At the beginning of each summer, I usually put together a list of all the books I'd like to read, and all the books I own that I haven't read yet. From there, I go on to form some sort of a reading plan or theme for each summer. Last summer was Jane Austen (and I almost made it through all of her major works!) and the summer before was CS Lewis. I've been working on this summer's theme since the winter, and I simply couldn't figure anything out.
A few days ago, a book on one of my many bookshelves caught my eye. It was "So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading" by Sara Nelson. Before everyone starting writing blogs in order to turn them into published books, Nelson was a book reviewer who decided to keep a diary as she read one book a week. Instead of reviewing the books, she wanted to see the connections that her life made with whatever she was reading. It's a book that I started several years ago, and never finished (I can't remember why). I've become completely enthralled by her writing, and it's inspired me to do something I haven't done in a long time.
This summer I'm not creating a reading list. I'm not setting goals for how many books I want to read. Instead, I'm going to read whatever I want to, whenever I feel like it. This will probably result in me not finishing as many books as I normally do, but I'm really enjoying them. I don't need my summer reading to be a substitute for school.
These are the books that I've already started reading this summer, and I'm open to any suggestions anyone has (especially if it's in the area of fiction - I've got plenty of nonfiction):
The Horses of St. Mark's by Charles Freeman
-This is nonfiction work that tells the story of the four horses (quadriga) that are on top of St. Mark's in Venice and their journey from Constantinople to Venice, Paris and back to Venice.
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
-This is a classic American novel that truly brings out the dark humor associated with war, the military and the government.
So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading by Sara Nelson
-See above
The Army At Dawn by Rick Atkinson
-This is the first volume in Atkinson's Liberation trilogy and it details the War in North Africa from 1942-1943
Many more books will be added to this list as the summer progresses!
Showing posts with label Book Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book Review. Show all posts
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Book #5 - "Mansfield Park"
This morning I finished "Mansfield Park" by Jane Austen. I made it halfway through on Sunday and by this morning I only had 50 pages left. One of the quickest reads I've ever had for a book of this size.
In my opinion, "Mansfield Park" is Jane Austen at her finest. The characters are wonderfully created, and the feelings that she stirs in the reader towards each one of them is so very realistic. You can't truly hate any of them. Yes, there are a few which might offend or upset you, but I still found myself being somewhat understanding as to why they did what they did. And instead of wishing evil upon any of them, you wish that they would see the errors of their ways and improve.
The heroine, Fanny Price is completely lovable. She's not perfect, but her situation garners sympathy. The cast of characters that surround her- Sir Thomas, Aunt Norris, Lady Bertram, Edmund, The Crawfords, William - are not only colorful but realistic. Since it is a Jane Austen novel, there are various romantic developments, but Fanny's affections seem to take a much more natural course than many of Austen's other characters. Furthermore, while it may seem clear at first which way the various marriages will lead, Austen does an excellent job of causing the reader to believe otherwise, then gives a sudden (and hilarious) curve ball, which nicely wraps up the novel as one might expect.
This gives me an updated ranking of my favorite Jane Austen works:
#1 Mansfield Park
#2 Sense and Sensibility
#3 Emma
#4 Pride and Prejudice
#5 Persuasion
I still need to read "Northanger Abbey", but that may not come until close to the end of the summer.
In my opinion, "Mansfield Park" is Jane Austen at her finest. The characters are wonderfully created, and the feelings that she stirs in the reader towards each one of them is so very realistic. You can't truly hate any of them. Yes, there are a few which might offend or upset you, but I still found myself being somewhat understanding as to why they did what they did. And instead of wishing evil upon any of them, you wish that they would see the errors of their ways and improve.
The heroine, Fanny Price is completely lovable. She's not perfect, but her situation garners sympathy. The cast of characters that surround her- Sir Thomas, Aunt Norris, Lady Bertram, Edmund, The Crawfords, William - are not only colorful but realistic. Since it is a Jane Austen novel, there are various romantic developments, but Fanny's affections seem to take a much more natural course than many of Austen's other characters. Furthermore, while it may seem clear at first which way the various marriages will lead, Austen does an excellent job of causing the reader to believe otherwise, then gives a sudden (and hilarious) curve ball, which nicely wraps up the novel as one might expect.
This gives me an updated ranking of my favorite Jane Austen works:
#1 Mansfield Park
#2 Sense and Sensibility
#3 Emma
#4 Pride and Prejudice
#5 Persuasion
I still need to read "Northanger Abbey", but that may not come until close to the end of the summer.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Book #4 - "Jane Austen Ruined My Life"
Book #4 - "Jane Austen Ruined My Life" by Beth Pattillo
I will admit, I was a little weary when I first picked up the book. There are so many books that try to use Jane Austen as a means of inspiration (and a way to sell copies), so I didn't want to get my hopes up. But this was fantastic! A young Jane Austen scholar's life is ruined when she discovers her husband had an affair, and she blames Jane Austen for teaching her to believe in happy endings. She gets invited to London to meet with a mysterious old lady who claims to have knowledge of the whereabouts of various missing letters by Jane Austen. She decides to meet this woman, and see if she can use these letters to her advantage. She also runs into a former best friend (male, of course), and goes through a series of tasks, learning more about the true Jane Austen, and changing her perspective on romance and happy endings - but not in the way that you'd expect!
The great thing about this book is that it does take time to teach you about Jane Austen - using actual facts. And the other clearly lets you know exactly what was made up at the end of the book. The characters are very believable. And the ending is pleasant, but unexpected. Best of all, the author didn't try to recreate Jane Austen's style (which always seems so forced) and can really get you thinking about what you actually want out of life. I couldn't put it down!
I will admit, I was a little weary when I first picked up the book. There are so many books that try to use Jane Austen as a means of inspiration (and a way to sell copies), so I didn't want to get my hopes up. But this was fantastic! A young Jane Austen scholar's life is ruined when she discovers her husband had an affair, and she blames Jane Austen for teaching her to believe in happy endings. She gets invited to London to meet with a mysterious old lady who claims to have knowledge of the whereabouts of various missing letters by Jane Austen. She decides to meet this woman, and see if she can use these letters to her advantage. She also runs into a former best friend (male, of course), and goes through a series of tasks, learning more about the true Jane Austen, and changing her perspective on romance and happy endings - but not in the way that you'd expect!
The great thing about this book is that it does take time to teach you about Jane Austen - using actual facts. And the other clearly lets you know exactly what was made up at the end of the book. The characters are very believable. And the ending is pleasant, but unexpected. Best of all, the author didn't try to recreate Jane Austen's style (which always seems so forced) and can really get you thinking about what you actually want out of life. I couldn't put it down!
Friday, June 4, 2010
"What to Listen for in Music" (Book #3)
Book #3 - "What to Listen for in Music" by Aaron Copland
This is a fantastic book! And I'm not just saying that because I'm a Music Ed major! This is a relatively short, easy-to-understand read for anyone who is looking to get more out of a concert experience. Copland was one of the best American composers, and he approaches this book as a composer who wants to help the layman understand what he should listen to in a musical piece. He first tackles the different sections of music (melody, rhythm, harmony, form), then gives introductory discussions on various styles. He does it all without using difficult terminology and helps the reader understand the importance of being an active, rather than a passive listener. I know I have trouble paying attention during concerts, and this book has given me some new insights on how to get more out of the experience (and hopefully not fall asleep!)
This is a fantastic book! And I'm not just saying that because I'm a Music Ed major! This is a relatively short, easy-to-understand read for anyone who is looking to get more out of a concert experience. Copland was one of the best American composers, and he approaches this book as a composer who wants to help the layman understand what he should listen to in a musical piece. He first tackles the different sections of music (melody, rhythm, harmony, form), then gives introductory discussions on various styles. He does it all without using difficult terminology and helps the reader understand the importance of being an active, rather than a passive listener. I know I have trouble paying attention during concerts, and this book has given me some new insights on how to get more out of the experience (and hopefully not fall asleep!)
"Plato and a Platypus Walk Into A Bar" (Book #2)
The second book of the summer reading list (which wasn't on the original list, but it was on sale at Barnes and Noble) was "Plato and a Platypus Walk Into A Bar" by by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. It's a hilarious book written by two philosophy majors who attempt to explain all of the complex ideas in philosophy using - jokes! While it might not cover every aspect of philosophy, it certainly covers everything we learned in 3M (Metaphysics, Morality and Mind - basically Philosophy 101 at college), and a bit more. There's always a little introduction to an idea before at least one or more jokes that show what the idea is all about. I have to admit, I now understand some of the concepts better than I did after a whole semester! Before you run out and buy it, I would caution that it's sprinkled with less than appropriate jokes throughout, so that's something to consider before purchasing.
"Emma" by Jane Austen (Book #1)
"Emma" by Jane Austen was the first book that I finished this summer. I have to admit, it took me longer to finish than a normal Jane Austen book because, well, Emma Woodhouse is rather annoying at first. She's a wealthy, comfortable daughter of an established family. Her mother is dead, her sister Isabella has married and moved to London, and her governess Miss Taylor marries a man and lives nearby. Her father is practically an invalid and Emma has resolved to never marry, because she never wants to leave him alone. What follows is a few poor matchmaking jobs, rejected proposals, and finally everyone falls in love and marries the people they are supposed to marry. All in all, a wonderful story!
I've read three other works by Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion), and while I love them all, Emma has easily come in the #2 favorite spot (right behind Sense and Sensibility). While Emma Woodhouse is an annoying character at first, her dedication to her family and her good intentions in (almost) everything that she does makes her rather endearing. And the colorful collection of characters that surround her are always amusing.
I've read three other works by Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion), and while I love them all, Emma has easily come in the #2 favorite spot (right behind Sense and Sensibility). While Emma Woodhouse is an annoying character at first, her dedication to her family and her good intentions in (almost) everything that she does makes her rather endearing. And the colorful collection of characters that surround her are always amusing.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Summer Reading
I haven't really given much thought to my reading list for this summer. My goal will be to finish up some of the books that I've started, and spend some time enjoying my latest stash from Barnes and Noble. And then there's a few that I'll probably buy towards the end of the summer. They are in no particular order
Books To Finish:
Who Are We? by Samuel Huntington (I started this last summer while traveling through Europe. I've made it about halfway)
Some Thoughts Concerning Education by John Locke (I start this a few days before heading back to school last August. I didn't get very far, but I'm excited to start it again)
Miracles by CS Lewis (I'm a little more than halfway through it...it's taking me a while)
New Book Stash from BN:
The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Nazi Officer's Wife by Edith Hahn Beer
Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo
Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter
Becoming Jane Austen by Jon Spence
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
Emma by Jane Austen
(Yes, those are all VERY girly books - cut me some slack!)
The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 by Rick Atkinson. It was recommended to me by a history buff I stayed with in Berlin. It's the second volume of "The Liberation Trilogy" (I need to find the first Volume - An Army At Dawn).
Books I Will Purchase At A Later Date:
Resounding Truth by Jeremy Begbie
C.S. Lewis: A Shiver of Wonder by Derick Bingham
And I will gladly take any other suggestions!
Books To Finish:
Who Are We? by Samuel Huntington (I started this last summer while traveling through Europe. I've made it about halfway)
Some Thoughts Concerning Education by John Locke (I start this a few days before heading back to school last August. I didn't get very far, but I'm excited to start it again)
Miracles by CS Lewis (I'm a little more than halfway through it...it's taking me a while)
New Book Stash from BN:
The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Nazi Officer's Wife by Edith Hahn Beer
Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo
Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter
Becoming Jane Austen by Jon Spence
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
Emma by Jane Austen
(Yes, those are all VERY girly books - cut me some slack!)
The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944 by Rick Atkinson. It was recommended to me by a history buff I stayed with in Berlin. It's the second volume of "The Liberation Trilogy" (I need to find the first Volume - An Army At Dawn).
Books I Will Purchase At A Later Date:
Resounding Truth by Jeremy Begbie
C.S. Lewis: A Shiver of Wonder by Derick Bingham
And I will gladly take any other suggestions!
Friday, July 31, 2009
Out of the Silent Planet
This afternoon I finished the 6th book by CS Lewis of the summer (9th book overall). It was the first book in his space trilogy "Out of the Silent Planet".
I will admit, I approached this book with a fair amount of apprehension, and with a suspicion that I wasn't really going to like it. I'm hardly what one would call a fan of science fiction. All the remarks I've heard about the trilogy before could be basically summed up in one statement : you'll either love it or hate it.
I decidedly fall somewhere in between. It is not one of my most favorite works of Lewis - it ranks close to the bottom. I didn't really start to enjoy it until about halfway through the book. When Ransom finally encounters some other...beings, I'll call them...that's when I finally became interested. I don't really like it when an author spends a great deal of time on details, and when you're attempting to describe a different world to a reader, you end up spending about the first half of the work focusing on detail about the surroundings. The character development, intertwined with loosely veiled Biblical allusions towards the end, was what really caught my attention. I have always been amazed at Lewis' talent to seamlessly blend Biblical truths with fiction or mythology, yet not in such a way as to be called blasphemous. If you can make it to the end of the story, I would say that Lewis proves his ability in that area in "Out of the Silent Planet" even better than he did in "The Chronicles of Narnia".
I will admit, I approached this book with a fair amount of apprehension, and with a suspicion that I wasn't really going to like it. I'm hardly what one would call a fan of science fiction. All the remarks I've heard about the trilogy before could be basically summed up in one statement : you'll either love it or hate it.
I decidedly fall somewhere in between. It is not one of my most favorite works of Lewis - it ranks close to the bottom. I didn't really start to enjoy it until about halfway through the book. When Ransom finally encounters some other...beings, I'll call them...that's when I finally became interested. I don't really like it when an author spends a great deal of time on details, and when you're attempting to describe a different world to a reader, you end up spending about the first half of the work focusing on detail about the surroundings. The character development, intertwined with loosely veiled Biblical allusions towards the end, was what really caught my attention. I have always been amazed at Lewis' talent to seamlessly blend Biblical truths with fiction or mythology, yet not in such a way as to be called blasphemous. If you can make it to the end of the story, I would say that Lewis proves his ability in that area in "Out of the Silent Planet" even better than he did in "The Chronicles of Narnia".
Monday, July 20, 2009
The Four Loves
This afternoon I finished my fourth CS Lewis book of the summer. As you can tell from the title of this entry, it was "The Four Loves".
I found this to be a very interesting read, and one that should almost be required. It clears up so many of the misunderstandings that can occur when recognition isn't given to the different types of love and their proper functions. My book is, once again, covered in Post-It notes, and far more than I will take the time to list (it would just be better if you read it for yourself). His discussions range from "Likings and Loves for the Sub-Human", to Affection, Friendship, Eros, Venus and Charity. Lewis takes the time to carefully define what he means by each term, and what he does not mean. He also pushes through many of the popular misconceptions surrounding the types of love (not surprising, the same misconceptions are around even after almost 50 years). And true to form, Lewis draws in examples of the ancients which is something I particularly enjoy. But I think the most important part is his final section on Charity, relating the natural loves to Love Himself. In it, Lewis cautions the reader against taking the Augustinian approach and deciding that the risks of pain are not worth love. "The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell". Lewis also suggests "If I am sure of anything I am sure that His teaching was never meant to confirm my congenital preference for safe investments and limited liabilities. I doubt whether there is anything in me that pleases Him less." In a world where we too easily decide to run away from the pain in our lives, especially the pain of a broken heart, this is advice well-heeded.
While I continue to work through "Miracles", the next book by Lewis I will be starting is "Surprised by Joy".
I found this to be a very interesting read, and one that should almost be required. It clears up so many of the misunderstandings that can occur when recognition isn't given to the different types of love and their proper functions. My book is, once again, covered in Post-It notes, and far more than I will take the time to list (it would just be better if you read it for yourself). His discussions range from "Likings and Loves for the Sub-Human", to Affection, Friendship, Eros, Venus and Charity. Lewis takes the time to carefully define what he means by each term, and what he does not mean. He also pushes through many of the popular misconceptions surrounding the types of love (not surprising, the same misconceptions are around even after almost 50 years). And true to form, Lewis draws in examples of the ancients which is something I particularly enjoy. But I think the most important part is his final section on Charity, relating the natural loves to Love Himself. In it, Lewis cautions the reader against taking the Augustinian approach and deciding that the risks of pain are not worth love. "The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell". Lewis also suggests "If I am sure of anything I am sure that His teaching was never meant to confirm my congenital preference for safe investments and limited liabilities. I doubt whether there is anything in me that pleases Him less." In a world where we too easily decide to run away from the pain in our lives, especially the pain of a broken heart, this is advice well-heeded.
While I continue to work through "Miracles", the next book by Lewis I will be starting is "Surprised by Joy".
Sunday, July 12, 2009
A Summer with Lewis
This summer I've made it my goal to read through as many of the works of CS Lewis as I can. A rather giant task since I always make myself so busy that I forget to take time to read. Which is rather funny, since it is one of my most favorite activities. Today I finished the third book of the summer, and I must admit, I'm rather disappointed that it's taken me this long to get this far.
The first book that I read was "The Problem of Pain". When I first started, it was my second attempt at reading it. I had tried last summer, right before heading off to college, and I made very little progress. When I started up again, Lewis did have me a little lost at first. That might be because I was tired and sitting on a swing in the sun when reading it. But when I jumped back in a few days later, I completely loved it. It is so interesting to see the full development of theological points that he presents in his Narnia series. So many things make so much more sense by his assertion that we notice pain more acutely because we know the way that things ought to have been. "In a sense, it creates, rather than solves, the problem of pain, for pain would be no problem unless, side by side with our daily experience of this painful world, we had received what we think a good assurance that ultimate reality is righteous and loving". Another section that I truly loved (and could not put down) is his final chapter on heaven. I can't even describe how wonderful it is. If you haven't read his full work, it would be worth it to just read that final chapter.
The next book I read was "The Great Divorce". It was a quick, but very enjoyable read. It was a nice contrast from "The Problem of Pain". This was presented in the form of a dream, that was such an interesting point to view the issues of heaven and hell. As it would be expected from Lewis, it is brilliantly written, and just a phenomenal read overall. I'm not sure if I fully agree with all of his views on heaven and hell, but I don't know enough on the subject to properly judge that.
Today I started and finished "The Abolition of Man". it was originally given as a series of lectures "Reflections on Education with Special Reference to the Teaching of English in the Upper Forms of Schools". Though these lectures were given in 1944, they are very relevant to the issues we face today, and not just in the educational system, but in our culture as a whole. It is a rather short read, and I would encourage everyone to read it. He examines the current philosophy of education in comparison to the past, and if this philosophy is taken to its greatest extent, where that will lead humanity. If I didn't know better, I would have thought he was critiquing the current system in America.
The next 2 books I'm planning on reading are "Miracles" and "The Four Loves". I've already been working on "Miracles" and it is a rather dense read in comparison to many of his other works. So while I slowly tackle that, I'm going to pick up a copy of "The Four Loves".
When I read books, unless it is for school, I hate to write in them. Instead, I mark sections with post it notes. My "Complete C.S. Lewis" book has so many sticking out of it, it's almost hilarious. I'd like to share a few of the marked sections from the previously mentioned books.
The Problem of Pain
The Son of God suffered unto the death, not that men might not suffer, but that their sufferings might be like His. - George MacDonald, Unspoken Sermons, First Series
If the universe is so bad, or even half so bad, how on earth did human beings ever come to attribute it to the activity of a wise and good Creator? Men are fools, perhaps; but hardly so foolish as that.
All men alike stand condemned, not by alien codes of ethics, but by their own, and all men therefore are conscious of guilt.
His Omnipotence means power to do all that is intrinsically possible, not to do the intrinsically impossible. You may attribute miracles to Him, but not nonsense. This is no limit to His power...It is no more possible for God than for the weakest of His creatures to carry out both of two mutually exclusive alternatives; not because His power meets an obstacles, but because nonsense remains nonsense even when we talk it about God.
When Christianity says that God loves man, it means that God loves man: not that He has some 'disinterested', because really indifferent, concern for our welfare, but that, in awful and surprising truth, we are the object of His love. You asked for a loving God: you have one. The great spirit you so lightly invoked, the 'lord of terrible aspect', is present: not a senile benevolence that drowsily wishes you to be happy in your own way, not the cold philanthropy of a conscientious magistrate, nor the care of a host who feels responsible for the comfort of his guests, but the consuming fire Himself, the Love that made the worlds, persistent as the artist's love for his work and despotic as a man's love for a dog, provident and venerable as a father's love for a child, jealous, inexorable, exacting as love between the sexes. How this should be, I do not know: it passes reason to explain why any creatures, not to say creatures such as we, should have a value so prodigious in their Creator's eyes.
The problem of reconciling human suffering with the existence of a God who loves, is only insoluble so long as we attach a trivial meaning to the word 'love', and look on things as if man were the centre of them. Man is not the centre. God does not exist for the sake of man. Man does not exist for his own sake. 'Thou has created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.' We were made no pt primarily that we may love God (though we were made for that too) but that God may love us, that we may become objects in which the Divine love may rest 'well pleased'.
Human love, as Plato teaches us, is the child of Poverty - of a want or lack; it is caused by a real or supposed good in its beloved which the lover needs and desires. But God's love, far from being caused by goodness in the object, causes all the goodness which the object has, loving it first into existence and then it no real, though derivative, lovability.
If He requires us, the requirement is of His own choosing. if the immutable heart can be grieved by the puppets of its own making, it is Divine Omnipotence, no other, that has so subject it, freely, and in a humility that passes understanding. If the world exists not chiefly that we may love God but that God may love us, yet that very fact, on a deeper level, is so for our sakes. If He who in Himself can lack nothing chooses to need us, it is because we need to be needed.
'You must be strong with my strength and blessed with my blessedness, for I have no other to give you'. That is the conclusion of the whole matter. God gives what He has, not what He has not: He gives the happiness that there is, not the happiness that is not. To be God - to be like God and to share His goodness in creaturely repose - to be miserable - these are the only three alternatives. If we will not learn to eat the only food that the universe grows - the only food that any possible universe ever can grow - then we must starve eternally.
If you will here stop and ask yourselves why you are not as pious as the primitive Christians were, your own heart will tell you, that is it neither through ignorance nor inability, but purely because you never thoroughly intended it.'
I think we all sin by needlessly disobeying the apostolic injunction to 'rejoice' as much as by anything else.
As St Augustine says somewhere, 'God wants to give us something, but cannot, because our hands are full - there's nowhere for Him to put it'.
If God were proud He would hardly have us on such terms: but He is not proud, He stoops to conquer, He will have us even though we have shown that we prefer everything else to Him, and come to Him because there is 'nothing better' now to be had.
Human will becomes truly creative and truly our own when it is wholly God's, and this is one of the many senses in which he that loses his soul shall find it.
The sacrifice of Christ is repeated, or re-echoed, among His followers in very varying degrees, from the cruelest martyrdom down to a self-submission of intention whose outward signs have nothing to distinguish them from the ordinary fruits of temperance and 'sweet reasonableness'.
Again, we are afraid that heaven is a bribe, and that if we make it our goal we shall no longer be disinterested.
There have been times when I think we do not desire heaven; but more often I find myself wondering whether, in our heart of hearts, we have ever desired anything else.
Are not all lifelong friendships born at the moment when at last you meet another human being who has some inkling (but faint and uncertain even in the best) of that something which you were born desiring, and which, beneath the flux of other desires and in all the momentary silences between the louder passions, night and day, year by year, from childhood to old age, you are looking for, watching for. Listening for? You have never had it. All the things that have ever deeply possessed your soul have been but hints of it - tantalizing glimpses, promises never quite fulfilled, echoes that died away just as they caught your ear. But if it should really become manifest - if there ever came an echo that did not die away but swelled into the sound itself - you would know it. Beyond all possibility of doubt you would say 'Here at last is the thing I was made for'.
The thing you long for summons you away from the self. Even the desire for the thing lives only if you abandon it.
All pains and pleasures we have known on earth are early initiations in the movements of that dance: but the dance itself is strictly incomparable with the sufferings of this present time. As we draw nearer to it uncreated rhythm, pain and pleasure sink almost out of sight. There is joy in the dance, but it foes not exist for the sake of joy. It does not even exist for the sake of food, or of love. It is Love Himself, and Good Himself, and therefore happy. It does not exist for us, but we for it.
(Note: This is a work of fiction, and in it Lewis presents many views with which he doesn't agree. These quotes are taken out of context and should not necessarily be used to represent his entire views)
No, there is no escape. There is no heaven with a little of hell in it - no plan to retain this or that of the devil in our hearts or our pockets. Out Satan must go, every hair and feather. - George MacDonald
It's scarcity that enables a society to exist.
'Will you come with me to the mountains? It will hurt at first, until your feet are hardened. Reality is harsh to the feet of shadows. But will you come?'
'But Heaven is not a state of mind. Heaven is reality itself. All this is fully real is Heavenly. For all that can be shaken will be shaken and only the unshakable remains.'
'Everyone who wishes it does. Never fear. There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done." and those to whom god says, in the end, "Thy will be done." All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. To those who knock it is opened.'
'Ink and catgut and paint were necessary down there, but they are also dangerous stimulants. Every poet and musician and artist, but for Grace, is drawn away from love of the thing he tells, to love of the telling till, down in Deep Hell, they cannot be interested in God at all but only in what they say about Him. For it doesn't stop at being interested in paint, you know. They sink lower - become interested in their own personalities and then in nothing but their own reputations.'
'You cannot love a fellow-creature fully till you love God'
'That's what we all find when we reach this country. We've all been wrong! That's the great joke. There's no need to go on pretending one was right! After that we begin living.'
'But someone must say in general what's been unsaid among you this many a year: that love, as mortals understand the word, isn't enough. Every natural love will rise again and live forever in this country: but none will rise again until it has been buried.'
'I doubt if he knew clearly what he meant. but you and I must be clear. There is but one good; that is God. Everything else is good when it looks to Him and bad when it turns from Him. And the higher and mightier it is in the natural order, the more demoniac it will be if it rebels. It's not out of bad mice or bad fleas you make demons, but out of bad archangels. That false religion of lust is baser than the false religion of mother-love or patriotism or art: but lust is less likely to be made into a religion.'
'The Happy Trinity is her home: nothing can trouble her joy.
She is the bird that evades every net: the wild deer that leaps every pitfall.
Like the mother bird to its chickens or a shield to the arm'd knight: so is the Lord to her mind, in His unchanging lucidity.
Bogies will not scare her in the dark: bullets will not frighten her in the day.
Falsehoods tricked out as truths assail her in vain: she sees through the lie as if it were glass.
The invisible germ will not harm her: nor yet the glittering sun-stroke.
A thousand fail to solve the problem, ten thousand choose the wrong turning: but she passes safely through.
He details immortals gods to attend her: upon every road where she must travel.
They take her hand at hard places: she will not stub her toes in the dark.
She may walk among Lions and rattlesnakes: among dinosaurs and nurseries of lionets.
He fills her brim-full with immensity of life: he leads her to see the world's desire.'
The Abolition of Man
The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts.
'Can you be righteous', asks Traherne, 'unless you be just in rendering to things their due esteem? All things were made to be yours and you were made to prize them according to their value.'
No emotion is, in itself, a judgement; in that sense all emotions and sentiments are alogical. But they can be reasonable or unreasonable as they conform to Reason or fail to conform. The heart never takes the place of the head: but it can, and should, obey it.
In a word, the old was a kind of propagation - men transmitting manhood to men; the new is merely propaganda.
And all the time - such is the tragi-comedy of our situation - we continue to clamour for those very qualities we are rendering impossible. You can hardly open a periodical without coming across the statement that what our civilization needs is more 'drive, or dynamism, or self-sacrifice, or 'creativity'. In a sort of ghastly simplicity we remove the organ and demand the function. We make men without chests and expect of them virture and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.
Telling us to obery Instinct is like telling us to obey 'pe0ople'. People say different things:so do instincts. Our instincts are at war.
What is absurd is to claim that your care for posterity finds its justification in instinct and then flout at every turn the only instinct on which it could be supposed to rest, tearing the child almost from the breast to creche and kindergarten in the interests of progress and the coming race.
The rebellion of new ideologies against the Tao is a rebellion of the branches against the tree: if the rebels could succeed they would find that they had destroyed themselves.
And as regards contraceptives, there is a paradoxical, negative sense in which all possible future generations are the patients or subjects of a power wielded by those already alive. By contraception simply, they are denied existence; by contraception used as a mean of selective breeding, they are, without their concurring voice, made to be what one generation, for its own reasons, may choose to prefer. From this point of view, what we call Man's power over Nature turns out to be a power exercised by some men over other men with Nature as its instrument.
I am not yet considering whether the total result of such ambivalent victories is a good thing or a bad. I am only making clear what Man's conquest of Nature really means and especially that final stage in the conquest, which, perhaps, is not far off. The final stage is come when Man by eugenics, by pre-natal conditioning, and by an education and propaganda based on a perfect applied psychology, has obtained full control over himself. Human nature will be the last part of Nature to surrender to man. The battle will then be won. We shall have 'taken the thread of life out of the hand of Clotho' and be henceforth free to make our species whatever we wish it to be. The battle will indeed be won. But who, precisely, will have won it?
It is not that they are bad men. They are not men at all. Stepping outside the Tao, they have stepped into the void. Nor are their subject necessarily unhappy men. They are not men at all: they are artefacts. Man's final conquest has proved to be the abolition of Man.
Only the Tao provides a common human law of action which can over-arch rulers and ruled alike. A dogmatic belief in objective value is necessary to the very idea of a rule which is not tyranny or an obedience which is not slavery.
The first book that I read was "The Problem of Pain". When I first started, it was my second attempt at reading it. I had tried last summer, right before heading off to college, and I made very little progress. When I started up again, Lewis did have me a little lost at first. That might be because I was tired and sitting on a swing in the sun when reading it. But when I jumped back in a few days later, I completely loved it. It is so interesting to see the full development of theological points that he presents in his Narnia series. So many things make so much more sense by his assertion that we notice pain more acutely because we know the way that things ought to have been. "In a sense, it creates, rather than solves, the problem of pain, for pain would be no problem unless, side by side with our daily experience of this painful world, we had received what we think a good assurance that ultimate reality is righteous and loving". Another section that I truly loved (and could not put down) is his final chapter on heaven. I can't even describe how wonderful it is. If you haven't read his full work, it would be worth it to just read that final chapter.
The next book I read was "The Great Divorce". It was a quick, but very enjoyable read. It was a nice contrast from "The Problem of Pain". This was presented in the form of a dream, that was such an interesting point to view the issues of heaven and hell. As it would be expected from Lewis, it is brilliantly written, and just a phenomenal read overall. I'm not sure if I fully agree with all of his views on heaven and hell, but I don't know enough on the subject to properly judge that.
Today I started and finished "The Abolition of Man". it was originally given as a series of lectures "Reflections on Education with Special Reference to the Teaching of English in the Upper Forms of Schools". Though these lectures were given in 1944, they are very relevant to the issues we face today, and not just in the educational system, but in our culture as a whole. It is a rather short read, and I would encourage everyone to read it. He examines the current philosophy of education in comparison to the past, and if this philosophy is taken to its greatest extent, where that will lead humanity. If I didn't know better, I would have thought he was critiquing the current system in America.
The next 2 books I'm planning on reading are "Miracles" and "The Four Loves". I've already been working on "Miracles" and it is a rather dense read in comparison to many of his other works. So while I slowly tackle that, I'm going to pick up a copy of "The Four Loves".
When I read books, unless it is for school, I hate to write in them. Instead, I mark sections with post it notes. My "Complete C.S. Lewis" book has so many sticking out of it, it's almost hilarious. I'd like to share a few of the marked sections from the previously mentioned books.
The Problem of Pain
The Son of God suffered unto the death, not that men might not suffer, but that their sufferings might be like His. - George MacDonald, Unspoken Sermons, First Series
If the universe is so bad, or even half so bad, how on earth did human beings ever come to attribute it to the activity of a wise and good Creator? Men are fools, perhaps; but hardly so foolish as that.
All men alike stand condemned, not by alien codes of ethics, but by their own, and all men therefore are conscious of guilt.
His Omnipotence means power to do all that is intrinsically possible, not to do the intrinsically impossible. You may attribute miracles to Him, but not nonsense. This is no limit to His power...It is no more possible for God than for the weakest of His creatures to carry out both of two mutually exclusive alternatives; not because His power meets an obstacles, but because nonsense remains nonsense even when we talk it about God.
When Christianity says that God loves man, it means that God loves man: not that He has some 'disinterested', because really indifferent, concern for our welfare, but that, in awful and surprising truth, we are the object of His love. You asked for a loving God: you have one. The great spirit you so lightly invoked, the 'lord of terrible aspect', is present: not a senile benevolence that drowsily wishes you to be happy in your own way, not the cold philanthropy of a conscientious magistrate, nor the care of a host who feels responsible for the comfort of his guests, but the consuming fire Himself, the Love that made the worlds, persistent as the artist's love for his work and despotic as a man's love for a dog, provident and venerable as a father's love for a child, jealous, inexorable, exacting as love between the sexes. How this should be, I do not know: it passes reason to explain why any creatures, not to say creatures such as we, should have a value so prodigious in their Creator's eyes.
The problem of reconciling human suffering with the existence of a God who loves, is only insoluble so long as we attach a trivial meaning to the word 'love', and look on things as if man were the centre of them. Man is not the centre. God does not exist for the sake of man. Man does not exist for his own sake. 'Thou has created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.' We were made no pt primarily that we may love God (though we were made for that too) but that God may love us, that we may become objects in which the Divine love may rest 'well pleased'.
Human love, as Plato teaches us, is the child of Poverty - of a want or lack; it is caused by a real or supposed good in its beloved which the lover needs and desires. But God's love, far from being caused by goodness in the object, causes all the goodness which the object has, loving it first into existence and then it no real, though derivative, lovability.
If He requires us, the requirement is of His own choosing. if the immutable heart can be grieved by the puppets of its own making, it is Divine Omnipotence, no other, that has so subject it, freely, and in a humility that passes understanding. If the world exists not chiefly that we may love God but that God may love us, yet that very fact, on a deeper level, is so for our sakes. If He who in Himself can lack nothing chooses to need us, it is because we need to be needed.
'You must be strong with my strength and blessed with my blessedness, for I have no other to give you'. That is the conclusion of the whole matter. God gives what He has, not what He has not: He gives the happiness that there is, not the happiness that is not. To be God - to be like God and to share His goodness in creaturely repose - to be miserable - these are the only three alternatives. If we will not learn to eat the only food that the universe grows - the only food that any possible universe ever can grow - then we must starve eternally.
If you will here stop and ask yourselves why you are not as pious as the primitive Christians were, your own heart will tell you, that is it neither through ignorance nor inability, but purely because you never thoroughly intended it.'
I think we all sin by needlessly disobeying the apostolic injunction to 'rejoice' as much as by anything else.
As St Augustine says somewhere, 'God wants to give us something, but cannot, because our hands are full - there's nowhere for Him to put it'.
If God were proud He would hardly have us on such terms: but He is not proud, He stoops to conquer, He will have us even though we have shown that we prefer everything else to Him, and come to Him because there is 'nothing better' now to be had.
Human will becomes truly creative and truly our own when it is wholly God's, and this is one of the many senses in which he that loses his soul shall find it.
The sacrifice of Christ is repeated, or re-echoed, among His followers in very varying degrees, from the cruelest martyrdom down to a self-submission of intention whose outward signs have nothing to distinguish them from the ordinary fruits of temperance and 'sweet reasonableness'.
Again, we are afraid that heaven is a bribe, and that if we make it our goal we shall no longer be disinterested.
There have been times when I think we do not desire heaven; but more often I find myself wondering whether, in our heart of hearts, we have ever desired anything else.
Are not all lifelong friendships born at the moment when at last you meet another human being who has some inkling (but faint and uncertain even in the best) of that something which you were born desiring, and which, beneath the flux of other desires and in all the momentary silences between the louder passions, night and day, year by year, from childhood to old age, you are looking for, watching for. Listening for? You have never had it. All the things that have ever deeply possessed your soul have been but hints of it - tantalizing glimpses, promises never quite fulfilled, echoes that died away just as they caught your ear. But if it should really become manifest - if there ever came an echo that did not die away but swelled into the sound itself - you would know it. Beyond all possibility of doubt you would say 'Here at last is the thing I was made for'.
The thing you long for summons you away from the self. Even the desire for the thing lives only if you abandon it.
All pains and pleasures we have known on earth are early initiations in the movements of that dance: but the dance itself is strictly incomparable with the sufferings of this present time. As we draw nearer to it uncreated rhythm, pain and pleasure sink almost out of sight. There is joy in the dance, but it foes not exist for the sake of joy. It does not even exist for the sake of food, or of love. It is Love Himself, and Good Himself, and therefore happy. It does not exist for us, but we for it.
(Note: This is a work of fiction, and in it Lewis presents many views with which he doesn't agree. These quotes are taken out of context and should not necessarily be used to represent his entire views)
No, there is no escape. There is no heaven with a little of hell in it - no plan to retain this or that of the devil in our hearts or our pockets. Out Satan must go, every hair and feather. - George MacDonald
It's scarcity that enables a society to exist.
'Will you come with me to the mountains? It will hurt at first, until your feet are hardened. Reality is harsh to the feet of shadows. But will you come?'
'But Heaven is not a state of mind. Heaven is reality itself. All this is fully real is Heavenly. For all that can be shaken will be shaken and only the unshakable remains.'
'Everyone who wishes it does. Never fear. There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done." and those to whom god says, in the end, "Thy will be done." All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. To those who knock it is opened.'
'Ink and catgut and paint were necessary down there, but they are also dangerous stimulants. Every poet and musician and artist, but for Grace, is drawn away from love of the thing he tells, to love of the telling till, down in Deep Hell, they cannot be interested in God at all but only in what they say about Him. For it doesn't stop at being interested in paint, you know. They sink lower - become interested in their own personalities and then in nothing but their own reputations.'
'You cannot love a fellow-creature fully till you love God'
'That's what we all find when we reach this country. We've all been wrong! That's the great joke. There's no need to go on pretending one was right! After that we begin living.'
'But someone must say in general what's been unsaid among you this many a year: that love, as mortals understand the word, isn't enough. Every natural love will rise again and live forever in this country: but none will rise again until it has been buried.'
'I doubt if he knew clearly what he meant. but you and I must be clear. There is but one good; that is God. Everything else is good when it looks to Him and bad when it turns from Him. And the higher and mightier it is in the natural order, the more demoniac it will be if it rebels. It's not out of bad mice or bad fleas you make demons, but out of bad archangels. That false religion of lust is baser than the false religion of mother-love or patriotism or art: but lust is less likely to be made into a religion.'
'The Happy Trinity is her home: nothing can trouble her joy.
She is the bird that evades every net: the wild deer that leaps every pitfall.
Like the mother bird to its chickens or a shield to the arm'd knight: so is the Lord to her mind, in His unchanging lucidity.
Bogies will not scare her in the dark: bullets will not frighten her in the day.
Falsehoods tricked out as truths assail her in vain: she sees through the lie as if it were glass.
The invisible germ will not harm her: nor yet the glittering sun-stroke.
A thousand fail to solve the problem, ten thousand choose the wrong turning: but she passes safely through.
He details immortals gods to attend her: upon every road where she must travel.
They take her hand at hard places: she will not stub her toes in the dark.
She may walk among Lions and rattlesnakes: among dinosaurs and nurseries of lionets.
He fills her brim-full with immensity of life: he leads her to see the world's desire.'
The Abolition of Man
The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts.
'Can you be righteous', asks Traherne, 'unless you be just in rendering to things their due esteem? All things were made to be yours and you were made to prize them according to their value.'
No emotion is, in itself, a judgement; in that sense all emotions and sentiments are alogical. But they can be reasonable or unreasonable as they conform to Reason or fail to conform. The heart never takes the place of the head: but it can, and should, obey it.
In a word, the old was a kind of propagation - men transmitting manhood to men; the new is merely propaganda.
And all the time - such is the tragi-comedy of our situation - we continue to clamour for those very qualities we are rendering impossible. You can hardly open a periodical without coming across the statement that what our civilization needs is more 'drive, or dynamism, or self-sacrifice, or 'creativity'. In a sort of ghastly simplicity we remove the organ and demand the function. We make men without chests and expect of them virture and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.
Telling us to obery Instinct is like telling us to obey 'pe0ople'. People say different things:so do instincts. Our instincts are at war.
What is absurd is to claim that your care for posterity finds its justification in instinct and then flout at every turn the only instinct on which it could be supposed to rest, tearing the child almost from the breast to creche and kindergarten in the interests of progress and the coming race.
The rebellion of new ideologies against the Tao is a rebellion of the branches against the tree: if the rebels could succeed they would find that they had destroyed themselves.
And as regards contraceptives, there is a paradoxical, negative sense in which all possible future generations are the patients or subjects of a power wielded by those already alive. By contraception simply, they are denied existence; by contraception used as a mean of selective breeding, they are, without their concurring voice, made to be what one generation, for its own reasons, may choose to prefer. From this point of view, what we call Man's power over Nature turns out to be a power exercised by some men over other men with Nature as its instrument.
I am not yet considering whether the total result of such ambivalent victories is a good thing or a bad. I am only making clear what Man's conquest of Nature really means and especially that final stage in the conquest, which, perhaps, is not far off. The final stage is come when Man by eugenics, by pre-natal conditioning, and by an education and propaganda based on a perfect applied psychology, has obtained full control over himself. Human nature will be the last part of Nature to surrender to man. The battle will then be won. We shall have 'taken the thread of life out of the hand of Clotho' and be henceforth free to make our species whatever we wish it to be. The battle will indeed be won. But who, precisely, will have won it?
It is not that they are bad men. They are not men at all. Stepping outside the Tao, they have stepped into the void. Nor are their subject necessarily unhappy men. They are not men at all: they are artefacts. Man's final conquest has proved to be the abolition of Man.
Only the Tao provides a common human law of action which can over-arch rulers and ruled alike. A dogmatic belief in objective value is necessary to the very idea of a rule which is not tyranny or an obedience which is not slavery.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Reading List
Ah yes. Summer is almost here, so I must post my "Summer Reading List 2009". Instead of the various categories I've done before, I'm going to make this a rather pragmatic reading list. PLEASE leave comments with further reading suggestions!
What I Will Actually Attempt To Read This Summer:
I'm attempting to do a themed summer, with the theme being "C.S. Lewis". My goal is to read as many of his major works that I haven't read already. These are not in any particular order (so if you have suggestions as to which ones to start with, please leave them!)
-The Problem of Pain (I've already begun reading this)
-The Great Divorce
-Till We Have Faces
-The Four Loves
-Miracles
-The Abolition of Man
-Surprised by Joy
-The Space Trilogy
Books That I Have Started Reading and Need To Finish:
-The Great Restoration - Meic Pearse
-Searching for God Knows What - Donald Miller
-The Double - Jose Saramago
-Musicophilia - Oliver Sacks
-The Rest is Noise - Alex Ross
-The Seuss, The Whole Seuss and Nothing But The Seuss - Charles D Coben
-What To Listen for in Music - Aaron Copland
-David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
-Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
-I Never Metaphor I Didn't Like -Mardy Grothe
The Rest of the List (or, Books That I Still [Shamefully] Need to Read)
Part One: Books That Are Lonely On My Bookshelf
-Julius Caesar - William Shakespeare
-Split Ends - Kristin Billerbeck
-Silas Marner - George Eliot
-Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
-C.S. Lewis - Sam Wellman
-The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and other stories - Robert Louis Stevenson
-Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
-Roots - Alex Haley
-Wives and Daughters - Elizabeth Gaske
Part Two: EMW Leftovers
-The Divine Comedy - Dante
-Confessions - St. Augustine
-The Age of Reason - Meic Pearse
Part Three: Books I Just Need To Read
-Pilgrim's Progress - Bunyan
-Escape from Reason -Francis Schaeffer
-Amusing Ourselves to Death - Neil Postman
-The Jesus I Never Knew - Philip Yancey
-Institutes of the Christian Religion- Calvin
-The Prince -Machiavelli
-The Brothers Karamazov - Dostoevsky
-Faust - Goethe
What I Will Actually Attempt To Read This Summer:
I'm attempting to do a themed summer, with the theme being "C.S. Lewis". My goal is to read as many of his major works that I haven't read already. These are not in any particular order (so if you have suggestions as to which ones to start with, please leave them!)
-The Problem of Pain (I've already begun reading this)
-The Great Divorce
-Till We Have Faces
-The Four Loves
-Miracles
-The Abolition of Man
-Surprised by Joy
-The Space Trilogy
Books That I Have Started Reading and Need To Finish:
-The Great Restoration - Meic Pearse
-Searching for God Knows What - Donald Miller
-The Double - Jose Saramago
-Musicophilia - Oliver Sacks
-The Rest is Noise - Alex Ross
-The Seuss, The Whole Seuss and Nothing But The Seuss - Charles D Coben
-What To Listen for in Music - Aaron Copland
-David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
-Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
-I Never Metaphor I Didn't Like -Mardy Grothe
The Rest of the List (or, Books That I Still [Shamefully] Need to Read)
Part One: Books That Are Lonely On My Bookshelf
-Julius Caesar - William Shakespeare
-Split Ends - Kristin Billerbeck
-Silas Marner - George Eliot
-Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
-C.S. Lewis - Sam Wellman
-The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and other stories - Robert Louis Stevenson
-Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
-Roots - Alex Haley
-Wives and Daughters - Elizabeth Gaske
Part Two: EMW Leftovers
-The Divine Comedy - Dante
-Confessions - St. Augustine
-The Age of Reason - Meic Pearse
Part Three: Books I Just Need To Read
-Pilgrim's Progress - Bunyan
-Escape from Reason -Francis Schaeffer
-Amusing Ourselves to Death - Neil Postman
-The Jesus I Never Knew - Philip Yancey
-Institutes of the Christian Religion- Calvin
-The Prince -Machiavelli
-The Brothers Karamazov - Dostoevsky
-Faust - Goethe
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Book Numero Seis!
I've finished by 6th book of the summer. It's called "Serve God Save the Planet" by j. Matthew Sleeth. It's the book that everyone is going to read and discuss at Houghton this year. That's why I'm not going to write much on this one - I want to wait until I get a chance to discuss it with others who have read. I will say this - it's motivated me to clean out my closet (I now have two huge piles in my room - one of clothes that will be donated to the Salvation Army and another of empty hangers) and to stop turning on lights in my room during the day and just use natural light as long as I can. And today when I did my laundry, I hung it out to dry on the clotheslines. We'll see what other changes I end up making.
In other news, my life has been divided between good-byes, college prep, band camp, and activities around my house. At the band camp, I've been working with the woodwinds with both drill and music (not exclusively). It's been a lot of fun, but it does get a little stressful when I go there on little sleep. But in general, it's been a good time, and I always love having the teaching practice.
Most of my close high school friends are heading off this week, so everyone has been scrambling to see each other one last time. And they all agree that my future Houghton friends (or ones that I've already met) need an instruction manual on how to handle my craziness : P
And then there's college prep. Which is consisting of sorting and packing. And more sorting. Followed by packing. It's a long process, mainly because I get bored/distracted.
My clarinet teacher said this about college: "The first few days you're going to cry every night because you'll be completely overwhelmed. After that, you'll say to yourself 'This is great! I should have done this years ago!'"
Thursday, July 17, 2008
"The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde
I have officially finished my fifth book of the summer!! Yay!! It was my goal to finish "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by this weekend, and I managed to get it done before, making me that much happier. As I said in my post, it was a very odd book. Overall, not one of my favorites, but very interesting. It gives a lot of different things for the reader to think about. The story surrounds the like of Dorian Gray, a young man who has a picture of himself that ages, while he himself remains young. It's really a story about growing up, experimenting with different philosophies and the impact a person's life has on the world. In the end, you can take from it what you want, just as you can with most books. I don't want to say too much about it, it's a book you have to read for yourself.
As I mentioned, I did purchase two more books the other day at Barnes and Noble. I'm not adding them to my official list, unless I actually start reading them.
"The House That George Built: With A Little Help From Irving, Cole and A Crew of Fifty" by Wilfrid Sheed
"Searching for God Knows What" by Donald Miller (the same guy that wrote "Blue Like Jazz")
The next book I'm going to start reading is "The Double" by Jose Saramago. I'm also in the middle of "The Rest is Noise" by Alex Ross and "Musicophilia" by Oliver Sacks. For those you just tuning in, here's my reading list, this time broken up into 4 parts. The top part are ones I definately want to read this summer, the second part ones I'm hoping to read, the third part oens I eventually need to try to read and the bottom the ones I've finished.
***The Ones I Definately Want To Read***
"The Double" by Jose Saramago
"The Rest is Noise" by Alex Ross
"Musicophilia" by Oliver Sacks
"Julius Caesar" by William Shakesperare
"Split Ends" by Kristin Billerbeck
"What To Listen for in Music" by Aaron Copland
"The Problem of Pain" by CS Lewis
"Serve God, Save the Planet: A Christian Call to Action" by J. Matthew Sleeth
**The Ones I'm Hoping to Read***
"The House that George Built: With A Little Help From Irving, Cole and a Crew of Fifty" by Wilfrid Sheed
"Searching for God Knows What" by Donald Miller
"The Seuss, The Whole Seuss and Nothing But the Seuss" by Charles D Coben
"Silas Marner" George Eliot
"C.S. Lewis" by Sam Wellman
**The Ones I Need to Read Eventually**
Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and mr. Hyde and other stories - Robert Louis Stevenson
Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Roots - Alex Haley
David copperfield - Charles Dickens
Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
Wives and Daughters - Elizabeth Gaske
**The Ones I've Read**
A Grief Observed - C.S. Lewis
Sundays at Tiffany's - James Patterson
Blue Like Jazz - Donald Miller
Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare
The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
**Recommened by Friends** (okay, so I added another section)
Crime and Punishment by Feodor Dostoyevsky
Notes from the Underground by Feodor Dostoyevsky
The World According to Garp by John Irving
Persuasion by Jane Austin
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - Douglass Adams
Any other recommendations anyone?
As I mentioned, I did purchase two more books the other day at Barnes and Noble. I'm not adding them to my official list, unless I actually start reading them.
"The House That George Built: With A Little Help From Irving, Cole and A Crew of Fifty" by Wilfrid Sheed
"Searching for God Knows What" by Donald Miller (the same guy that wrote "Blue Like Jazz")
The next book I'm going to start reading is "The Double" by Jose Saramago. I'm also in the middle of "The Rest is Noise" by Alex Ross and "Musicophilia" by Oliver Sacks. For those you just tuning in, here's my reading list, this time broken up into 4 parts. The top part are ones I definately want to read this summer, the second part ones I'm hoping to read, the third part oens I eventually need to try to read and the bottom the ones I've finished.
***The Ones I Definately Want To Read***
"The Double" by Jose Saramago
"The Rest is Noise" by Alex Ross
"Musicophilia" by Oliver Sacks
"Julius Caesar" by William Shakesperare
"Split Ends" by Kristin Billerbeck
"What To Listen for in Music" by Aaron Copland
"The Problem of Pain" by CS Lewis
"Serve God, Save the Planet: A Christian Call to Action" by J. Matthew Sleeth
**The Ones I'm Hoping to Read***
"The House that George Built: With A Little Help From Irving, Cole and a Crew of Fifty" by Wilfrid Sheed
"Searching for God Knows What" by Donald Miller
"The Seuss, The Whole Seuss and Nothing But the Seuss" by Charles D Coben
"Silas Marner" George Eliot
"C.S. Lewis" by Sam Wellman
**The Ones I Need to Read Eventually**
Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and mr. Hyde and other stories - Robert Louis Stevenson
Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Roots - Alex Haley
David copperfield - Charles Dickens
Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
Wives and Daughters - Elizabeth Gaske
**The Ones I've Read**
A Grief Observed - C.S. Lewis
Sundays at Tiffany's - James Patterson
Blue Like Jazz - Donald Miller
Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare
The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
**Recommened by Friends** (okay, so I added another section)
Crime and Punishment by Feodor Dostoyevsky
Notes from the Underground by Feodor Dostoyevsky
The World According to Garp by John Irving
Persuasion by Jane Austin
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - Douglass Adams
Any other recommendations anyone?
Monday, June 23, 2008
2 books, One day? Wow
Well, I just finished another book today! This makes me feel so productive! I finished "Much Ado About Nothing" By William Shakespeare. I"m not familiar with a lot of Shakespeare's works (I've read "The Comedy of Errors" , "Romeo and Juliet", "Macbeth" and "Hamlet", and I watched "As You Like It" when our school put it on) but this is one of my favorite works. It includes love, intrigue, gossiping, eavesdropping and mistaken identities. And of course, everything turns out well in the last scene. So it's a bit of a romantic story, but with so much more wit in it than you would normally find. I thought it was terrific!
"Blue Like Jazz" and Passing the Torch
I have finished my third book of the summer. I finished "Blue Like Jazz Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality" by Donald Miller. This was a fantastic book. It's exactly what it says it is - it's a book of thoughts. Each chapter follows a different thought that the author has about Christianity. Here's what Miller says in his note at the opening of the book:
"I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve. But I was outside teh Bagdad Theater in Portland one night when I saw a many playing the saxophone. I stood there for fifteen minutes, and he never opened his eyes.
After that I liked jazz music.
Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way.
I used to not like God becasue God didn't resolve. But that was before any of this happened."
I would recommend this book for anyone who would like some new thoughts on what can sometimes be considered a dull religion.
According to my original list, I have 17 left to go. A friend of mine gave me another book as a graduation present, so now that's been added to my list. It's "The Double" by Jose Saramago.
******************
Passing The Torch
Saturday was the Laurel Festival parade. It was the last parade of the season, which also means it was my last EHS Band event ever. I have always loved this parade. Sure, it may be our longest parade (2 mi) but it's the best. Simply because of the Nicholas Street judges. Or as we affectionally call them, the "Corning Crazies". Trust me, we don't say that in a negative way - we love these people. Why? Because they love us, and we can't understand why. They have all these signs to support us, and there was a huge crowd this year - more than I've ever seen. My favorite sign, which they have every year "Give us a Corning concert!" : ) They also have a tradition of giving 75 cents to their favorite group. We got it this year (again!). I have to say, I love it when they send a little girl out to give it to me (even though I accidentally knocked the money out of her hand because I didn't see her). They make the entire parade season so much better in the end. I will miss that so much!
We started a new tradition at the parade. Sort of a "changing of the guard" for the drum majors. For the last time running through the song, Jenna came up to the front and I saluted her and turned the band over to her and Jen and Spencer - next years drum majors. Katie C and I stood over to the side with their instruments. It was so cool. Seeing Jen and Spencer in action was great (especially since they've never conducted and walked backwards before) and it was good to have that moment of transition, to switch the leadership of the band, rather than just dropping everything and walking away.
When we got back to the school, I just wandered around between the bandrooms and the lobby. I was really tired and it was emotionally exhuasting. As I was standing in the lobby though, I just couldn't believe it. That was it. After 4 years, 1 on the field, 1 being an assitant, and the past 2 years having the band as my own, it was over. It's not my band anymore - it's Jenna's. It's a weird feeling. I feel a little sad, but not really sad. I know I've done my job. I poured myself into the job for 2 years, and now it's time to move on. I've gotten everything ready for Jenna to lead, and it's her turn. Now it's my turn to become a student again, to learn rather than to teach. It's exciting. Of course, I'll still come back to band camp, and then I'll be a staff member and I'll be there to help and teach when I need to, but it's all different. And all so exciting.
"I never liked jazz music because jazz music doesn't resolve. But I was outside teh Bagdad Theater in Portland one night when I saw a many playing the saxophone. I stood there for fifteen minutes, and he never opened his eyes.
After that I liked jazz music.
Sometimes you have to watch somebody love something before you can love it yourself. It is as if they are showing you the way.
I used to not like God becasue God didn't resolve. But that was before any of this happened."
I would recommend this book for anyone who would like some new thoughts on what can sometimes be considered a dull religion.
According to my original list, I have 17 left to go. A friend of mine gave me another book as a graduation present, so now that's been added to my list. It's "The Double" by Jose Saramago.
******************
Passing The Torch
Saturday was the Laurel Festival parade. It was the last parade of the season, which also means it was my last EHS Band event ever. I have always loved this parade. Sure, it may be our longest parade (2 mi) but it's the best. Simply because of the Nicholas Street judges. Or as we affectionally call them, the "Corning Crazies". Trust me, we don't say that in a negative way - we love these people. Why? Because they love us, and we can't understand why. They have all these signs to support us, and there was a huge crowd this year - more than I've ever seen. My favorite sign, which they have every year "Give us a Corning concert!" : ) They also have a tradition of giving 75 cents to their favorite group. We got it this year (again!). I have to say, I love it when they send a little girl out to give it to me (even though I accidentally knocked the money out of her hand because I didn't see her). They make the entire parade season so much better in the end. I will miss that so much!
We started a new tradition at the parade. Sort of a "changing of the guard" for the drum majors. For the last time running through the song, Jenna came up to the front and I saluted her and turned the band over to her and Jen and Spencer - next years drum majors. Katie C and I stood over to the side with their instruments. It was so cool. Seeing Jen and Spencer in action was great (especially since they've never conducted and walked backwards before) and it was good to have that moment of transition, to switch the leadership of the band, rather than just dropping everything and walking away.
When we got back to the school, I just wandered around between the bandrooms and the lobby. I was really tired and it was emotionally exhuasting. As I was standing in the lobby though, I just couldn't believe it. That was it. After 4 years, 1 on the field, 1 being an assitant, and the past 2 years having the band as my own, it was over. It's not my band anymore - it's Jenna's. It's a weird feeling. I feel a little sad, but not really sad. I know I've done my job. I poured myself into the job for 2 years, and now it's time to move on. I've gotten everything ready for Jenna to lead, and it's her turn. Now it's my turn to become a student again, to learn rather than to teach. It's exciting. Of course, I'll still come back to band camp, and then I'll be a staff member and I'll be there to help and teach when I need to, but it's all different. And all so exciting.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
It's All Over (and another book finished!)
Yesterday was my last day of high school. Ever. It could hardly have been better.
The morning (and frankly, the rest of the day) was made amazing by the successful silly stringing of Peter. Last weekend my mom and I had gone to the dollar store to get washclothes to freeze for the band. While we were there, I saw some silly string. At one dollar a can, I figured I might as well get 5 cans. At that time, I still didn't know what I would use them for, but it seeme dlike a good idea anyways. Well, Peter was very deserving of getting silly stringed for a variety of reasons that I won't go into now (dealing with stolen instruments, etc) and out of all the people in the band, I figured no one would get too upset at him getting stringed, and I didn't think he would be too upset about it (but I couldn't really guess what his reaction would be). So after some deep thought and consulations, a plan was made for when to ambush him. It was decided taht right after Tom-tom would talk to us after band on the last day of school (since we usually meet up on the grassy median at that point). As soon as she finished her little pep speech, the people with the silly string would brutally attack Peter. Keister, Caleb, Jackson, Andy and Tim were all more than willing to do it. I made sure I had my camera ready, and it went perfectly. Here's the short video clip:
It was awesome. He smelled awful, and it did stain his shirt a bit, but it was still awesome.
In English we had a breakfast party and then Chris J had won a bet against GR, so we got to have a techno party. It was interesting.
Then 3rd period came. My last 3rd period in the LGI, my last music class with HC. *sniff* The great sadness of the moment was completely overshadowed by the fact Will had brought in his copy of OUR Les Mis production (Sunday night). So that's when the Les Mis marathon of the day began, with virtually a cast reunion at one point.
4th period we gave Mrs. Taylor (our Bio teacher) a cute little picture of the 5 of us, then headed out to Hokey Pokeys for ice cream. Then we got back during 5th period, so we went and watched more of Les Mis.
6th period Sarah F and I went to the Crystal City Bakery to pick up some pizza for lunch. Then we came back, and -suprise!- watched more Les Mis!
7th period, Eleanor, Katie and I skipped out of Hurd's class to - watch Les Mis!
8th period, I went to ToK for a bit, (to help start the organization of GR's gift), then left to....go watch Les Mis! At the end of the period we went and have GR an inner tube that we signed because "she's our lifesaver"
9th period I hung out in the LGI while Hannah and Eleanor rehearsed "For Good".
Afterschool, Peter had saved the silly string and balls of silly string were seen flying through the band room as we chased each other (until Peter hurt himself...not my fault, btw!)
After that, Sarah Jane, Beth, Ben and Carole came with me to Hokey Pokeys for ice cream. And I did the obnoxious senior thing - honking the car horn as we drove away from East.
After ice cream, I went up to Kayla's house for an afternoon/evening of badmitton using rules from badmitton, tennis, baseball, volleyball and racketball. Then a water gun fight ensued. Followed by a water balloon fight. Then dinner, a walk around the neighborhood and then just laying out in the grass, doing nothing. It was AWESOME!!!
Basically, it was an AMAZING last day of school!
***************
Today I finished another book! Which means that's 2 down, 18 to go! I finished "Sundays at Tiffany's" by james Patterson. It was a quick. light read. It's about a girl who has an imaginary friend, who see meets again later in life, and he's actually a real person. Yes, many people would consider it a chessy read, but it was a nice change from what I normally read.
The morning (and frankly, the rest of the day) was made amazing by the successful silly stringing of Peter. Last weekend my mom and I had gone to the dollar store to get washclothes to freeze for the band. While we were there, I saw some silly string. At one dollar a can, I figured I might as well get 5 cans. At that time, I still didn't know what I would use them for, but it seeme dlike a good idea anyways. Well, Peter was very deserving of getting silly stringed for a variety of reasons that I won't go into now (dealing with stolen instruments, etc) and out of all the people in the band, I figured no one would get too upset at him getting stringed, and I didn't think he would be too upset about it (but I couldn't really guess what his reaction would be). So after some deep thought and consulations, a plan was made for when to ambush him. It was decided taht right after Tom-tom would talk to us after band on the last day of school (since we usually meet up on the grassy median at that point). As soon as she finished her little pep speech, the people with the silly string would brutally attack Peter. Keister, Caleb, Jackson, Andy and Tim were all more than willing to do it. I made sure I had my camera ready, and it went perfectly. Here's the short video clip:
It was awesome. He smelled awful, and it did stain his shirt a bit, but it was still awesome.
In English we had a breakfast party and then Chris J had won a bet against GR, so we got to have a techno party. It was interesting.
Then 3rd period came. My last 3rd period in the LGI, my last music class with HC. *sniff* The great sadness of the moment was completely overshadowed by the fact Will had brought in his copy of OUR Les Mis production (Sunday night). So that's when the Les Mis marathon of the day began, with virtually a cast reunion at one point.
4th period we gave Mrs. Taylor (our Bio teacher) a cute little picture of the 5 of us, then headed out to Hokey Pokeys for ice cream. Then we got back during 5th period, so we went and watched more of Les Mis.
6th period Sarah F and I went to the Crystal City Bakery to pick up some pizza for lunch. Then we came back, and -suprise!- watched more Les Mis!
7th period, Eleanor, Katie and I skipped out of Hurd's class to - watch Les Mis!
8th period, I went to ToK for a bit, (to help start the organization of GR's gift), then left to....go watch Les Mis! At the end of the period we went and have GR an inner tube that we signed because "she's our lifesaver"
9th period I hung out in the LGI while Hannah and Eleanor rehearsed "For Good".
Afterschool, Peter had saved the silly string and balls of silly string were seen flying through the band room as we chased each other (until Peter hurt himself...not my fault, btw!)
After that, Sarah Jane, Beth, Ben and Carole came with me to Hokey Pokeys for ice cream. And I did the obnoxious senior thing - honking the car horn as we drove away from East.
After ice cream, I went up to Kayla's house for an afternoon/evening of badmitton using rules from badmitton, tennis, baseball, volleyball and racketball. Then a water gun fight ensued. Followed by a water balloon fight. Then dinner, a walk around the neighborhood and then just laying out in the grass, doing nothing. It was AWESOME!!!
Basically, it was an AMAZING last day of school!
***************
Today I finished another book! Which means that's 2 down, 18 to go! I finished "Sundays at Tiffany's" by james Patterson. It was a quick. light read. It's about a girl who has an imaginary friend, who see meets again later in life, and he's actually a real person. Yes, many people would consider it a chessy read, but it was a nice change from what I normally read.
Friday, June 6, 2008
More books? (and other stuff)
Okay, so I know I have a massive summer reading list. But that doesn't stop me from going to Barnes and Noble to help the economy.
Here are my lastest purchases (to add to my list):
Blue Like Jazz - Donald Miller
Sundays at Tiffany's - James Patterson
Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare
The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
Wives and Daughters - Elizabeth Gaske
So that makes a total of 20 books on my "to read" list. And I've only finished one.
19 to go. This is going to be one interesting summer...
And onto other stuff:
The other night was HC's end of the year party, which was so much fun! It was especially cool since I was a non-choral person invited (or as I prefer to be referred to: a "choral groupie"). We hung out, ate food, watched people play pool, played some amazing volleyball and badminton, and had a huge fight over my camera at one point (I won, by the way). Overall, it was a nice time to just chill with my friends at my music teacher's expense.
Band is going pretty well. (It's the only class I can talk about since we're not doing anything anymore in any other class). We sound so much better on the music than we did before, and we added in some visuals that are starting to look pretty good. I have to ask the question though - what is with our band and snapping? Can our visual designers PLEASE come up with a move that doesn't involved snapping? Snapping is cool and all, but I think that's run its course. At least we're not singing. Or clapping. Or crossing our legs and doing things with our hands. So I guess when you think about the crazy visuals we've done in the past, snapping is the least of our concerns. And yes, this may seem like a bunch of ramble, but EHS people know what I'm talking about. (Actually "about which I am talking"....happy Peter?)
Today there were about 5 seniors at school (it was the Senior Trip/2nd Senior Skip Day) so I spent the entire day either in GR's office (with the AC) or in the band room. Then I hung out afterwards with some people in the band room, which always lends itself to wacky fun.
Oh, and I'm officially finished with all my projects and whatnot. PARTY TIME!!!
And I'm in the middle of a chat with future Houghton Music Ed people (we're being all music geeky) so I'll go focus on that since I have nothing more to write.
Here are my lastest purchases (to add to my list):
Blue Like Jazz - Donald Miller
Sundays at Tiffany's - James Patterson
Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare
The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
Wives and Daughters - Elizabeth Gaske
So that makes a total of 20 books on my "to read" list. And I've only finished one.
19 to go. This is going to be one interesting summer...
And onto other stuff:
The other night was HC's end of the year party, which was so much fun! It was especially cool since I was a non-choral person invited (or as I prefer to be referred to: a "choral groupie"). We hung out, ate food, watched people play pool, played some amazing volleyball and badminton, and had a huge fight over my camera at one point (I won, by the way). Overall, it was a nice time to just chill with my friends at my music teacher's expense.
Band is going pretty well. (It's the only class I can talk about since we're not doing anything anymore in any other class). We sound so much better on the music than we did before, and we added in some visuals that are starting to look pretty good. I have to ask the question though - what is with our band and snapping? Can our visual designers PLEASE come up with a move that doesn't involved snapping? Snapping is cool and all, but I think that's run its course. At least we're not singing. Or clapping. Or crossing our legs and doing things with our hands. So I guess when you think about the crazy visuals we've done in the past, snapping is the least of our concerns. And yes, this may seem like a bunch of ramble, but EHS people know what I'm talking about. (Actually "about which I am talking"....happy Peter?)
Today there were about 5 seniors at school (it was the Senior Trip/2nd Senior Skip Day) so I spent the entire day either in GR's office (with the AC) or in the band room. Then I hung out afterwards with some people in the band room, which always lends itself to wacky fun.
Oh, and I'm officially finished with all my projects and whatnot. PARTY TIME!!!
And I'm in the middle of a chat with future Houghton Music Ed people (we're being all music geeky) so I'll go focus on that since I have nothing more to write.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
A Grief Observed - C.S. Lewis
This morning I finished the first book on my list - A Grief Observed. It is a small book, but it is filled with intense emotion. It comes from C.S. Lewis' notes that he wrote while grieving the loss of his wife Helen (he only refers to her as H in his notes). To anyone who has suffered a loss, this book is a great comfort, recounting the internal struggles that you face when you lose someone dear. Even if you haven't lost someone, this book is still a powerful read, as you witness Lewis stuggle with his faith, doubts, and every other thing we've ever questioned in our lives.
One interesting part that I would like to point out for those avid C.S. Lewis fans is that he presents two, "views" (for lack of a better term) that he also presented in "The Last Battle" (from the Chronicles of Narnia). Here is the first excerpt:
"I ought to have balaned with. I ought to have said, 'But also like a garden. Like a nest of gardens, wall within wall, hedge within hedge, more secret, more full of fragrant and fertile life, the further you entered.'"
That is similar to the onion analogy which he uses to desribe the new Narnia
A second excerpt:
"Imagine a man in total darkness. He thinks he is in a cellar or dungeon. Then there comes a sound. He thinks it might eb a sound from far off--waves or wind-blown trees or cattle half a mile away. And if so, it proves he's not in a cellar, but free, in the open air."
That section is similar to the scene with the dwarfs who believe they are in a barn, but are really in the open air.
Just some thoughts. Please comment!
One interesting part that I would like to point out for those avid C.S. Lewis fans is that he presents two, "views" (for lack of a better term) that he also presented in "The Last Battle" (from the Chronicles of Narnia). Here is the first excerpt:
"I ought to have balaned with. I ought to have said, 'But also like a garden. Like a nest of gardens, wall within wall, hedge within hedge, more secret, more full of fragrant and fertile life, the further you entered.'"
That is similar to the onion analogy which he uses to desribe the new Narnia
A second excerpt:
"Imagine a man in total darkness. He thinks he is in a cellar or dungeon. Then there comes a sound. He thinks it might eb a sound from far off--waves or wind-blown trees or cattle half a mile away. And if so, it proves he's not in a cellar, but free, in the open air."
That section is similar to the scene with the dwarfs who believe they are in a barn, but are really in the open air.
Just some thoughts. Please comment!
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Just Some Light Reading
Here's how today went:
-Clarinet Lesson
-Amazing Lunch/Dinner/Meal of the Day at an Italian Restaurant my teacher told me to go to
-Staples shopping
-Barnes and Noble shopping
-Cleaning
-Quick clarinet practice (as in, 7 min max)
-Nothing!
At Barnes and Noble I picked up some "light reading"-
What to Listen for in Music - Aaron Copland
Candide - Voltaire
Mr. Darcy's Daughters - Elizabeth Aston
NPR Guide to Building a Classical Music Library (or some title like that)
Demystifying: Biology (yeah, it won't be close to the IB level, but it should help me review the basic concepts I don't remember or probably never learned in the first place)
-Clarinet Lesson
-Amazing Lunch/Dinner/Meal of the Day at an Italian Restaurant my teacher told me to go to
-Staples shopping
-Barnes and Noble shopping
-Cleaning
-Quick clarinet practice (as in, 7 min max)
-Nothing!
At Barnes and Noble I picked up some "light reading"-
What to Listen for in Music - Aaron Copland
Candide - Voltaire
Mr. Darcy's Daughters - Elizabeth Aston
NPR Guide to Building a Classical Music Library (or some title like that)
Demystifying: Biology (yeah, it won't be close to the IB level, but it should help me review the basic concepts I don't remember or probably never learned in the first place)
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