Recommended by Monsignor Pope, a short, pretty easy read for a theological/angelological book. It went into the history of the tradition of the angels, a lot of the content was not strictly church teaching, but rather solid tradition. At least one belief the author had a disclaimer that it is no longer considered viable, but it was still interesting to hear what was thought in the early days of the Church.
I was left with a better appreciation of the angels, who constantly surround us but are so easily forgotten. At Mass it is good to remember the multitude of angels that is with us, particularly at the Sanctus. In prayer it is good to remember the presence of one's guardian angel, as well as "the angel of prayer" referenced in the book.
He talks about the role of the angels in the various events of Christ's Incarnation, Resurrection and Ascension. He talks about the fallen angels and the conflict between them and the faithful angels. According to him, the fall of Satan may have been because he would not acknowledge the merits of humanity, made in the Image and Likeness of God.
A lot of stuff that I had never heard before and I am thankful to now know. Thanks, Monsignor Pope and Jean Danielou!
Saturday, May 21, 2016
Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh
It's a good book. I'm not sure I really understood it though. I was kind of looking at it on a surface level and then when I talked it over with others, they referenced things which I hadn't seen the importance of. Maybe I read it too quickly, I plan on reading it again at some point.
What I liked best about it was the realism. The characters made sense to me, they acted and reacted with reasonable irrationality. On the surface it's easily seen as a tragedy, but on a deeper level the characters had almost universal happy endings.
So, um, good stuff, but I think I need to read it again. Well written, some very quotable passages, some humor. Good stuff.
What I liked best about it was the realism. The characters made sense to me, they acted and reacted with reasonable irrationality. On the surface it's easily seen as a tragedy, but on a deeper level the characters had almost universal happy endings.
So, um, good stuff, but I think I need to read it again. Well written, some very quotable passages, some humor. Good stuff.
Empires of Eve, by Andrew Groen
This is a very unusual book. A couple years ago I contributed to the Kickstarter project, and no higher praise can be offered than this; it was worth the wait.
The book is a history of the events in a Sci-Fi MMORPG called EVE Online. The game is huge and complex, peopled with gamers from all over the world. From small groups they create huge alliances of thousands of players, and with teamwork they mine, refine, build, fight and scheme much like people do in the real world. The great thing is the ever-present human element as people fight for survival or dominance. I honestly think that learning the history of this game gives insight into the history of the real world, and the things that happen around us. Particularly interesting are the causes of war, how factions collapse and the ruthless competition.
I knew almost nothing about the game before reading the book, and it didn't seem to be much of a handicap. Mr. Groen explains where necessary, and clearly.
I found it very interesting, kind of a page-turner. It's one long history broken down into many component stories. The stories are great. Sci-fi, real people, clever strategies and relatable mistakes.
The book is a history of the events in a Sci-Fi MMORPG called EVE Online. The game is huge and complex, peopled with gamers from all over the world. From small groups they create huge alliances of thousands of players, and with teamwork they mine, refine, build, fight and scheme much like people do in the real world. The great thing is the ever-present human element as people fight for survival or dominance. I honestly think that learning the history of this game gives insight into the history of the real world, and the things that happen around us. Particularly interesting are the causes of war, how factions collapse and the ruthless competition.
I knew almost nothing about the game before reading the book, and it didn't seem to be much of a handicap. Mr. Groen explains where necessary, and clearly.
I found it very interesting, kind of a page-turner. It's one long history broken down into many component stories. The stories are great. Sci-fi, real people, clever strategies and relatable mistakes.
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
On Writing, by Stephen King
I recently became serious (again?) about writing fiction, and my mother recommended Stephen King's book on writing, aptly titled On Writing. I haven't read any of King's books, but I know he is prolific, creative and immensely successful.
The first hundred pages of the book are autobiographical. King has had an interesting life which he relates vividly. Some very memorable anecdotes, some not for the squeamish. He halfheartedly focuses on the beginning of his writing career, but frequently goes into stories that are unrelated. But it's all good, and can fall loosely under "origins."
Then he gets into the more traditional writing instruction. I found his tips to be practical, clear and implementable, without much artistic nonsense. I especially liked his explanations of editing, and he includes an examples of before and after editing an excerpt.
The end of the book gets back into the autobiographical side, relating King's near death experience that he suffered partway through writing the book in question. Horrifying, interesting and well told.
Overall the book is an odd combination of instructional book and autobiography which works quite well. I haven't read much on writing, but I'd be surprised if I found another book on the subject better than this. It's an easy read, entertaining, with some good nuts-and-bolts tips that any writer can use. I highly recommend this to aspiring writers, and/or fans of King.
In the back of the book (second edition) is a list of ~180 books that King has read and recommends as books that "entertained and taught" him. A huge variety. I suspect that a person could get quite a good education in literature by reading every book on the list, but I'm not going to found out. I do plan to use it to get ideas of what to read though. I'm also interested in reading some King now, and I'll be picking up one of his novels soon.
The first hundred pages of the book are autobiographical. King has had an interesting life which he relates vividly. Some very memorable anecdotes, some not for the squeamish. He halfheartedly focuses on the beginning of his writing career, but frequently goes into stories that are unrelated. But it's all good, and can fall loosely under "origins."
Then he gets into the more traditional writing instruction. I found his tips to be practical, clear and implementable, without much artistic nonsense. I especially liked his explanations of editing, and he includes an examples of before and after editing an excerpt.
The end of the book gets back into the autobiographical side, relating King's near death experience that he suffered partway through writing the book in question. Horrifying, interesting and well told.
Overall the book is an odd combination of instructional book and autobiography which works quite well. I haven't read much on writing, but I'd be surprised if I found another book on the subject better than this. It's an easy read, entertaining, with some good nuts-and-bolts tips that any writer can use. I highly recommend this to aspiring writers, and/or fans of King.
In the back of the book (second edition) is a list of ~180 books that King has read and recommends as books that "entertained and taught" him. A huge variety. I suspect that a person could get quite a good education in literature by reading every book on the list, but I'm not going to found out. I do plan to use it to get ideas of what to read though. I'm also interested in reading some King now, and I'll be picking up one of his novels soon.
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