It doesn't surprise me that on the Fourth of July, no fireworks were set off in England and people did not take the day off to host BBQ's and celebrate the United States' rebellion from the mother country. The only celebration that broke out occurred when Brazil won their World Cup game on Friday. Other than that, it was a normal Friday in the UK.
But as the week goes on, our schedule continues to stay busy as we are only a week away from heading out to Paris to perform and bring the gospel to people on the streets. Our music tracks are completed and now it's rehearsal time. We have three tracks we wrote together that we will be performing and then we also have some covers to workup as well. We've spent many hours in the church in Notting Hill practicing within tracks of music, visual art, film, and fashion.
But as we've been working, God keeps on reminding me that I am not able to do any of this in my own strength. If I try, I fail. There are mornings where I wake up exhausted because I haven't gotten a ton of sleep or I'm just frustrated that I didn't get the song perfect the first time through. But if that's my focus, I miss the point. I miss that I'm here to learn, grow, and rest in God's love. I'm here to learn how to worship him and go deeper in my relationship with God. I feel blessed to spend the mornings in worship before we launch into practice time. Nothing is better than focusing our efforts back to where they need to be and that reminder that everything we do is for the glory of God. If I try to make it through on my own, I really will end up exhausted and not be productive at all. We are all here to use the gifts, talents, and passions that God has given us back to him in an act of praise and worship. How freeing it is that we can turn the focus back to God, give him everything and watch as he strengthens us. It's turned into an amazing week of growth and surrender the things that hold me captive and have begun to experience true freedom in him.
Among the track time and some great teaching from different speakers, we've continued to go to Soho. We were not able to go last Friday but the previous Friday we had another interesting time of conversations. We met one guy who was excited that we were Christians because he said Christians are always happy. But he had a problem with Jesus being the only way, the only truth, and the only life but we still had a great conversation with him. We also met a lady who was an atheist because she had been a religious education teacher. She didn't believe before she taught the class and she certainly didn't believe after. She said there were too many other cool religions to just pick one. It saddens my heart that some people can see the difference that God makes but they aren't willing to take that surrender and other people are so closed off to it that they can't see truth. But again, seeds were planted and from there, God can work and do what he needs to do.
Side note, on the tourist front, one of my friends and I headed into Hyde Park last weekend and I was finally able to see the Peter Pan Statue in Kensington Gardens. I know it sounds super silly but it was on my bucket list while I was here. We also saw the Princess Diana Memorial as well. One of the incredible things about London is all of the parks that are dotted throughout the city. Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park is so perfectly gorgeous and wonderful. There is also a park just a two minute walk away from our house and on the days that it is not pouring down rain (which honestly has been quite a few) it's a wonderful place just to hang out or do devotionals in the morning.
This summer has been incredible so far. It's been a month and God has been molding, shaping, and creating moments that blow my mind almost daily. As we are about to head on Outreach, I know God has big things planned. I'm excited to see what he does and how he works through all of us for his glory. Would love prayer as we head out for God to really move in the people that we come in contact with and also for us as team, that we grow closer to God and each other.
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Can I really survive on this little of sleep? imaginatorium
I'd love to say I've fully mastered the Tube, the Bus, and the British currency all within the past two and a half weeks. The Tube and I may have become friends but I've found the buses still don't appear exactly where and when I want them to and the patient Barista in the Covent Garden Starbucks can tell you exactly how well British coin and I are getting along. However, as I've adjusted to the new modes of transportation, which includes loads of walking around the city and a forty minute walk in the morning to Notting Hill, the past two weeks have been incredible if also not lacking in a bit of sleep.
We've began preparing for outreach and as we split up into tracks, I found myself not focusing just on theatre but rather in music track. I'll admit I was initially filled with a great amount of apprehension. I feel I have some skill in the area of music but not loads. However, as I've spent time in prayer and talking with one of the leaders of the music track, I began to realize that maybe God had a bigger plan for me than I realized upon arriving. I've often said within theatre that I can dance and I can act but I wish I was stronger vocally and I've been given three months to become stronger in that area. *mind blown* The leaders of the music track have incredible gifts and I'm really excited to be able to learn and work alongside of them. Our theme for our outreach performance is Joy. It is our task to write and compose three pieces that tell a story of Joy.
But amongst our track time and learning French, one of the most challenging but incredible moments of every week occurs on Friday nights in Soho. We partner with a church there to do evangelism. They set up a tent with free coffee and tea, have worship, and just talk with people. When I first heard about it, I was super excited as it sounded exactly like what I had done in Australia. But the moment I stepped onto the busy street corner, the atmosphere was vastly different than what I had experienced. People are rushing about, there are loads of adult shops, clubs, and pubs in the area, and the heaviness is real and tangible. For some reason, both times we've been out, fear has overwhelmed me. But God is good, gracious, and always present. The first week, I worshiped, watched, and prayed with our team and for our team. But towards the end of the evening, my roommate, Elin, began to talk with a gentleman and invited me to join. The man, we'll call him Willie, is not a Christian. He is a man who is very intelligent but due to life circumstances, he is currently homeless, sleeps in a church, and is working odd jobs. Money controls and motivates him. We were able to share with him how we've experienced God's love and provision in real and tangible ways and we were able to share how much God loves him and pray with him as well. The next week, Willie was there again. I don't think he's ready to let God take over and lead him but the seeds have been planted and we have to believe that God is working.
The second week we were in Soho, we teamed up with people from the church to talk with people. We had such a wide array of conversations. We talked with a man who was a Sikh and he was not afraid to ask us the hard questions about why we believed in our faith and why we wanted him to believe in Jesus. We talked to a group of guys who would rather go drink, party, and believe in science than believe in an awesome God. Lastly, we talked with two girls from Venezuela who were Catholic but not assured of their salvation. We were able to talk with them about truth and also pray with them which was an awesome experience. One of them had also been to Seattle so we had something in common. At the end of the evening, I was encouraged and I saw how God just changes the environment when we begin to worship, pray, and take courageous steps to talk to people.
The longer I am here, the more I see God moving and working not only in the city but also in my life. He's revealing and teaching me about myself and all the things in my life that I've hid behind for many years. There is true freedom in him when we rest in his love. I'm so grateful for the staff here, their hearts for the city, for the arts, and also for us. It's amazing what happens when you stick eighteen people from different nations with different languages into one house. There's been loads of laughter, fun, and deep conversations. They've become my family in a very short time. God consistently uses them to encourage and refine me. Plus, I've remembering Spanish, I know how to say "thank you" in Portuguese and have learned some words in Dutch. We have three more weeks in our house before we head out on outreach. I'm excited to see how our performance piece comes together and how God continues to move and grows us closer as a group. Oh, and continues to give me energy when I go to bed late and get up early. :)
We've began preparing for outreach and as we split up into tracks, I found myself not focusing just on theatre but rather in music track. I'll admit I was initially filled with a great amount of apprehension. I feel I have some skill in the area of music but not loads. However, as I've spent time in prayer and talking with one of the leaders of the music track, I began to realize that maybe God had a bigger plan for me than I realized upon arriving. I've often said within theatre that I can dance and I can act but I wish I was stronger vocally and I've been given three months to become stronger in that area. *mind blown* The leaders of the music track have incredible gifts and I'm really excited to be able to learn and work alongside of them. Our theme for our outreach performance is Joy. It is our task to write and compose three pieces that tell a story of Joy.
But amongst our track time and learning French, one of the most challenging but incredible moments of every week occurs on Friday nights in Soho. We partner with a church there to do evangelism. They set up a tent with free coffee and tea, have worship, and just talk with people. When I first heard about it, I was super excited as it sounded exactly like what I had done in Australia. But the moment I stepped onto the busy street corner, the atmosphere was vastly different than what I had experienced. People are rushing about, there are loads of adult shops, clubs, and pubs in the area, and the heaviness is real and tangible. For some reason, both times we've been out, fear has overwhelmed me. But God is good, gracious, and always present. The first week, I worshiped, watched, and prayed with our team and for our team. But towards the end of the evening, my roommate, Elin, began to talk with a gentleman and invited me to join. The man, we'll call him Willie, is not a Christian. He is a man who is very intelligent but due to life circumstances, he is currently homeless, sleeps in a church, and is working odd jobs. Money controls and motivates him. We were able to share with him how we've experienced God's love and provision in real and tangible ways and we were able to share how much God loves him and pray with him as well. The next week, Willie was there again. I don't think he's ready to let God take over and lead him but the seeds have been planted and we have to believe that God is working.
The second week we were in Soho, we teamed up with people from the church to talk with people. We had such a wide array of conversations. We talked with a man who was a Sikh and he was not afraid to ask us the hard questions about why we believed in our faith and why we wanted him to believe in Jesus. We talked to a group of guys who would rather go drink, party, and believe in science than believe in an awesome God. Lastly, we talked with two girls from Venezuela who were Catholic but not assured of their salvation. We were able to talk with them about truth and also pray with them which was an awesome experience. One of them had also been to Seattle so we had something in common. At the end of the evening, I was encouraged and I saw how God just changes the environment when we begin to worship, pray, and take courageous steps to talk to people.
The longer I am here, the more I see God moving and working not only in the city but also in my life. He's revealing and teaching me about myself and all the things in my life that I've hid behind for many years. There is true freedom in him when we rest in his love. I'm so grateful for the staff here, their hearts for the city, for the arts, and also for us. It's amazing what happens when you stick eighteen people from different nations with different languages into one house. There's been loads of laughter, fun, and deep conversations. They've become my family in a very short time. God consistently uses them to encourage and refine me. Plus, I've remembering Spanish, I know how to say "thank you" in Portuguese and have learned some words in Dutch. We have three more weeks in our house before we head out on outreach. I'm excited to see how our performance piece comes together and how God continues to move and grows us closer as a group. Oh, and continues to give me energy when I go to bed late and get up early. :)
Monday, June 9, 2014
Dusky imaginatorium goes to London
Over the past few years, books have reigned in my adventures. I've traveled to exotic places, seen lots of incredible things, and met some wonderful people. This year I returned once more to Narnia and Hogwarts. I climbed mountains with Wild, I've solved crimes with The Fellowship of Fear, and was trapped in a maze with The Maze Runner but despite all of these adventures, experiencing life outside the pages for myself can be more dramatic and wonderful.
So thus begins my own adventure. For the next three months, I'm off to Jolly Old London Town to work with YWAM (Youth With a Mission) to do an Arts Internship with them. We will be working through different Art Tracks such as music, drama, visual arts, dance, and fashion. Then with all the different tracks, we will put together a performance piece to take on Outreach. Outreach will begin in the middle of July and continue through to the end of August. We will spend a couple weeks in Paris, some time in Edinburgh at the Fringe Arts festival and then in Glasgow for the Commonwealth Games. Lastly, we will be back in London to do an Arts Camp called Bones which culminates in an event called Carnival in London's Notting Hill. Needless to say, I've been excited and nervous about the trip since I was accepted in February.
Upon arriving in London, making my way successfully through the tube system in the rain, I went to the coffee shop were I would be met by someone on the YWAM staff. Soon, Elin, who is from Finland, arrived with a big smile and a hug and instantly, all the nervous energy dissipated. We found Juliette, who is from Holland, and drove to the house. In the house, all of the interns and staff for the Arts Internship reside which means grace, patience, and a bit of organization is needed in a house with 17 people.
When I arrived, most of the other interns had already come. We have people from Brazil, Holland, Mexico, Argentina, France, and Spain in the house. There are two other girls from the US on the team. One of them, Amanda, is one of my roommates, along with Elin, and the other lives at one of the other houses. YWAM Urban Key has three different houses in three different neighbourhoods in the city. However, they are all within walking distance of each other. We are welcomed to any of the houses at any time. Amongst the three houses, there are around 70 people involved in the YWAM base. We will come together as a whole base two times a week for worship.
Immediately, the staff encouraged us to make the house our home and has provided such a family atmosphere. There is a sense of acceptance in the house and that people really take care of each other. The leaders of the house, Christian and Johanna, are intensely passionate about God, about reaching the city for Christ, and about the arts.
We had our introduction to the internship and our very busy schedule. Along with training and working in our art areas, we will also be doing ministry in Camden Market, a place where there is a lot of really heavy and secular things. We took a tour of the area and you can just feel the oppression when you walk through. We will be there once a week for evangelism to pray over the area and talk with people. They have seen the impact of prayer as some of the darker shops have closed their doors since they began praying and walking the market. We will also do outreach in Soho, joining with a church who owns a coffee shop. In many ways, it sounds like it'll be similar to Coffee Van that I did in Australia; talking to people, serving coffee, and showing the love of Christ through our actions. There will also be work duties, teaching time, one-on-ones and small groups, all of which, I'm quite excited about . . well, maybe not the work duties all the time. :) We will also have French classes before we head into Paris. Chris and Johanna feel it's important we have a sense of the language as it makes it difficult to share and talk with people if you do not know the language.
The second day of our internship, we took a tour of some of the major sites in London; the London Eye, the Tower of London, Trafalgar Square, and the London Bridge. It was good to begin to understand the public transportation and get a sense of the crazy busy-ness of the city as well. Yesterday, we went into the city centre to the Hillsong London church. After spending time in Australia, Hillsong is close to my heart. It was a great time of worship, refreshment, and even though it is a mega church, their heart for the city, for people, and passion for Christ is very evident. There's still a sense of family when you go which is unique for that big of church. Hopefully, we'll be able to frequent that church whilst we're here.
Tomorrow we start our official schedule for the internship. Wake up at 8 and off we go to the church in Notting Hill where we spend time working on our tracks and have some teaching time. I'm excited to see what God does through our team and through the hearts of the people we come in contact with. It's been a great experience already getting to know the other people here, finding out where they come from, but also seeing their heart for missions, for people, for arts, and for the city. With Dusky Imaginatorium, we go to adventure in London . . . more to come.
So thus begins my own adventure. For the next three months, I'm off to Jolly Old London Town to work with YWAM (Youth With a Mission) to do an Arts Internship with them. We will be working through different Art Tracks such as music, drama, visual arts, dance, and fashion. Then with all the different tracks, we will put together a performance piece to take on Outreach. Outreach will begin in the middle of July and continue through to the end of August. We will spend a couple weeks in Paris, some time in Edinburgh at the Fringe Arts festival and then in Glasgow for the Commonwealth Games. Lastly, we will be back in London to do an Arts Camp called Bones which culminates in an event called Carnival in London's Notting Hill. Needless to say, I've been excited and nervous about the trip since I was accepted in February.
Upon arriving in London, making my way successfully through the tube system in the rain, I went to the coffee shop were I would be met by someone on the YWAM staff. Soon, Elin, who is from Finland, arrived with a big smile and a hug and instantly, all the nervous energy dissipated. We found Juliette, who is from Holland, and drove to the house. In the house, all of the interns and staff for the Arts Internship reside which means grace, patience, and a bit of organization is needed in a house with 17 people.
When I arrived, most of the other interns had already come. We have people from Brazil, Holland, Mexico, Argentina, France, and Spain in the house. There are two other girls from the US on the team. One of them, Amanda, is one of my roommates, along with Elin, and the other lives at one of the other houses. YWAM Urban Key has three different houses in three different neighbourhoods in the city. However, they are all within walking distance of each other. We are welcomed to any of the houses at any time. Amongst the three houses, there are around 70 people involved in the YWAM base. We will come together as a whole base two times a week for worship.
Immediately, the staff encouraged us to make the house our home and has provided such a family atmosphere. There is a sense of acceptance in the house and that people really take care of each other. The leaders of the house, Christian and Johanna, are intensely passionate about God, about reaching the city for Christ, and about the arts.
We had our introduction to the internship and our very busy schedule. Along with training and working in our art areas, we will also be doing ministry in Camden Market, a place where there is a lot of really heavy and secular things. We took a tour of the area and you can just feel the oppression when you walk through. We will be there once a week for evangelism to pray over the area and talk with people. They have seen the impact of prayer as some of the darker shops have closed their doors since they began praying and walking the market. We will also do outreach in Soho, joining with a church who owns a coffee shop. In many ways, it sounds like it'll be similar to Coffee Van that I did in Australia; talking to people, serving coffee, and showing the love of Christ through our actions. There will also be work duties, teaching time, one-on-ones and small groups, all of which, I'm quite excited about . . well, maybe not the work duties all the time. :) We will also have French classes before we head into Paris. Chris and Johanna feel it's important we have a sense of the language as it makes it difficult to share and talk with people if you do not know the language.
The second day of our internship, we took a tour of some of the major sites in London; the London Eye, the Tower of London, Trafalgar Square, and the London Bridge. It was good to begin to understand the public transportation and get a sense of the crazy busy-ness of the city as well. Yesterday, we went into the city centre to the Hillsong London church. After spending time in Australia, Hillsong is close to my heart. It was a great time of worship, refreshment, and even though it is a mega church, their heart for the city, for people, and passion for Christ is very evident. There's still a sense of family when you go which is unique for that big of church. Hopefully, we'll be able to frequent that church whilst we're here.
Tomorrow we start our official schedule for the internship. Wake up at 8 and off we go to the church in Notting Hill where we spend time working on our tracks and have some teaching time. I'm excited to see what God does through our team and through the hearts of the people we come in contact with. It's been a great experience already getting to know the other people here, finding out where they come from, but also seeing their heart for missions, for people, for arts, and for the city. With Dusky Imaginatorium, we go to adventure in London . . . more to come.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Just purely fiction imaginatorium
At moments, it's the work of real life we are drawn to. It's real emotion, real situations, and real people who stun us to the core. The stories make us think, they make us consider human nature, and the words put us in a posture to really consider our own lives. Authors who take the real, fictionalize it, and then launch us into a very real world are oftentimes the ones we come back to again and again, knowing that each time we will receive truth we hadn't before. This month's imaginatorium authors did just that. Each was a work of fiction, but each was also a look into the very real and raw emotions of people in somewhat awful situations. Although, I only read through novels this month, each of them had a depth to them which left me rather breathless at the end.
The first one was The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman. Originally, I had been draw to this novel merely because it was set in Australia and after spending time in Oz, I do have a soft spot in my heart for the country. The book tells the tale of a husband and wife who live on Janus Rock and are lighthouse keepers in the 1920's. They are secluded and on their own, suffering through life and miscarriages as they learn how to endure on their own. But when a boat washes up on the shore with a dead man and an alive little baby, they decide to claim the baby as their own. Upon leave to the mainland, they learn the back story to the man and the baby which sends them in to a moral dilemma as they learn the truth and wrestle with what to do with it.
The book propels the reader into the midst of the action before backing up and giving what came before to then further the story. The characters are well written, the island and the lighthouse come alive, and the prose is easy to follow. There isn't too much Aussie slang either to follow. The plight of the lighthouse keeper, Tom and his wife resonates in the heart of the reader. It's a story of loss, of profound happiness and just how far people will go to protect those they love and hold on to what they think life has given them. Definitely a good read and worth it.
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher was a book I had held onto for a while, waiting for the right time to read it and this month seemed to be it. The book follows Clay, a high school guy, who receives a set of 13 tapes from a classmate who committed suicide. Each of the tapes, he learns, is his classmate Hannah telling a story about a different person who led her to this decision and Clay is one of them although he has no idea what he had ever done to give reason for him to be on the tapes. It's an intense, heart-wrenching, and challenging story that for me left me changed at the end. It reminded me of how little things we do and how we interact with people really can effect someone in ways we don't always realize. The story ebbs and flows between Clay's thoughts and actions and Hannah telling the stories and it is an amazing book. It's a profoundly simple thriller but one that is definitely worth the read. It gives amazing truth and a reminder that how we treat people has consequences both good and bad. It's challenged me to make the most of my interactions with people just as it challenges Clay to make sure he's reaching out to those who may seem unreachable.
The last novel I undertook was The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons. The book takes place slightly before the onset of the WWII. Young Elise comes from a privileged Jewish family in Vienna, Austria but is shipped off to England to become a housemaid when things begin to get dangerous for her and her family in Vienna. Soon she finds herself falling for the young master of the house, Kit, which profoundly changes her and the ways she views the world. Soon, they do find themselves at the start of the war and the romance with Kit has to change as he is sent off to war.
The best way to describe this book was if Jane Austen and Ian McEwan sat down in the same room and decided to write a book, I am fairly certain this is what they would have come up with. In the same vain of Atonement, the readers crave a happy ending and find it to be a bittersweet happy. The book is well written, the main character is enjoyable and the reader really does root for her and her happiness, although the ending was a bit interesting with where Elise ends up. But it does tell of the tragedy of war and how people in the midst of despair are called upon to rise above and attempt to move on even when moving on seems to be impossible. I enjoyed the historical context as well. It was a good read and I was hooked. I do hope she continues to write and publish other stories.
Sometimes it's just the purely fictional books that draw us in, the books that glean from real life and plunge us into a real but fictional world in which we learn and grow ourselves. They challenge us as we learn from the characters, the new situations and the trials they go through without ever having to step into those things ourselves. Each of the books this month were excellent and I would definitely recommend all three.
Next month; Inspired by The House at Tyneford, this next month is going to be books set between 1938 and 1949 or books written between those years. Quite excited to see what comes of it.
The House at Tyneford- Natasha Solomons
The first one was The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman. Originally, I had been draw to this novel merely because it was set in Australia and after spending time in Oz, I do have a soft spot in my heart for the country. The book tells the tale of a husband and wife who live on Janus Rock and are lighthouse keepers in the 1920's. They are secluded and on their own, suffering through life and miscarriages as they learn how to endure on their own. But when a boat washes up on the shore with a dead man and an alive little baby, they decide to claim the baby as their own. Upon leave to the mainland, they learn the back story to the man and the baby which sends them in to a moral dilemma as they learn the truth and wrestle with what to do with it.
The book propels the reader into the midst of the action before backing up and giving what came before to then further the story. The characters are well written, the island and the lighthouse come alive, and the prose is easy to follow. There isn't too much Aussie slang either to follow. The plight of the lighthouse keeper, Tom and his wife resonates in the heart of the reader. It's a story of loss, of profound happiness and just how far people will go to protect those they love and hold on to what they think life has given them. Definitely a good read and worth it.
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher was a book I had held onto for a while, waiting for the right time to read it and this month seemed to be it. The book follows Clay, a high school guy, who receives a set of 13 tapes from a classmate who committed suicide. Each of the tapes, he learns, is his classmate Hannah telling a story about a different person who led her to this decision and Clay is one of them although he has no idea what he had ever done to give reason for him to be on the tapes. It's an intense, heart-wrenching, and challenging story that for me left me changed at the end. It reminded me of how little things we do and how we interact with people really can effect someone in ways we don't always realize. The story ebbs and flows between Clay's thoughts and actions and Hannah telling the stories and it is an amazing book. It's a profoundly simple thriller but one that is definitely worth the read. It gives amazing truth and a reminder that how we treat people has consequences both good and bad. It's challenged me to make the most of my interactions with people just as it challenges Clay to make sure he's reaching out to those who may seem unreachable.
The last novel I undertook was The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons. The book takes place slightly before the onset of the WWII. Young Elise comes from a privileged Jewish family in Vienna, Austria but is shipped off to England to become a housemaid when things begin to get dangerous for her and her family in Vienna. Soon she finds herself falling for the young master of the house, Kit, which profoundly changes her and the ways she views the world. Soon, they do find themselves at the start of the war and the romance with Kit has to change as he is sent off to war.
The best way to describe this book was if Jane Austen and Ian McEwan sat down in the same room and decided to write a book, I am fairly certain this is what they would have come up with. In the same vain of Atonement, the readers crave a happy ending and find it to be a bittersweet happy. The book is well written, the main character is enjoyable and the reader really does root for her and her happiness, although the ending was a bit interesting with where Elise ends up. But it does tell of the tragedy of war and how people in the midst of despair are called upon to rise above and attempt to move on even when moving on seems to be impossible. I enjoyed the historical context as well. It was a good read and I was hooked. I do hope she continues to write and publish other stories.
Sometimes it's just the purely fictional books that draw us in, the books that glean from real life and plunge us into a real but fictional world in which we learn and grow ourselves. They challenge us as we learn from the characters, the new situations and the trials they go through without ever having to step into those things ourselves. Each of the books this month were excellent and I would definitely recommend all three.
Next month; Inspired by The House at Tyneford, this next month is going to be books set between 1938 and 1949 or books written between those years. Quite excited to see what comes of it.
The Light Between Oceans- ML Stedman
Thirteen Reasons Why- Jay AsherThe House at Tyneford- Natasha Solomons
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Life of Pi Imaginatorium
I admit as I sat down to write this post, I thought I'd just list out the books I read and go. After all, it's nearly November. I'm very nearly through another month of wonderful adventures. But September's month begs me to pause ever so briefly and tell a tale or two of what I read. And what were those works I dove into, you may be asking yourself? Well, with the inspiration of Life of Pi, I decided to read two other books that explored human nature.
The first was indeed Life of Pi and I did thoroughly enjoy it. Parts were a bit gruesome but the look at human nature, the spirit, and what we search for in life was very interesting. I may have cheated a bit and seen the movie before I read the book, but the way the story is woven with the animals and then explained at the end is quite brilliant. It's definitely worth a read. I found the way Pi navigated his world as a young boy very interesting as he did search out God through being Hindu, Muslim, and Christian. His faith was certainly tested by being in a lifeboat for so long with just himself and "a tiger".
From there, passing through the library, My Spiritual Journey by the Dali Lama was sitting on the counter and I thought, why not? It looked at human nature and the spiritual disciplines the Dali Lama has given his life to. It was also a fairly interesting read, not knowing much about Buddhism. The most interesting thing to me was how he was chosen at such an early age to be the leader and what that meant for his childhood and how he was raised. It was also eye opening to hear about his political involvement and where he stood on many world issues as well.
Lastly, The Fifth Mountain by one of my now favorite authors, Paolo Coehlo. This novel follows the prophet Elijah shortly after he has been exiled and Jezebel has ordered all the prophets of God to be killed. I appreciated how the book was written and that there were not too many liberties taken with the character of Elijah. My vision of him had always been as an old man but he was young when he was first called to be a prophet. It was also quite a good read and I do recommend it. I was a little bummed that he didn't take more time on the battle between Elijah and the prophets of Baal but other than that, it was worth it.
Yes, a quick post but more to come when October finishes and that post is revealed with works of fiction!
The Fifth Mountain- Paulo Coehlo
The first was indeed Life of Pi and I did thoroughly enjoy it. Parts were a bit gruesome but the look at human nature, the spirit, and what we search for in life was very interesting. I may have cheated a bit and seen the movie before I read the book, but the way the story is woven with the animals and then explained at the end is quite brilliant. It's definitely worth a read. I found the way Pi navigated his world as a young boy very interesting as he did search out God through being Hindu, Muslim, and Christian. His faith was certainly tested by being in a lifeboat for so long with just himself and "a tiger".
From there, passing through the library, My Spiritual Journey by the Dali Lama was sitting on the counter and I thought, why not? It looked at human nature and the spiritual disciplines the Dali Lama has given his life to. It was also a fairly interesting read, not knowing much about Buddhism. The most interesting thing to me was how he was chosen at such an early age to be the leader and what that meant for his childhood and how he was raised. It was also eye opening to hear about his political involvement and where he stood on many world issues as well.
Lastly, The Fifth Mountain by one of my now favorite authors, Paolo Coehlo. This novel follows the prophet Elijah shortly after he has been exiled and Jezebel has ordered all the prophets of God to be killed. I appreciated how the book was written and that there were not too many liberties taken with the character of Elijah. My vision of him had always been as an old man but he was young when he was first called to be a prophet. It was also quite a good read and I do recommend it. I was a little bummed that he didn't take more time on the battle between Elijah and the prophets of Baal but other than that, it was worth it.
Yes, a quick post but more to come when October finishes and that post is revealed with works of fiction!
Life of Pi- Yann Martel
My Spiritual Journey- Dali LamaThe Fifth Mountain- Paulo Coehlo
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Just a bit of quirky imaginatorium
The indubitably creative, the slightly offbeat, the unbearably quirky, the altruistically strange, and the slightly endearing. Although many may prefer the tales where everything makes sense, the stories off the beaten path are sometimes the best. This month, the quirky tales took center stage. It began with Looking for Alaska by John Green and ended with some Neil Gaiman. Alas, I googled "quirky novels" and found some wonderful stories to read in between which filled out the month perfectly.
Whilst reading a novel, one of the things I most appreciate is an author's ability to take the ordinary, mundane, or regular and turn it into a story worth reading. I love vocabulary and an author's effective use of it within the tale. John Green is one of those authors. I love fell in with his writing style with The Fault in Our Stars and was quite excited to read his other works. Looking for Alaska had gotten such high praise, I was looking forward to reading it. However, I found it sub par to The Fault in Our Stars for a few reasons. It was more teen angst ridden and the characters were not all that likable. The main characters, in particular Alaska, was actually quite annoying. And SPOILER ALERT, I was quite glad when she died. However, I still enjoyed his writing style but the story he told just wasn't as enjoyable as his other book. I guess I would say read the book but for me, it just was not quite as good as I had hoped.
However, Warm Bodies by Issac Marion, most recently turned into a movie, and The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender were certainly worth a read. Warm Bodies was clever, creative, and quite amusing. I loved being inside R's zombie mind and hearing what he was thinking and what he actually was able to express. It's a brilliant novel and a brilliant take on the recent influx of zombie tales. It still has zombie killings and fights but the fact that the lead character is a zombie who slowly moves toward being human again is a fantastic story and definitely worth the read. I'm excited to see the movie now.
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake was certainly a quirky novel but also very clever. The main character, Rose, when she is 9 years old discovers she can taste people's emotions in the food she eats, beginning with her mother's lemon cake. As she gets older, she learns what food she can eat without tasting too much emotion. As she grows up, she watches as her parents grow apart and her brother descends into a rather solitary place. The novel was really good. I appreciated the creativity to the story but also how rooted in reality the story stayed except for what happened to her brother. Even though I read through that part several times, I was just confused. So if you read the book, I'd be curious to know what your conclusion is. SPOILER . . . .(I think he turns into a chair . . )
Lastly, American Gods by Neil Gaiman was also quite interesting. I thought the idea of ancient gods walking amongst us is a premise to be explored. It was a good read and I enjoy Neil Gaiman's writing. A bit of language and sexual content so be prepared. But I like the idea of taking a regular human, throwing in some ancient gods who haven't gotten a lot of worship in recent years, setting the story in America and letting Neil Gaiman write the rest. In some ways, although it's probably an awful comparison and Neil Gaiman probably wouldn't appreciate it but it's sort of like Percy Jackson for adults . . sort of . . .But give it a read. It is good.
As one might expect, I like authors who do not follow the normal pattern of reality and allow the impossible to happen within a possible world. Creative words, interesting syntax, and quirky spins on age old stories are truly some of my favorite types of imaginatorium. The books of this month all had a sense of quirkiness to them which I thoroughly enjoyed. There are a lot more books as well that fall into this category. Do a Google search and see what you find. There's a lot of authors that may not have made the best seller lists but are excellent reads.
Next month: Life of Pi is the inspiration . . . stay tuned for what books follow.
Looking for Alaska- John Green
Warm Bodies- Issac Marion
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake- Aimee Bender
Still Life of a Woodpecker- Tom Robbins
American Gods- Neil Gaiman
Whilst reading a novel, one of the things I most appreciate is an author's ability to take the ordinary, mundane, or regular and turn it into a story worth reading. I love vocabulary and an author's effective use of it within the tale. John Green is one of those authors. I love fell in with his writing style with The Fault in Our Stars and was quite excited to read his other works. Looking for Alaska had gotten such high praise, I was looking forward to reading it. However, I found it sub par to The Fault in Our Stars for a few reasons. It was more teen angst ridden and the characters were not all that likable. The main characters, in particular Alaska, was actually quite annoying. And SPOILER ALERT, I was quite glad when she died. However, I still enjoyed his writing style but the story he told just wasn't as enjoyable as his other book. I guess I would say read the book but for me, it just was not quite as good as I had hoped.
However, Warm Bodies by Issac Marion, most recently turned into a movie, and The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender were certainly worth a read. Warm Bodies was clever, creative, and quite amusing. I loved being inside R's zombie mind and hearing what he was thinking and what he actually was able to express. It's a brilliant novel and a brilliant take on the recent influx of zombie tales. It still has zombie killings and fights but the fact that the lead character is a zombie who slowly moves toward being human again is a fantastic story and definitely worth the read. I'm excited to see the movie now.
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake was certainly a quirky novel but also very clever. The main character, Rose, when she is 9 years old discovers she can taste people's emotions in the food she eats, beginning with her mother's lemon cake. As she gets older, she learns what food she can eat without tasting too much emotion. As she grows up, she watches as her parents grow apart and her brother descends into a rather solitary place. The novel was really good. I appreciated the creativity to the story but also how rooted in reality the story stayed except for what happened to her brother. Even though I read through that part several times, I was just confused. So if you read the book, I'd be curious to know what your conclusion is. SPOILER . . . .(I think he turns into a chair . . )
Lastly, American Gods by Neil Gaiman was also quite interesting. I thought the idea of ancient gods walking amongst us is a premise to be explored. It was a good read and I enjoy Neil Gaiman's writing. A bit of language and sexual content so be prepared. But I like the idea of taking a regular human, throwing in some ancient gods who haven't gotten a lot of worship in recent years, setting the story in America and letting Neil Gaiman write the rest. In some ways, although it's probably an awful comparison and Neil Gaiman probably wouldn't appreciate it but it's sort of like Percy Jackson for adults . . sort of . . .But give it a read. It is good.
As one might expect, I like authors who do not follow the normal pattern of reality and allow the impossible to happen within a possible world. Creative words, interesting syntax, and quirky spins on age old stories are truly some of my favorite types of imaginatorium. The books of this month all had a sense of quirkiness to them which I thoroughly enjoyed. There are a lot more books as well that fall into this category. Do a Google search and see what you find. There's a lot of authors that may not have made the best seller lists but are excellent reads.
Next month: Life of Pi is the inspiration . . . stay tuned for what books follow.
Looking for Alaska- John Green
Warm Bodies- Issac Marion
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake- Aimee Bender
Still Life of a Woodpecker- Tom Robbins
American Gods- Neil Gaiman
Monday, August 12, 2013
And the Moutains Echoed Imaginatorium
Small town girl, fairly affluent, educated, not much trauma has ever existed within the confines of my world. But I am very aware the lives of some spin constantly in turmoil and destruction and oftentimes, we are unaware of their plights. I know very little beyond the stories the news reports of the lives of people in war torn countries. So this month, with the book And the Mountains Echoed by Khlaed Hossani, being the inspiration, I sought out other books set in the Middle East or in a war torn country in Africa.
As And Mountains Echoed was a work of fiction, the other two works were biographies. My favorite, was And Mountains Echoed. Although I enjoyed Kite Runner, his debut novel, I think I enjoyed this one even better. And Mountains Echoed was a sweeping novel over the course of three generations and several different countries. It begins in Afghanistan with a father, his daughter and son as the father brings his young daughter to another couple. As that family is torn apart, the novel continues following the different family members, their extended family, and those who have an influence in their lives. The ending is rather bittersweet ever though I was hoping for the happy ending. The prose is wonderful and engaging. At times, following the characters was a bit tough but it is still such a wonderful book. I was engaged to the end and really enjoyed the book. Definitely worth a read. It begins in a world of fairy tales but situates itself in our world and is simply captivating. I loved it!
What is the What by Dave Eggers was my second choice of a novel. It is a fictional biography based on the life of a Lost Boy in Sudan who was rescued and brought to the United States. It is only called fiction because his memories cannot be absolute at such a young age. I had heard of the plight of those in Sudan but had not known much about it. I enjoyed the book to a point. I thought it was an interesting way of how he began the book with telling of the night he was robbed while living in the United States and then he began to tell his story to the boy who was posted by his robbers as his guard. However, I felt like there was too much jumping around and it didn't go in a logical order which normally I don't mind but for some reason, I just wasn't a fan of how it was written despite it being an interesting tale.
The last book I read was My Prison, My Home by Haleh Esfandiari. It tells her story of going back to Iran on holiday to visit her mother and finding herself taken by the Iranian Secret Police, interrogated and eventually put into prison under the suspicion of plotting something against Iran. I found her story vastly fascinating and captivating. It was amazing to read of how the Secret Police operated, how they tried to find some act of treason where there was no treason to be found. It was well written and very interesting. I appreciated how much background she put into the book as I did not know much about Iran. Oftentimes, I think I had just considered Iran and Iraq to be very similar in their political outlook as well as relationship with the United States but that had not always been the case. It's a hard read to get through when learning about her struggle and the emotions she dealt with but it is so worth a read.
Hearing other people's stories has always intrigued me and reading stories of people in other countries whose lives and experiences are very different than my own is wonderful in expanded my own world view. These three works I read this month, allowed me to experience life in the Middle East and Africa in a way I hadn't previous. Two of them were excellent and definitely recommended.
So novels of hardship and war, time for something a bit lighter hopefully. I'm thinking quirky novels. Perhaps some John Green . . .
And Mountains Echoed- Khlaed Hossani
What is the What- Dave Eggers
My Prison, My Home - Haleh Esfandiari
As And Mountains Echoed was a work of fiction, the other two works were biographies. My favorite, was And Mountains Echoed. Although I enjoyed Kite Runner, his debut novel, I think I enjoyed this one even better. And Mountains Echoed was a sweeping novel over the course of three generations and several different countries. It begins in Afghanistan with a father, his daughter and son as the father brings his young daughter to another couple. As that family is torn apart, the novel continues following the different family members, their extended family, and those who have an influence in their lives. The ending is rather bittersweet ever though I was hoping for the happy ending. The prose is wonderful and engaging. At times, following the characters was a bit tough but it is still such a wonderful book. I was engaged to the end and really enjoyed the book. Definitely worth a read. It begins in a world of fairy tales but situates itself in our world and is simply captivating. I loved it!
What is the What by Dave Eggers was my second choice of a novel. It is a fictional biography based on the life of a Lost Boy in Sudan who was rescued and brought to the United States. It is only called fiction because his memories cannot be absolute at such a young age. I had heard of the plight of those in Sudan but had not known much about it. I enjoyed the book to a point. I thought it was an interesting way of how he began the book with telling of the night he was robbed while living in the United States and then he began to tell his story to the boy who was posted by his robbers as his guard. However, I felt like there was too much jumping around and it didn't go in a logical order which normally I don't mind but for some reason, I just wasn't a fan of how it was written despite it being an interesting tale.
The last book I read was My Prison, My Home by Haleh Esfandiari. It tells her story of going back to Iran on holiday to visit her mother and finding herself taken by the Iranian Secret Police, interrogated and eventually put into prison under the suspicion of plotting something against Iran. I found her story vastly fascinating and captivating. It was amazing to read of how the Secret Police operated, how they tried to find some act of treason where there was no treason to be found. It was well written and very interesting. I appreciated how much background she put into the book as I did not know much about Iran. Oftentimes, I think I had just considered Iran and Iraq to be very similar in their political outlook as well as relationship with the United States but that had not always been the case. It's a hard read to get through when learning about her struggle and the emotions she dealt with but it is so worth a read.
Hearing other people's stories has always intrigued me and reading stories of people in other countries whose lives and experiences are very different than my own is wonderful in expanded my own world view. These three works I read this month, allowed me to experience life in the Middle East and Africa in a way I hadn't previous. Two of them were excellent and definitely recommended.
So novels of hardship and war, time for something a bit lighter hopefully. I'm thinking quirky novels. Perhaps some John Green . . .
And Mountains Echoed- Khlaed Hossani
What is the What- Dave Eggers
My Prison, My Home - Haleh Esfandiari
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)