Books are life

Salut, mes amies!

Life is good, school is a beast, and books are plentiful.  This is mah life, peoples.

One thing you should know about me: I am a bookworm with an insatiable appetite for books. 

BOOKS ARE LIFE.  Books are portals to different worlds, they take you out of the boring, ugly reality and transport you to a new, exciting universe where you see out of other peoples’ eyes and live their lives and learn new things and live new lives. 

I love books with the fiery passion of a dragon.  (I also hoard books like a dragon, but that’s a story for another day)

I’ve read so many books in the past couple of years that my school has suffered quite greatly, I’m afraid.  Then I neglected my required reading list for YA Fiction and so I have a huge TBR list of classical lit to catch up on.  Hurrah!  Books! 

People say that reading lighter bookish "fluff" like YA Fiction makes your brain lax and then it'll be harder to comprehend higher lit like Dante and Dickens, and I have to agree to a certain point. 

If you read nothing but YA, it will be harder to get into the more gritty stuff.  I’m saying this from personal experience.  (I’m still too scared to pick up Homer.  I just recently was brave enough to attempt Dante, okay, hehe)  But then again I like lots of different genres, so that doesn’t really happen much now.  I love classical lit!  I’m in love with Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, Alexander Dumas, and C. S. Lewis.  I want to marry them.  If I could time travel, I would go back in time so I could get their autographs and possibly kidnap them to write books for me forever. 

One day I’ll be reading Maggie Stiefvater, then the next it’s Tenessee Williams.  My reading tastes have mood swings, I guess.

So yeah!  Let’s talk about books!  (BOOKS!!!!)

What I’m currently reading:

1) Till We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis

Haunted by the myth of Cupid and Psyche throughout his life, C.S. Lewis wrote this, his last, extraordinary novel, to retell their story through the gaze of Psyche’s sister, Orual. Disfigured and embittered, Orual loves her younger sister to a fault and suffers deeply when she is sent away to Cupid, the God of the Mountain. Psyche is forbidden to look upon the god’s face, but is persuaded by her sister to do so; she is banished for her betrayal. Orual is left alone to grow in power but never in love, to wonder at the silence of the gods. Only at the end of her life, in visions of her lost beloved sister, will she hear an answer.




Oh me word.  This book is fantabulous!  I just finished it and I honestly don’t have enough words to praise this.  (So instead I just sit there and hug it and flail over it like an excited chipmunk)  I’ve always loved Greek myths, heck, I was practically raised on the stuff.  The myth of Cupid and Psyche was one of my favorites.  And this retelling goes far beyond my expectations, lemme tell you!  It’s like Narnia for adults.  It combines the amazing allegorical aspects of his theological works and the magic of Narnia into one, huge, delicious myth.  If you haven’t read it, GO READ IT.  NOW.  GO DO IT.  SHOO.  STOP READING TIHIS BLOG AND GO READ IT. 

2)  The Divine Comedy by Dante

Dante Alighieri's poetic masterpiece, The Divine Comedy, is a moving human drama, an unforgettable visionary journey through the infinite torment of Hell, up the arduous slopes of Purgatory, and on to the glorious realm of Paradise—the sphere of universal harmony and eternal salvation.




I was honesty quite intimidated by this poem.  I never really liked reading poetry, and after having bad experiences with The Ballad of the White Horse and The Song of Roland (I’m sorry, I just couldn’t get into those), I was afraid this poem would be the same way.  BUT IT WASN’T!  I just finished the first part, “Inferno”, and have moved on to “Purgatory”, and it’s a fascinating, interesting journey indeed.  How a medieval poet managed to write a work that was easier to read than Chesterton, I don’t know.  Maybe I just don’t like Chesterton.  But it was amazing!  Dante is brilliant.  And I love brilliant writers, don’t you?





3)  Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.”  So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton—and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she’s soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers—and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield. Can Elizabeth vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you’d actually want to read.


I don’t like zombies, I’m just going to say that right there.  I just don’t get them.  And to be honest, I find Jane Austen extremely hard to read.  I had to watch the BBC miniseries while reading Pride and Prejudice to understand what was going on.  But this has me cracking up so hard . . . it’s basically Pride and Prejudice, slightly rewritten to incorporate zombies.  I don’t even know anymore.  This is possibly the most ingenious thing I’ve heard of in fifty three years.  (And it’s illustrated, too!)  It's an amazing, hilarious book.




4)  A Philadelphia Catholic in King James’ Court by Martin de Porres Kennedy

After the tragic death of his father, Michael O'Shea travels from his native Philadelphia to rural Kentucky for the summer. In this land of tobacco farming, bluegrass music, and devout fundamentalist Christianity, he is compelled to explain and justify the Catholic faith. His only defense... the Bible. 


This . . . this here was a fantastic book.  I’m not crazy about the actual story; personally, I didn’t like the story part and Mr. Kennedy isn’t the best writer I’ve ever read, but his theology and apologetics are spot.  on.  I love apologetics, I’m very passionate about defending and spreading the Faith and I want to be a missionary when I graduate, so this was very helpful regarding apologetics.  I don’t think I’ve ever read a book this amazing about defending the Faith.  




5)  Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price--and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone...A convict with a thirst for revenge.  A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.  A runaway with a privileged past.  A spy known as the Wraith.  A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.  A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes. Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction―if they don't kill each other first. 


I’ve heard a lot of amazing praise for this book, so I thought, “Why not?”  I haven’t gotten very far, but it’s really good.  Russia isn’t really my thing, (France though . . .) but it’s pretty good so far.  Unfortunately, my taste for Fantasy has died somewhat, so I’m not enjoying it as much as I normally would.


6)  The Piano Shop on the Left Bank: Discovering a Forgotten Passion in a Paris Atelier by Thad Carhart

Walking his two young children to school every morning, Thad Carhart passes an unassuming little storefront in his Paris neighborhood. Intrigued by its simple sign — Desforges Pianos — he enters, only to have his way barred by the shop's imperious owner. 
Unable to stifle his curiosity, he finally lands the proper introduction, and a world previously hidden is brought into view. Luc, the atelier's master, proves an indispensable guide to the history and art of the piano. Intertwined with the story of a musical friendship are reflections on how pianos work, their glorious history, and stories of the people who care for them, from amateur pianists to the craftsmen who make the mechanism sing. The Piano Shop on the Left Bank is at once a beguiling portrait of a Paris not found on any map and a tender account of the awakening of a lost childhood passion. 


I have a love affair with the piano.  Piano is my passion, and it allows me to convey and feel emotions that words can’t reach.  So when I chanced upon this little book in my library bookshop, I pounced on it.  A book about France and pianos?  HEAVEN.  J’AIME LA LIVRE!!  This book contains so many of the feelings one has during a piano love affair, that it’s very close to my heart now.  FRANCE.  PIANO.  INSTANT LOVE! 

 

Moi with this book

Well, those are the books I’m reading right now.  Have you read any of these books?  Did you like them?  What did you think of them?

Until next time, my darlings!  Stay amazing!