The Top Eight Influential Books in My Life

     Have you ever considered which books have had the greatest impact on your life? Besides the Bible, which obviously is the most important Book, I have read hundreds, maybe thousands, of books and they all have more or less helped shape my thinking, but in considering which ones really impacted my thinking, only a handful stand out distinctly. Some are thoroughly Christian, such as The Pilgrim's Progress, and some are classics, like Ben Hur. A few are comparatively unknown, or like The Heir of Redclyffe, were once bestsellers, but now receive only a passing mention in some encyclopedia and are almost entirely out of print. Please note that I do not recommend all these books for all readers; this is simply a list of the books that rise above the crowd when I mentally review the literature I have read. They are not listed in order of importance, because I could not decide on which were the most important. Read them, and see for yourself.

Fantasy Series: Fantasy is Addictive

Frankly, I did not mean to write this entire blog post in the style I did, but as it turned out, I felt led just to publish almost the whole thing in story format instead of as an article.  Maybe it will at least be easier to read...

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     "Susie, have you completed that assignment on the French Revolution?"
     Susie hastily slid The Return of the King into her desk, picked up her pencil, and was bent over the history book which lay before her, resting her left forefinger beside the paragraph which she was reading, when Mom opened the bedroom door. Mom was pleased to see her being so diligent, but repeated her question as Susie looked up from her book, apparently surprised by her mother's appearance.
     "No ma'am," she answered, pushing away the guilty feeling which told her she should have been working on her research paper instead of reading Tolkien's classic. But that book was just impossible to put down...

Fantasy, Pt. 2: Why is Fantasy so Popular - and So Dangerous?

     Fantasy/ Science fiction is the most popular genre in America, and has been the best selling category of literature for some time.  Why is this?  Why do fantasy fans love it so much?  Why does this genre have such power to grip people?  And does this power make these books (and movies) good to read?

     These are the questions I have asked myself over and over, but the answer is not difficult.  The secret of the power of fantasy does not lie in the fantastic creatures, wild quests, melting scenes, or bloody conflicts of the stories, but in their limitless capacity.  Put simply, the answer to the above questions is twofold:

Book Review: Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, by Kate Douglas Wiggin

Just in case you can't tell, I'm trying to catch up on posting about various books I have read or listened to recently. If you want to learn about family life, I think you will have to check our family blog.

Maybe sometime I will find time to post some pictures of us...

:)

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

By Kate Douglas Wiggin

Rating:  6 out of 10 stars

    Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm is a humorous story about a young, imaginative, poetic girl whose lively personality is suddenly superimposed upon her elderly aunts’ strict, sober minded, and extremely practical and thrifty lifestyle.  Similar to Anne of Green Gables in that it is a story about a child with very little in common with her guardians, and focuses more on daily life and small struggles than on any great climax, this book follows Rebecca as she grows, matures, and finally graduates college and inherits her aunts’ home.

Book Review: The Deerslayer, by James Fenimore Cooper

The Deerslayer

By James Fenimore Cooper

Rating:  7 out of 10

    Set in the wilderness of upstate New York just at the beginning of the French and Indian War, this story is the first of James F. Cooper’s famous “Leatherstocking Tales”.  Natty Bumpo, or the Deerslayer is the main character.  His simple honesty and unusual skill with the long rifle, added to his quickness in wilderness warfare, bring him safely through a sudden Indian attack, and a short captivity.

Book Review: The Deerslayer, by James Fenimore Cooper

The Deerslayer

By James Fenimore Cooper

Rating:  7 out of 10

    Set in the wilderness of upstate New York just at the beginning of the French and Indian War, this story is the first of James F. Cooper’s famous “Leatherstocking Tales”.  Natty Bumpo, or the Deerslayer is the main character.  His simple honesty and unusual skill with the long rifle, added to his quickness in wilderness warfare, bring him safely through a sudden Indian attack, and a short captivity.

Book Review: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain

Rating:  3 out of 10 stars

    The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (and it’s even more popular sequel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn) would certainly be high on a list of the most famous and popular American novels.  These books “capture the spirit of American boyhood in the pre-Civil war era” and are a “nostalgic and humorous look at the naivete and simple eagerness of childhood”.  They are filled with dry humor, and combine the unlikely and adventurous with an unusually keen portrayal of real character and everyday life.  The pranks and attitudes of the boys (and girls) in the story are described in vivid and lifelike language, and the idiosyncrasies of Aunt Polly and the other adult characters provide an excellent foil for the children.  Tom’s creativity and imagination are hilarious; especially his idea of what a pirate’s or robber’s life is like.

    But are these books good reading material for Christians?