Fiction of 2015

Here are my favourite fiction books from the past year. These are books I read in 2015, not ones that were published in 2015. They are in no particular order.

1. Terry Pratchett: Unseen Academicals, The Dragons of Crumbling Castle, and The Truth. I always enjoy Terry Pratchett, although I didn't read much from him this year. Of the three, The Truth was my favourite.

2. Agatha Christie: around 43 books! I won't list them all, but this was my summer for Agatha Christie (and by "summer" I mean June-August, and then a few into the fall, and one last week). I like Miss Marple more than Hercule Poirot, and really enjoyed the Tommy and Tuppence series.

3. Benedict and Nancy Freedman: Mrs Mike. I read this years and years ago (I think I was about 15) at my grandparents' house. It's my mum's favourite book, which is how I read it again this year.

4. Kersten Hamilton: Tyger, Tyger; In the Forests of the Night; The Stars Throw Down Their Spears. This trilogy made me laugh and cry, and held my interest straight through. It didn't fall into the bad habit that seems to plague so many recent trilogies for young people, where the third book becomes too preachy in its attempt to get across its message. There is a message (books in general have some sort of theme that tends to teach something, no matter how unintentional), but it's just part of the story and not in your face.

5. Charles Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities. Yes, it's long (he was definitely paid by the word), but so worth it. I devoured the final few chapters because I had to see how it ended.

6. Manga Classics: This is my new favourite way to read some of the classics! I read three of them this year:
The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne (Story Adaptation by Crystal S. Chan; English Script by Stacy King; Art by SunNeko Lee)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin (story adaptation by Stacy King; Art by Po Tse)
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (story adaptation by Crystal Silvermoon; English Script by Stacy King; Art by SunNeko Lee)

7. Leonie Swann: Three Bags Full. Someone has killed their shepherd, and the sheep are determined to figure it out. It's fun to read, especially since the sheep, of course, don't quite understand the human world. The author did a great job of writing from their perspective.

Those were the best (at least in my opinion). I read a lot of other books, some from my childhood (The Secret Garden, The Story Girl, a few books by Monica Hughes) and others that were good, but not at the top of the list. I read one that would have made the list, but around page 350 the young heroine goes into the magician's room and they spend the night together (and it gets a bit too detailed for a couple pages). It really bothered me, because the story is good, but I can never recommend it to anyone because of 4 totally unnecessary pages.

Tomorrow I'll look at the non-fiction of the year.

2015 Reading Challenge

Much to no one's surprise, I finished the 2015 reading challenge (at the beginning of November). It was a good way to expand my reading habits at least a bit. Of course, many of the books I would have read anyway fit into at least one category, but there were some books that I searched out to fit the categories.

Here are some books that I enjoyed but wouldn't have found if I hadn't been doing the challenge:     

1. A book written by someone under 30: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. He's pretty interesting (I also read Paper Towns) and not as depressing as you'd think given the popularity of The Fault in Our Stars.
2. A book set in a different country: The Ink Bridge by Neil Grant. This one takes place in Afghanistan and Australia. It's interesting and sad.
3. A book based on a true story: The Great Pearl Heist by Molly Caldwell Crosby. This is about the theft of the most expensive necklace in the world, and gives some information on the formation of Scotland Yard, London a hundred or so years ago, and the jewel trade.
4. A book that scares you: Dracula by Bram Stoker. It's not a book I'd read just before turning out the lights, but I really enjoyed it.
5. A book based entirely on its cover: Tyger, Tyger by Kersten Hamilton; also In the Forests of the Night and When the Stars Throw Down Their Spears. It took three tries to find a book based on the cover that I was willing to finish, but this one was really good (enough that I read the trilogy). It's based on Irish mythology.
6. A book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. London and Paris both, and a story that had me staying up to finish the last chapters.
7. A graphic novel: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin (the Manga Classics version; story adaptation by Stacy King; Art by Po Tse). I liked this format enough that I also read the Manga Classics version of Les Miserables and The Scarlet Letter.
8. A book that takes place in your hometown: Thunder Bay by William Kent Krueger. Granted, much of the novel takes place in the states, but they do have to travel to Thunder Bay and the surrounding area.
9. A book originally written in a different language: Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann. It's about sheep who are detectives, trying to find out who killed their shepherd. What's not to like?

      There were more, of course, but these ones were my favourites. At some point over the next few days, I'll give you my top picks for fiction and non-fiction over the past year. And then I'll get started on this reading challenge: http://www.challies.com/resources/the-2016-reading-challenge. I'm planning to do the light, avid, and committed reader, with some forays into the obsessed reader (but I don't think I'll finish that). Granted, I read 135 books in 2015, but a lot of those were light reads, children's lit, and the like. I think 2016 will be a deeper reading year, and that tends to slow down the number of books read.

The Day After Christmas

Christmas was lovely. There was a lot of food and a lot of laughter (and really good presents). Today is my recovery day, the one day of the year that I try to do nothing: I don't make plans, I don't leave the house, and I don't feel any obligation to be productive. Even as a student, for those six years of the masters program, this was the only free day that I didn't feel any guilt about not doing school work. My plans include Lego and classic Doctor Who.

Just so you know, I am planning some "not a video" posts for next week. They're all about books, of course; it is time for the end-of-year book round ups. And then I plan to post more regularly next year than I did this year.

For now, though.....

Happy Christmas Eve!

Third Sunday of Advent

Second Sunday of Advent

About Christmas

Christmas sometimes makes me feel like a bad Christian. A lot of my church friends on Facebook are posting about Jesus being born, and remember the Reason for the Season, and all about how excited they are to celebrate the Savior's birth, and Scripture and stuff.

Listen: I agree with them. I really, really do. I love Christmas because the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and the incarnation and Jesus and salvation and the Light of the world.

I also love Christmas because: presents, coloured lights, Christmas music, baking, turkey and stuffing, family, secrets, concerts, Christmas trees, peppermint drinks at coffee shops, Christmas stories and movies.....all of Christmas!

And I feel a bit bad because I don't only focus on Jesus at Christmas. I focus on everything that makes up Christmas. Christmas is fun!

There's room in my Christmas for the serious, important parts. I just don't think we have to sacrifice fun to prove that we're real Christians and we haven't forgotten Jesus.

For the First Sunday of Advent

For France

For Remembrance Day

First nephew is in the Navy. It didn't really strike me last year on Remembrance Day, but this year I've been thinking about him. I'm proud of him for joining the ranks of men who will defend our land and stand for the weak. He's a good man. And I prayed for him a little bit extra today as I remembered what the price of freedom has always been, and what it might be again, and what it might some day be for me. Second nephew wants to join the Air Force one day, and I will be just as proud of him. And I will pray just as much for him.

I am Not a Vegetarian

One Sunday I was talking with my class about the idea of giving up meat if it caused a fellow believer to sin. They were horrified at the very thought. I love that class. One of them argued that squirrels are fruit because we get them from trees. It was an interesting thought (and yes, he has shot and eaten a squirrel).

Anyway, I bring you my justification for not killing vegetables:

Opening Lines

For your reading enjoyment, the opening lines of books I've been reading lately:

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way. . . ."

"I hate my father. I hate school. I hate being fat."

"I would have lived in peace. But my enemies brought me war."

"Many people today are somewhat familiar with the parable of the prodigal son, found in Luke 15:11-32."

"The joy of fearing God? It sounds like a contradiction in terms."

"On the first page of Romans in my Greek Testament, I have scribbled at he top of the page a few significant dates."

"It was midnight in Ankh-Morpork's Royal Art Museum."

"There was once a woman who had three daughters, of who the eldest was named "One Eye," because she had only one eye in the middle of her forehead."

Stories That Didn't Happen

From some old notebooks, I give you the start of some stories.

First, an introduction to a fairy tale or fantasy:

The problem with being a princess in a small kingdom like Kalden, though Marlynda, was that you got all of the restrictions and inconveniences, but none of the perks, of being a princess.

That's as far as that one got. This one may have been based on real life:

She took eight buses every day, and all eight of them were noisy. There were the crowds of students (high school and college) chattering loudly, and not always in English either. Too bad, because that cut down greatly on her eavesdropping. There was usually at least one crying baby or cranky kid, and a mother's constant refrain of "sit down...I said sit down...properly...sit down now!" She didn't know why they bothered; even if the kid did sit down, it was never for longer than half a minute at best. Which isn't to say that there weren't some good kids on the buses; just not all that many.

This next one just stops part way through a sentence:

A state of utter confusion is not always a bad thing. It can keep you from seeing what is truly terrible by keeping you busy trying to understand what really is. Plus, it can be a lot of fun. Take, for example, the classroom of James T. Barker. The grade four students

I have no idea where that sentence was going. I was either interrupted or realized that I didn't actually know what was up with those students!

Adoniram Judson

I've been reading To the Golden Shore by Courtney Anderson. It's the story of Adoniram Judson. I've read about him before in the Christian Heroes Then and Now series, and last year I read My Heart in His Hands, the story of Ann Judson, his wife. This book is longer and more in-depth than the others and I'm really enjoying it.

There are two things that stand out so far. The first is how real this book makes Mr. Judson. Many missionary biographies gloss over faults and paint a beautiful picture of the man. This book shows the whole man, including his mixed reasons for becoming a missionary, his battles with himself, and his struggles with pride. Along with all of that, of course, are his joys and successes and his hard work. Showing the whole man is more honest than just showing the good parts, and it is encouraging for those considering missions (or any type of ministry) but don't feel "good enough".

The other thing was the challenges he faced in translating the Bible. There were no words in Burmese for many of the ideas in Christianity because they didn't have the same concepts. They had no concept of an eternal God, for example. His struggles mirrored how I sometimes feel when speaking with non-Christians: we don't always speak the same language (even we are at least using the same words). The solution people give is to stop using Christian terms, but I don't think that works. Sometimes the alternatives end up lacking. We can't talk about an eternal God without some ideal of eternal: not just a long time, and not just forever from some point, but eternally existing from before all time. Mr. Judson used words from a separate language, one that the Buddhist monks used, that had the ideas he needed. We use the words we have, explain what we can, and pray that they will understand.

Thoughts at the Beginning of a New Year

As a teacher, I find it hard to accept that the new year begins in January. It's still winter and cold and snowy (at least in my part of the world). For me, the new year begins in September, with the start of the new school year. This actually caused some confusion once with the elders at the church. I said, late one fall, that we might need to start a new Sunday School class "next year". They thought I wanted to start it in January. I wondered why they thought I would want to change things part way through the year. Really, they should understand that "next year" in a Sunday School context is the next school year.

I don't have any New Year's resolutions this year. They always seem so pointless to me: this year I'm going to change everything and be wonderful and do everything perfectly! No I'm not. I'm going to be the same person I already am. Of course I'll change; we all do, and usually it's good. I'm just not going to set up some unrealistic expectations and then feel guilty when I don't live up to them.

On that note: I'm also not doing a "read through the Bible in a year" plan. I find it very stressful and either I rush some days or I get behind and then read all of Revelation in the last three days of the year just so I finished on time. This year I found a "read through the Bible in 3 years" plan. It works for me. Each day you're supposed to read 1 chapter (and on occasion 2 short chapters). Now I just follow the reading plan (it alternates between Old and New Testaments), and read how ever many chapters I want to that day, taking time to think about what I'm reading rather than just reading to get it done for the day. If I read more than one chapter (and I've been doing 2 most days so far, but it's only the 6th), that's fine. If I have a busy day and don't read (by which I mean "Tuesdays" when I work 9-5, and have Bible Study in the evening, and often don't get home until 11), it's not the end of the world. I'm also doing my reading in the evenings instead of mornings. I don't like to feel rushed in the mornings, and I need something to focus my thoughts in the evenings rather than spending all evening on the computer.

I do have a goal for 2015: the 2015 Reading Challenge. It looks like a fun way to decide what to read and maybe try something new. I've already finished one book (The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde) and I've started 3 others. I'll see how it goes.

I'd also like to write more this year. No promises there, though!

Books of 2014, Part 2: Non-fiction

You know, I was a bit worried about what would happen to my reading habits once I finished school. For years, a lot of what I read was school-related. I figured, without the required reading, I'd sink into fiction and never read anything deep again. So far that hasn't been a problem! Here are my favourites from last year:

1. Jerry Bridges: Growing Your Faith. So far I like everything Jerry Bridges has written. I've already started another one (we're doing it for my ladies' group).

2. Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert: When Helping Hurts. This was a school requirement but I'd recommend it to anyone interested in missions, helping the poor, etc. It gave me some good perspective on how to help and how not to help (and balanced out the "go and do stuff now or you're a bad Christian" attitude of some books).

3. Greg Harris: The Cup and the Glory. Dr. Harris was my professor for Worship and Wisdom (my favourite class). He writes well, pulls things from the Bible together well, and keeps his readers thinking.

4. Moreau, Carwin, and McGee: Introducing World Missions. This was another school book, and very interesting. The authors traced world missions from the Old Testament to the modern times. They looked at the good and the bad. It's also set up to work for a classroom or Bible study type situation.

5. Tara Kelen Barthel and Judy Dabler: Peace Making Women. This one I read for the women's discipleship class at the church. The authors give principles for being a peace maker in different situations, showing the most likely problems that we may face and how to deal with them biblically.

6. Kevin DeYoung: Crazy Busy and The Hole in Our Holiness. Both of these are short books, but still deep. I like that the author doesn't try to heap condemnation on people; rather, he gives both practical and biblical advice on overcoming in both books (and he points out that we aren't called to do everything).

7. John Piper: The Swans are Not Silent series: The Roots of Endurance, The Legacy of Sovereign Joy, and The Hidden Smile of God. These are biographies of famous Christian men. Each book looks at three men, their struggles, their joys, and their legacies. I started them because one had William Wilberforce, and he's one of my heroes.

8. Sharon James: My Heart in His Hands. This is a biography of Ann Judson, and it makes use of her journals and letters. Ann Judson and her husband were among the first American missionaries and the first missionaries to Burma.

9. William Varner: Jacob's Dozen. This is a short book that looks Jacob's final blessing to his sons and how that blessing has been realized through the rest of the Bible.

10. Carl Honore: In Praise of Slowness. I like the idea of slowing down. The idea, as I understand it, is not that everything must be done slowly, but that everything should be done at its own pace, and that faster is not always better.

11. Malcolm Gladwell: David and Goliath. I stumbled upon Malcolm Gladwell's writings several years ago and have enjoyed everything I have read of his. This one looks at why the little guy can (and often does) win, and the advantages of things that look like disadvantages.

12. Richard Feynman: Perfectly Reasonable Deviations and "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman". Richard Feynman was a Noble-winning physicist. Neither of these books has anything to do with physics (or I wouldn't understand them). The first one is a compilation of letters he wrote over his lifetime. The second (which was actually a re-read; it's how I was first introduced to Feynman some 15 or so years ago) is autobiographical, and relates various of the more interesting (and/or odd) incidents from his life.

Those are the best of my non-fiction reading this year. There were others, of course, but these 16 were the most interesting and/or enjoyable. Between the fiction list and this one, you have about half of what I read last year.