Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen - I tried to start this one last year, but didn't push through the early pages enough to get into it. Once I got past the very beginning, it ended up being a fairly quick read. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't nearly as satisfying of a story for me as Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice were. I just didn't connect with the characters as much. Still worth the read, but not my favorite.
A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle - I was surprised by how many abstract themes and ideas were in this "children's book." Also, I'm so used to today's anti-religion sentiments, that I was surprised to find it so clearly a part of the message. My favorite part was toward the end, when life is compared to a sonnet.
"In your language you have a form of poetry called the sonnet...It is a very strict form of poetry is it not? There are fourteen lines, all in iambic pentameter. And each line has to end with a rigid rhyme pattern. And if the poet does not do it exactly this way, it is not a sonnet, is it? But within this strict form the poet as complete freedom to say whatever he wants, doesn't he?
You're comparing our lives to a sonnet? A strict form, but freedom within it?
Yes. You're given the form, but you have to write the sonnet yourself. What you say is completely up to you."
Out of the Silent Planet, by C.S. Lewis - This was a very philosophical piece of fiction. Although it's a very short book, it took me a while to read because the story line doesn't "suck you in" like other novels. Reading it took much more thought, but I definitely enjoyed it. These were a few of my favorite quotes from it. C. S. Lewis always has such profound insight.
"The darkness in your own mind filled you with fear."
"A pleasure is full grown only when it is remembered. You are speaking as if the pleasure were one thing and the memory were another. It is all one thing. What you call remembering is the last part of the pleasure."
"I do not think the forest would be so bright, nor the water so warm, nor love so sweet, if there were no danger in the lakes...There I drank life because death was in the pool."
"The best of drinks is death itself because in the day I drink it I go to Maledil."
Lying in Weight, by Trisha Gura - A look at how eating disorders affect women at various stages in their lives, past adolescence. Having a few of my closest friends seriously struggle with eating disorders of their own, and seeing how prevalent it is among girls, I wanted to understand and learn more about them. The book had a nice combination of personal experiences as well as research and scientific study to support its claims. Very eye opening and well written.
The Infinite Atonement, by Tad R. Callister - While reading the Book of Mormon together, Julia asked me to read this with her as well. I would say this is widely considered a classic among LDS literature, and I can see why. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the very center of our faith and religion, and as such, Brother Callister reminds us of the responsibility we have to study and try to understand it. It's beautifully written. I enjoyed reading it, and definitely learned and expanded my understanding through it.
All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience, by Neal A. Maxwell - This is the first I've really read of Maxwell, and he quickly became a favorite. Everything he writes is so rich and poetic. Each time I would sit down to read I had to remind myself that I couldn't mark every single line or that would defeat the purpose of highlighting. It was a quick, yet profound read for me, and made me eager to read more of his (many) books.
Perelandra, by C.S. Lewis - This second book in the Space Trilogy had even less of a story line than the first. I did enjoy it, but much more of the writing was spent in describing the unique surroundings of this new world and in long conversation. Probably my least favorite of the trilogy. But again, it was full of C. S. Lewis's simple, yet profound insights. Here's a few of my favorites.
"I realise it's all rather too vague for you to put into words." "On the contrary, it is words that are vague. The reason why the thing can't be expressed is that it's too definite for language." - I think this is a beautiful description of some of my most personal, treasured, and sacred moments in life.
"You could send your soul after the good you had expected, instead of turning it to the good you had got. You could refuse the real good; you cold make the real fruit taste insipid by thinking of the other." - This is a principle that has come to have great meaning to me personally. The importance of trusting the Lord's will over your own, of trusting Him as the gardener in your life and finding joy in what He gives you, rather than what you had planned on or hoped for.
"What the Un-man said was always very nearly true." - Such an important reminder about the lies of the adversary.
Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis - Fantastic book. So many quotes and phrases that I marked and could share.
Like this one on charity: "I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small."
Or his discussions on our "raw material." "Human beings judge one another by their external actions. God judges them by their moral choices...Some of us who seem quite nice people may, in fact, have made so little use of a good heredity and a good upbringing that we are really worse than those whom we regard as fiends...We see only the results which a man's choices make out of his raw material. But God does not judge him on the raw material at all, but on what he has done with it." - This one really hit home for me. When I look back at my life, I feel like I've been given about the best "raw material" a person can be given - I was blessed with so many of the ideals that everyone else dreams of. And that puts on me a great responsibility to use it well. I think this was my biggest take away from this book, a deep sense of importance of using well all that I have been given.
That Hideous Strength, by C.S. Lewis - The final book in the Space Trilogy, and my favorite. Even though it's way longer than the first two books, I read this one the fastest because it was much more like typical novels in it's plot and character development. Although the ending wasn't completely satisfying for me, I really enjoyed the story. And even though it was written more like your average novel, it was still a C. S. Lewis book, and therefore full of philosophical and theological gems. Although it took me a while to realize the irony of the acronym of the "enemy's" institution, the N.I.C.E. haha.
"I suppose there are two views about everything." "Eh? Two views? There are a dozen views about everything until you know the answer. Then there's never more than one."
"...his education had had the curious effect of making things that he read and wrote more real to him than things he saw. Statistics about agricultural laborers were the substance; any real ditcher, ploughman, or farmer's boy, was the shadow."
"Isn't it absolutely essential to keep a fierce Left and a fierce Right, both on their toes and each terrified of the other? Any opposition to the N.I.C.E. is represented as a Left racket in the Right papers and a Right racket in the Left papers." "I don't believe you can do that. Not with the papers that are read by educated people." "Haven't you realised that it's the other way around? It's the educated reader who CAN be gulled. All our difficulty comes with the others. When did you meet a workman who believes the papers? He takes it for granted they're all propaganda and skips the leading articles. He is our problem. We have to recondition him. But the educated public don't need reconditioning. They're all right already. They'll believe anything."
"...obedience and rule are more like a dance than a drill."
"It is enough for the present. This is the courtesy of Deep Heaven: that when you mean well, He always takes you to have meant better than you knew. It will not be enough for always. But for tonight, it is enough."
Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen - Compared to her other novels, this felt like a fun, silly story. It follows a naive girl whose world-view is largely based off of her home life and popular novels that she has read. Consequently, she tends to assume much more dramatic, gothic themed reasons and intentions than are really true as she leaves home for the first time. The ending wrapped up rather quickly without much story telling, but overall I really enjoyed it.
C.S. Lewis - A Life, by Alister McGrath - After reading so much of his work, I wanted to know more about him as a person! This biography just happened to be the most popular one our library had, so I grabbed it. And it was a pretty good one. There were some great quotes from Lewis, as well as some good lines from the biographer.
"Whenever you are fed up with life, start writing: ink is the great cure for all human ills, as I have found out long ago." - Lewis
"'A young man who wishes to remain a sound Athiest cannot be too careful of his reading. There are traps everywhere.' Lewis's reading of the classics of English Literature forced him to encounter and evaluate the ideas and attitudes that they embodied and expressed. And to his chagrin, Lewis began to realise that those who were grounded on a Christian outlook seemed to offer the most resilient and persuasive treaty with reality." - This one made me laugh. :)
"Christianity tells a true story about humanity, which makes sense of all the stories that humanity tells about itself."
"That was how Lewis and Tolkien expanded their horizons: through books, through friends, and through friends discussing books."
"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." - Lewis
The Screwtape Letters, by C. S. Lewis - I almost got stuck in the middle of this one, because there's not really a plot to follow through, it's almost more like a collection of narrative essays on various topics. But, as always, there was so much truth and insight to be found in it.
We Were Not Alone, by Patricia Reece Roper and Karola Hilbert Reece - This is the story of an LDS family's survival of World War II in Berlin, Germany. It was a very quick read - just over 200 pages - but a very stirring one as well - I finished it in two days because I didn't want to put it down. Reading about the faith of this family in the midst of the horrors of war and the miracles they witnessed in their times of need was amazing. Truly inspiring and definitely one I'd recommend.
Sky, by Hanneke Ippisch - Ok, this was a SUPER quick read - as in, I finished it in a couple of hours. But it was really good. It's the author's account of her experiences in Holland during WWII. She was a teenager when Holland was occupied by the Germans, and began working with the Dutch Resistance. I got on a bit of a WWII kick and enjoyed reading another perspective.
A Distant Prayer, by Joseph Banks and Jerry Borrowman - Another WWII, haha. This one is the personal account of an LDS airman who was shot down over enemy territory and became a POW. As with any WWII book, lots of eye opening and heart rending experiences.
The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom - Sheri recommended it to me when I told her I was on a WWII kick, and I am so grateful she did! The example of Christian courage, and the enduring faith and hope of her family to see God is all of their circumstances, including the extremely unfavorable, was so motivating and empowering. Beautiful, beautiful true story.
The Dawning of a Brighter Day: The Church in Black Africa, by Alexander B. Morrison - A neat read about the great faith of the Saints in Africa despite their difficult circumstances.
Saints - I felt like I learned so much about church history from this! And the narrative format made it so enjoyable. I'm excited to read the following volumes.
Catch Me If You Can, by Frank Abagnale Jr. - This guy's story is just crazy...seriously. He was so gutsy and confident and had some crazy good luck...followed by some unimaginably horrid consequences. Very fun and interesting read.
Man's Search for Meaning, by Viktor E. Frankl - Again, I enjoyed hearing another's perspective and experiences from WWII. So much pain and suffering by so many.
Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type, by Isabel Briggs Meyers and Peter B. Meyers - I thoroughly enjoyed this one. To me, personality type is a way to better understand and relate to the people around me, and this really added to the depth of my understanding. There are so many people that I initially feel like I just don't get, and this gives me the tools to see things from their perspective and try and relate.
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens - If you've seen any of the movie adaptations of this, you've basically read the book! It's a short enough and classic enough story that most adaptations really do follow the book well. It was fun to actually read it though, especially at Christmastime.
Things as They Really Are, by Neal A. Maxwell - As always, full of poetic and insightful one liners and paragraphs. I really enjoy Elder Maxwell's work.
Books that I started but didn't finish:
News of the World, by Pauline Jiles - I just couldn't get into it. The story line interested me, but the writing style felt super weird. There were no quotations around the dialogue, and it got confusing separating conversation from people's inner voices.
"Not My Will, But Thine", by Neal A. Maxwell - A good one, I just got caught up with other books that I was reading, so I'm finishing it now.
A Disciple's Life, by Bruce C. Hafen - The biography of Elder Maxwell. It begins with a pivotal life event, and then goes into a chronological biography, which kind of threw me off. And then of course the story of his parents and grandparents was covered before delving into his life. So I wasn't as drawn in as the other books I was reading at the time. I'm finishing it now though, and am absolutely enjoying it. I've discovered a real love for biographies.
Isaiah in the Book of Mormon - I'm not sure I'll ever get around to finishing this one. It's a collection of different essays and work by scholars on Isaiah. I've appreciated what I've learned so far, it's just a little dense to get through.
