C.S. Lewis is
recognized in Christian circles as a convert to Christianity whose fantasy
writings take the reader through a journey of the human heart where they
encounter the divine. In “The Reading Life,” the emphasis is not on the
religious or spiritual writings, but on Lewis’ love for reading and the importance
it played throughout his life.
Lewis’ words of wisdom on
reading and literature tend to lean toward those works that spark the
imagination and take readers ever deeper into themselves and beyond. “No
book is really worth reading at the age of 10 which is not equally (and often
far more) worth reading at the age of 50,” Lewis writes. “The only imaginative
works we ought to grow out of are those which it would have been better not to
have read at all.”
In the brief
chapter titled “How to Murder Words,” he states, “Verbicide, the murder of a
word, happens in many ways. Inflation is one of the commonest; those who taught
us to say awfully for ‘very,’ tremendous for ‘great,’ sadism for ‘cruelty’ and
unthinkable for ‘undesirable’ were verbicides.” This book offers another
perspective on C.S. Lewis and affirms that the time spent with books is time
well spent.
Dale Ahlquist,
president of the Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton and the Chesterton Schools
Network, compiles various writings from the well-known journalist and convert
to Catholicism in “G.K. Chesterton.”
Ahlquist says of
Chesterton; “He was not a priest, not a preacher, not a member of a religious
order. He was a British journalist, writing what was considered ephemera, and
yet his ‘throwaway’ words are still being read over 75 years after he laid down
his pen and breathed his last.”
The quotes span
the decades of Chesterton’s life and fit loosely in chapters titled “Wonder,”
“Innocence,” “Goodness,” “Purity,” “Faith, Hope and Charity,” “The Christian
Ideal,” “Everyday Holiness” and “Joy.” Many of the quotes are no more than one line, yet they
reflect Chesterton’s quick wit and ability to get straight to the heart of the
matter. A perfect book for those wishing to get a taste of G.K. and a healthy dose
of spiritual and practical wisdom.
‘Ex Libris: John Henry Newman’
Editor: Ryan J. Marr Publisher: Pauline Release Date: Oct. 1, 2019 Length: 160 pp. Cost: $12.95
In “John Henry
Newman,” Ryan Marr has compiled numerous writings by the recently canonized
Catholic saint. This is a timely book and, as one commentator suggests, “God
has given us John Henry Newman for precisely these times in the Church.”
Cardinal Newman’s prose, while difficult at times, still cuts to the core and
challenges the reader to take action.
Those who have encountered
Cardinal Newman in his writings can attest that the phrase he used as his motto
when elected as cardinal, “Heart speaks to heart,” still resonates today.
The complied quotes draw from various theological topics such as faith, holiness
and Our Lady, among others. Cardinal Newman can be theologically deep and many
novices stumble to get through. The passages in this book are bite-size and
digestible for all who desire to get to know this latest saint.
— By Allan F. Wright, Catholic News Service. Wright is principal of Koinonia Academy in Plainfield, New Jersey, and author of 14 books on Scripture.