Silence

This was on my Back to the Classics List last year but I didn't get to it. I chose Dante instead and I can't really feel bad about that but I am glad I did get to this. In fact, this came at just the right time for me.

It's not at all my normal type of book. I always hear people say "Oh, it was agonizing and heart-wrentching and I loved it" and all I can think of is "Ugh, why?!" Telling the story of a Portugeuse Jesuit priest who responds to the news of his former mentor apostasizing in Japan by going there himself to minister to the Japanese and face temptation himself, Silence is agonizing and heart-wrenching and I loved it! I told Craig he should watch the movie. I know I can't though!

So if you are looking for a well written, thought provoking book that makes you wrestle with hard ideas, I'd definitely recommend it!

(Spoilers ahead as I brain dump my thoughts on the book. You have been warned)

Besides being just the right timing for me for some personal reasons, it was also good timing as far as themes and other things I've been thinking about. I'm leading our youth Sunday School through James this year. We're taking the slow and steady approach but thinking about James and the idea of trials and growth and the connection between faith and actions really worked with this book. And then while I was reading this, a friend was reading Kristin Lavrasdattar and while in many ways, those books are completely opposite, thinking of my response to that book was surprisingly relevant to my response to this one and my mind has spent the last few weeks pondering those ideas.

Faith and the life of a follower of Christ - is it about how I live my life in obedience to Him and follow Him? Well, yes, and no.

Of course, ideally yes. As a Christian, I know that placed in unspeakable hard circumstances, I would want to respond like Corrie Ten Boom or Deitrich Bonhoeffer. I know they're admirable. I'd want my actions to be a mirror pointing those around to me Christ because they know I could only do what I am doing through His power.

But also no, its not about my response to God but His towards me. Because would I really respond that way? Can I know? And how should we feel about those that aren't capable of that, those with a weak faith but still faith.

There is no pit so deep that He [God] is not deeper still - Corrie Ten Boom

I'm a black and white thinker. I know exactly what I think Father Rodrigues should have done. And he didn't do it. But does that mean I think he didn't have faith? Shusako Endo sets the story up so perfectly having us judge certain people and their actions as the story progresses. But he ends up with, at least in my case, I feel like I'm right there with them making those poor decisions - and then feeling the joy that comes with knowing that doesn't mean my relationship with God is over just as I don't believe Rodrigues is over either.   Rodrigues failed God in that moment but I think the point  is more that God didn't fail him. Now the ending is sorta left open so those are all based on my view of the ending. But have you read it? Care to share your thoughts?

Silence in my Back to the Classics Challenge Classic in Translation Selection.

It will also count as my Foreign/Non-Western Book for the Lit Life 20 for 2020 Challenge and a novel for the Schole 5x5 challenge.

These book lists, they're killing me!

I didn't think I wanted to do any reading lists this year. I wanted a no-pressure, read what I want, do what I want year of reading. I wanted to tear off the shackles of my, uhm, I don't know. I picked the books on my list last year so I'm not sure what I wanted but I was pretty sure it would invovle a lack of book challenges. But then, well, they started popping up. And now, I've completely changed course and am reading for 3 different challenges.

Well, you know what they say about a woman's perogative. So what are the three?

#1 - Karen's Back to the Classics Challenge.

I think this is my 4th year. It's such a good one! Just enough limits that I'm challenged but enough flexibility that I'm not normally stuck reading something I don't want to. It pushes without being pushy. I am not picking all my books in advance this time, for any of the catagories, just a few to start with and I'll go from there. I'm sure some of the books I select for other catagories will work here too. And I'm going to be okay if I only get 6 or 9 catagories done. Enough with the overachieving.

Here are the Categories for that and my selections if I've picked on.  

1. 19th Century Classic.

2. 20th Century Classic. 

3. Classic by a Woman Author.

4. Classic in Translation. Silence (Spoiler, I just finished this! In a little under a week! Review coming soon.)

5. Classic by a Person of Color. 

6. A Genre Classic. Probably one of the many mysteries I'll read this year. Although I could probably be convinced to try a different genre if you have one you'd highly recommend. 

7. Classic with a Person's Name in the Title.  Emma? I think it needs a re-read before/after the movie comes out. 

8. Classic with a Place in the Title. Death on the Nile. 

9. Classic with Nature in the Title. How the Heather Looks - This is an AO Year 7 selection I didn't get to, because I was limiting myself to books I owned or could get from the library, but I'm going to buy in this time because I really really want to read this before the big move. I'm pretty sure I'll love it. 

10. Classic About a Family. This classic should have multiple members of the same family as principal characters, either from the same generation or multiple different generations.  Updated: Family members in the title are also acceptable.Examples include Sense and Sensibility; Wives and Daughters; The Brothers Karamazov; Fathers and Sons; The Good Earth; Howards End; and The Makioka Sisters.

11. Abandoned Classic. Choose a classic that you started and just never got around to finishing, whether you didn't like it at or just didn't get around to it. Now is the time to give it another try.

12. Classic Adaptation. Would Sanditon count I wonder? It's unfinished and fairly short but I've never read it and I'm watching the PBS version (Parts of which I like a lot - parts of which I DO NOT). If not maybe I'll put Emma here and do a different Person's name book. 

#2 - The Literary Life's 20 for 2020 Challenge

This one is also really flexible too but a few catagories will stretch me.

I'm tentatively planning to read The Odyssey so that will definitely count for intimidating (Oh, I just realized it would count for #11 with the B2CC too! If I don't abandon it again.) I just finished On Reading Well so that's my Book about Books, Northanger Abbey was my satire, An Emily Dickinson Poetry book and Lucy and I are reading Hamlet together so that will be my Shakespeare. I'm halfway through Trent's Last Case for my detective novel. I'd also like to do some Chekcov short stories for the short story one. Any ideas for Essays? Please don't say Wendell Barry, I have read and liked some of his essays but other times I just feel bogged down so the idea of a whole book of him is too much. Why don't I like him the way I should? I feel it's burden I must bare alone because Everyone Loves Wendell! Except me. And I have no idea for a Ancient Play. I've done Oeidpus Rex and once was enough but that's honestly the only one I can name!

#3 Schole Sisters 5x5 Challenge

This one is interesting because it's only 5 catagories but you pick them and read 5 things in each. 

My Catagories are

Poetry 

1) Emily Dickinson

2) The Odyssey

3)

4)

5)

History

1) Undaunted Courage

2) Churchill's History of English Speaking People #3 (I'm over half way through this 4 book series. I can't stop now!)

3) 

4)

5)

Novels - An Easy catagory of me but also important as I don't want all my must read for my reading list books to crowd out what I enjoy reading for its own sake. 

1) Something by Elizabeth Goudge

2) Heaven Tree Trilogy

3)

4)

5)

British Related - I need help here. What else would work well in this catagory? Could be fiction or non-fiction just things that give me inspiration when I'm overwhelmed with the moving process - or when I'm feeling homesick post-move. 

1) How the Heather Looks

2) The Wild Places

3)

4)

5)

Teaching Inspiration - some of these will probably be repeats but I need to revist them as my kid's are getting older and hitting new stages. 

1) The Living Page 

2) Mind to Mind

3) 

4)

5)

Whew, typing this all out has me half exhausted and half inspired. I think I could solve both those "problems" by curling up on the couch with a good book for a while. Better get to it before nap time ends. 

Out with the old year, in with the new...country?

So I've hinted here and there that next year is going to be a bit crazy. Every year here is a bit crazy but normally I don't know what craziness to expect until it happens; this year, I know in advance! We're moving! To England! Yay!!!

And yes, all those exclammation points are needed becasue this is a dream come true. England, the land of our honeymoon. The land of my beloved Jane Austen...and Charlotte Bronte....and Charlotte Mason. Okay, I'll stop now. But rest assured, I could go on.

But that's not until late spring. Right now, it's prep time. And prep time is crazy time. Because I've got a whole houseful of kids and animals and stuff that has to be dealt with in one way or another (spoilers - the kids get to come... and so does the dog and much of the stuff because we'll be there at least 3 years. But not the guinea pigs are hopefully not a lot of our crap. I tend toward minimalism but with 4 kids, the stuff still accumlates fast)

I've given myself the holidays to enjoy holiday stuff but that's just a a few more days. Then the kids get back to work on their second term of school with hopes of finishing it on time (10 weeks or less!), I start decluttering like a crazy women and ordering everything we need for next year school (I want it all here and organized before we go so I'm not worrying about it later) and Craig starts chasing me around with paperwork he wants done and we both start working on our massive (and growing) checklist of things to be done here to the house before we go. But in the end I'll end up living the dream so bring it on!

Classics Challenge: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

11 hrs. I finished the Challenge with 11 hours to spare! I really didn't think I would but I actually got into the story towards the end. It took me a while, mostly because of ebook formatting options. I read a lot faster when I found a good hardcopy at my dad's house over the holidays. Then I was close enough to the end that I powered through on my annoying ebook once we came home.

I used this for my Classic from a Place You've Lived seeing as how Hannibal MO (aka Mark Twain country) is not too far from us. I actually would like to go visit this spring if I can fit it into the schedule. So it's from here - and yet it's not. The world Huck Finn lives in is so different from what I live in day to day that I think it would be easy to dismiss parts of it or at least some of the ideas its sharing. It's tempting to read this in a less than humble way. In other words, to use it as a way to pat yourself on the back for being so woke. Which would be a mistake. But having said that, it's one I would have loved to read at the time because I think it would have been almost a different book. Of course, one can never really do that and I suppose that is one of the best reasons to read it now. To try and see from that point of view. Both the ideas that were prevelent then - and the way people fought them.  I wish I could articulate more but I think I need a few more weeks (months?) to think on it. And the idea of it being banned because of racial slurs - well, that's a whole 'nother post that I don't even have the desire to write anytime soon! But it's all interesting to think about.

On a less "educational" level, it was also just enjoyable. Having a little boy in my life probably made certain parts more humorous too. Little boys are their own type of creature - and one that I think Mark Twain was familiar with.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was my Back to the Classics Challenge Classic From a Place You've Lived selection.

Classics Challenge 2019

Another Classics Challenge completed! (sorta)

I've finished 11 of my 12 catagories. I actually did more of the ones I originally picked this year that I typically do which is kinda neat. I still have Huck Finn to finish and I'm only at about 50% so I'm putting this up now and if I don't finish, I don't finish. We are still thick in Christmas celebrations here (it's only the 4th day of Christmas, more presents to open and more treats to make/bake!) but I will be trying. (Update - I finished! And almost half a day to spare)

1. 19th Century Classic  -  That Lass O'Lowries

2. 20th Century Classic -  40 Acres and No Mule

3. Classic by a Woman Author  In This House of Brede

4. Classic in Translation.  Dante's Inferno

5. Classic Comic Novel. Mike

6. Classic Tragic Novel. The Great Gatsby

7. Very Long Classic. The History of Tom Jones

8. Classic Novella. The Death of Ivan Ilyich

9. Classic From the Americas (includes the Caribbean). Robinson Crusoe. 

10. Classic From Africa, Asia, or Oceania (includes Australia).  

The Quiet American

11. Classic From a Place You've Lived. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 

12. Classic Play. Much Ado About Nothing

Of all my reads for this challenge, I think my favorite was In This House of Brede but followed pretty closely by 40 Acres and No Mule. The one I'm most proud of completing is Dante's Inferno and the one I could live my life without ever reading again is Tom Jones. Since my review I've read some other opinions about the lessons it teaches so I won't judge if you like it or assign it to high schoolers or anything but I won't ever be picking it again!

And that's my challenge. I've really enjoyed doing this challenge with Karen and her Books and Chocolate blog for the past few years and I've seen a few others recently but I haven't decided if I'm doing any next year. Maybe I'll just see where the books lead. Or maybe not, my type A personality is already a little freaked out about not having a list for this next year :-) 

And if you need to get ahold of me Karen, try naethingm@gmail.com