Time to log all the books I’ve read recently! Aside from my very excited immediate review of The Other Bennet Sister, I haven’t posted about my reads since March. So let’s dive in!

Holy Hygge by Jamie Erickson

I wanted to like this one more than I did. I love the concept of it, but ultimately I didn’t get invested in the book. I should probably give it another read sometime. Jamie’s writing is very engaging; but there is also a possibility it was just too American for this stage of my life. And the overarching theological concepts felt simple and familiar already. Interesting, but not a big hit for me.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Our church theme for our Hay Festival weekend this year included six classic books, and Jane Eyre was one. I honestly cannot remember if I had read Jane Eyre before, but I’ve at least seen a film of it and was familiar with the basic story and ending. It is not a book for the light reader, but I am surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I was excited to have secured a copy of this version with a lengthy introduction and section notes by Karen Swallow Prior. I really enjoy her commentaries and other books about reading, and I really appreciated her insights with this one. Given its age, there are lots of things about the context of Jane Eyre and its time period that a modern reader would miss and the commentary really helped with that. It wasn’t distracting as it mainly came in the long intro and then had some excerpts between parts in the story.

I really did enjoy the novel and struggled to put it down. It still took several weeks to read as it is very long, but it is so engaging. I had lots to think about with the development of Jane’s character, her internal battles, and especially the way Christianity comes across and the male mindsets throughout. I enjoyed the story, but I also can see how it was such a profound book for its time and really challenged the culture surrounding it. The story is disturbing but thought-provoking. You find yourself loving and wrestling with the storyline all the way through. Really powerful book. I’m looking forward to digging into it more this autumn with a book club!

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Backman continues to be one of my favorite modern fiction authors and I could not wait to dive into this one. I was hooked all the way through. It is clever, odd, mysterious and hilarious all at once. The premise of this one is a bank robbery and then a hostage situation and all the people involved are bizarre and of course have their own stories. It is just so funny and also somehow moving. Backman’s insight into people is truly fascinating. I struggle to describe him, but this is my third novel of his and I have yet to meet one I didn’t just love and admire. I also love that he writes from a very Swedish cultural framework and I find it fascinating.

The Odyssey by Homer

Another of the books on our Hay festival weekend list. I know I had never read this, but it is of course very familiar as it is so foundational in our Western culture and the storyline is told and hinted at through so much. After a bit of research, I chose this recent version translated by Emily Wilson and I really appreciated it. Another lengthy introduction, but again it was super helpful. Don’t skip those introductions my friends. They can really guide your approach to the story.

I wouldn’t say I loved this book – it is very violent, overly descriptive, strange, and a poem so not the most fun to read – but I am so glad I have read it and now have a fuller appreciation of the impact it has played on culture, civilization, storytelling and literature as a whole.

Favorite Norse Myths Retold by Mary Pope Osborne

Not officially one of the books on our Hay Festival lists, but we were looking at The Poetic Edda which I found difficult to read, so I hunted down some versions of the Norse myths and this one was my favorite. These were short, illustrated stories about the most famous myths in Norse culture. These were much less known to me than the Greek stories, and they were really fascinating to try to understand the culture that grew from them.

I also appreciated the illustrations, though most were quite gruesome and violent as well. But these stories helped me so much as I approached the poetry that coincides with these myths. Definitely recommend this collection if you are studying or interested in reading the Norse myths.

The Princess and the Goblin by George Macdonald

Yet another on our Hay Festival list, this is my first official George Macdonald, I think. Though I feel I may have read The Light Princess that was illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Actually, I’m pretty sure I have; but I don’t think I fully understood or appreciated who George Macdonald was when I did read that, so this feels like my first official Macdonald.

Now George Macdonald books were not as famous or well-known in the States and I actually think they were only known well in Britain to a particular generation. C.S. Lewis famously adored Macdonald and even wrote a book about him too! But if you don’t know anything about him, I highly recommend looking him up. He was a Scottish preacher and a brilliant writer. He played a huge role in shaping modern fantasy writing and influenced not only C.S. Lewis, but Lewis Carroll as well and I’m sure many others.

The Princess and the Goblin is a truly interesting little novel. The story centers on Princess Irene who unknowingly lives in a castle with a mysterious woman on the top floor and a world of goblins underground. It is a remarkable story about bravery, friendship, trust, mystery, and so much more. It is a quick read, but well worth it.

(There is also an animated film from the 90s which is fun, but not completely accurate to the book.)

The Poetic Edda

And here we have the most difficult book I tackled for our Hay Festival theme. I struggled through this one, because it is old and strange and poems; but also because it is likely not intended to be read straight through either. It really helped once I started reading the myths alongside the corresponding poems and songs.

The Strange House by Raymond Briggs

I have recently joined a semi-local book club, that meets online, and endeavors to read forgotten or lesser known children’s novels. If there was ever a group for me…

This was our first pick for the month of June. I had noted this book last year in a bookstore in London as one that I hoped to read at some point. Caught my attention with this beautiful new reprint version, that it was written and illustrated by Raymond Briggs, and it had a new introduction by Chris Riddell. Three huge points in its favor!

This book is actually two novels by Briggs, the first being The Strange House and the second being The Midnight Adventure. They are short novels, heavily illustrated with sketchy line drawings, and very nostalgic of their 60s-70s time period. They are little time capsules of a simpler, yet more adventurous childhood. And they are uniquely British in tone as well which I really enjoyed.

The highlight for me was definitely Briggs’ illustrations. What a wonder with such sketchy lines. I keep going back to look at some favorites. Quick reads, simple and quite fun. Definitely recommend.

The Princess and Curdie by George Macdonald

Here we have the sequel to The Princess and the Goblin, though sequel is a generous term. Companion would be better perhaps. This time, the main character is a boy named Curdie who is the secondary character in the first book. This adventure also includes the mysterious woman at the top of the castle and it is strange and interesting all on its own. Princess Irene does appear, but not til mostly the end and is very minor in this tale. I found this story just as fascinating and unique to decipher as the first and I enjoyed the change in hero. Macdonald is a lot more thorough in his character development of Curdie than he was of Irene. Perhaps it is a man relating to a boy a bit more than his little girls protagonist of the first. I found a lot more nuggets of wisdom in this one as Curdie is a bit older and definitely wrestling through some things. Really enjoyed this follow-up, perhaps shockingly a bit more than the first.

The Road Back To You by Ian Morgan Cron & Suzanne Stabile

This is a quick reread for me, but is no less a great book in my opinion. I shy away from talking too much about the Enneagram for a lot of reasons, but I wholeheartedly really appreciate this personality theory. I read this book originally about a decade ago and it quite likely changed my life. I learned so much from it about myself, God, and other people. I continue to grab it off the shelf every so often to revisit some things, especially when trying to understand how other people work.

This particular book is written by a Christian pastor and a Christian psychologist and I appreciate their use of the Enneagram to point out how people are made, what shapes them and how the Gospel can speak into each personality in profound and beautiful ways. I think it really is true that knowing yourself better really shapes how you get to know God and relate to Him as well. I am so thankful for the insight I have gained from the Enneagram and this would be my top recommendation for approaching it.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

Mark this as a top read for my year. This book blew my mind. I devoured it in a couple of days and yet still keep thinking about it.

Written as journal entries, this book is bizarre and fantastic. I think it best to approach it without much knowledge of what you are in for and let it unfold and sweep you away with it.

Even with that in mind, I have so many thoughts! Let me know if you read it and want to talk about it because I am dying to! I think it draws inspiration from so many fascinating places and makes connections for me in so many things… agh, just so good, frustrating, and strange!

The Wondrous Wonders by Camille Jourdy

I haven’t read as many graphic novels this year as I usually do. I think Hay Festival prep kept me busier this year with 5 novels to read and prepare talks about. But I recently read a fun post about beautiful graphic novels and this was one that caught my eye and I tracked it down. It is very fun, though not as deep as I was expecting. (Probably my own fault for reading it right after an incredible book like Piranesi.)

It is a simple adventure about a little girl who runs away and accidentally encounters an odd little forest world with unique creatures, a tyrant cat king and some colorful ponies. Fun and quick. A bit Miyazaki reminiscent actually.

Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis

It’s probably been 20 years since I last read Lewis’ sci-fi trilogy. But it was time to revisit and that was prompted by reading Piranesi (I won’t explain why unless you read Piranesi and call me to talk about it).

This is the first in the trilogy and it is a quick and bizarre read. Time travel, cultural anthropology, worldview analysis and so much more. This is the kind of book that explains why I really love good sci-fi stories. Such an odd departure from everything else Lewis wrote, but the man was such a versatile writer. Immensely thoughtful in whatever stories he crafted and just such a brilliant thinker. I’m detouring a bit for a different read next and then I’ll be grabbing the second in the trilogy quite quickly….

There is my whirlwind, quick reviews for the last few months. Top book would definitely be Piranesi (and The Other Bennet Sister which I gave its own long post). Would love to know what you are reading and loving, or hating, because those are fascinating conversations too! Thanks for following along.💚

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