping, which is important for nonfiction audiobooks. I think some sections of the book could stand updates, even though it was written only five years ago. Yes, even though one central aspect of this book is the history of animals and plants we ate into extinction, I'm curious about how the book's more modern features would be different if it were published post-COVID. There is discussion of some more mature topics, including a now-extinct plant from antiquity being used as a contraceptive and abortifacient. Some of the author's conclusions are probably well-founded, but they are as yet conjecture - such as the idea that lab-made meat is only a matter of time. I learned a lot from this book, and it has had me thinking more about the food I eat. It makes me grateful to live in the time and the place that I do. I think this book could be of interest to a wide audience, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone who wasn't an adult, due to some discussions of more mature themes.
Bracket Play
It was nice to have an even bracket this month. Lost Feast was pitted against Time for God, so, in spite of its interesting topic of food extinction, it fell to the spiritual work. The first round battle between Theology of Home II and The Rule of St. Benedict was harder to decide. I realized that both of them had to do with living a life in tune with God's will, but they were written for vastly different audiences. I thought readers could learn much from both works, but I felt that St. Benedict's Rule had more that I took away, at least with this reading. In the championship round, it's no surprise to me that Fr. Jacques Philippe's book took the crown. I think he's one of the winningest authors to grace the electronic pages of this blog.
Books Put Down
Inkspell, by Cornelia Funke**
Meggie, her friends and family, and some enemies are sent into the world of Capricorn and Dustfinger, located in the pages of a story that has grown larger than its author intended.
Why I picked it up: I was curious about what happened after the end of Inkheart and it was available through the public library in audiobook format.
Why I put it down: I started out enjoying the book, but I was losing pleasure in listening to it about halfway through. The book felt like it was getting darker after the fictional author in the story started playing god in his world and that, of course, led to unintended consequences. I thought about trying to push through, but like I've told myself in other situations, life is too short to read books I don't enjoy. Since this is closer to a "fluff" read for me anyway, I'll be okay putting the book down and moving on to the next one.
A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle
Meg (a different one), a misfit at school, goes on a fanstastical adventure to free her father in the company of her brother, a new friend, and three supernatural beings.
Why I picked it up: I tried reading this in middle school and didn't finish it. I've seen it referenced enough as one of the "greats" of children's literature that I figured it was time to learn what all the hype (and the Newberry Medal) were about.
Why I put it down: It wasn't the most enjoyable read in the world and something about it made me uncomfortable. I made it about a good way into the book and I felt like we still hadn't really gotten to the heart of the story. I figured that whatever it was that made the book so wonderful to so many people was in the next two thirds of the story, but I figure that if this book hadn't gripped me by a hundred pages in, I didn't need to keep plowing. I was content with reading a summary of the rest on Wikipedia.
