This children’s book was one of many written by George MacDonald a Scottish minister and author. He lived from 1824 to 1905 and was a great influence upon C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien with his imaginative fantasy tales which illustrate characteristics and truths of Biblical principles. He emphasized the importance of personal faith and the… Continue reading The Princess and the Goblin
Category: Books
Dante’s Inferno – Circles Six Through Nine
"Dante's Inferno" authored by Dante Alighieri is a 14th-century narrative poem describing the journey of a fictionalized version of Dante himself through Hell, guided by the ancient Roman poet Virgil. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of the greatest works of Western literature. In the poem, Hell is depicted as nine concentric… Continue reading Dante’s Inferno – Circles Six Through Nine
Dante’s Inferno – Circles Two Through Five
"Dante's Inferno" authored by Dante Alighieri is a 14th-century narrative poem describing the journey of a fictionalized version of Dante himself through Hell, guided by the ancient Roman poet Virgil. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of the greatest works of Western literature. In the poem, Hell is depicted as nine concentric… Continue reading Dante’s Inferno – Circles Two Through Five
Dante’s Inferno – Vestibule and First Circle
"Dante's Inferno" authored by Dante Alighieri is a 14th-century narrative poem describing the journey of a fictionalized version of Dante himself through Hell, guided by the ancient Roman poet Virgil. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of the greatest works of Western literature. In the poem, Hell is depicted as nine concentric… Continue reading Dante’s Inferno – Vestibule and First Circle
Paradise Lost
"Paradise Lost" is Christian epic poem written by John Milton in the 17th Century. It retells the biblical story of Adam and Eve's fall from grace in the Garden of Eden, exploring profound theological themes with rich poetic language and grandeur befitting an epic narrative. It feels in details of the fall not given in… Continue reading Paradise Lost
God’s Smuggler
God’s Smuggler is the biography of Andrew van der Bijl, the son of a poor blacksmith and an invalid mother in Alkmaar, Netherlands. He passed away in 2022 at the age of 94. His story is both remarkable and inspiring, beginning in his childhood during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands in World War II.… Continue reading God’s Smuggler
Shepherds For Sale
"Shepherds for Sale" is a recent bestseller by Megan Basham about how certain progressive powerbrokers - from George Soros to the Rockefellers to former members of the Obama administration and others set out to incorporate globalist/woke/leftist views in evangelical churches and organizations for political purposes. Megan has for years reported on church issues for the… Continue reading Shepherds For Sale
God’s Battle Plan for the Mind
"God's Battle Plan for the Mind" is a book written by David Saxton about the Puritan Practice of Meditation. Although this book was written in 2020, I have recently been reading some of the old Puritan writings, especially by John Owens, and have been very blessed by their writings. I was impressed by their commitment… Continue reading God’s Battle Plan for the Mind
Five Lies of our Anti-Christian Age
"Five Lies of our Anti-Christian Age" is a book by Rosaria Butterfield related to the following five lies: 1. Homosexuality is normal 2. Being a spiritual person is kinder than being a biblical person. 3. Feminism is good for the world and the church. 4.Transgenderism is normal. 5. Modesty is an outdated burden that serves… Continue reading Five Lies of our Anti-Christian Age
The Inner Game of Tennis
"The Inner Game of Tennis" by Timothy Gallwey is a short book on the mental side of peak performance for Tennis as well as other sports. The book introduces the reader to a Self 1 and Self 2 that each person possesses. Self 1 can be thought of as the ego-mind. This is the part… Continue reading The Inner Game of Tennis
Elon Musk
"Elon Musk" is a biography of Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson. Isaacson, a respected biographer of historical figures, had full access to Musk including following him as he worked during a two year period. Isaacson also had access to employees and friends and family members which gave unsparing details into Musk's life and personality. The… Continue reading Elon Musk
Being Elisabeth Elliott
"Being Elisabeth Elliott" is the second volume on the life of Elisabeth Elliott written by Ellen Vaughn. The first volume covered her time as a young missionary in Ecuador when members of a remote Amazonian indigenous people group killed her husband Jim and his four colleagues. Despite this, she stayed on in the jungle with… Continue reading Being Elisabeth Elliott
Empire of the Summer Moon
"Empire of the Summer Moon" is a book written by S. C. Gwynn primarily about the Comanche Indian nation. The book also discusses the story of Cynthia Anne Parker and her son Quanah Parker who was one of the last chiefs of the Comanches. The book describes the history of the warlike and vicious Comanches… Continue reading Empire of the Summer Moon
The People’s Justice
I was looking for a good biography on Justice Clarence Thomas and thought I had found it in the latest book about him "The People's Justice" by Amal Thapar. Actually, once I started reading the book I discovered it was not actually a chronological biography but an analysis of twelve Supreme Court cases for which… Continue reading The People’s Justice
The Silmarillion
This is a book compiled from J. R.R. Tolkien’s writings and notes after he died by His Son, Christopher Tolkien. It should not be compared to Tolkien’s published works as it was unfinished, but it certainly relates as a background mythology of Middle Earth. Tolkien was a professor of ancient language and was intrigued by Norse… Continue reading The Silmarillion
The Watchmaker’s Daughter
"The Watchmaker's Daughter" is a biography of the remarkable life and deep religious faith of Dutch resistance member Corrie Ten Boom written by bestselling author Larry Loftus. Corrie, a watchmaker along with her Father, and her family hid and aided many Jews and other persons pursued and persecuted by the Nazis. She was eventually betrayed… Continue reading The Watchmaker’s Daughter
Becoming C. S. Lewis
"Becoming C. S. Lewis" by Union University Professor of Faith and Cultural Studies Harry Lee Poe is the first in a new three volume biography of C. S. Lewis's first twenty years. The book outlines how Lewis's early life experiences and books he read, particularly the books on old Norse mythologies, began to form the… Continue reading Becoming C. S. Lewis
The Magician and His Nephew
The "Chronicles of Narnia" is a series of seven fantasy novels written by C S Lewis between 1950 and 1956. Narnia is a fantasy world of magic, mythical beasts and talking animals. It narrates the adventures of various children who play central roles in the unfolding history of the Narnian world. The first book written… Continue reading The Magician and His Nephew
Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment
"Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" is a short story by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne published in 1837. In the story, Dr. Heidegger invites four elderly friends to his study. He displays a vase that he claims has water from the Fountain of Youth discovered in Florida. The water wondrously causes an old rose to bloom again when… Continue reading Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment
The Last Emperor of Mexico
The "Last Emperor of Mexico" is a biography of Maximilian I, the last emperor of Mexico and an Austrian Hapsburg Archduke, written by Edward Shawcross. Maximilian, born in 1832, was a member of the Austrian ruling Hapsburg family, with his brother, Franz Joseph, becoming Emperor in 1848. Maximilian became head of Austria's navy in 1854… Continue reading The Last Emperor of Mexico
The Great Revival During the Civil War
The book “A Narrative of the Great Revival Which Prevailed during the Late Civil War” was written by William B. Bennett in 1877, twelve years after the wars end but based on his personal observations and documented records. He noted that waiting twelve years gave time for passions to cool and prejudices to abate. As… Continue reading The Great Revival During the Civil War
I, Juan de Pareja
My sixteen year old grandson recommended this book by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino, which tells story of Juan de Pareja as a first person account. It took place in Spain and Italy during the mid-seventeenth century. Juan was a slave of African decent and tells of the hardship of slavery and proverty during that time.… Continue reading I, Juan de Pareja
Bad Blood
"Bad Blood" is a book by John Carreyou, about Theranos, Inc. and Elizabeth Holmes, its founder and CEO. Carreyou was the prizewinning Wall Street Journal reporter who broke the story, initially from sources inside the company, of the misrepresentations related to a device that Holmes maintained could do 200 blood tests on a prick of… Continue reading Bad Blood
Happy At Any Cost
"Happy at any Cost" by Kirsten Grind and Katherine Sayre is the story of Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh. Hsieh took over the struggling online shoe retailer in the early days of internet e-commerce and made it into a profitable company. Amazon later bought out the company for 1.2 billion making Hsieh a rich man. His… Continue reading Happy At Any Cost
Heart of a Tiger
"Heart of a Tiger" by Herschel Cobb is a book about the summers spent by the author with his grandfather Ty Cobb at his home in Lake Tahoe in the 1950s and 1960s. The purpose of the book was to give another viewpoint of Ty Cobb, one of the greatest baseball players to ever play… Continue reading Heart of a Tiger
