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The title of this book is a bit misleading. I've owned it for years, but apparently never read it, because somehow I thought it was a collection of fictional short stories about the Salvation Army during the war, and it's really nothing like that. Instead, it is a factual, anecdotal account of the work of the Salvation Army with the soldiers in France during World War I, pieced together from journals and letters from the people who were over there. Most of the anecdotes are very brief, a page or two at most, so there's not a lot of continuity; stories are organized by region and apparently by some kind of chronology, although this is not obvious. At times it feels like propaganda, as anyone who speaks ill of the Salvation Army soon comes to love and respect them, and the "lassies" are all pure of heart and motive-- and apparently most of their work involved making doughnuts and pies to give the lonely soldiers a taste of home. Still, it was interesting to get a very different perspective on the war and the living conditions near the front-- as Hill points out repeatedly, the Salvation Army workers went as near to the front as they were able, and endured the hardships along with the "doughboys" rather than associating with the officers.

There's a section at the beginning about "Commander" Evangeline Booth raising money and support to send her people to Europe (when someone asks where the Salvation Army is, she somehow correctly intuits it is a spy trying to find out where the American troops are), a bit at the end about the work of the Salvation Army for soldiers returning home, and then a long section at the end full of letters from presidents and governors endorsing the Salvation Army, and then from military people of every rank thanking them for their work. These are interesting, but they also make the book feel even less consistent.

I felt like this would have been a much stronger and more compelling story if Hill had taken all the anecdotes and stories and threaded them into a fictionalized account, creating a few characters that the reader could follow throughout, rather than jumping back and forth to unnamed people. And the moments when she talks about the Salvation Army "lassies" and heroes the way she describes the heroines in her fiction-- in spite of their blond curls and pretty faces, if you look into their eyes you just know how sweet and dedicated they are, etc. These kind of descriptions are silly enough in her fiction, but here in what is otherwise almost too dryly factual, it stands out even more.

Couldn't figure out how to classify this one-- it's not fiction, but I'm not sure it really counts as history either.

Title:	The War Romance of the Salvation Army
Author:	Grace Livingston Hill
Date published:	1919
Genre:	History ?
Number of pages:	327

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Bryson is a wonderful writer, and this is quite the interesting topic. Particularly for someone who enjoys words and using them well. Bryson includes a number of comparisons between English and various languages .. for instance, how English only has the word 'you' while in most other languages there are at least three or four different varieties to choose from when addressing someone else. And he is careful to make sure these go both ways .. expressing how in some ways English is simpler than other languages, but also how confusing it can be with grammar and vocabulary and simple changes bringing large changes in meaning.

There are a nice divisions for chapters .. names, spelling, pronunciation, swearing, wordplay .. and others relating to both the history and future of words and language. Of course Bryson uses good vocabulary in this book (how else could one write a book about the English language?!), so it was good for my brain to read this book. Not only was I learning as I read (and also wanting to share random facts with friends who weren't always so interested..), but I was using my brain and being reminded of words I don't get a chance to use often. This is a book I am sure I will read again.

Title:	The Mother Tongue: English and how it got that way
Author:	Bill Bryson
Date published:	1990
Genre:	Nonfiction
Number of pages:	245
Notes:	from danny & anita

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I decided at the last minute that I wanted to re-read this book before I saw the new Narnia movie (I actually read the last ten pages in the movie theater), but I'm glad I did even though they changed so many things in the movie. It was delightful to catch the little bits that are directly from the book that I might not have noticed otherwise (like the Bulgy Bear sucking on his paws). Prince Caspian has never been my favorite of the Narnia books, but I think that must be simply because the others are so good and have so many interesting ideas in them, and not because this is a bad book. There simply isn't the scope for ideas that's provided by the many strange islands in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, or the fascination of meeting Narnia for the first time, or glimpses of creation and heaven that we get in the other books. But this story does have much to say about faith.

Narnia is in trouble again when the Pevensies return. Where before Narnia was oppressed and enslaved by the White Witch, now Narnia is wild, asleep, and hidden-- oppressed by humans who fear the fantastic Narnian natives. The landscape has changed so much in the centuries since Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy reigned over Narnia's golden age that a long section of the book is about them getting lost in the woods. Perhaps one of the changes they made in the movie are an extension of this-- in the book Peter is over-reliant on his sense of direction and knowledge of the land, where in the movie he is over-reliant on his skills as a military leader.

The ideas of faith mostly center around Lucy's interactions with Aslan. When they are all lost in the woods, she sees Aslan when no one else does, and they don't believe her. They made an interesting choice in the movie not to show Aslan when Lucy first glimpses him-- in the book it is easier to sympathize with and believe Lucy, but in the movie we are among those who don't get to see Aslan and don't know whether to trust Lucy. There is a great sequence in the book where Lucy is following Aslan and the others are following her without really seeing Aslan, although gradually they get glimpses of his shadow in the moonlight, and eventually they see him too. This is a great spiritual metaphor, because some people do seem to see God more easily than others, maybe because they are looking for him. But it also gives hope to those who don't see-- we can rely on those who have more faith until our own faith catches up.

It was hard to take the movie on its own terms because I kept thinking about what was different from the book. It makes sense that they would need to change and condense things to make this work as a movie, but some of the changes seemed like an excuse to have more battle scenes because I guess that is what movie-goers like (Lewis' description of the battles are always incredibly brief). It is also strange to listen to reviewers who don't like-- and don't seem to understand-- the Narnia movies. They think it is a poor attempt to duplicate the Lord of the Rings movies, and dismiss the talking animals as "cutesy." Whatever my quibbles with the changes they made to the story, my reaction to these kind of misunderstanding reviews makes me realize how much I value the movie-- perhaps because it allows me to enter into the wonderful world of Narnia and spend a couple of hours there.

Title:	Prince Caspian
Author:	C. S. Lewis
Date published:	1951
Genre:	Fantasy
Series:	Chronicles of Narnia
Number of pages:	216
Notes:	repeat reading

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This book has an introduction, a closing, and 9 chapters in between, with each of the main chapters being specifically about one pathway toward God. These are: naturalist, sensate, traditionalist, ascetic, activist, caregiver, enthusiast, contemplative, and intellectual. How freeing to be told that we don't all need to relate to God in the same way. So often in churches, we are told one or two specific methods .. told indirectly that 'good Christians' will have their quiet time reading the Bible every morning, or other similar mandates. For some people, these are good - but for others they limit and create discomfort. Because, you see, we are all created differently! And God is gracious to relate to us in a variety of ways, so that we can best come to know Him and His love.

Many of these pathways fit with a specific denomination or branch of Christianity, and I wonder how many of the divisions in the Church have come about because of difference in the way we were created by God. As humans, it seems that we are so quick to expect others to be like us. When someone becomes a Christian, it is easier to say 'follow my example' and 'do what i do' than to say 'follow the example of Jesus' - because Jesus seems unreachable and too perfect. But Thomas uses Jesus in most if not all the pathways, because He showed us how to live each one. God is much bigger than we believe Him to be - and the ways that He can reveal Himself are also much wider than we believe them to be. This book encouraged me to know the ways that I most naturally relate to God and make sure those are part of my normal life. Other pathways and methods will happen, and are good ways to stretch myself and learn new truths -- but if I'm not making sure my soul is fed in a way that it can easily receive food and communication from my Dad, I won't have the energy to try to hear God in unfamiliar ways.

Title:	Sacred Pathways
Author:	Gary Thomas
Date published:	2000
Genre:	spiritual
Number of pages:	224
Notes:	borrowed from diane, recommended by diane & lori

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Chesterton writes well .. with enough detail and not too much, and this book flows quickly and well, as one would expect from a nightmare. And there are certainly dream-like elements: at various points time moves much too quickly or too slowly for real life; there are sudden changes, with strangers suddenly being revealed as friends and the like; and oddities are seen as expected and normal. As with much of Chesterton's work, there are many layers and levels of ideas and relationships and truth in this work, and I'm sure I only grasp a few .. but on this reading I understood a bit more than on my first reading.

Gabriel Syme, a man who was selected to be a police detective fighting the anarchists, enters the story and debates with a poet spouting anarchist propaganda. Nobody believes he is one because that would be too obvious .. but shortly thereafter Gregory is invited to a meeting of anarchists so that he will believe there are actually such people. Which is exactly what he wants. Through a series of events, he is elected to the high council of anarchists. Which is composed of 7 people .. each known mainly by a name which is a day of the week (hence the title). At the first meeting where Gregory is present, they eat breakfast together and Sunday denounces one of the members as a policeman .. which later turns out to have affected everyone strongly.

Sunday is the leader of the anarchist high council, and is the definition of so much. All events revolve around him, whether others know it or not. All the anarchists are afraid of him and aware of how much power he has. The ending is spectacular. Sunday is revealed for who he really is (or at least what he can be understood to be .. ) and the other six days of the week are given clothes which beautifully represent the days of creation. Sunday is revealed to have been in all sorts of unexpected places, playing many parts to make things have happened as they did. although this was written and meant as a nightmare, there are many beautiful truths in it. Two being that each man experienced Sunday differently and remembered different facets of him & they experience challenges and suffering, but consider it all worthwhile once they reach the 'end'. This book is well worth reading, as are all the books of Chesterton I've read so far. And worth re-reading!

Title:	The Man who was Thursday: a Nightmare
Author:	G. K. Chesterton
Date published:	1908
Genre:	fiction
Number of pages:	186
Notes:	borrowed from jonathan, repeat reading

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A young girl named Rachel is growing up in Hawai'i, in a time when leprosy is seen as a horrible and dangerous disease. Such that if someone shows signs of it they are taken to a special hospital and if they are not cured, they are sent to Kalaupapa, an island for those with leprosy. She spends time at the hospital and ends up being sent to the island .. meaning that she will only see her family if they can pay for a trip to the island which isn't easy on their small salaries. But instead of going away to die, she finds out that life is indeed possible. he is a trouble maker for the nuns who take care of the young girls with leprosy, finding ways to get around rules and push boundaries and enjoy life.

Before reading this book I didn't know that leprosy was such a problem at the turn of the twentieth century. I knew that it has been seen as a horrible disease for a long time and that many people (from Biblical times) have been made outcasts because of it. But the idea of people being exiled and separated from family was hard to read about. Especially because this is a novel based on history .. these are events that did take place, and Hawaiians were separated from family members in harsh ways. Good to know a bit more about history .. but also to see the hope and vivacity that Rachel shows, as a young girl faced with such pain. Hope in the midst of suffering .. that's something of which we can always be reminded.

Title:	Moloka'i
Author:	Alan Brennert
Date published:	2003
Genre:	historical fiction
Number of pages:	384
Notes:	brought by sue

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I saw the movie first, and wasn't sure what I thought about it .. but then my siblings enjoyed it so that helped me to be willing to watch it again. And it made more sense the second time through. The movie was rather confusing for me .. but the book made much more sense. There are a number of stories going on at the same time (they are very closely related, but still .. it's lots of characters to keep track of). Tristran Thorn ends up headed on an adventure to find a fallen star to bring back to the girl he loves .. but little does he know just how much adventure is ahead of him .. with three other sets of people wanting the same star for much darker purposes.

To get the star, Tristran must enter into Faerie .. where most people are not allowed to go. But he has some faerie blood in him and thus can enter. In Faerie, things are almost never what they seem. One man that is visible might have 4 or 5 ghostly companions (brothers who cannot rest until the next king is chosen). An innkeeper might actually be a witch in disguise. A barman might have once been a goat. A bird might actually be a person in a slightly different form. Along with the physical being quite changeable and not to be relied upon .. so are hearts and relationships changeable. Tristran longs for one thing .. but when it is finally within reach he realizes that his heart has long ago started wishing for something (someone) else. As Gaiman creates such a transitory and uncertain world, it can be hard to know what is true and what is illusion. But in the end the truth makes itself clear and things end up as they should :)

Title:	Stardust
Author:	Neil Gaiman
Date published:	1999
Genre:	Fantasy
Number of pages:	248
Notes:	from danny & anita

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Not my favorite of Jane Austen's books, but I was inspired to re-read it after seeing the delightful Masterpiece Theater version of the story. They did a wonderful job of bringing to life this plain, ordinary heroine who reads to many Gothic mysteries and is ready to imagine romance or intrigue anywhere. The narrator makes a great deal of the fact Catherine Moreland does not resemble the usual heroine of a novel-- not extraordinarily pretty, neither extremely rich nor poor; she is just about as ordinary as she can be. And yet in spite of that, she gets to have her own little adventure and finds her own romantic hero.

Catherine is kind and generous; somewhat naive and innocent, and sometimes outright ignorant. There were times when she reminded me of Jane Bennet in Pride and Prejudice-- always trying to think the best of people, even when things don't quite add up. Except that Catherine isn't as wise or intelligent as Jane (and, of course, she doesn't have a sister like Eliza to tell her how things really are). Austen does a great job of making things clear to the reader that Catherine completely misses-- Catherine's faithful "friend" Isabella, people's concerns with wealth and mis-perceptions about how wealthy Catherine might be.

Catherine's romantic interest, Henry Tilney, is a completely delightful character. He's amused by the foibles of other people, like Catherine's obsession with Gothic novels, or Mrs. Allen's obsession with clothing; he's witty and humorous, and very aware of language-- he teases Catherine over the silly things that she says, which probably she has heard other people say, and in the process he begins to educate Catherine and form her mind. When she says a book is "nice" he responds according to the original meaning of the word (neatness), which of course confuses Catherine, and Henry digresses on how the word is used for anything and hence comes to mean nothing. Another time Catherine says she has "learned to love" a particular kind of flower, and Henry teasingly asks how she learned such a thing. According to the narrator, these two end up together because Henry was the cause of Catherine's "first serious thought," which was incredibly flattering to him.

Title:	Northanger Abbey
Author:	Jane Austen
Date published:	1818
Genre:	Fiction
Number of pages:	221
Notes:	repeat reading

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