I had heard that I was in the wrong place, and my soul sang for joy

The optimist's pleasure was prosaic, for it dwelt on the naturalness of everything; the Christian pleasure was poetic, for it dwelt on the unnaturalness of everything in the light of the supernatural. The modern philosopher had told me again and again that I was in the right place, and I had still felt depressed even in acquiescence. But I had heard that I was in the wrong place, and my soul sang for joy, like a bird in spring. The knowledge found out and illuminated forgotten chambers in the dark house of infancy. I knew now why grass had always seemed to me as queer as the green beard of a giant, and why I could feel homesick at home.

G.K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy

Yes. When you find out you've been using the wrong orientation then everything comes into the proper focus. And you sing for joy.

Waratah

"Waratah" by Lucien Henry, 1887.
Waratah, a blossoming shrub, is a plant native to Australia.
Via J.R.'s Art Place

 I never heard of such a plant and this painting fascinated me. Here's more about it.

Wood in the Snow

 

Woods in the Snow, Peder Mørk Mønsted

It snowed here on Sunday and that is a really rare sight. The snow didn't get this deep and didn't even stick although, surprisingly, it was as much as eight inches deep in places to the south.

A Movie You Might Have Missed #32 — The Body Snatcher

It's been 11 years since I began this series highlighting movies I wished more people knew about. I'm rerunning it from the beginning because I still think these are movies you might have missed.

Here's the real benefit of going to an actual video rental store. You walk in looking for I Walked With a Zombie because B-Movie Catechism and Zombie Parent's Guide both recommended this "Jane Eyre in Haiti" flick.

You leave with the double-feature dvd including The Body Snatcher because that's the only way it comes. I Walked With a Zombie was fine but short and rather light-weight. Go to the above linked blogs to read full reviews.

We looked dubiously at the art for The Body Snatcher. I could vaguely remember the Robert Louis Stephenson short story upon which it was based. What the heck, we had the rest of the evening so we started watching ... and were rewarded with a real prize.

In 1831 Edinburgh, Dr. Wolf MacFarlane (Henry Daniell) needs corpses for his students to learn anatomy. When young medical student Donald Fettes (Russell Wade) is promoted to his assistant, he makes the acquaintance of cabbie John Gray who provides the corpses. After a sinister conversation about the hospital not having enough dead poor people to provide the need, it becomes clear that Cabman Gray (Boris Karloff) is all too resourceful about providing supplies for the school.

There's a subplot about a poor little girl who needs spinal surgery (the very thought of such a thing in 1980s Edinburgh should send shivers down your spine if nothing else does) but it is not important. The key is Karloff's fantastic acting as the sinister Gray. I never saw him as Frankenstein but fell in love with his portrayal of this jovially menacing character. Yes. Jovially menacing. That is just how good he was.

The atmosphere is appropriately dark and spooky, the subject ghastly, and the doctor provides a lovely study in habitual actions turning you into someone who will do things that you'd never have thought possible when you began practicing medicine. Directed by Robert Wise and produced by Val Lewton, this is a dream team combination that hits every point perfectly. Yes, even factoring in the sweet little girl needing surgery.

Highly recommended for any time but especially now that Halloween is coming up.

And if it comes with I Walked With a Zombie, that movie make a perfect atmosphere provider before you launch into the main attraction.

Meditation on a Pudding

Let us seriously reflect of what a pudding is composed. It is composed of flour that once waved in the golden grain, and drank the dews of the morning; of milk pressed from the swelling udder by the gentle hand of the beauteous milkmaid, whose beauty and innocence might have recommended a worse draught; who, while she stroked the udder, indulged no ambitious thoughts of wandering in palaces, formed no plans for the destruction of her fellow-creatures; milk, which is drawn from the cow, that useful animal, that eats the grass of the field, and supplies us with that which made the greatest part of the food of mankind in the age which the poets have agreed to call golden. It is made with an egg, that miracle of nature, which the theoretical Burnet has compared to creation. An egg contains water within its beautiful smooth surface; and an unformed mass, by the incubation of the parent, becomes a regular animal, furnished with bones and sinews, and covered with feathers. – Let us consider; can there be more wanting to complete the Meditation on a Pudding? If more is wanting, more may be found. It contains salt, which keeps the sea from putrefaction: salt, which is made the image of intellectual excellence, contributes to the formation of a pudding.

Samuel Johnson

All Things Made New by Stratford Caldecott

 

All Things Made New explores the Christian mysteries by studying the symbolism, cosmology, and meaning of the Book of Revelation, as well as the prayers and meditations of the Rosary, including the Apostles' Creed and the Our Father. These reflections lead us step by step to the foot of the Cross, and to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, where all things are made new.

I love Stratford Caldecott's writing. I first encountered him through The Power of the Ring where he looked at Tolkien's writing through a Catholic lens. The Radiance of Being was a wonderfully honest (and sometimes mind bending) examination of science and world religion (spoiler — Catholicism wins).

Both left me eager for more so I embarked on this look at the Book of Revelation. It is phenomenal.

The first six chapters walk us through the images and symbols of the book with the focus on the Revelation as the bookend to both the creation in Genesis and the Incarnation. Caldecott also looks at how the book will transform us personally if we enter into the mysteries of the Church as shown in the Revelation. This was all fascinating.

The real gems of All Things Made New for me are found in chapters 7 through the end of the book where he gives his reflections on the Creed, The Lord's Prayer, the Rosary and the Way of the Cross. Not only do we get deep spiritual insights but there are comments about the symbolic and numeric symbolism inherent in each. (Who knew?) The examination of the actions of the Son and Holy Spirit as reflected in the Creed were especially wonderful to me. I go in and out of saying the rosary — lately more "out" than "in — but the reflections on the individual mysteries of the rosary as well as the way of the cross were so illuminating that it made me seriously consider taking up my rosary again.

This was the first book I finished this year and it is going on my 2021 Best Books list. Now that's a good start!

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

In 1922 Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin.

Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors. Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances provide him a doorway into a much larger world of  discovery.

It is with sheer delight that I move this from my 2021 Book Challenge list to my Best of 2021 list. I read it first of my challenges simply because there are so many requests at the library that I wouldn't be able to renew it. 

It is a wonderful balance of whimsy and history, fairy tale and reality. It tells us how to survive the rules imposed by others and how to turn dreams into reality. 

I didn't expect to be breathlessly excited by the last act but I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. Not a thing was introduced that wasn't called back into use by the end. And the end was absolutely perfect. Now I've got to buy my own copy.

The Hiding Place — going on my "annual reading list"

I just reread this for an upcoming book club meeting. It has resonated over the past few days, informing my faith and drawing me closer to Jesus.   I realized that its been years since I read it. And, partner, that's too long!

My original review is here. This is a bit but do go read the whole thing. And then, read (or reread) the book.

I was struck by the timelessness of the message and the values contained therein. Casper ten Boom models God the Father for his children, and those with good fathers recognize how powerful that can be. Those of us who were not so blessed can recognize in this hero a model of God the Father that we can relate to and call our own. Their mother, though not a key figure in the story, is instrumental in showing how it is possible to live a fully Christian life when home caring for a family, or when stricken by illness.

Betsie's point of view displays a Christ-like love for their captors even under the most terrible circumstances. Corrie is the example for the rest of us. She is uncertain, afraid, and needs the examples of Betsie and her father to keep her eyes on Christ. Even so, Corrie steps out in faith throughout the book whenever there is a need.

The Hiding Place also serves as a warning. I was quite surprised at how certain attitudes portrayed in the book resonated with our times; the Nazis showed utter disdain of the elderly, the very sick, and "feeble minded" because they were not productive members of society. If the ten Booms couldn't comprehend such attitudes, I realized with chagrin I understood them all-too-well as the utilitarian ideas of our "modern" society. As Flannery O'Connor said,

If you live today, you breathe in nihilism . . . it's the gas you breathe. If I hadn't had the Church to fight it with or to tell me the necessity of fighting it, I would be the stinkingest logical positivist you ever saw right now.

Best of 2020 — Podcasts — updated

My top picks from podcasts I discovered last year. As always, they may be old, but my listening was brand new in 2020. In no particular order. Links are mostly in the podcast name.

The Burrowshire Podcast

Brandon Vogt and Fr. Blake Britton are best friends, two Millennial Catholics living near Orlando, FL. “The Burrowshire Podcast” is an extension of their friendship, sharing conversation about faith, culture, books, and the spiritual life.

I was turned onto this by my podcasting partner, Scott Danielson, who has really enjoyed it. I soon saw why. I already liked Brandon through his prolific blogging and work with Word on Fire. His conversations with Father Blake are really fun and inspiring. Their friendship comes through clearly and I love the way they view the world as they discuss topics ranging from Chesterton to faith and politics to leisure to the liturgy of the hours. The podcast is aimed at millennials but you don't have to be that age group, as Scott and I can attest.

Morning Glory — updated

An hour-long Catholic morning show hosted by Gloria Purvis and Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, this ranges far and wide in topics from traditional Catholic devotions to current events and the Catholic response. 

 

I've become a daily listener even though I don't always agree with some of the takes on current events. But there is always a Catholic focus with which I can agree and my point in listening isn't to be agreed with, but to be informed. Sometimes being challenged is part of being informed. If nothing else, it makes me think through my own views more thoroughly. (Links and my review here.)

UPDATE: I was very sorry to hear today that EWTN cancelled Morning Glory. I'm going to miss it from my daily schedule, especially since I don't think there was anything else like it out there. It was the only EWTN show I listened to, which testifies to its uniqueness since Catholic radio is not my thing.

Episodic Table of Elements

A science-history podcast exploring the culture and chemistry behind every element on the periodic table. Each episode stands on its own, but the show does provide a basic chemistry education that builds on itself over time.

I enjoy the way the podcaster finds unusual stories or links to the elements.

Shelf Wear

Scott Danielson (my partner in crime from the A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast) invites friends to participate in book and story discussions. No particular theme except that each friend picks a book they love. It has provided an eclectic set of books for consideration.

American Catholic History

American Catholic History finds the hidden gems and compelling stories of Catholic Americans who have contributed to their nation by virtue of their faith over the past three centuries.

The topics range from people (Frank Capra, James Longstreet, Babe Ruth) to places (Loretto Staircase, St. Mary's in Galveston) to events (Annie Moore as the first immigrant to pass through the gates of Ellis Island). At about 10 minutes per episode it is short enough to fit into any schedule and I look forward to it each week.

Novel Conversations

Frank Lavallo hosts two readers and the three of them summarize the world’s greatest works of classic literature, giving their reactions along the way. If SparkNotes had an audio best friend, it would be us! 

 

This is wonderful for listening to if you don't ever plan to read the book but want a good overview. Conversely it has lured me into interest in books I wouldn't have otherwise considered. For example Cannery Row is on my 2021 To Read list because of listening to this podcast.

Classic Movie Musts

A weekly movie podcast that aims to provide artistic and historical context to classic films. So whether you’re seeing our featured movie for the first time, the 10th time, or sometime in between, this podcast is meant to be a fun and helpful companion guide to classic movies.

This is one of my favorites. The only caveat is that the description covers the whole movie plot so if you don't want spoilers then skip that episode until you've watched it.

Catholic Answers Live

A daily, two-hour radio Q&A program dedicated to Catholic apologetics and evangelization.

 

This is the sort of thing I usually don't like. However, Rose has become very knowledgeable about the faith after regularly listening to it to help her RCIA small group.  So I thought — hey, what can it hurt? I mostly listen to Jimmy Akin's episodes but they've got something for everyone.

Soundtrack Podcasts

I did a feature on these earlier this year. Read about them here.

From the Great Library of Dreams

Mr. Jim Moon reads classic tales of the weird and the wonderful! Here you will find stories of the magical, the mysterious, the marvelous, and the macabre! 

 

This used to be a feature of the Hypnogoria podcast which has now been pulled into a different spot in order to just feature the stories. I really like the readings of these weird tales.

Best of 2020 — Movies

My top 10 picks from the over 130 movies we watched last year. PLUS the movies I'm proudest of watching.

As always, the movies may be old, but my viewing was brand new in 2020. In no particular order.

PERSONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT

Don

1978, starring Amitabh Bachchan  

I loved this, though it would never go on my "best of" list. The accomplishment was in watching a 1970's Hindi movie and loving it. That's something I thought I'd never be able to do. But I've seen so many now that it just seemed to come naturally.

 

 

2020 BEST MOVIES

War

If you want an action thriller with a lot of over the top lines, big in Bollywood acting, and two top male stars in exotic locations doing impossible stunts ... then this is your movie. We really enjoyed it, including my 85 year old mother who laughed through a lot of it (as we did too - over the top, remember?) and said she never needed to watch another action movie. "This one captured the essence of all of them," she said. (My review here.)

Kumbalangi Nights

Four brothers, a sleepy fishing village, and very unexpected twists. As the story goes on it is clear the director is telling us about families, how they are formed, and how they grow. The movie's twists were truly unexpected and there is a clear religious element that interested us as Kumbalangi is about 40% Christian. (My review here.)

The Warrior

A warrior renounces violence only to become prey himself. This is the movie that persuaded Irrfan Khan to continue acting and was pitched to him as almost being a silent film. That may not mean much to those who don't know Khan but the Indian film world owes this a great debt. It is a movie with spare dialogue, gorgeous settings, and the acting done with great subtlety, even as many of the actions show the brutality that accompanies being a warrior. It is hard to describe this but the rewards are great. (More reviews here.)

Gaslight

If you only know the term "gaslight" but not where it came from, then you need to watch this movie. After the murder of her aunt, Paula Alquist (Ingrid Bergman) leaves London for Italy to start a new life. While there, she falls in love with the charming Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer). They marry and return to London where Paula begins to notice strange goings-on: missing pictures, strange footsteps in the night, and gaslights that dim without being touched. As she fights to retain her sanity, her new husband's intentions come into question.(My review here.)

Mughal-E-Azam

A classic 1960 Hindi epic — Prince Saleem chooses love over throne. This perpetrates a war between the prince and his father the great Mughal Emperor Akbar, and threatens to bring an empire to its knees.

 

We watched this as part of our education in the great Indian films and to see some of the great actors of Bollywood fame. I liked the acting and the poetic nature of the dialogue. I especially loved the classical Hindi dancing and singing. It really made me think of some of the big old Hollywood movies and on that basis I could understand it even better.(My review here.)

Ford v Ferrari

American car designer Carroll Shelby and the British-born driver Ken Miles work together to battle corporate interference, the laws of physics, and their own personal demons to build a revolutionary race car for Ford Motor Company and take on the dominating race cars of Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966. This is more of a character study of friendship than of following the story of the car development in a strictly truthful way. Nonetheless we all enjoyed it a lot.

Billu

This was really charming. A barber's claim to be friends with a mega-star is put to the test when a movie is shot in his small village featuring, of course, that star. We are left wondering if the barber is telling the truth and what will happen if he can manage to meet the star face-to-face.

 

I am hard put to think of another movie that successfully blends big movie glitz with thoughtful small village reality, or in other words Shah Rukh Khan's style with Irrfan Khan's. But this one pulls it off.
(My review here.)

Karan Arjun

What fun it is with Salman and Shah Rukh being murdered and reincarnated and coming home to avenge the landlord's crimes against the family. Just as mummy wanted! 

 

I especially enjoy the mother and the goddess Kali's involvement - two mothers knowing what's right, even is one of them is a bloodthirsty goddess holding a human head. Definitely for advanced Bollywood viewers. Otherwise it is just going to seem like one of those old, weird Indian movies.

Johnny Gaddaar

Vikram decides to elope with his girlfriend Mini for a better life. For this purpose he decides to steal the money collected by his business partners for a drug deal. Everything goes horribly wrong.

 

An homage to French neo-noir while being a wonderful example of that very thing. Definitely recommended and you don't have to be a Bollywood fan to appreciate this film. It is Hollywood quality, despite coming from India. (My review here.)

Sarvam Thaala

This is the tale of a young man struggling to overcome the hurdles of low caste and shallowness (and possibly his Christianity if I read some of the derogatory comments from the villain correctly) to learn classical Indian drum playing from a master artist. 

 

We all know the familiar beats of such a story but this movie hit them so well and enjoyably that this was a real crowd pleaser for our family. It's an engaging movie that an adventurous American viewer would like.  (My review here.)

Best of 2020 — Books

My top 10 picks from the over 190 books I read last year. PLUS the books I'm proudest of having read.

You may find old books here but if they're on this list, then they were new to me! In no particular order.

PERSONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT

Crime and Punishment

by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

I got through this with the help of the Close Reads Patreon episodes.  Generally riveting but not my favorite.  However, it was something I thought I'd never read so I'm happy I read it.

 

 

2020 BEST BOOKS

For the Life of the World

by Alexander Schmemann

Any Christian can get a great deal of insight and inspiration from this wonderful book. He looks at the connection between daily life and the sacraments and liturgy of the church. As a result, we are repeatedly drawn into fresh realizations about how present God is in everyday life ... and how connected that is with the liturgy.One of the most inspirational books I've ever read. 

(Full review here.)

So You Want to Be a Wizard

Diane Duane

Nita and Kit find a book that unlocks their power to be wizards. They wind up on a dangerous quest to defend good against the evil Lone Power. This is a book for kids and those parts are standard. However, Duane's world-building is stellar and that is what elevates these to the level adults can enjoy. The second half blew my mind.

(Read reviews here.)

Lincoln's Battle with God

by Stephen Mansfield

Throughout his life, Lincoln fought with God. ... On the day he was shot, Lincoln said he longed to go to Jerusalem to walk in the Savior’s steps.What was the journey that took Abraham Lincoln from outspoken atheist to a man who yearned to walk in the footsteps of Christ?

 

An even-handed telling of Lincoln's faith journey. Yes, he had one.

(My full review here.)

Miss Buncle's Book

by D.E. Stevenson

A light and delightful story about Miss Buncle who is greatly in need of money and so writes a book about the people in her village. This book causes a great uproar as people see themselves in the mirror and react with outrage or thoughtfulness, often in ways that mimic the book and changes people's lives ... including Miss Buncle's.

The Splendid and the Vile

(A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz)
by Erik Larson

Erik Larson looks at Churchill's ability to lead and inspire when things seemed hopeless, which is to say during the time before the Americans finally entered the war. He does a fantastic job of making you feel you understood those struggles, those times, and those people. By the last third of the book I was fully invested in the people and the story. In fact, I had tears of joy about the victory celebrations.

When Books Went to War

by Molly Guptill Manning

I am used to the image (probably from movies) of a WWII soldier pulling out a book to read in a spare moment, any time, anywhere. However, I didn't realize the huge effort that went into helping our soldiers' morale stay high by providing those very books. This book tells that story.

(My full review.)

Chicken Every Sunday

(My Life with Mother's Boarders)

by Rosemary Taylor

One of the boarders who ate Mother's chicken every Sunday summed it up when he said, "I was told that in your house I'd have good food and some fun." They all had fun, and they all became part of the family. 

 

When Books Went to War kept mentioning this as one of the top books the troops liked and read aloud to each other in gales of laughter. I can see why. It kind of feels like Cheaper by the Dozen but is funny in a different way. It also touches on more adult themes, albeit in completely acceptable, subtle ways because this being told through the author's childhood memories and understanding. It makes you feel as if you are in on the jokes from an adult's view.

(My review here.)

Tuyo

by Rachel Neumeier

Ryo has been left as a sacrifice in the hopes that their enemy will  allow the rest of the warband to escape into the wilds of the forest. So we start with Ryo waiting for his fate and wishing he could take back his angry words to his older brother, who’d made the painful decision to leave him. While also hoping that he doesn’t disgrace himself by buckling in the face of torture and trying to prepare himself for the upcoming encounter. However, in the event, he isn’t remotely ready for who he ends up facing…— Good Reads review 

 

I loved this old school fantasy set in a wonderfully imagined world. It was fresh, imaginative, and original.

The Square Emerald

 by Edgar Wallace

At one point Edgar Wallace was one of the top-selling mystery authors in England. His books often have ridiculously complicated plots and big twists. 

 

What a delight this was. Edgar Wallace often writes strong, intelligent women as side characters or, in the case of a favorite of mine - Angel of Terror - villainesses, but here we have a true female detective driving the story. In fact, this was very female-centric because the villain is also a woman.

(Read reviews here.)

Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture

Inspired by Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI), this series's commentary is composed solely of very readable pieces of the Church fathers on the scriptures. This is an ecumenical venture with editors coming from Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish backgrounds.

 

 I've been using the one on the first half of the Book of Psalms and one on the Gospel of Mark. Both are extraordinary commentaries.

 (More info here)

New Year’s Day in San Francisco’s Chinatown

New Year’s Day in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Theodore Wores, 1881

2020's best gift

No need to sum up 2020 except to say that we have been blessed in this year of pandemic with good health, continuing work, and having our immediate family all around us. Once the library opened up for pickup of books we were fairly well taken care of.

I certainly am able to count my blessings in more concrete terms than ever before. Here's the biggest one — our grandson Andy! He's just over 2 months old now and we have the great privilege of providing daycare a couple of days every week. So we get to see him grow and learn about the world.

Andy, Christmas Day 2020

Waxwings

 

Waxwings, taken by Remo Savisaar

24 — Time Travel, South Indian Style

A scientist invents a time machine but his evil twin brother is after it and will go to any lengths to get the device in his hands.

We can't get enough Suriya. Luckily director/writer Vikram Kumar knew that and cast him in a triple role in this movie. Suriya played the inventor, the evil twin brother, and the inventor's grown son. He was so good that I kept forgetting it was one actor instead of three, which is saying something. 

I wish Christopher Nolan watched 24 before he did Tenent. Nolan only wishes he knew how to explain a complex time travel plot the way this did. I really loved the way VK carried off 24's complicated plot which called back to every little thing that was used at the beginning of the film. VK didn't miss a trick. 

It's at least half an hour too long and a slow starter which is often the case for Indian films. The love story was odd, partly because they didn't give Samantha enough to do except stand around looking adorable. However, there was also an odd stalker-ish element to the funny way the guy was keeping her interested in him. I don't think it played that way in India at all, but eventually it seemed a bit mean.

This phrase has been used in our home by everyone more than once by now - the morning after viewing - "I'm a watch mechanic. This is child's play to me." It gets funnier each time you see it in the movie and we love it. 

Rating — Introduction to Bollywood (come on in, the water's fine!)

Chicken Every Sunday by Rosemary Taylor

One of the boarders who ate Mother's chicken every Sunday summed it up when he said, "I was told that in your house I'd have good food and some fun." They all had fun, and they all became part of the family -- Jeffrey, who lost his front teeth and won his independence, Rita Vlasak, who loved anything in pants, including Father, Miss Sally, who loved Miss Sally and cold cream, the Lathams, who bought a mine, and even the hell-bent-for-heaven Woolleys, who were sure God had sent the skunk to hide under the house because the family didn't go to church on Sunday. If you have room for some fun and old-fashioned enjoyment, Mother's sure to have room for you.

When Books Went to War kept mentioning this as one of the top books the troops liked and read aloud to each other in gales of laughter. I can see why. It kind of feels like Cheaper by the Dozen but is funny in a different way. It also touches on more adult themes, albeit in completely acceptable, subtle ways because this being told through the author's childhood memories and understanding. It makes you feel as if you are in on the jokes from an adult's view.

There is a whole chapter on what Mother fed the boarders and another on the way the family made their boarders part of the family. That must have felt like a wonderful touch of home to men in very difficult conditions. Other chapters were equally fun but managed to make the boarding house a window into unusual situations with twists you only read about in O'Henry stories like buying shares in a goldmine tracking a possible German spy, dealing with a millionaire's eccentric mother-in-law, and more.

I really enjoyed this and am considering tracking down a copy for my own library.

2021 Book and Movie Challenge

It's been a while since I've challenged myself with a big list of books and movies to read in the upcoming year. But lately I've had an urge to tackle War and Peace. Maybe it's because reading all Dickens left me with a taste for big books. Maybe it's because I read Crime and Punishment last year and so I'm not as afraid of Russian authors as I used to be. 

Whatever the reason, it took me back to the days when I'd put together a list at the beginning of every year and see how I did.

I'm keeping it as short as I can because I already know I've got some big reads coming up next year. Scott and I are going to tackle The Epic of Gilgamesh and Gone with the Wind over at the podcast. The Close Reads podcast is going to take on Anna Karenina on their Patreon feed so that will help pull me along (they are why I was able to read Crime and Punishment this year). And my Catholic women's book club always keeps my reading list pretty full. 

Plus some of the books below are real doozies. But they are all doozies I'm interesting in giving a fair trial to and possibly getting all the way through.

(Titles are marked in red when finished, with a few words on how they hit me.)

• War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (Anthony Briggs translation) — because it's there. Result – I just couldn't care about any of the characters although I was 250 pages in. That was reason enough to stop reading.
  
  
• Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell — I loved the movie. Let's see if the book is as good or even better! Result - no. No it isn't. I got 50 pages in and gave up.
  
  
• Moved to next year — Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry — everyone's told me to read this. Time to stop fighting them. We will be reading this for a 2022 discussion on A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast so I will wait until then for the McMurtry experience!
  
  
• The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco — Did not read. I gave this a very fair trial - to page 250 but in the end the insanely detailed immersion in medieval things did me in. I no longer cared who killed those monks. I just wanted out of that nutty abbey!
  
  
• Cannery Row by John Steinbeck — the Novel Conversations podcast made this sound light and fun as opposed to Steinbeck's usual doom and gloom. So I'm trying it. Result — it was more a series of vignettes than an actual novel. Not bad but nothing I cared about much.
  
  
• A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles — another one that's been recommended  a lot and the last time it finally sounded good to me for some reason. Result — I loved this book. My review is here.
  
  
• North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell — the book I've fought hardest against in recent years. Let's see if my instincts were right or wrong. Result — Both the plot and the characters got more interesting once Elizabeth was established in Milford though I did find the romance tiring after a while. It is a book I can imagine rereading in the future although not nearly as eagerly as I look forward to reading my beloved Dickens. Elizabeth Gaskell was soooooo serious, without much to lighten the mood, and that got tiring also. However, good enough and I'm glad I read it.
  
  
• And It Was Good by Madeleine L'Engle — Did not read. This was from the early 1980s and showed it in the way L'Engle is noodling around with thoughts about faith and religion and personal approaches. Most of it was unexceptional and, I must admit, occasionally inspiring. However, there was enough of a New Agey feel and approach that made it feel just relativist enough that it kept kicking me out of the book mentally.
  
  
• Wilding by Isabella Tree — been wanting to read this since I read the WSJ review. Enjoyed this, especially the bits following the author and her husband as they reintroduced animals as like the original  ecosystem as possible and watched what happened. A lot of what happened was unexpected. (Fuller review at Goodreads.)
  


• Sailing to Sarantium by Guy Gavriel Kay — a very recent recommendation from a podcast listener. Result - 50 pages in I realized that I just didn't care about a gigantic Roman alternate history story.
  
  
• Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts: Twelve Journeys into the Medieval World by Christopher de Hamel — this was a gift some time ago but I haven't done more than sample it. This is the year to read it all! I read this very slowly but enjoyed meeting each manuscript and the window it gave into earlier ages.
  

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Further reading inspired by the book challenge, in a way:

• Les Miserables — I've not been able to read so many big books that when I watched Les Mis and loved it yet again, then I wanted to try the book again. By judiciously using my expert skimming skills to skip things like the history of the convent and multiple chapters on Waterloo, I'm loving it.
  
  FINAL REPORT: It took three months and so much skimming but I'm glad I read it, although I will never read it again. And I'm very impressed that the Les Miserables movie (Hugh Jackman) did such a good job of carrying through important characters and themes. In fact, if I hadn't seen the movie about 5 times I would occasionally have gotten lost in the novel. As it was, I was fascinated at the places where the plots diverged between the two with both still carrying the same message. In fact, I wound up being surprised that the movie's ending was so overtly religious when the book handled religious elements in that spot with much less emphasis.

• William Wyler — we're slowly working our way through this director's filmography. We're up to Wuthering Heights and will see how far we get this year. My personal challenge here is not to skip any (such as Wuthering Heights, for example).
  
  
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) starring Lon Chaney — this has been on my list ever since reading Joseph's review. Result — Lon Chaney is why I wanted to watch this and he rewarded my viewing with a stellar performance as Quasimodo. I also enjoy a good epic historical film and this also hit that target. This movie challenge has hooked on silent films so much that I'm looking for other silent movies to try when these choices are all done.
  
  
• The Rules of the Game directed by Jean Renoir (son of the painter) — a classic that has been mentioned many times in our house by Rose. I want to know why. Result — Another of the best movies ever made that I don't love as much as I should.
  
  
• The Man Who Laughs — another classic mentioned by Rose a lot. Result — an enjoyable over-the top melodrama with the little grotesque, off-kilter touches that German expressionism did so well. Conrad Veidt was fantastic in the title role since his expressions had to be done solely with his eyes and forehead.
  
  
• Metropolis — a classic mentioned by everyone! Result — This movie was nuts. And I mean that in a good way. Starting with a sexy robot, mad scientist, and lots more. See my review here.
  
  
• The Phantom of the Opera (1925) — I really didn't like the modern musical. This surely has to be better! Also, some review (I can't remember where from) loved it. Not as good as Hunchback, but Chaney was still amazing.
  

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Further viewing inspired by the movie challenge since it turns out that I'm hooked on silent movies now:

• It — not the "it" you think. This is the silent movie that made Clara Bow the "It Girl." A cultural phenomenon.
  
• The Haunted Carriage — I've wanted to see this ever since reading about it years ago. The library finally has a copy. Also silent. Simply stunning drama, which is not what I expected from a 100 year old Swedish silent movie. My review here.
  
• Sherlock, Jr. — the original meta film, maybe? 1925 silent Buster Keaton film.
• The Adventures of Prince Achmed — A very creative and fun telling of an Arabian Nights style fairy tale done by a German female director. The use of detailed, intricate silhouettes was expert, with a lot of stop motion movement which was very smooth. Really impressive and the first animated feature length movie (no matter what Disney says).
• The Lodger — the most famous of Alfred Hitchcock's silent films, based on a famous story by Marie Lowndes. Artfully shot and told, with a surprisingly modern vibe for a lot of it. It grabs you from the first shot. The story is nothing new to the modern mind almost a hundred years later but it was quite suspenseful at a few moments when we were genuinely unsure who the serial killer might be. If you know Hitchcock's favorite themes and style already then it is a real pleasure to see how well he expresses them here.
   

Raazi

 

A daughter. A wife. A spy.

The film is an adaptation of Harinder Sikka's 2008 novel Calling Sehmat, a true account of an Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) agent who, upon her father's request, is married into a family of military officials in Pakistan to relay information to India, prior to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

Last week after referencing Raazi in the Sarvam Thaala Mayam review, I was stunned to see that I never mentioned it here. So let's make up for that now, shall we?

It's a riveting spy thriller with nuanced screenplay and performances. We were on the edge of our seats.

It also introduced us to a time in Indian history which helped explain a lot of the attitude toward Pakistan which we've seen in other movies, so that prompted us to go look up events surrounding this time period. So it was educational as well. It was also our introduction to Alia Bhatt who is very talented.

Simply excellent.

Rating — Introduction to Bollywood (come on in, the water's fine!)

Sarvam Thaala Mayam (Rhythm is Everywhere)

 

A mridangam maker's son, who aspires to learn the instrument from a maestro and become a mridangam player, has to cross social and personal barriers to reach his goal.

This is the tale of a young man struggling to overcome the hurdles of low caste and shallowness (and possibly his Christianity if I read some of the derogatory comments from the villain correctly) to learn classical Indian drum playing from a master artist. 

 The young star was good and I especially enjoyed his journey to learn the rhythm of world in the second half. The final competition on reality TV was a lot of fun. I loved the call and response with the audience. I was also impressed with the effect of the mastery of the mridangam. Who knew such a simple looking instrument could be such a versatile instrument?

I'm always interested when Indian films feature classical music because it is so very different from anything we in the West would identify as classical. I first came across this in Raazi where the young husband and wife bonded over classical Indian records. I really liked the way that the contrast between progress and mastery, discovery and command were displayed through the guru and the student. This was greatly aided by the fact that the master was depicted by an Indian master actor (think Jack Nicholson fame here) and the student by an accomplished musician (who also is a good actor).

We all know the familiar beats of such a story but this movie hit them so well and enjoyably that this was a real crowd pleaser for our family. It's an engaging movie that an adventurous American viewer would like.  

Rating — Introduction to Bollywood (come on in, the water's fine!)

Psalm 4 — Deliverance and Thanksgiving

If after being deeply troubled, you cried out to the Lord and your prayer was heard and now you wish to give thanks, sing Psalm 4.

Athanasius, On the Interpretation of the Psalms 15

This is another lament but one that caught my attention with the lines:

Be angry, but sin not; 
commune with your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. 
Selah.

I like that acknowledgment that you can be angry. It is what you do with your anger that matters here. "Do not sin." And work it out in your heart (and in prayer). The "Selah" gives us the time to ponder that a bit, as we discussed in Psalm 3. The prize of the commentary on anger below comes from Jerome.

I also really like the points made about "hear my prayer." It signals a real honesty and personal relationship with God. We forget that, even in the far off days of the Old Testament, there were real people striving to know and love God better. I love finding evidence of it.

David is depicted as a psalmist in this 1860 woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld

4:2 Hear My Prayer

The imperative "Hear!" is regularly used as a call to attention. It means something like my old football coach's call, "Listen up, men!" It is the opening word of the traditional call to worship of the Jewish faith and provides the title by which it is known—the Shema: "Hear, O Israel. The Lord our god, the Lord is one" (Deut. 6:4). It is more than just a call to hear; it is also a call to respond in obedience. While this expression may seem a little presumptuous to use in addressing God, the psalmist is surely awre that Yahweh is free to act or not to act as he pleases. But in the midst of distress, the psalmist approaches God in no uncertain terms. The niceties of prerogatives and rank are set aside, and the psalmist approaches Yahweh directly, demanding his active response.

Psalms Volume 1 (The NIV Application Commentary)

4:4 Be Angry But Do Not Sin

Moderation Beneficial for Human Society. Lactantius: When he enjoined us to be angry and yet not to sin, it is plain that he did not tear up anger by the roots but restrained it, that in every correction we might preserve moderation and justice. ... For he has enjoined those things that are just and useful for the interests of society. Treatise on the Anger of God

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Especially Applicable to Rulers. Ambrose: He is not commanding us to be angry but making allowances for human nature. The anger that we cannot help feeling we can at least moderate. So, even if we are angry, our emotions may be stirred in accordance with nature, but we must not sin, contrary to nature. If someone cannot govern himself, it is intolerable that he should undertake to govern others. Letter 63

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The Christian Response. Jerome: To be angry is human; to put an end to one's anger is Christian. Letter 130

Psalms 1-50 (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture)

Sources are here and an index of psalm posts is here.