Herodotus

I finally found it.
I was on vacation, at the beach.
We stopped by a quaint gift shop.
I always end up in the back with the dusty musty bookshelves.
Always.
And there they were.....

 

A complete volume of Herodotus.
This collection was beautiful... no magnificient. The books were weathered, old, the covers completely fallen apart. This was what I've been looking for.
Such a precious treasure. There was history in these pages. There was a soul that lived inside it.
It had stories to tell me.
We would spend the years together ships passing in the night for decades.
Then when the house has quieted, and I've retired, they'll be waiting for me.
We'll spend long nights by the fireplace.
It will be splendid!

I brought volume one up to the counter to ask for the price.

I died.

I dare not publish how much she asked for it.
It was way too expensive.

Alas. Another day.. another time.. another life..
.. till we meet again.....

Book Review: Mockingjay

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

The best parts of this book:
(Actually there are a TON of my favorites but they would all be spoilers.)

"'Oh no, It costs a lot more than your life. To murder innocent people?' says Peeta. 'It costs everything you are.'"

"The damage, the fatigue, the imperfections. That's how they recognize me, why I belong to them."

"And suddenly, it's as if there's no one in the world but these two, crashing through space to reach each other. They collide, enfold, lose their balance, and slam against a wall, where they stay. Clinging into one being. Indivisible."

"I am Cinna's bird, ignited, flying frantically to escape something inescapable. The feathers of flame that grow from my body. Beating its wings only fans the blaze. I consume myself, but to no end."

"All around the dining hall, you can feel the rejuvenating effect that a good meal can bring on. The way it can make people kinder, funnier, more optimistic, and remind them it's not a mistake to go on living. It's better than any medicine. "

Personal Notes:
This was amazing. I see some disturbing similiarities in our world. Overall, I feel like I'm a better person for reading this book. I would have chosen a different path...but I think Katniss chose well also. Sometimes there's no right, there's no wrong, there just is. Compelling piece of literature.

Book Review: Catching Fire

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

The best parts of this book:

"I hunt. He bakes. Haymitch drinks."

"I tell him everything. About the president's visit, about Gale, about how we're all going to die if I fail.
   His face sobers, grows older in the glow of the red taillights. 'Then you can't fail.'"

"We manage the darkness as we did in the arena, wrapped in each other's arms, gaurding against dangers that can descend at any moment."

"I ball up the front of my shirt, stuff it into my mouth, and begin to scream. How long this continues, I don't know. But when I stop, my voice is almost gone."

"Now a new confidence is lighting up inside of me, because I think I finally know who Haymitch is. And I'm beginning to know who I am."

Personal notes:
Sequels usually don't live up to the original. This one does and exceeds all expectations.
Remarkable work.
Again.. BRAVO!

Book Review: The Time Traveler's Wife

Book Review: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

"She looks up at me, holds out a piece of paper, and says, 'Look, Henry, she wrote me a poem.' As I sit beside Clare and read the poem I forgive Lucille, a little, for her colossal selfishness and her monstrous dying, and I look up at Clare. 'It's beautiful.' I say, and she nods, satisfied for a moment that her mother really did love her. I think about my mother singing lieder after lunch on a summer afternoon, smiling at our reflection in a shop window, twirling in a blue dress across the floor of her dressing room. She loved me. I never questioned her love. Lucille was changeable as wind. The poem Clare holds is evidence, immutable, undeniable, a snapshot of an emotion. I look around at the pools of paper on the floor and I am relieved that something in this mess has risen to the surface to be Clare's lifeboat. "

This is one of the FEW books in which I come back to and reread.
It's an amazing piece of literature. AMAZING!

The only other book I reread is To Kill A Mockingbird. For me to allow another book in this realm is a cosmic shift in the universe. To Kill A Mockingbird is sacred, hallowed ground.

Every so often, my mind is scattered, rendered useless. I gravitate toward something to read to stabilize me. The other day I picked up Time Traveler's Wife again and I was riveted all over again. So much detail. I was Clare. Sometimes I am Henry. Everytime I stop by for a visit, I find a new jewel such as the quote above and my soul is restored.

Review: God on the Streets of Gotham

God on the Streets of Gotham:

Many thanks to Tyndale Publishers for providing me a complimentary copy of:

God on the Streets of Gotham by Paul Asay

The best parts of this book:

“The images we see affect us in ways both overt and subtle, and we might not ever notice that these things are influencing us at all.”

“He is a product of a fallen world even as he strives to rise above it.”

“I wonder sometimes if the reason why some of us hate to be still or alone is that in the quiet of our own thoughts we find ourselves facing the darkness within- unmasked, inconsistent with the person we wish to be.”

“Our God is a storyteller. And the best stories often don’t make sense to readers until the very end.”

“And when we love, we leave ourselves open to the worst sort of loss.”

“He simply knew what he had to do… and did it.”

Personal Reflections:

I can always tell when the enemy is thwarting me from God’s will.

In the midst of reading this book, I was riveted, intrigued, had many AHA! moments.

The next day, it seemed my brain got all cloudy. I knew I needed to finish reading this book, but there was always something else to do. At times the book was left at the office or it was too much work to get it from the car. The minute I thought about reading I would suddenly get tired and listless. I knew the enemy was working. It was a difficult battle to finish reading.

What I gained from the experience was a powerful understanding of the great mind we’ve been given.

The creative force that can drive us.

When the mind is focused, no evil, no matter how strong, can extinguish its power.

My mind these days is scattered. I never know what to do next. So many lists, so little time. It makes me an easy target. I am easily swayed by the opinions of friends, emails I read, images I allow in my brain.

I have goals, no drive.

Fear has left me bereft of everything good.

Nothing propels me out of bed in the morning.

Focus is key.

Something that will fire me up.

Passion.

This book gave me some great feedback of what I am lacking through the use of Batman as an analogy. It was a good running start.

Now.must.focus.

I am batman.

(Sorry, couldn’t help it).