Wednesdays with Words (The Princess Bride)

My quote today is not deep at all. I have jumped out of my typical reading box and have picked up something a genre I normally avoid and am reading The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure by William Goldman. I saw the movie years ago and thought it was so stupid, but so far I have found the book way more enjoyable and it is quite funny. I found this section tickled my funny bone and faintly has the feel of a scene from Don Quixote.

 

 "There is probably a more logical explanation," the Sicilian said. "But since no one in Guilder could know yet what we've done, and no one in Florin could have gotten here so quickly, he is definitely not, however much it may look like it, following us. It is coincidence and nothing more." 

 "He's gaining on us," the Turk said. 

 "That is also inconceivable," the Sicilian said. "Before I stole this boat we're in, I made many inquiries as to what was the fastest hip on all of Florin Channel and everyone agreed it was this one."

"You're right," the Turk agreed, staring back. "He isn't gaining on us. He's just getting closer, that's all." p. 101

What's On Your Nightstand - June

June ended up not being too bad when it came to reading. I did do a lot of my reading in the end of the month since my parents were here in the beginning. Sleepless nights always help my reading list, though I can't say they help me very much.

I have four books down for the month of July. I intend on reading more, but right now I'm at a loss at what to read. I have books sitting on my shelf, but they just aren't grabbing my attention. So for right now I am leaving it as it is and will read as the spirit moves!

For July:

 

  

From May's Nightstand I read:

• Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition by Karen Glass - Thought provoking and deep. This is one that I'll definitely need to read again.
• French Leave by P.G. Wodehouse - Enjoyable. Not my favorite Wodehouse, but a bad Wodehouse is much better than a lot of other things out there.
• The World of Pooh: The Complete Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne - This was a read-aloud with my kids. While Winnie-the-Pooh is great for the younger ages, I think you get more out of it when your older. My youngest enjoyed the stories, and though my 15 and 12 year old  were kind of skeptical at first it wasn't too long before I could hear little snickers and by the end loud laughs.
• Just David by Eleanor H. Porter - If you have read Pollyanna, or even watched the film, you can see the author's hand in this book. Some of the same themes from Pollyanna run through this story also. This was a very a great story with a very sweet end.

I also read:

• The Blue Sapphire by D.E. Stevenson - A good little read.
• The Duke's Dilemma by Elizabeth Chater - I read another of Chater's books last month and felt so-so about it. I didn't think I would read any more (My version is a four story pack.) Well, for some reason I ended up reading the next one, which I found to be a much better story.
• The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge - Wow, Goudge is a wonderful writer. Beautifully written story.

I listened to:

• David Copperfield by Charles Dickens - To be honest I really didn't have much of a clue of the story of David Copperfield beside the fact that it is considered autobiographical. I found about two-thirds of the book to be kind of tedious, but then it seems that in the last third of the book it all of a sudden got very interesting. This was a book for The Classic Club so I will have a more thorough review coming up.

See what others have read over at 5 Minutes for Books.

Wednesdays with Words (The Blue Sapphire)

I just finished reading The Blue Sapphire by D.E. Stevenson the other night after I found sleep eluding me. I found a couple of quotes that I really enjoyed.

This first quote is about books. If you saw my house you would know that books are a BIG thing here. I also work with books that are donated to the library and I am always amazed at the books that I see that have never been read.

 "...To tell you the truth it always grieves me when I see a book that's never read. There's something a bit pathetic about its crisp leaves and immaculate binding. Poor thing! What's a book for if it's not to be read and enjoyed.?..." p. 150 

These two quotes are about history and I think really resonated with Charlotte Mason's idea of Living Books. I think I'm a little strange because I found most history interesting when I was in school, but I was always disappointed that it didn't tell me enough. I wish someone would have taught me that I could go to the library and find a living book on the topic to satisfy my curiosity. And yes, reading living books for history works. My kids' favorite subject is--history!

 "I'm interested in that sort of history--I mean history about places I know--but I never could remember dates," said Julia frankly. "Battle of Hastings, ten sixty-six, and all that," said Uncle Randal, laughing. "There's not much glamour about it, is there? history books for schools are too condensed. If they gave you a rousing account of the battle you'd remember it...but there's not time, Julia, no time for anything except names and dates and battles and pacts." p. 157

Julia had been listening enthralled to the saga. She had never heard it before. History books seldom concern themselves with the romantic details of events, but merely with hard facts and dates which are liable to go in at one ear and out of the other. p. 274

Wednesdays with Words (A Scent for Water)

My parents are visiting right now and honestly, I'm not doing a lot of reading, but I am finding a little time at night to squeeze in this delightful read, The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge. I had to smile when I read this part since I find myself doing this a lot lately with a things I need to do over the summer plus my plans for the new school year ahead.

Like all women she enjoyed making lists, and even a list of her lists, and she lost track of time noting down repairs to the house in order of priority. (p. 60)