Part One: A Training Ground for the Young In the Dresden Files short story collection Brief Cases there is a short story titled “Zoo Day” in which Harry takes his daughter Maggie to the zoo. The story is divided into three parts, the first narrated by Harry, the second by Maggie, and the third by […]
The Witch’s Brat by Rosemary Sutcliff This is one of those books whose title will put off some readers before they even open the book or find out what it’s about. The story actually has almost nothing at all to do with witches and much more to do with monks. The title character is a […]
To the person who asked me how I “handle the racism and derogatory imagery of natives & savages” in the Swallows and Amazons series with my children. First, as to the word “savages”, I first define it and give its etymology, like I do with many words we encounter that I want to discuss like […]
1. Green Dolphin Street by Elizabeth Goudge Several friends had recommended Green Dolphin Street to me, but it took a while to get around to it. Now I wonder what I was waiting for. I had it out from the library and by the time I was halfway through I’d bought a copy to keep. […]
“Late have I loved thee, Oh Beauty, ever ancient, ever new: late have I loved thee! For behold, you called to me, and broke upon my deafness. You sent forth your beams and shone upon me and chased away my blindness. You breathed your fragrance upon me, and I drew breath and now pant for […]
Earlier this year I gave Sophie a copy of The Neverending Story for her birthday. She promptly devoured it and Bella did likewise. Now I’m reading it to the younger three– and Sophie is listening in and enjoying hearing it read by me. (Bella sometimes listens in but often goes off to read her own […]
1. Cold Days by Jim Butcher Number 14 in the Dresden Files series. In which Harry becomes the Winter Knight and learns some big things and doesn’t get killed. Finally some more Demonreach payoff. And more big answers about fairies. I really liked what went down in this book in terms of the world building […]
Just a few things I’ve stumbled across in recent weeks, I’m not sure if it really makes sense to stick them all together. But I keep thinking about human dignity and about how the way we speak can tear down or build up the dignity of other people. In my mind at least these three […]
In Green Dolphin Street, Elizabeth Goudge’s novel set partly in the Channel Islands in the 1830s there’s a marvelous scene in which a young girl meets an elderly nun which illustrates the power of intercessory prayer in a powerful and poetic way. Young Marguerite wanders into a forbidden bay while on a picnic with her […]
In which I return to Dresden Files #15, Skin Game, to look more closely at a couple of scenes. The usual disclaimers apply. I do nothing to avoid spoilers in my close readings of these novels and if you will be bothered at the revelation of major plot points of Skin Game and possibly previous […]