Sunday Salon: When Goals Collide

At the end of 2009, I set for myself the goal of reading mostly from my shelves in 2010. The main reason for this is that I have so many unread books in my house. The only way to keep myself from drowning in a sea of unread books is to read them and then [...]

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The Hobbit

As many of you know, Eva, Maree, Clare, and I are co-hosting a readalong of The Lord of the Rings this year. January was Hobbit month. I’ve been reading a chapter or two each day during lunch and finally finished this week. Although my most ardent Tolkien-y passions are reserved for the main trilogy, The [...]

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Traveling With Books

In a week and a half, I’m headed to France for a month. I’m taking students on a study-abroad tour sponsored by my university: the students will be in France for a whole semester, and I am with them for the first leg of the trip, in Alsace. During my part of the trip, the [...]

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Family Matters

In beautiful, diverse, tumultuous, striving Bombay, the three children of Nariman Vakeel live in two homes. Chateau Felicity, a large, rambling apartment, houses Nariman himself, as well as his middle-aged stepchildren Jal and Coomy. Pleasant Villa, a few miles away, is the tiny and crowded apartment home of Nariman’s daughter Roxanne, her husband Yezaad, and their [...]

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Sunday Salon: Reading “the Other”

Over the last few weeks, I’ve had something on my mind. It’s been there, in the back of my head, something I’ve been musing about, but a couple of recent events put it in the forefront. First, I’ve just completed a course of Global Perspectives in Missions and Ministry at the seminary where I take [...]

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Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (audio)

Can other people’s beliefs about us affect our beliefs about ourselves? Can a perfect stranger be a perfect friend? In the world of Miss Pettigrew, yes—for a day anyway. The story begins when Miss Pettigrew’s employment agency sends her to a luxurious London flat to inquire about a position as a governess. Alone and friendless, [...]

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Levitation

A few months ago, I read The Puttermesser Papers, by Cynthia Ozick. Those were five linked short stories about the ordinary life and fantastic times of Ruth Puttermesser, a civil servant in New York, and I rated it one of the best books I read in 2009. I immediately wanted to read more by Ozick: [...]

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Testament

Ah, the “time slip” novel. A bit of history for education, a bit of the modern-day for relatability, and a bit of mystery to keep you going. I can see why these novels are popular. It’s a perfect formula, and I find the concept nearly irresistible. But, alas, only Possession by A.S. Byatt has managed to [...]

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Island Magic

It is 1888. Rachell du Frocq and her family — her husband and five children, the only five who survived — have lived at their home in the Channel Islands, Bon Repos, for the past sixteen years. Bon Repos, ancient, warm, flowered and strong, is a bulwark, both against the wild storms of the Channel, [...]

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LOTR Readalong: The Hobbit Update

Today we are just over halfway through the first month of the Lord of the Rings readalong, and it’s time for an update. Eva, our host for this month, has posted some discussion questions and a Mr. Linky. Go check out her post to see what others have to say about The Hobbit and to [...]

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