Quick Review: Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ray Bradbury was the favorite author of my youth. I discovered The Martian Chronicles and Fahrenheit 451 when I was eight or ten and started working my way through everything the library had by Bradbury. This book struck me especially vividly. Perhaps I was just the right age though I never lived in a small town or went to a carnival. The story is so vividly told and so jam packed with wonder and poetry and joy and horror and amazement. Rereading it now some thirty years later, it still thrills and delights. Lasting through time is surely a sign of greatness.

The story is about two boys, Will Holloway and Jim Nightshade, who are best friends in a small Illinois town. One day in late October a lightning rod salesman comes, warns them of a coming storm and gives them a rod to protect Jim's house. That night a mysterious train brings Cooger and Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show to town. It seems like a benign carnival come far too late in the season, with Halloween approaching. Evil things are afoot as the boys discover the more sinister side of the side shows.

The book is more than an adventure story. It's more than a coming of age story. It's more than a fantastical horror novel. It deals with old age--Will's dad is also a major character who comes to blows with his advanced years (or so he thinks of the 54 he's had) in the same way the boys confront their looming manhood and soon-to-be-lost freedom of boyhood. The story looks at temptation in many forms and the importance of joy in overcoming evil. It is a rich and full novel that definitely rewards multiple readings. I can't wait to share it with my son when he is old enough.

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Also, check out the commentary on A Good Story is Hard To Find! 

Book Review: Ut Unum Sint by John Paul II

UT Unum Sint: On Commitment to Ecumenism by Pope John Paul II
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This encyclical from 1995 is both a great recap of the efforts of the Catholic Church in fostering ecumenism since the Second Vatican Council and a deep meditation on the importance and necessity of working for the reintegration of Christian denominations so that we may all be one in God as Jesus prays in John 17. The two keys are (1) to desire unity with the pureness of heart found in genuine Love and (2) to seek the truth about others and ourselves and God and the bible. No small order, but that is what we are called to. The encyclical is very inspiring and is intended not only for church leaders at the highest levels but for all Christians, for we are all called to unity in Christ.

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Quick Review: Listen My Son

Listen My Son: St. Benedict for Fathers by Dwight Longenecker


This is a book of daily meditations, a style I usually don't like because of the daily commitment and the typical brevity of the reflections in such books. I'm not good with finding a regular time in the day for the reading (which is a little ridiculous since it takes no more than five minutes) and in other books I've found the reflections either too vague or too insipid. Someone recommended this book to me, so I am giving it a go. I'm about a month into it and find it delightful and edifying.

The author uses the Rule of St. Benedict, a 1500 year old book written by the founder of western monasticism, to draw a parallel between being the head of a monastery and the head of a family. Each day, he quotes a paragraph or two of St. Benedict and then comments on the writing and how it applies to fathers of families today. The content is refreshingly concrete and inspiring.

For example, early on Benedict discusses the four types of monks: those who live in community in a monastery under an abbot, those who live alone as a hermit after preparation in a monastery, those who live on their own under their own spiritual direction (really bad), and those who wander from monastery to monastery submitting to no rule but their own will (even worse). The author applies this to a father's life by looking at how most people need to be part of a community that nurtures them in faith, even when it might seem boring or rote. He also discusses how "church shopping" is really destructive of genuine faith, because one's own judgment becomes the measure of what's best and the form of worship becomes more important than the content.

The meditations last for about four months, with recommended starting dates of May 2, September 1 or January 1. I'll probably complete this review in September.

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Quick Review: The Sadness of Christ by St. Thomas More

The Sadness of Christ by Thomas More

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book is a collection of writings from St. Thomas More during his imprisonment in the Tower of London before he was executed. The main text is "The Sadness of Christ," a spiritual reflection on the gospel accounts of Jesus and his apostles in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before He died. Also included are a collection of scriptural quotes and reflections, Imploring Divine Help Against Temptation, How to Treat Those Who Wrong Us, On Saving One's Life, A Meditation on Detachment, and A Prayer Before Dying.

I read this book as spiritual reading for the end of Lent, that is, during Holy Week. I found it very inspirational and instructive. More has very down to earth advice on prayer and is quite emphatic on prayer's importance in resisting temptation and fulfilling God's Will. The need for focus is brought out in the contrast between the sleepy apostles who want to do good but don't follow through and Judas who wants to do an evil and is quite focused and ready. More points out that this is a constant problem in the history of the church. The good clergy (bishops and priests) don't act with fervor and determination while those who want to bring the Church down are focused and energized. Luckily, with Jesus's example, the good people can overcome the lethargy to which they are tempted by using prayer and accepting of God's will. More brings this out quite well by noting how Jesus turns from His fearful prayer for this cup to pass to His astounding the crowd of armed men so much with His courage that they fall back away from Him.

There are lots of great spiritual nuggets in here. I will be reading this again next year for Holy Week!



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Taken Home from the Library

Last week Jacob made it through another craft and came out smiling. The theme of pajama time was Grandparents. The craft was a hug:

The barely visible text is "I love you this much!"

Jacob tried to model it for me when he got home:

Check out the heart hiding behind the left hand!

It's a little big to hold out easily but he was very proud. He hasn't decided which grandparent to give it to. Possibly he'll forget about it before he sees any of them.

The day after Jacob's craft, I received an email from the staff at East Columbia. I had been participating in the summer reading program, submitting the titles I've been reading along with short reviews. At the end of the summer, they drew for prizes, and I won a tote bag full of books and other fun items:

What a haul!

Six books, three post-it note pads, a reading light, a lanyard, two CDs of audio book samples, a notebook, a key ring, a free ticket to Toby's Dinner Theater, a bookmark, a carbine clip, and (of course) a tote bag. Pretty awesome! I'll definitely participate next year.

Lucy's new habits

Now that Lucy has passed the one year mark, she is trying out new things. First, she is following in her mother's footsteps and is starting to grab as many books as she can. Here Lucy is trying to decide which book she will consume next:

Since I can't read yet, I guess I'll just chew

We went to the library today. For the first time, she got more books than Jacob did. Oddly enough, I checked out items for Lucy, Jacob, and Angie but nothing for me. As Jacob says, "Oh well, maybe next time." Though he usually says that about sitting on the potty and not having anything to show for it.

Lucy is also crawling around like crazy. She can pull herself up to standing on furniture, cabinets and knees. Sometimes she pulls herself up on the back of your knees which makes it awkward to lift her (which is what she really wants). She'll cruise around on the furniture when there's something she wants, like a toy Jacob is playing with. I'm sure walking is only weeks away.

You'd pick me up, wouldn't you?

She's begun the habit of sticking everything in her mouth except for food. Consider what she did with this scoop:

She kept blowing it out, maybe expecting some musical note like she gets from the recorder. Hopefully we'll snag some video of her playing the recorder. So far she only has one note down but can vary the volume quite a bit.

Today's lunch required that I tempt her to open her mouth with a cheerio while I snuck in a spoonful of veggies and meat mixed together. I did giver her the cheerio after each bite. I think of it like a chaser. What does Lucy think of it? If only she'd start using words. Maybe next meal.

Latest Obsessions

On our previously mentioned trip to the library, Jacob found a book that he fell in love with, so we brought it home with us. The book is My First Things That Go, which features a multitude of transportation options from toy cars to aircraft carriers and hot air balloons, as you might guess from the cover:

It seemed like a harmless enough book in the library. Now that it is home, it is practically the only book he wants to read. In fact, he likes to read it again as soon as he finishes it. Angie accused me of sabotaging her by getting the book on a Friday and having Jacob read it with her all weekend long. All I can say is I'm also having to read it again and again, so I won't be renewing this one. Good thing we didn't find it in a book store!

Jacob's other big obsession right now is a YouTube video which he watches repeatedly if he can get away with it. He calls it the "funny video" and it is pretty funny. In fact, it has a lot more replayability than the book has rereadability. Here's the video:



I do enjoy this video. Like any great work, it does reward multiple viewings. On the next (dozen or so) viewings, I plan to look for where they hid the camera's tracks or how they moved it around the extensive set. One sign of overexposure is that I am beginning to sing the song to myself. I'm not burning out on this video because Jacob watches another video of the same song with the Notre Dame marching band, which he naturally calls, "Marching band!" This video is also entertaining but not as rewatchable. If you must see it, I'm sad to report that the embed link on YouTube says
"Embedding disabled by request." Click here to see it on YouTube. If you watch, clearly one of the things that attracts Jacob is the prominence of the drums.

I wonder what Jacob's next obsession will be...

Jacob's new room

We moved Jacob into his new big boy room last week. We decided to move him early so that he wouldn't blame his sister for kicking him out of the nursery. I'm sure he'll find other things will give him cause to put the blame on her.

His new room has a toddler bed, which is about one foot high and has the same mattress as his crib. The first night he slept in it he woke up a few times and stood on the mattress as if he couldn't get out. He never could before in the crib, thanks to the bars. After a couple of daytime naps, he figured out that just because he is on the mattress doesn't mean he is stuck in bed. He can get in and out of it readily on his own now. He is super-stealthy about it as well. We often don't know he's up until he accidentally slams his door open or bangs on it when it is fully shut and he can't open it.

He has two new bookcases from Ikea for his books and toys. The books take up almost two shelves. Luckily, part of the stock is from the library so it will keep rotating and he'll always have new stories to look through. Lately, he flips through a book, puts it back on the shelf (!?!), makes the "again" sign language sign, gets the book back off the shelf and starts reading again. If we are lucky, he doesn't make us read it to him over and over.

His toys are neatly shelved for now. He has not spent a great effort in spreading them all over the room, but I am sure the day will come. We are hoping to find a train set for him to play with. Thomas the Tank Engine is one of his favorites, so we are on the watch at craigslist. Also, we think he is ready for Duplo blocks, so we'll keep an eye out for those as well. I went to a couple of garage sales and a flea market yesterday, but only found a toy elephant and a toy saxophone.

The next thing we need to work on is the wall decorations. We've already moved the picture of us into his room. We need to decide where Aunt Gertrud's quilt will hang and where to put his National Geographic map (thanks, Aunt Helen!). Plenty of wall space is still available, so we will hang some other items too. Angie heard on Pregtastic (a podcast by, for and about pregnant women) that it is a good idea for siblings to have pictures of each other in their rooms. Of course, the only pictures of #2 are ultrasounds. I don't think he will comprehend who's in the picture.

I would attach pictures of his room but the little guy is napping. Once the walls are looking good, we'll create a montage.