Posts Tagged ‘literature’
We Have a Father
Our conversation continued, but through it, I recognized that I was changing. I like to think that part of this change comes about through reading great and worthy books—books that have been, as Flannery O’Connor put it, “written from a perspective in which the truth, as Christians know it, has been used as a light to see the world.” This light then shapes our heart, mind, and soul and educates our imagination to the reasonableness of faith.
Read MoreThe Evil Within
Each year, at least one of our reading selections for Well-Read Mom is so jarring that it strikes an emotional cord, reverberating through our very cores. This year, John Steinbeck’s novella The Pearl is that work. Agonizing in its subject matter—namely, the insidious encroachment of evil within the human heart—this tale haunts us long after we read the final words.
Read MoreReclaiming My Literary Patrimony: A Reflection on Reading King Lear
As I read King Lear, the word patrimony came to mind. Of course, the plot of the play centers around a king giving away his inheritance to his daughters. But I was also recalling a phrase that I first encountered in Theology of Home, The Spiritual Art of Homemaking.
Read MoreHow a Women’s Book Club Enhanced My Spiritual Life
For years, I had heard great things about Well-Read Mom, a national women’s book club, but I had never had a chance to join. Then, last year, a friend invited me to the chapter that meets once a month in her home. I was more than ready to dive into a discussion of great books with like-minded ladies. As a serious bibliophile, I get a little lonely reading in isolation. I hoped for deep literary discussion with fellow women of faith.
Read MoreDoes Reading Detract From My Vocation?
I loved reading Elizabeth Goudge’s My God and My All this Advent, but I must admit that I struggled with parts of Saint Francis’s life. It made me pause to think about this great saint whose life was so completely different from my own. Saint Francis is known as the saint who most closely exemplified Christ.
Read MoreOur Father’s Tale
actually did not want to read A Father’s Tale, not because of its length but because I am not a father and I have no sons. I thought it would be unrelatable. Yet, I find that despite these very significant differences between myself and Alexandre, we have everything in common that we need to: we are both children of the same Father.
Read MoreStretch Your Mind: The Gift of Challenging Literature
As I look back on several years participating in Well-Read Mom, (since the Year of the Friend!) I am so happy that in every book list there has been at least one book that stretches my mind.
Read MoreCome as You Are
Come as You Are Written by Susan Severson The dinner plates had barely been shoved into the precariously full dishwasher before I finally faced the question: should I go to Well-Read Mom tonight? It certainly wouldn’t be convenient. We were in the midst of moving from our home of nine years to one that would…
Read MoreThe Old and the New: Rediscovering Literature
The Old and the New: Rediscovering Literature Through Well-Read Mom Written by Nicki Johnston I started a new Well-Read Mom group for women in my parish this year. Inevitably, I received inquiries about the need to pay for a booklist, allowing me to articulate the many ways Well-Read Mom has enriched my life during the…
Read MoreVergil’s Aeneid as an Advent Journey
At the behest of Well-Read Mom, several faithful, tome-toting women are meeting to discuss Vergil’s Aeneid at their book club meetings this month. While some of us may be Latin scholars, most are out of our comfort zones.
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