Joanathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
by Susana Clarke
i very much enjoyed this book, taken by its strking uniqueness: strange stories and odd characters, and delighted by the author's dry humor, her "Englishness" and her elegant writing. the ending was a little disappointing though not bad, as if the author were slowly losing her grips of magic but ended in time to have avoid a total disaster. thus i am left with a fondness of the time spent with the book but did not get that "lingering longing" often associated with great books.
the writing style was very unique but good, although i found the poems or songs in it somewhat awkward, making me miss Tokien's riddles.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Thursday, September 20, 2007
know this new self - mere christianity
mere christianity
CS Lewis
i still remember the clarity, and the confusion, when told for the first time in my childhood "this is a triangle." - of course it was a triangle! hadn't i always known?!
and this described how i felt reading through the first chapter of this book, "the law of human nature". it brought into focus the existence of an innate moral compass within oneself, something i've been struggling to understand but have never really thought about in such an abstract and concrete way. and it is leading to ramifications, some i can see happening and others i do not yet know.
the 2nd concept i learned from the book is about "christian charity", the caring for others in an almost rational way, in contrast to a natural fondness. i was somewhat delighted by this revelation as i'd been slowly coming to grips of it through my own thinking.
so i learned much, taken by surprise and with my continuous confusion about my own spirituality. or the lack of it. i know i am an atheist by nature and by training of science. this is also evident by how bored i was whenever God was presented, matter-of-fact-ly, as the explanation for every phenomenon. on the other hand, i had no difficulty understanding, and often accepting, the pure rational aspect of his thoughts. so close, yet so far away. say, i'm a few SNPs off?
the book was written in a plain and persuasive "entry-level" style. yet the content was anything but simple - it was likely the exact journey the author had taken to arrive at peace with his own spirituality, a not so "mere" endeavor.
CS Lewis
i still remember the clarity, and the confusion, when told for the first time in my childhood "this is a triangle." - of course it was a triangle! hadn't i always known?!
and this described how i felt reading through the first chapter of this book, "the law of human nature". it brought into focus the existence of an innate moral compass within oneself, something i've been struggling to understand but have never really thought about in such an abstract and concrete way. and it is leading to ramifications, some i can see happening and others i do not yet know.
the 2nd concept i learned from the book is about "christian charity", the caring for others in an almost rational way, in contrast to a natural fondness. i was somewhat delighted by this revelation as i'd been slowly coming to grips of it through my own thinking.
so i learned much, taken by surprise and with my continuous confusion about my own spirituality. or the lack of it. i know i am an atheist by nature and by training of science. this is also evident by how bored i was whenever God was presented, matter-of-fact-ly, as the explanation for every phenomenon. on the other hand, i had no difficulty understanding, and often accepting, the pure rational aspect of his thoughts. so close, yet so far away. say, i'm a few SNPs off?
the book was written in a plain and persuasive "entry-level" style. yet the content was anything but simple - it was likely the exact journey the author had taken to arrive at peace with his own spirituality, a not so "mere" endeavor.
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