Eloquent Finds: I'm Back!
Recent Reading
Poldark series: The Black Moon (5) and The Four Swans (6) by Winston Graham
The Poldark books are still here, folks. And they are just as spellbinding as ever. The Black Moon is a new favorite for sure (I heart Drake and Morwenna, guys...really heart them). I can’t wait to continue reading the series and am SO excited to see all of this on the big screen when Season 3 of the show airs later this year!
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Pretty sure this will remain one of my favorites of 2017. It’s a challenging and thoughtful memoir about the people’s search for meaning, life and death, and facing death with grace. Paul Kalanithi was Stanford’s chief neurosurgery resident when he was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. This book is the gift he left and I’m one of the glad beneficiaries of it, though even now I’m saddened to think of his cruelly shortened life.
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
Books, quirky people, computers, a puzzle…this book is quite a character in itself. Clay is our protagonist and he takes the night shift at a 24-hour bookstore out of desperation, but he soon realizes that there’s much more to this bookstore and its owner than meets the eye.
The Secret Wife by Gill Paul
This is one of those books that messes with history in the best way. A young cavalry officer named Dmitri falls in love with a daughter of the Russian imperial family during World War I. Simultaneously, we're also following the great-granddaughter of Dmitri as she faces her own dilemmas in 2016. She soon determines to uncover family secrets when she unexpectedly inherits long-lost land from Dmitri.
The Pleasures of God by John Piper
This is my take-it-slow read of the year so far. John Piper argues that since we get to know other people well by discovering what they delight in, we ought to pursue the same thing with God. So far, it’s a very compelling argument. And I’m finding that the depths and richness of our Lord’s delights are inexhaustible and beautiful.
Links
Beauty and the Beast’s Enchanting Table Read
A charming peek behind the scenes at all the work that went into making this magical new rendition of Beauty and the Beast. Can we talk about Dan Stevens’s Beast face in this? And if any of you still haven’t seen the film, I’m more than happy to accompany you.
Tim Hawkins on Air Travel
I’ve been on airplanes quite a bit recently so this speaks to my soul.
Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Deluxe Reading Journal Kit
This is basically my wish list at the moment.
Anne of Green Gables: Netflix’s Bleak Adaptation Gets it All so Terribly Wrong
While I’m disappointed in Netflix’s new remake about my favorite literary redhead, I enjoyed this article and appreciated its explanation as to why this version is so off the mark. If you’re unfamiliar with the delightful Anne Shirley, for your own sake, heed this article and stay away from the new adaptation! Stick to the books. I know people say the book is always better, but this is one of those cases where it really is true.
Why the 1980s Anne of Green Gables is Such a Tough Act to Follow
And on that note, I also enjoyed this take on the most popular screen version of good old Anne. The 1980s miniseries starring Megan Follows remains a favorite among purist Green Gables fans and I certainly recommend the first installment. I don’t gush over it like some do, but it does do Anne good justice and I loved reading so many people’s stories in this article about how she stole their hearts like she did mine when I was young.
Life Finds
And I've found that bridesmaid duty is busy but oh so much fun. Standing beside these two dear friends as they got married was maybe the sweetest experience I've had lately.
Quotes
Books were safer than other people anyway. – The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
The worth and excellency of a soul is to be measured by the object of its love. – Henry Scougal
Happiness can be found even in the darkest times if one only remembers to turn on the light. – Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Beholding glory begs for lingering. – John Piper
I found it is the small, everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay…small acts of kindness and love. – Gandalf, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
On paper, things can live forever. – Jacqueline Woodson, Brown Girl Dreaming
A library is infinity under a roof. – Gail Carson Levine
When domesticity, for instance, is called drudgery, the difficulty arises from a double meaning in the word. If drudgery only means dreadfully hard work, I admit the woman drudges in the home, as a man might drudge at the Cathedral of Amiens or drudge behind a gun at Trafalgar. But if it means that the hard work is more heavy because it is trifling, colorless, and of small import to the soul, then as I say, I give it up; I do not know what the words mean. To be Queen Elizabeth within a definite area, deciding sales, banquets, labors and holidays; to be Whiteley within a certain area, providing toys, boots, sheets, cakes, and books; to be Aristotle within a certain area, teaching morals, manners, theology, and hygiene; I can understand how this might exhaust the mind, but I cannot imagine how it could narrow it. How can it be a large career to tell other people’s children about the Rule of Three, and a small career to tell one’s own children about the universe? How can it be broad to be the same thing to everyone, and narrow to be everything to someone? No; a woman’s function is laborious, but because it is gigantic, not because it is minute. I will pity Mrs. Jones for the hugeness of her task; I will never pity her for its smallness. – G.K. Chesterton
Have a great weekend!
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