Books this year: a book diary

I have been hearing good things about this book for a while now, and when I finally got around to reading it I wasn’t sure if it could live up to the hype.  As it turns out, all the great things I had heard didn’t do it justice.

I was intrigued from the very beginning by the unnatural friendship between the demon Crowley (nee Crawly, who was responsible for tempting Eve with the apple), and the angel Aziraphale (who didn’t quite make it out of Eden with his flaming sword).  They have both come to enjoy Earth more than Heaven or Hell, and are intent on stopping the Apocalypse, which seemed easy enough except that a scatter-brained Satanist nun misplaced the Antichrist.

This kicks off a race to find the Antichrist before anyone else does, and joining into the competition is an occultist using a book of prophecies written by her ancestor (Agnes Nutter, Witch).  Add into the mix the witch-finder army  and the 4 (or is it 8?) bikers of the Apocalypse, and chaos ensues.  Of course there is plenty of humor along the way, aided by footnotes and the unique take that some of the characters have on historical figures (” In a climate-controlled cabinet in one corner was the original scroll in the shaky handwriting of St. John the Divine of Patmos, whose “Revelation” had been the all-time best seller. Aziraphale had found him a nice chap, if a bit too fond of odd mushrooms”).  There are also more serious looks at human nature for those who care to look. It might also be worth noting that you have to read the United States version if you want to know what ever became of Warlock, or are interested in all the footnotes.

I’ve seen lots of reviews about the jokes going over the reviewers’ heads, and some people are quite offended by the things Aziraphale has to say about the Rapture, so if you aren’t a fan of British humor or if you believe in the Rapture this may not be the book for you.  Of course if you don’t like British humor and you believe in the Rapture, and you still pick up a book about the end of the world that was written by two British guys, you deserve to suffer for your stupidity

This book was probably written in the early 1400s, around the time that the author received the priesthood.  The theme of the book is that as Christians we ought to deny ourselves and imitate Christ through bearing the cross.  This book has been around for hundreds of years, and has been called by many second only to the Bible.  Personally, I didn’t like it very much.  That might be blasphemy or something, but I read the book twice in a row trying to like it and the darn thing wouldn’t let me.  If it seems interesting to you, by all means pick it up.  It doesn’t take long at all to read.  Maybe you will find something really great in it, and then you can share it with me.

I read this book because my husband checked it out of the library while muttering something about how one of us should really read it before it was due back, and we both knew he wasn’t going to do it.  It’s a really quick read that basically tells you that if you don’t get involved in your children’s arguing they will quit trying to involve you and leave you alone about it.  Some of the things that the author had to say made sense, and to be honest it was fun trying it out.  My kids quit telling on each other really fast once they realized that the only reaction they were going to get out of it was a hug.  The only problem that I had with it was that when you leave the kids to work it out between themselves it’s not necessarily going to go smoothly.  It’s a lot easier for a kid to be mean to their brother when they know that the end result is going to be a hug for the aggrieved party and nothing for the tormentor.   If you are looking for a way to get your kids to learn to fight without using you as a mediator, this is definitely the book for you.  If you are looking for a book to help you actually get your children to communicate without arguing, don’t waste your time on this one.  Either way, just once in your life when your child comes running into the room to tell you all the horrible ways they have been wronged by a sibling look them straight in the eye and offer them a hug without acknowledging a word they just told you.  Have a camera ready when you do, because the perplexed look on their face will be priceless.

This book covers the many different movements of the Protestant Reformation and Counter-Reformation from 1490-1700.  The author starts in the late Middle Ages and looks exhaustively into all aspects of the Protestant movement from then on, as well as its effects on politics and society.  Also discussed in the book is the spread of Christianity in the New World from the time that Christopher Columbus discovered it to the time of the first colonies.  At the end of the book there is also a section about patterns of life, where the author puts aside the exhaustive recounting of names and dates and gets into things like witch hunts and funerals, and the differences in those types of things in a Catholic community vs. a Protestant one.I’m sure there are easier volumes on the Reformation, but I doubt that there are any that are more comprehensive.  At over 700 pages, it’s an extensive read, but worth the time for anyone with a genuine interest in learning about the subject.

I read this on my cell phone on the way to church one Sunday to combat car sickness.  I’m sure everyone has read the book or seen a movie about it in their lifetime, and therefore knows the story.  If you haven’t, there is a pretty concise summary of the story here .  I really don’t have anything to add about the story that you don’t already know, but I didn’t start keeping track of what books I have read this year until December and I am adding every book that I’m sure I read recently so Ken can’t say I didn’t give it a good effort.