A lighthouse

"Were I a Roman Catholic, perhaps I should on this occasion vow to build a chapel to some saint, but as I am not, if I were to vow at all, it should be to build a light-house.” 

― Benjamin Franklin

In a letter to his wife after narrowly avoiding a shipwreck

Nourishment

"When we stop everything else to gather around the table 

and eat a meal made by someone's hands, 

we honor our bodies and the God who created them. 

We honor the world he made and the beauty of creation. 

And in that moment we acknowledge that even though life is fast and frantic, 

we're not machines and we do require nourishment, physically and otherwise."

Shauna Niequist, Bittersweet

Worlds of wonders

Summer holiday to me equals long days and nights spent reading books - on a blanket on the grass, in a lawn chair, inside on the couch, and finishing in my bed in the middle of the night.

Being on holiday in the States has been no different, especially with all this unexpected rain we have had here in Georgia. Instead of visiting the library, 2nd and Charles has been our go-to for reading material. This amazing bookstore in Augusta sells mostly second hand books (and music, comics and more), and you can sell books back to them, so in the end, you can end up spending very little money at all.

If you have paid any attention to my reading list at all, you might have noticed a slight change in genre the past year or so. Since I started dating Mike, he has recommended a lot of fantasy and science fiction literature I wouldnt think of myself. I read The Lord of the Rings for the first time almost 15 years ago, and re-read it several times after that, but never really got more into that world, until now...

Elantris, Harry Potter, and The Name of the Wind are some of the books I have read this year. And what strikes me most with these stories is the amazing creativity of the authors. Not only are they coming up with a story line, they create whole worlds with peoples, languages, landscapes and cultures. There is mystery and magic, and many unexplainable things. But maybe this can make us realize the mysteries of the world we live in? Like Chesterton describes it in Orthodoxy:

“Fairy tales say that apples were golden only to refresh the forgotten moment 

when we found that they were green. 

They make rivers run with wine only to make us remember, 

for one wild moment, that they run with water.” 

― G.K. Chesterton

Why are green apples less impressive than gold? Running water, twinkling stars, and how trees bloom in the spring, isn´t it all sort of magic?  I sure don´t understand it all! The magical worlds of books and fairy tales may seem illogical, much in the same way as the Christian Gospel:

 “In the fairy tale, an incomprehensible happiness rests upon an incomprehensible condition. 

A box is opened and all evils fly out. 

A word is forgotten and cities perish. 

A lamp is lit and love flies away. 

An apple is eaten and the hope of God is gone.”

― G.K. Chesterton

Perhaps this, to a certain degree, can explain why fantasy fiction is so captivating. Because many of these epic stories in worlds of wonders, with heroes fighting evil, they echo God´s great story of redemption of mankind, and our hope of eternal life.  

Les Miserables

So beautiful.

The Case for Christianity

I have almost finished reading "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis. Though the book is based on a series of radio talks from 1942-44, I am astonished by its relevance in 2013. As a basic introduction to Christian faith, it covers topics that are the same for our age, like faith, hope, relationships, charity, and the nature of God.

This article in Relevant Magazine asks who will be the next great writer, the theologian for our generation. I agree that we need authors who can express principles of our belief and place them in the context of our culture, and at the same time we can cherish the work of the good old ones. In other words: read this book. And if you can write, then write!

PS. Illustration by Baylee Hart.  She has lots more great art and hand lettering on her site. None for sale yet, but you can enjoy looking at it still.

Childhood reads

I am currently reading Anna Karenina. I bought the book while I was traveling, with a serious case of reading withdrawals... Though I find this novel interesting, it is rather heavy (literally) and the fact that each character seems to have two-three names they go by confuses me. So I was looking for something lighthearted reading as a break from the heavy Russian literature.

As I walked the library without finding anything I came to think of Roald Dahl, one of my favorite authors growing up. "Matilda" wasn´t in at the moment, so I picked up "Danny, the Champion of the World". Since it is a children´s book it is a quick read, but I was so taken by the story I could hardly put it down. It will give you adventure, excitement and the story of a special father-son relationship. Slightly fantastical and plain fun, this is book I recommend for children of all ages!

Good Friday

Beautiful words!

Picture found on e´s blog, one I stumbled upon via Modern Hepburn, a lovely tumblr. If you have time I will recommend checking them both out!

Also, I am listening to Drew Hill. He is a part of the Norwegian The Voice, and as a friend of a friend (in addition to being a great musician), he has my vote!

Giving gifts

"Mid pleasures and palaces

though we may roam

Be it ever so humble

there´s no place like home."

J.H.Payne

In need of a gift for the host/hostess?

Freshly baked bread wrapped in a good looking/cute tea towel can never go wrong. It is the perfect thing the day after the party! 

"The world is a book..."

"The world is a book, 

and those who do not travel

only read a page."

St.Augustine

Looking forward to a (long) weekend of coffee, friends, talking and walking and hopefully some good shopping! I will be mostly offline, but hope to give you good reports when I am back next week.

PS. This was my Valentines Day

PPS. A good resolution (and pretty picture too)

1. Picture source: tumblr.com via Steven on Pinterest

The Art of Deduction

Print by the Owl´s Love Nest

I think I am crushing on a detective. Today I brought the complete adventures of Sherlock Holmes back from the library (and mentally adding it to my wish list, but in the original language) and convinced some friends to watch an episode of the BBC series with a modern day Holmes and Watson. This consulting detective is highly fascinating, my first encounter with him can be read here, and my interest seems to grow, rather than diminish. And I am so glad NRK  has the show available online and for free, I am liking the state channel more and more these days. And if you like books in general, you can check out my friend Mike´s blog, for posts on novels, book covers, poetry and the like. 

The Sherlock print can be bought here on etsy. Speaking of prints, I have a stack of them ready to be framed, and can´t wait to hang them around the house! I promise to share the result when I am done.

That is part of the beauty of all literature. 

You discover that your longings are universal 

longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated                    

from anyone. 

You belong.

F. Scott Fitzgerald