Baahubali

We are always interested in Indian/Bollywood movies, especially after liking Lagaan so much. However, when we've tried the real thing we've often had a really hard time understanding them.

So we were interested but wary when we got a recommendation from a computer guy in India that my husband's been working with. He first mentioned Slumdog Millionaire which was interesting because we like it but never really knew how accurately that conveyed a feel for India. Then he recommended Baahubali. Amazingly enough, the Dallas library had copies of parts 1 & 2, making for 5 hours of movie goodness.

BAAHUBALI: THE BEGINNING

(2015)

The young Shivudu is left as a foundling in a small village by his mother. By the time he’s grown up, it has become apparent that he possesses exceptional gifts. He meets the beautiful warrior/princess Avanthika and learns that her queen has been held captive for the last 25 years. Shividu sets off to rescue her, discovering his own origins in the process.

We had absolutely no idea what to expect but was an exciting movie. It had many familiar story elements: the young man seeking his place in the world (and romance), finding a new path (and romance), and learning about his unexpected history (and romance). Along with epic battle scenes. And some singing. (That much of the culture we knew to expect.)

Interestingly, this echoed the main themes of The Last Jedi, which we had seen at the theater that day. Some themes are common to us all, despite the cultural differences.

Note: The CGI in this is painfully obvious. We weren't sure if that was due to the quality of the original or the transfer to DVD. Whatever. Just ignore it and keep watching. It's worth it.

BAAHUBALI 2: THE CONCLUSION

(2017)

It's as if they cut a long movie in half and this is literally the second part. 'Nuff said. If you watched the first, you're good to go on this one. Here was my husband's reaction.

Epic. And he tied all 5 hours together. Myth. Battles. Good. Evil. Singing. Dancing. And war elephants.

I loved this beyond all reason ... it was Shakespearean in the family complications by the end. And it had enough crazy amazing action for anyone who is a fan of superhero movies.

Also, you could tell the budget was bigger. The CGI was much improved.

Rating — Introduction to Bollywood (come on in, the water's fine!) This one depends more on whether you can handle long-ago historical/fantasy movies than Indian films. Are you a Lord of the Rings fan? Did you like 300? You'll probably do just fine.

Scott and I discuss Baahubali 1 & 2 at A Good Story is Hard to Find.
An American's Guide to Bollywood discuss Baahubali 1 & 2 here.

Worth a Thousand Words: Palau Baro de Quadras

Palau Baro de Quadras, Carlos Lorenzo

Well Said: Good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being

If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago

Well Said: We may neither change nor desert the Lord because of his wounds

[The Catholic] will understand that all the known or unknown betrayals by the few or many members of the Church, the sordidness of soul, the narrow-mindedness, the cruelty, and all the infidelity that the Church may have had and lived within herself are only the counterpart to the sweat of blood in Gethsemane and of the wounds and blood of the Cross. That is why we must think about the holy being of the God-Man. We may neither change nor desert the Lord because of his wounds.

Cardinal Guiseppe Siri

Worth a Thousand Words: Memory of a wonderful winter day

Remo Savisaar, Memory of a wonderful winter day

Well Said: The Catholic Church and the end of all governments

There is not, and there never was on this earth, a work of human policy so well deserving of examination as the Roman Catholic Church. The history of that Church joins together the two great ages of human civilisation. No other institution is left standing which carries the mind back to the times when the smoke of sacrifice rose from the Pantheon, and when camelopards and tigers bounded in the Flavian amphitheatre. The proudest royal houses are but of yesterday, when compared with the line of the Supreme Pontiffs. ... She saw the commencement of all the governments and of all the ecclesiastical establishments that now exist in the world; and we feel no assurance that she is not destined to see the end of them all. She was great and respected before the Saxon had set foot on Britain, before the Frank had passed the Rhine, when Grecian eloquence still flourished at Antioch, when idols were still worshipped in the temple of Mecca. And she may still exist in undiminished vigour when some traveller from New Zealand shall, in the midst of a vast solitude, take his stand on a broken arch of London Bridge to sketch the ruins of St. Paul's.

Thomas Babington Macaulay, On Ranke's History of the Popes

You know, I never really thought of it that way before. "A 2,000 year old institution" is a phrase I hear a lot but this brings it sharply into focus. People may call the Church old fashioned but what that means is that she has outlasted all the other fashions and trends of two millennium.

Weekend Joke: The Professional

I ran this several years ago but it I didn't remember it and loved it ... again! Many thanks to Seth for sending this!

A woman received a call that her daughter was sick. She stopped by the pharmacy to get medication, got back to her car and found that she had locked her keys inside.

The woman found an old rusty coat hanger left on the ground. She looked at it and said "I don't know how to use this." She bowed her head and asked God to send her HELP.

Within five minutes a beat up old motorcycle pulled up. A bearded man who was wearing an old biker skull rag was the rider. The man got off of his cycle and asked if he could help.

She said: "Yes, my daughter is sick. I've locked my keys in my car. I must get home. Please, can you use this hanger to unlock my car?"

He said "Sure." He walked over to the car, and in less than a minute the car was open. She hugged the man and through tears said "Thank You SO Much! You are a very nice man."

The man replied "Lady, I am NOT a nice man. I just got out of prison yesterday. I was in for car theft."

The woman hugged the man again sobbing, "Oh, thank you God! You even sent me a Professional!"

Worth a Thousand Words: Vanilla Sun

Belinda DelPesco, Vanilla Sun

Well Said: Miss Marple and greed

"The trouble is," said Miss Marple, "that people are greedy. Some people. That's so often, you know, how things start. You don't start with murder, with wanting to do murder or even thinking of it. You just start by being greedy, by wanting more than you're going have." She laid her knitting down on her knee and stared ahead of her into space.

Agatha Christie, The 4:50 from Paddington

That is so often the definition of sin, isn't it? Wanting more than you're going to have. And then trying to get it leads to big, big trouble.

Paddington

In the deep jungles of darkest Peru, British geographer Montgomery Clyde happens upon a previously unknown species of bear. He is about to shoot it to take back a specimen to the United Kingdom when another bear playfully takes his gun away. He learns that this family of bears is intelligent and can learn English, and that they have a deep appetite for marmalade. He names them Lucy and Pastuzo. As he departs, he throws his hat to Pastuzo and tells the bears that they are always welcome should they wish to go to London. (Wikipedia)

Several years later, Lucy and Pastuzo's young nephew sets off to London, but fails to find either the explorer or a home. He is taken in briefly by the Brown family, while unbeknownst to him he is being pursued by a Museum of Natural History scientist with evil designs.

This was completely off my radar since my kids are grown and I never encountered the Paddington books. An upcoming visit with our 5-year-old goddaughter and Paddington 2's stellar reviews brought the original movie to my attention. How lucky for me that it was streaming on Netflix so I could catch up before taking Maggie to the movies next weekend.

What a delight this was. Much like Babe, this didn't talk down to children and still had plenty for adults to enjoy. It was charmingly old fashioned while being set in the modern world, funny without being stupid or crude, and balanced sweetness with playful mischief. There was also a certain amount of mystery and danger that engaged us, despite all expectations.

We were all impressed at the level of care that went into the film, from the shooting and production design, to the completeness of the story. For example, we watched with a daughter who's watched many a movie with a good friend who is a production artist and always pointed out background reinforcement of the story. So we were clued in to the color scheme. Red is adventurous and on Paddington's side. Blue is careful and apprehensive about the world. The way family members' clothing changes depending on their character development and the storyline was delightful.

And the story didn't show us a single marmalade sandwich in the opening act that it didn't use by the end. The use of a running joke as an dramatic plot device at the ends was brilliant. It was a really well constructed script.

Paddington 2 is supposed to be even better, though I'm darned if I know how they'll achieve it. I'm just grateful it brought this movie to our attention.

Worth a Thousand Words: Red Alert

Karin Jurick, Red Alert

I love the way the rascal in the painting is eyeing the girl!

2018 Challenge - Books and Movies

I have to admit it — my challenge for last year was mostly a bust. I abandoned it pretty early in the year mostly, I think, because I made the list out of a sense of duty. I'd done all those other yearly challenges, after all. Why stop now?

2017 turned instead into a year of reading and watching whatever I picked up and that morphed, surprisingly, into series. You can see some of that in My Year of "In Order."

• I read Terry Pratchett's books in order of publication, stopping only short of when his Alzheimer's began manifesting in bad books.
  
  
• We are just two movies shy of watching all the James Bond movies. It's been very interesting.
  
  
• Star Trek still has about a season and half to go before we can move on to The Next Generation. (Yes, this "in order" may take the rest of my natural life, but what a way to go!)
  
  
• We began watching The Avengers. They have proven to be just as whimsical and clever as I recalled. We're halfway through the second season and then will sample some Wild, Wild West to see if it is as spy-fy-ish / steampunk as I recall.
  
  
• I finished reading the Bible in chronological order. That began in 2016 but became a treasured habit. So much so, in fact, that I promptly began all over again. I'm using a different translation — Knox edition — as well as my study Bible which has become the place where I put all my notes from commentaries and studies. 

The result is that I've got a different approach this year which is much looser.

Once we finish James Bond, we're going to begin watching Billy Wilder's movies in order. We will also sprinkle in a little Akiro Kurosawa (in order, natch) through the year as we go.

I have a couple of series I'd like to reread:

• Slough House (begins with Slow Horses)
• Night Watch (which I've reviewed quite a few of, if you check the Book Reviews page, beginning with Night Watch)

Mostly, I have a big list of books that I began but never finished. Some are really long and I just dip into them occasionally. This is especially the case with Paul Johnson, Louis L'Amour, and Sense of Wonder.  Others, though, were put down when the next shiny new book came along. They're too good to abandon but I need to stop adding new books and finish them.

• A History of the American People by Paul Johnson
• Lone Star: A History Of Texas And The Texans by T.R. Fehrenbach
• Heroes & Heretics of the Reformation by Phillip Campbell
• Heroism and Genius: How Catholic Priests Helped Build — and Can Help Rebuild — Western Civilization Hardcover by William J. Slattery
• The Big Book of Adventure Stories edited by Otto Penzler (rereading)
• Plain Tales from the Hills by Rudyard Kipling
• Sense of Wonder: A Century of Science Fiction by Leigh Ronald Grossman
• Acts of the Apostles (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture) by William S. Kurz SJ
• Hebrews (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture) by Mary Healy
  
• The Gospel of John (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture) by Francis Martin and William M. IV Wright
  
• God or Nothing by Cardinal Sarah
• Meditations Before Mass by Romano Guardini
• Theology and Sanity by Francis Sheed
• The Everlasting Man by G.K. Chesterton (rereading)
• Louis L'Amour's complete short stories
• Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts: Twelve Journeys into the Medieval World by Christopher de Hamel
  

You've got to admit, that's a pretty big stack of great books — tragically unfinished. It could take a year. Especially since I've got some other "assigned" reading as I go for various podcasts and my book club. For example, Kristin Lavransdatter (1,100 pages) is taking up most of my reading time now. But we shall see how it goes for whittling this list down!

Worth a Thousand Words: Arrival of Heralds to the Kremlin

Apollinary Vasnetsov (1856–1933), Arrival of Heralds to the Kremlin

Lagniappe: Bertie's Christmas Eve

"Come, Teddie, it's time you were in your little bed, you know," said Luke Steffink to his thirteen-year-old son.

"That's where we all ought to be," said Mrs. Steffink.

"There wouldn't be room," said Bertie.

The remark was considered to border on the scandalous; everybody ate raisins and almonds with the nervous industry of sheep feeding during threatening weather.

Saki, Bertie's Christmas Eve

A Treasury of Hours: Selections from Illuminated Prayer Books by Fanny Fay-Sallois

Before the invention of the printing press, wealthy men and women of Europe commissioned hand-lettered and hand-illustrated volumes from some of the finest artists of the time. Among the most precious were books of hours, which contained psalms and readings arranged for specific times of day. Many of these books contained ravishing illustrations—called "illuminations"—picturing such biblical scenes as the Nativity, the Mount of Olives, the Dance of Salome, and the Pentecost. The margins of these pages were often embellished with enchanting decorative motifs of flowers, foliage, birds, and animals.

I've long been fascinated by the idea of using a Book of Hours for devotion. This lovely book from The J. Paul Getty Museum delivers the closest experience I'm likely ever to have.

Selections from a variety of illuminated prayer books take the reader through a good representation of what patrons would have found in the books they commissioned for their own daily prayer. They include variety of different books of hours and topics ranging from calendar pages, gospel passages, hours of the Passion, hours of the Virgin, and the saints. Each spread has a prayer and annotation so you can get more out of the illustration and prayer.

This is a book I will visit again and again. Not only is the artwork delightful but the artists' interpretations gave me new food for thought and reflection. Just as a Book of Hours is supposed to do!

Worth a Thousand Words: Street in Saintes-Maries

Vincent van Gogh, Street in Saintes-Maries, 1888
Via Arts Everyday Living

Lagniappe: A Citrus Tart and the Unexpected

The air is clear and cold, and there are paper-white narcissi in a bowl on the table, filling the kitchen with their gentle, vanilla smell. Winter at its purest. This is the sort of day on which I like to bake — a cake, a pie, a tart perhaps. I enjoy making pastry, though rarely do, each time adding as much butter as I dare, just to see how crisp and fragile I can get the crust. Today I want something fresh, with a clean bite to it, a dessert to make everyone smack their lips. I decide on a lime custard tart in the style of a tarte au citron. The lime zest cuts through the cool air. The warm smell of baking pastry wafts into the house. Heaven. Halfway through baking, I check the tart's progress only to find the pastry shell empty and the citrus filling forming a lemon-colored pool on the baking sheet. I pile the whole damn failure into a bowl (and later eat it in secret after everyone has gone home) and start again.

Nigel Slater, The Kitchen Diaries

I can relate. I love, love, love that honesty.

A Divine "Mistake": Priest’s hospital room mix-up allows dying woman to receive sacraments

Shortly before midnight on New Year’s Eve, Father Gergorio Hidalgo went to a hospital to give Communion to a patient. But a “mistake” in room numbers allowed him to administer the sacraments to a dying woman as well.

“Last night I went to the hospital at 11:32 p.m. for an emergency. By mistake, I go to the wrong room. Patient is dying. Confession, anointing, communion and then she passed away 2 hours later. Best mistake I have ever made. THANK YOU GOD FOR USING MY MISTAKES,” the priest, better known as Father Goyo, posted on Twitter.

Read the whole story here. Via Jeff Miller.

The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton

A hilarious, fast-paced tale about a club of anarchists in turn-of-the-century London. Gabriel Syme is invited by a fellow poet to attend a secret meeting of anarchists, whose leaders are named for the days of the week, and all of whom are sworn to destroy the world. When Syme is unexpectedly elected to fill a vacancy on the anarchists' Central Council, the plot takes the first of many surprising twists and turns.

I've meant to read this for some time but, since I find Chesterton's novels the most difficult of his writing, I needed a push. That came in the form of upcoming participation in an SSFaudio podcast episode.

This grabbed me by the throat and I read it with delight at the humor, intelligence, plot twists, and adventure. At the end I was thrown for a loop and could only agree with Goodreads reviewer Dan Schwent who said, "The Man Who Was Thursday reads like P.G. Wodehouse writing from a Phillip K. Dick plot while on a Nyquil bender."

We were warned. The subtitle does say "A Nightmare."

And yet, reader, I loved it.

I'm really looking forward to having this particular bender unraveled by conversation at SFFaudio.

Worth a Thousand Words: Lynx

Remo Savisaar, Lynx

Weekend Joke: The Texan and the Australian

A Texan farmer goes to Australia for a vacation. There he meets an Aussie farmer and gets talking.

The Aussie shows off his big wheat field and the Texan says, "Oh, we have wheat fields that are at least twice as large."

Then they walk around the ranch a little and the Aussie shows off his herd of cattle. The Texan immediately says, "We have longhorns that are at least twice as large as these."

The conversation has, meanwhile, almost died when the Texan sees a mob of kangaroos hopping through the field. He asks, "And what are those?"

The Aussie asks with an incredulous look.

"Don't you have any grasshoppers in Texas?"

Blogging Around: The Last Jedi, Downsizing, Humanae Vitae, and LOTR

Interesting things from my travels through the interwebs.

Failure and The Last Jedi

One thing that I did think was really interesting about those sub plots was the way that characters did fail in key ways and were forced to move on to the next step after those failures. By comparison, most Sci-Fi adventure movies do not allow their heroes to suffer any but the most temporary setbacks.

Thus does DarwinCatholic point us to a very interesting piece by Emily Snyder about the ways in which characters in The Last Jedi face failure. It's long and has many spoilers, but once you've seen the movie it is definitely worth reading.

It made me think of my excitement at one point in the movie when someone is determined to carry out their mission and it's clear that they'll have to die to do it. At that moment I thought, "That's bold. Like Joss Whedon. Not afraid to kill a main character when the story requires it." No spoilers here so I won't continue this train of thought, but clearly Emily Snyder and I are on the same page.

A must-cover Godbeat item in 2018: 

The 50th anniversary of 'Humanae Vitae'

There were no yawns in 1968 when Pope Paul VI issued his birth-control edict “Humanae Vitae,” which provoked a global uproar inside and outside his church.

Retrospectives will be a must item on reporters’ calendars around July 25, the 50th anniversary of this landmark.

GetReligion has a list of news angles to consider and they make surprisingly good food for thought as we reflect on how drastically the world has changed since the advent of the Pill.

The Surprising Message of "Downsizing"

When I took in the opening scenes, and heard a lot of talk about protecting the environment and the dangers of overpopulation, I thought that Downsizing would be a propaganda piece for left-wing causes. Here I was surprised again, for the film amounts, I will argue, to a not-so-subtle critique of that ideology. ...

Wouldn’t it be best, many seem to think, if the human race just shrank down and went away? Downsizing gives dramatic expression to this conviction and, not so subtly, makes fun of it.

I came away from Bishop Barron's review with a much more positive take on this movie than I'd had before.

Blogging Through LOTR

Lars Walker at Brandywine Books has been reading The Lord of the Rings and blogging his thoughts on writing, reading, and building a worldview as he's gone along. It makes interesting reading.

Pork in Green Sauce

My favorite thing to make with pork roast leftovers is Pork in Green Sauce and then wrap it up in a flour tortilla. Don't have a pork roast handy? I've even got a way to conquer that problem. Get it at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen.

The Last Jedi

We saw this on the afternoon of New Year's Eve and it was a great send-off to the year. I don't know how Rian Johnson (writer and director) did it but somehow he evoked the old movie while simultaneously telling us a new story. I guess that is the way with the best storytelling that is continuing a well-loved tale. At least if it is successful.

There was, it is true, one plot hole that had me indignant the second it came up. However, it wasn't enough to ruin the film. I loved Laura Dern's general, calm and cool with her purple hair, blue eyes, and evening gown. And this was a fitting last role for Carrie Fisher who I hadn't realized was in the movie so much.

Interestingly, this featured a lot of women leaders but it did it the right way — no hitting us over the head about "that's right, a woman did it!" — everyone was a person doing what they could to make things turn out right. It also featured a lot of aliens, especially in terms of indigenous life around the action. That felt right and was interesting. I especially loved the place Finn and Rose wound up which showed us another take on alien planets. A lovely twist.

The story holds true to the essence of what has always been true about the Star Wars movies. We still must make our choices and free will is a factor in all we do — that part rings very true. For my money, Rose has the best line in the movie, one that defines whether you choose the dark or the light.

Can Rian Johnson do all the Star Wars movies? Puhleez?

Weekend Joke: Boudreaux and Thibodaux

One day Boudreaux and Thibodaux were watching TV. A good commercial about a movie came on and it said, "Coming To A Theatre Near You."

Boudreaux looked at Thibodaux and said, "Thib, how they know where we live?

Bright: So an orc, an elf, and a cop walk into a bar ...

In an alternate present-day where magical creatures live among us, two L.A. cops become embroiled in a prophesied turf battle.

So an orc, an elf, and a cop walk into a bar ... hey, this thing practically writes itself. And it didn't inflict half the pain on me that a recent viewing of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation did. I guess I'm more suited to watching mediocre action better than broad comedy.

We saw this Netflix movie had 29% of critics liking it while getting an 88% audience score. So we got curious. Which set would we agree with?

After all, it's got Will Smith and Joel Edgerton. What could go wrong? Oh, if I had a nickel for every time I asked that question.

It had all the elements it needed to be good but what it lacked was focus on whether to be a cop story with elements of fantasy or a fantasy story with elements of real world cops. That lack of focus made it a mess, especially in the middle. So we are on the critics' side for this one.

It was interesting to me, personally, to see that Will Smith has finally crossed the line to where he looked like the older experienced cop because he looked definitely middle aged in a lot of shots. Not a bad look, just a new one to me.

We've got our fingers crossed for the TV version after the guys have retired ... they're running a detective agency, The cute elf is the secretary, and the Magic Case Feds feed them cases to solve. I'd watch that.

Best of 2017 - Movies

In 10 words or less, my top picks from the movies we watched last year. As always, the movies may be old, but my viewing was brand new in 2017.

Night Train to Munich (1940)

Witty dialogue, spy suspense, and Rex Harrison as a hero. (My review here.)

The Cat People (1942)

Inherited evil, film artistry, simmering sexual tension — and cats! (My review here.)

Queen of Katwe (2016)

Family film with unusual subtlety, nuance, definite sense of place. (My review here.)

Arrival (2016)

Quietly absorbing and spectacular. (Discussed at A Good Story is Hard to Find.)

Train to Busan (2016, Korea)

Fathers, families, and more thoughtful than the average zombie movie. (My review here.)

The Founder (2016)

Leaves you pondering innovation and what "to invent" something means. (My review here.)

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

George Lazenby + Diana Rigg + director (style, wonderful shots, timing) = wonderful. 

Lion (2016)

Well told tale of Indian street urchin — blew me away. (My review here.)

Colossal (2016)

Gloria and the monster. Impossible to describe without spoiling. (My review here.)

The Women's Balcony (2016, Israel)

Witty, good humored, intelligent look at men, women, and faith. (My review here.)

Best of 2017 - Books

In 10 words or less, my top picks from the books I read last year. You may find old books here but if they're on this list, then they were new to me!

The Green Jacket

by Jennette Lee

An unusual and winning female detective in 1917 ... and knitting! (My review here.)

How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization

by Thomas E. Woods, Jr.

A terrific book, highly readable. I definitely recommend it.

Spook Street

by Mick Herron

Spy story with intricate plots, gritty settings, humor, and treachery. (My review here.)

Made in India: Recipes from an Indian Family Kitchen

by Meera Sodha

Global Indian food which works in an American kitchen — delicious!

Ender's Game

by Orson Scott Card

Engaging, easy read with beautiful ending — melancholy but hopeful.  

(Discussed on A Good Story is Hard to Find.)

Terry Pratchett Books Read in Order

New favorites: The Watch series,  Interesting Times, and The Truth.

Leviathan Wakes

by James S. A. Corey

Suspenseful space opera/noir mystery with riveting cliffhangers throughout.

(My full review here. Discussed on A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast.)

Ivanhoe

 by Sir Walter Scott

Inventive plot twists, laugh-out-loud humor, and Rebecca. Recommended! (My review here.)

Black Bottle Man

by Craig Russell

A good deal-with-the-devil tale and historical fiction. (My full review is here.)

The Little Way of Terry Pratchett

An oldie (2015) but a goodie from Leah Libresco Sargeant. Via Will Duquette.

“There’s no grays, only white that’s got grubby. I’m surprised you don’t know that. And sin, young man, is when you treat people as things. Including yourself. That’s what sin is.”

“It’s a lot more complicated than that—”

“No. It ain’t. When people say things are a lot more complicated than that, they means they are getting worried that they won’t like the truth. People as things, that’s where it starts.”

“Oh, I’m sure there are worse crimes—”

“But they starts with thinking about people as things …”

Terry Pratchett, Carpe Jugulum

Reading that as an atheist, it was the first time I’d seen a definition of sin that didn’t sound like, as Francis Spufford describes our modern use of the word in Unapologetic, a kind of “enjoyable naughtiness” that seemed mostly to do with sex or very expensive chocolates.

But the kind of sin that Granny talks about isn’t an indulgence in something harmless, luxurious and secret. And it’s not the world-shaking evil of a monster or a murderer. It’s a seemingly small rejection of creation and the particular place our fellow people have in it. It’s not always choosing hatred; it can be putting aside love for indifference.

Leah Libresco Sargeant, The Little Way of Terry Pratchett

I have long loved Granny Weatherwax for all the reasons Leah Libresco Sargeant mentions in her piece, which you should go read. In fact, I included that quote in Happy Catholic for it's solid truth.

It is interesting seeing how influential Terry Pratchett's insistence on human worth can be. Certainly it is one of the reasons I loved his stories. He doggedly and continually defends the value of each human. And the clear-sightedness of what sin really is. Whether he called it sin or not.

Listen Up: Christmas Past podcast

Christmas Past tells the stories behind your favorite holiday traditions. Each episode is 10-15 minutes long, and features interviews with experts, archival audio, and Christmas memories from listeners.

I discovered Christmas Past a couple of weeks ago and have been thoroughly enjoying them. Brian Earl has a soothing, friendly voice and gives a thorough history of topics ranging from Santa (of course) to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer to Eggnog to Wrapping Paper.

There are still a few days left until Christmas so I wanted to give you a chance to hear them. (iTunes link, website link)

Thank you Joanna R.!

This book was indeed a long-shot when I put it on my Amazon wish list. But I really am a sucker for illustrated manuscripts and I liked the author's conceit of treating each section almost as an interview with the manuscript itself. It is costly and somewhat obscure and so mostly there as a reminder for when I could afford a splurge.

So you can imagine my surprise when I opened an Amazon box this morning, wondering what gifts I'd forgotten would need wrapping. I thought I'd gotten everything in.

This lovely book was there with an even lovelier note from Joanna. Thank you so much — this is going to provide hours of enjoyment!

“Lead us not into temptation”: Digging deeper into the Our Father (Lord's Prayer)

On a morning walk, my husband said that Pope Francis had mentioned maybe a retranslation of the Our Father was needed because the phrase "lead us not into temptation" sounded as if God would actively tempt us.

Anyone who's pondered the Our Father is familiar with this little puzzle.

My first reaction was "no way, Jose!" Then I recalled that coincidentally (or perhaps providentially!) I'd just that very morning read about that specific line in Seeking Jesus in Everyday Life. (Yes, I read my own devotional. It was, after all, compiled for me first!)

I realized that if I needed three quotes to show the complexity of the Greek verb in the original, then perhaps a retranslation might not be a bad thing.

See what you think.

Lead Us Not Into Temptation ...

It is difficult to translate the Greek verb used by a single English word: the Greek means both “do not allow us to enter into temptation” and “do not let us yield to temptation.”*

Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2846

We are helped a further step along when we recall the words of the Gospel: “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1). Temptation comes from the devil, but part of Jesus’ messianic task is to withstand the great temptations that have led man away from God and continue to do so.

Joseph Ratzinger, Jesus of Nazareth:

From the Baptism in the Jordan to the Transfiguration

“Lead us not into temptation” often means among other things, “Deny me those gratifying invitations, those highly interesting contacts, that participation in the brilliant movements of our age, which I so often, at such risk, desire.”

C. S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms

++++

I never could understand this. I couldn’t reconcile God as “all good” with someone who would “lead me into temptation.”

Pope Benedict XVI (Ratzinger) led me to read the Book of Job where temptation is allowed on a massive scale. Those examples have helped mightily with my own trust in God when temptations arise, especially the temptations that I am not equipped to handle.

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Prayer: My hope is in you, dear Father.

* Cf. Mt 26:41.

There's more where that came from. Seeking Jesus in Everyday Life is about growing closer to Jesus and sometimes (as it turns out) helping figure out how I feel about the latest news from the Vatican! It makes a great Christmas gift!

Which Literary Villain Uttered Each of the Following Quotes?

"My revenge has just begun! I spread it over centuries and time is on my side."

How devious and devilish are you? Test your knowlegde of all things evil by identifying which villains spoke the literary quotes below. Be sure to read carefully—these literary villains are tricky!

I'm clearly not devilish enough. I only got 1 right and that was by a blind guess!

Take the quiz at Writer's Digest.

Well Said: When we attempt to avoid suffering, we drift into emptiness

We can try to limit suffering, to fight against it, but we cannot eliminate it. It is when we attempt to avoid suffering by withdrawing from anything that might involve hurt, when we try to spare ourselves the effort and pain of pursuing truth, love, and goodness, that we drift into a life of emptiness, in which there may be almost no pain, but the dark sensation of meaninglessness and abandonment is all the greater. It is not by sidestepping or fleeing from suffering that we are healed, but rather by our capacity for accepting it, maturing through it and finding meaning through union with Christ, who suffered with infinite love.

Pope Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi (In Hope We Were Saved)

This is a truth I know but that I forget. And then I have to be reminded when I run into that wall because I'm trying to avoid it. No one can live their lives and avoid suffering. The Catholic teachings and Christ's reality and example are what give my life (in good times and bad) full meaning.

Worth a Thousand Words: The Yard and Wash House

Carl Larsson, The Yard and Wash House, 1885
via Arts Everyday Living

Well Said: Cities crumble and people go on

"... Sentimental speeches like this ... at Balkh, of all places?"

Her words were forceful and they made me stop. I looked at the undulating graveyard of the great city and saw, in my imagination, the rise and fall of Balkh - Balkh of the Flying Pennants it had been called, as if the city were proud to advertise its accomplishments, temporary though they proved to be - and I sensed some of the meaning behind my mission. I said, "I don't accept your view of Balkh. Cities crumble and civilizations vanish, but people go on. And damn it all, they eat and make love and go to war and die according to certain hopeful rules. I accept those rules."

James A. Michener, Caravans

Well Said: What you do not need and what you do need

You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith and hope.

Thomas Merton

Yes, perfectly put and a good reminder. Via Scott Danielson.

Worth a Thousand Words: In Sunrise Colors

In Sunrise Colors by Remo Savisaar

Well Said: Reading and Meditating

Seek by reading and you will find by meditating.

St. John of the Cross

This has been how I have gotten a lot of my spiritual progress, for wont of a better term. So when my spiritual advisor mentioned that reading can be prayer I felt a great surge of recognition.

Yes, God reaches me in many other ways, through Nature, friendship, my family, and the liturgy. But most reliable is the "prayer" in which He surprises me through books and I meditate upon it for some time afterwards.

Nice to know I have that much in common with St. John of the Cross since his poetry leaves me cold.

Off to Florida!

Luckily I won't have to lift any couches but I will be helping my mother move ... and, more importantly, helping my sister and brother-in-law who are doing the heavy lifting (get it? heavy lifting?) on the whole thing.

They take such good care of Mom in every way and I'm so happy to be able to help, even a little.

Until then I've got a few prepared posts for the ongoing novena and suchlike but I won't be back "in person" until I get back next week.

Worth a Thousand Words: Gifts

Geschenke (Gifts) by Edward B. Gordon

Black Bottle Man by Craig Russell

Forced to move every twelve days, what would happen to your life?

It’s 1927. Rembrandt is the only child in the tiny community of Three Farms and his two aunts grow desperate for babies of their own. Hope and Hell arrive in a mysterious black bottle, and on a moonless night a dark spell is cast. The devil seeks payment, and a dangerous wager is made. Until they can defeat him, Rembrandt, Pa, and Uncle Thompson must embark on the journey of their lives, for if they stay in one place for more than twelve days terrible things happen. But where and when will they find a champion capable of defeating the Black Bottle Man?

Time ticks.

Lives change.

Every twelve days.

What a treat to be almost at the end of the year and read a book that instantly leapt to the top of my 2017 favorites list. I finished it and wanted to give a copy to everyone I knew who loves a good folk tale, a good deal-with-the-devil tale, good historical fiction, or (most of all) a story that speaks to the reader on several levels.

As we learn the story of the deal with the devil and how Rembrandt, his father, and uncle take on the task of saving souls, we are also taken on a trip through American history with special emphasis on the Great Depression. Rembrandt's voice is strong and vivid. I felt I knew this boy as we traveled together seeking redemption for those he loves. The scenes on farms, in factories, and in small town America were also vivid, as were the present day scenes when we flash to 90 year old Rembrandt.

Any story where someone is dealing with the devil opens the door to considerations of faith and that is handled both honestly and delicately in this book. The insights and observations throughout the book underlie the main story in a way that lends itself to considerations of gratitude, mercy, selfishness, sacrifice, and much more — all without being too obvious for those who just want to read a great story. There's also the fun of trying to figure out just how one can outsmart the devil in a deal that seems unbreakable.

It is is marketed to teens but I'm not the first reviewer to mention that label is too limiting because it is also a great read for adults.

I can't adequately describe this book but it is simply wonderful. Get it. Read it. And give it to those who love a wonderfully told good story.

Heroism and Genius by William J. Slattery

'But my home, such as I have, [said Aragorn] is in the North. For here the heirs of Valandil have ever dwelt in long line unbroken from father unto son for many generations. Our days have darkened, and we have dwindled; but ever the Sword has passed to a new keeper. And this I will say to you, Boromir, ere I end. Lonely men are we, Rangers of the wild, hunters — but hunters ever of the servants of the Enemy; for they are found in many places, not in Mordor only.

'If Gondor, Boromir, has been a stalwart tower, we have played another part. Many evil things there are that your strong walls and bright swords do not stay. You know little of the lands beyond your bounds. Peace and freedom, do you say? The North would have known them little but for us. Fear would have destroyed them. But when dark things come from the houseless hills, or creep from sunless woods, they fly from us. What roads would any dare to tread, what safety would there be in quiet lands, or in the homes of simple men at night, if the Dúnedain were asleep, or were all gone into the grave?

'And yet less thanks have we than you. Travellers scowl at us, and countrymen give us scornful names. "Strider" I am to one fat man who lives within a day's march of foes that would freeze his heart or lay his little town in ruin, if he were not guarded ceaselessly. Yet we would not have it otherwise. If simple folk are free from care and fear, simple they will be, and we must be secret to keep them so. That has been the task of my kindred, while the years have lengthened and the grass has grown.

'But now the world is changing once again. A new hour comes. Isildur's Bane is found. Battle is at hand. The Sword shall be reforged.'

— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

They had me at Aragorn. This quote launches the book's introduction and gives you a sense of the spirit of the work.

The subtitle really tells you what the book is about: How Catholic Priests Helped Build — and Can Help Rebuild — Western Civilization.

This book looks at priests' roles in building and maintaining Western civilization. The author begins with modern historians' assessments and then goes on to tell the stories of some of these remarkable men. I was impressed with the lengthy list of historians who recognize the Church's pivotal function throughout much of Western civilization.

The Catholic historian cannot empty his heart when he writes about the Church; he has the eyes of a lover, enchanted by the beauty of his bride, and they remain the eyes of a lover even when she has been dressed in rags by treacherous men; he will always chronicle as a builder who wants to learn from history how to renew the institution he loves.

I especially enjoy William Slattery's romantic style of writing, which we don't see very often any more. It conveys the passion he feels and the romance of the faith and the Church. It would seem over the top, perhaps, except that it is grounded in solid understanding of the faith and of human nature. Slattery looks at history with the eyes of a realist but also with the eyes of someone who knows we can again be great as our forefathers were. Here's just a bit more...

Hence the purpose of this book is not lionizing and nostalgia, a yearning to live in some mythical "good old days," an attempt to find excuses to handcuff progress to obsolete standards. Instead, it is a shout to contemporary priests—"Remember!"—as they stand at a crossroads of history and confront the Western civilization of the past and the dictatorship of relativism of the present: Remember who you are and what you once achieved; recall the crucially important social consequences of your priesthood; remember that the priest, by being truly teacher, sanctifier, and shepherd, changes society and builds Christian civilization—that he simply cannot fail to change the world by being an authentic priest of Jesus Christ!

The book covers the course of history in Western civilization including the Dark Ages, Chivalry, Romanticism, and Free-Market Economics, among other topics. Slattery also never lets us forget that for every important name, there were hundreds of anonymous priests laboring for their flocks. I enjoyed the heck outta this. Now go get this book and enjoy it for yourself.

Worth a Thousand Words: Roar!

Roar!, Remo Savisaar

Worth a Thousand Words: View of Earth from Apollo 4

View of Earth from Apollo 4, NASA

Well Said: Railways and the Church

Railways and the Church have their critics, but both are the best ways of getting a man to his ultimate destination.

Wilbert Vere Awdry

A History of the Church in 100 Objects - Mike Aquilina and Grace Aquilina

The history of the Church didn't take place shrouded in the mists of time. It actually happened and continues to happen through things that we can see and sometimes hold in our hand.

This is the Christian answer to Neil MacGregor's New York Times bestseller A History of the World in 100 Objects.

This is a brief history of the Church, complete with pictures of the items which serve as touchstones for bringing up important historical events. The items include the Christian things you might expect but also range into seemingly non-Christian things like Islamic coins, an Egyptian boy's math notebook, and a medieval science beaker.

Two or three pages of brief yet comprehensive commentary accompany each item. It is easy to read and even-handed, yet never dumbs it down. At the end of each entry, there are two recommended books listed for those who would like to pursue a topic in greater depth. That was a thoughtful feature I really liked, even as my reading list grew and grew.

I especially enjoyed the way the authors fleshed out our understanding of events, often with thought provoking questions or comments. For example, in the instance of the Islamic coin, we see that the Roman emperor may have given their subjects reason to see Islamic conquerors as a decent governing option.

All these people had suffered persecution under Justinian and his successors. And they had been taxed heavily to support Justinian's wars in the West. Is it any wonder that some welcomed the Islamic Arabs as liberators? And is it any wonder that some chose to submit to Islam?

The conquered didn't turn Islamic all at once. In some places, they were given a stark choice: convert, submit to the tax, or die. But the Umayyads were more tolerant, recognizing the value of Christians and Jews as a steady tax base.

This allows us a more nuanced picture of history than we're often given. And it opens the door for questions of how the modern world tempts me to let my Christianity wither slowly away under gentle pressure. The authors do this again and again. A wedding ring brings considerations of how Christian marriage differed from pagan marriage. Armor brings a consideration of how Pope Gregory gradually moved warrior culture from waging war to knightly behavior.

There are also nuggets of information I'd never heard. I didn't know that Napoleon kidnapped Pope Pius VII from the Vatican. Or that Pius VII later gave shelter in the Vatican to members of Napoleon's family. I knew Cardinal Cisneros was a stalwart defender of American natives but not that he cooperated with the expulsion of Muslims and Jews from Spain. In almost every entry there is something showing that history is more complex than we realized.

In essence, what one learns reading this book is that "The Church on earth is always in motion. Catholic doctrine and devotion are always developing. And every age presents particular challenges with require a creative response." As earthly pilgrims heading toward heaven, we can draw inspiration and strength from where the Church has been on that same road.

I've got more pages marked in this book than you've got time to read. So just go get this book and read it! It made a great devotional for me. I read an entry (or two or three) daily and found it invigorating and centering as a start to the day.

Worth a Thousand Words: Aisle of Tintern Abbey

Aisle of Tintern Abbey, Roger Fenton
via Getty's Open Content Program

The Form of Emptiness

Tomorrow begins the novena leading up to the solemnity of Mary's Immaculate Conception. This is a good place to begin.

That virginal quality which, for want of a better word, I call emptiness is at the beginning of this contemplation.

It is not a formless emptiness, a void without meaning; on the contrary it has a shape, a form given to it by the purpose for which it is intended.

It is emptiness like the hollow in the reed, the narrow riftless emptiness which can have only one destiny: to receive the piper's breath and to utter the song that is in his heart.

It is emptiness like the hollow in the cup, shaped to receive water or wine.

It is emptiness like that of the bird's nest, built in a round warm ring to receive the little bird.

The pre-Advent emptiness of Our Lady's purposeful virginity was indeed like those three things.

She was a reed through which the Eternal Love was to be piped as a shepherd's song.

She was the flowerlike chalice into which the purest water of humanity was to be poured, mingled with wine, changed to the crimson blood of love, and lifted up in sacrifice.

She was the warm nest rounded to the shape of humanity to receive the Divine Little Bird...

It is the purpose for which something is made that decides the material which is used.

The chalice is made of pure gold because it must contain the Blood of Christ.

The bird's nest is made of scraps of soft down, leaves and feathers and twigs, because it must be a strong warm home for the young birds...

The material which God has found apt for it is human nature: blood, flesh, bone, salt, water, will, intellect.

It is impossible to say too often or too strongly that human nature, body and soul together, is the material for God's will in us...

Think again of the three symbols I have used for the virginal emptiness of Mary. These are each made from material which must undergo some experience to be made ready for its purpose.

The reed grows by the streams. It is the simplest of things, but it must be cut by the sharp knife, hollowed out, and the stops must be cut in it; it must be shaped and pierced before it can utter the shepherd's song. It is the narrowest emptiness in the world, but the little reed utters infinite music.

The chalice does not grow like the flower it resembles. It is made of gold; gold must be gathered from the water and the mud and hewn from the rock, it must be beaten by countless little blows that give the chalice of sacrifice its fitting beauty.

The twigs and fluff and leaves of the bird's nest are brought from all sorts of places, from wherever the brave careful mother alights, with fluttering but daring heart, to fetch them, from the distances and explorations that only the spread wings of love know. It is the shape of her breast the moulds the nest to its inviting roundness.

Thus it is with us -- we may be formed by the knife, pared down, cut to the least, to the minimum of our own being; we may be marked indelibly by a succession of strokes, blown from the gold-beater's hammer; or we may be shaped for our destiny by the love and tender devotion of a devoted family.

Caryll Houselander, The Reed of God

I don't know why no one has ever mentioned Caryll Houselander among all the wonderful Catholic writers that are quoted so often. I have seen her mentioned only in Magnificat and every time that I have read an excerpt it has spoken right to my heart. If I had let myself go I could easily have put the entire book on this site. I had to stop myself from underlining practically everything in it. It is a wonderful contemplation of the Virgin Mary and, through her as always, we get a clearer and better look at her son, Jesus. The excerpt above says better than I can what sort of a writer and thinker she was. It is simple but provides many opportunities for our own contemplation.

Well Said: A Student

A student is not a container you have to fill but a torch you have to light up.

Albert Einstein, Ideas and Opinions

Worth a Thousand Words: Golden Leaves

Golden Leaves, Remo Savisaar

Interview on Catholic Mom

Nancy Ward interviewed me after Seeking Jesus in Everyday Life came out. It is now featured on Catholic Mom! It was great fun talking with Nancy and I really appreciate the publicity for the book — which makes great Advent reading or a Christmas gift!

Well Said: Say It Again

Say what you have just said, but in a different tone, without anger, and your argument will gain in strength and, above all, you won't offend God.

St. Josemaria Escriva

Well Said: Peter the rock and Peter the denier

We have grown accustomed to make a clear distinction between Peter the rock and Peter the denier of Christ — the denier of Christ: that is the Peter as he was before Easter; the rock: that is the Peter as he was after the Pentecost, the Peter of whom we have constructed a singularly idealistic image. But, in reality, he was a both times both of these... Has it not been thus throughout the history of the Church that the Pope, the successor of Peter has been at once Petra and Skandalon — both the rock of God and a stumbling-block? In fact the faithful will always have to reckon with this paradox of the divine dispensation that shames their pride again and again.

Pope Benedict XVI

Worth a Thousand Words: Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel, Remo Savisaar

Well Said: Judas

Judas is neither a master of evil nor the figure of a demoniacal power of darkness but rather a sycophant who bows down before the anonymous power of changing moods and current fashion. But it is precisely this anonymous power that crucified Jesus, for it was the anonymous voices that cried, "Away with him! Crucify him!"

Pope Benedict XVI

Artemis by Andy Weir

Jazz Bashara is a criminal.

Well, sort of. Life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, is tough if you're not a rich tourist or an eccentric billionaire. So smuggling in the occasional harmless bit of contraband barely counts, right? Not when you've got debts to pay and your job as a porter barely covers the rent.

Everything changes when Jazz sees the chance to commit the perfect crime, with a reward too lucrative to turn down. But pulling off the impossible is just the start of her problems, as she learns that she's stepped square into a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself—and that now, her only chance at survival lies in a gambit even riskier than the first.

This was a huge disappointment as Andy Weir's first book, The Martian, was a real favorite of mine and I was really looking forward to seeing how he did with a different sort of story. Unfortunately, for me the new book is something of a cross between a YA book and an engineering manual featuring aluminum manufacturing. If this sounds like an awkward mixture, it is because it is.

Weir obviously loves engineering and how our lives depend on it, often in ways we don't think about. In the The Martian the story drove our need to know about engineering so the hero could survive. In the case of Artemis, our need to know is not obvious as the heroine engages in a shady deal to score 1 million slugs (lunar currency). However, the story often pauses to point out how aluminum provides more than enough oxygen to keep humans supplied and so forth. By the end, we do indeed need to know details about aluminum manufacturing, however I am fairly sure I needed to know less than half the information which we stopped so often to absorb.

Enough of the engineering side. But what of the story itself? It is a heist tale with tendrils that sink into the seamy underbelly of the lunar economy. Unfortunately it is told to us by Jazz, a young woman who has the virtue of being a genius and very stubborn but who otherwise has almost no personality. She has a secret — why does she need a million slugs? But we are told so little about it that I soon forgot she had a secret at all. And I never cared about it or her. I don't mind YA, or as they used to call them in Robert Heinlein's day, juvenile stories but this had little of Heinlein's skill which always told the story about engaging characters first and filled in details/science only as necessary to keep things rolling along.

In fact, by the time the final big plan was being laid out for the assembled gang, I had become so bored that it was only by a sheer effort of will that I finished the book at all.

That isn't to say that the book doesn't have good points. I thoroughly enjoyed the worldbuilding. Artemis and the way citizens lived was really interesting. The letters between Jazz and her penpal were wonderful at giving us information briefly but evocatively. If more of the book had been like that, it would have been much more interesting. There was one sequence which grabbed me when Jazz was doing a job for a local mob-boss on the lunar surface. Obviously one of Weir's authorial skills is creating high tension moments and making readers care about their outcome. Unfortunately this book only pulled that off once for me.

I appreciate that Weir is trying something different and it has to be insanely difficult to follow up a first novel that was also made into a big movie. More than anything this book makes me interested to see how his next book turns out.

Worth a Thousand Words: Doggy!

Doggy!, Karin Jurick

Well Said: Trouble

Trouble is so hard to bear, is it not?—How can we live and think that any one has trouble—piercing trouble—and we could help them, and never try?

George Eliot, Middlemarch

Listen Up — Wolf 359, Gone with the Wind

As I mentioned, I've been working on a big project lately. Luckily, it's the sort that lets me listen to podcasts and audiobooks while I work. Here are one of each that have been the backbone of my listening.

Wolf 359 is a radio drama in the tradition of Golden Age of Radio shows. Set on board the U.S.S. Hephaestus space station, the misfit crew deals with daily life-or-death emergencies, while searching for signs of alien life and discovering there might be more to their mission than they thought.

Early episodes begin as Communication Officer Matt Eiffel's audio diary, broadcast into space at large to break up his boredom. He's a slacker, but an entertaining one and we learn about the crew and life aboard an out-dated space station. Day-to-day activities are more wide ranging than you'd expect and the growing sense that something sinister is intended from the employers on Earth keeps things jumpy — especially as star Wolf 359 begins acting unpredictably.

I'm hooked on this and have been binge listening, only slowing down in the last week or two as the suspense began to get to me. I've been especially impressed with the way that the show can take you from loathing to liking ... and sometimes back to loathing ... particular characters with each new revelation of backstory.

Gone with the Wind was on my parents' bookshelves when I was growing up and, as happened with so many classics, at some point I picked it up and devoured the whole thing. I've probably read it three times during my lifetime, enjoying it more each time.

Having been written in 1930 by a Southerner, some of the characters have attitudes that were unpopular when I was growing up, much less during these cracklingly divisive times. And that includes the author who will break out in little asides occasionally for commentary about the South. That's when it turns into a look into the mind of those who lost the war. At least, that's what I remember. It must have been 20 years since I've read this.

No matter what, it remains a wonderful story. I had just finished listening to the audiobook of Kim and it immersed me me in an exotic place and mindset. I missed being in such a different world. Since I'd heard several people recently mention they were listening to Gone with the Wind, it somehow seemed like it might fill that gap. And it did. I'd forgotten how many details Mitchell put into her novel and every time I felt as if I couldn't stand Scarlett for one more second something would happen which would pull me back into the story.

I'm about halfway through since I'm taking it slowly but if you've never tried this book I encourage you to pick it up. If you have read it, you'll discover, as an acquaintance said recently, "Every time you read it you find something new there."