Reading Jackpot

I have verily hit the jackpot with my reading lately. I have finished two beautiful and profound books and am in the middle of a simply fascinating book, but I won't tell you about that until I finish it. I will, however, tell you about the other two.


Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry~Oh! I am in raptures about this book! I had not read any Wendell Berry before, and actually I listened to this one on CD, but I will get myself to the library to get more soon. Berry writes with a beautiful simplicity and straightforwardness that was a joy to my ear. His prose is musical in rhythm and cadence. Hannah is someone I wish I knew. I loved listening to her tell her life story. I felt like I was sitting with a beloved elderly relative reminiscing about her past. Hannah's was a simple life and not very sophisticated, but she shares her wisdom freely and without pretension. This is a late book of Berry's, and so I assume that his fully formed philosophies and beliefs can be found in it. I've been mulling them over ever since. This book has made me a Berry fan!


Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child by Anthony Esolen~More raptures! I actually put down the above-mentioned fascinating book to read this, so you know I must have loved it. I was wowed by Esolen's eloquent yet clear writing style and even more by what he had to say. Esolen is tongue-in-cheek throughout his book, reminding me of C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters. He gives ten methods in which children's imaginations are being destroyed today, why our society desires this, and how our schools and our very lifestyles assist in this. Since my oldest is now out of the house and my youngest is just shy of 14, I was a little apprehensive that I would be guilt-ridden after reading this book, but I wasn't. I plan to give this book at baby showers. Cindy at Ordo Amoris will be doing a book club about this book, and I urge you to join. This book is for parents, grandparents, teachers~~anyone who has a child in his life.