~Inkwell Necklace and Gift Card Giveaway~

Inkwell necklace and $15 gift card to Bookish Charm.

1. Visit Bookish Charm and comment about your favorite item.

2. Follow The Erratic Muse

3. Like The Erratic Muse on Facebook.

4. Blog and/or Facebook about this giveaway.

And for fun...

5. Answer one or all of these questions-- How do you get inspired? How often do you write? What's your average word count?

Bookish Charm, you are an amazing shop (see "Write" necklace). Thank you so much for sponsoring this giveaway!

Thanks for entering,
Miss Pickwickian

Brian Jacques Signs Off

Brian Jaques

1939-2011

You filled hours of my life with stories.

Thanks for getting kids reading, for your great descriptions, your humor, your love for writing, and your awesome accent.
You will be missed. Goodbye, Brian Jaques.

I feel like my childhood is officially dead.

Rewrite that...

I often think that I was born to be a writer not because I write well but because I speak badly.

There's a pretty good chance when I open my mouth it's going to be something ready to delete, but at least when I'm working with a pen revisions are more commonly acceptable.

I hope this is the pain of being revised.

Three Things

Three things:

First, read as much as humanly possible. Read everything—fiction, nonfiction, history, biography, poetry, science, everything possible. You can't read everything that's been written, but you can try.

Second, write as much as you possibly can. Write stories or poems. Keep a journal, keep a diary. Write notes to yourself, or whatever comes into your mind. It doesn't matter what it is. Don't even worry whether it's any good or not. If it's bad, throw it away. Nobody will ever know. It's a matter of practice, writing, the same way that a pianist practices the scales, or a ballet dancer who constantly exercises. Simply do it continually. It really does help. It's a matter of getting fluency, of not being scared of blank paper. It starts a good habit pattern. Writing every day, even if you have to throw out what you've written, is marvelous practice. It builds up the kind of discipline you need to keep on working no matter what else happens.

Third, be as alive as possible. By that I mean be open to all your experiences. Look at things carefully, listen to things, look at the world around you. And be sensitive and responsive to it.

Oh, and there's one more thing. Hardest of all. Be patient. If you're patient, you can finally do everything you want to do. This applies to everything. But that's hardest of all.

On Writing Well - William Zinsser

On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction by William Zinsser

30th Anniversary Edition

Harper Collins

A friend had been telling me about this book, but I was turned off by the "nonfiction" in the title.
I did some research. Zinsser's book has survived through 7 editions and over 30 years. With is active pursuit and passion for better prose in America, he has effected hundreds of writers. He stands by old styles as well as experiencing new ways of writing and teaching. I decided it was pretty dumb of me not to find out what he had to say. :-)

My friend graciously loaned it to me. Thanks Shay!

This book is excellent for both non-fiction and fiction writers. He's a little condescending to fiction at times. If you can forgive him, the things he has to say can greatly improve your fiction writing.

The first two sections of the book (Principles and Methods) were some of the most direct and obviously applicable writing guidelines I've heard.

I think all fiction writers should also know how to write clear non-fiction. Even if they didn't, this can help with any sort of writing.

(Obviously it hasn't helped much with my review...I feel like I'm blithering.)

The idea that probably effected me the most was what he said about writing simply. We should write simply (not stupidly, but directly) and to do so, we must know how to think simply. This was a big idea for me. Sometimes I like to just wonder about something. (Which is probably good about some things.) But we should learn how to think directly about complicated issues too.

This made me think of G.K. Chesterton and C. S. Lewis. They tackle hard subjects and make them simple and direct. That's why they are so quotable.

I also thought of Elisabeth Elliot and some other contemporary authors.

They reach the audiences because of their simply, directness.

It gave me a lot to think about...hopefully, simply. ;-)

Here are a few quotes....

"Writing is hard work. A clear sentence is no accident. Very few sentences come out right the first time, or even the third time. Remember this in the moments of despair. If you find that writing is hard, it's because it is hard."

"Ultimately the product that any writer has to sell is not the subject being written about, but who he or she is."

"You learn to write by writing. It's a truism, but what makes it a truism is that it's true. The only way to learn to write is to force yourself to produce a certain number of words on a regular basis."

I have a lot of non-fiction writing projects and this inspired me and directed me.

I highly, highly recommend it for any person wanting to write anything. :-)

I'll be hosting a giveaway soon that will include this book.

Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

The Art and Craft of Writing Christian Fiction - Jeff Gerke

The Art and Craft of Writing Christian Fiction: The Complete Guide to Finding Your Story, Honing Your Skills, & Glorifying God in Your Novel by Jeff Gerke
Marcher Lord Press 2009


Rating: 9
Readability: 9
Impact: 10

Read it Again: I should refer to it every day. ;-)
Recommend it: YES!


What to Expect

The title is pretty self explanatory. :-)

Very applicable, funny, engaging, and practical this is probably the most influential writing book I've read (and I collect them).
Jeff Gerke is organized and direct, tackling difficult topics. This is a book for the twenty-first century! So much of Christian writing is riddled with problems or preachiness. Lets dig it out and have it lead the way, not follow the pack.
(There is some great Christian fiction out there, don't get me wrong!)

There is wisdom for newbie and experienced writers from beginning of the idea to the publication of the novel.

The book is divided into three sections.
Part 1: The Spiritual Heart of Writing Christian Fiction
Part 2: Strategizing Yourself, Strategizing Your Novel
Part 3: Writing Your Novel
Each of these sections is broken up into what he calls "Masteries", basically points, skills, or aspects to get under your belt.

My Squib

Loved this book! Can't recommend it enough.
It had so much I needed and was ready to hear. I'm extremely eager to apply it. He's directness and humor really made it an amazing read.

The only thing that slowed me down at all was the fact that he uses Star Wars for so many examples. Nothing wrong with that. Time for a confession...I've never watched Star Wars. So, yeah, sometimes I was lost.
He also uses "she" most of the time instead of "him". Just throws me off.

Confession number two...I had this book recommended to me before but I didn't buy it. And it was a pretty lame reason. The cover.
First, the capitalization oddities through me off, and then the color (orange is not my fav...but it sure looks nice with my blog, doesn't it?), and then the cup of dark liquid. I have mild allergies to chocolate and coffee, so seeing something so tasty on a book cover I couldn't have made me sad.
Lesson = I was dumb.

Read the book! It is AMAZING!

From the Book

"What you want is a reader who is so into the story that she forgets she's reading words and turning pages. You want her breathlessly moving beyond the sentences and directly onto the front row of the story. Your words cease to be ends in and of themselves and instead become the vehicle that conveys her into the reality you've created."

"Writing fiction is pretty much the coolest job in the world. And writing Christian fiction takes a cool job and turns it into a ministry and privileged. To serve God by imagining wonderful story people and telling amazing tales of adventure, woe, romance, and truth.
It doesn't get any better than that."

Look back for the give away of this awesome book!

By Darkness Hid - Jill Williamson

By Darkness Hid by Jill Williamson
Marcher Lord Press



Rating: 9
Readability: 9
Impact: It certainly restored my faith in fantasy.


Read it Again: Yes
Recommend It: Yes!



What to Expect

An interwoven story of two young people, Vrell and Achan, in an epic clash of good and evil.
A page turner for sure!

My Squib

I haven't tried to read any fantasy for years. Seriously.
In my "youth" (wink) I was a fantasy fanatic.
I read Lloyd Alexander, C. S. Lewis, and Tolkien. I enjoyed some other authors too. (Like Sigmund Brouwer's Wings of Dawn...amazing.) But pretty soon I lost faith in fantasy. Most of it was a weak recap of Lord of the Rings. A lot of it was cheesy, much poorly written, and most of it down right boring.
The only new fantasy I've read in the last several years has been Megan Whalen Turner.

I was able to meet Jill Williamson and hear part of her book in the Author Reading night at the OCW conference. My curiosity was pricked.
I bought the first book.
Why not give fantasy another try?

I am totally thrilled. This book is a treasure. I enjoyed all 500 pages. It was one of those stories that you have to keep reading but you don't want it to end. I thought the ending was cool, but I wasn't ready to be done with it yet!

I can't wait until my next pay check and I can buy book two.

Check out Jill Williamson's blog here.

By Darkness Hid has already won a Christy Award!
Read it and vote for By Darkness Hid for the 2010 Clive Staple Award. Here's how.

Buy By Darkness Hid here!

From the Book

Chapter 1

Achan stumbled through the darkness toward the barn. The morning cold sent shivers through his threadbare orange tunic. He clutched the a wooden milking pail to his side and held a flickering torch to light his way.

And now you must find it and read it yourself. :-)

More on Character...

So, if you've been around you know I've been thinking about characters and character development. (See Character vs. Plot.)

I've also been reading Jeff Gerke's amazing book The Art and Craft of Writing Christian Fiction. He's had some excellent chapters on character.
As a self proclaimed plot-first writer he starts and the basics and really gets into the depths of character creation. It has really made me think. I believe I've found some of the weak points in mine and its helping me mend them.

Here are some really cool quotes out of the book...

"Long after we forget the good feelings a work of fiction produces in us, after we forget the great special effects or the magnificent cinematography or the stirring soundtrack, we are left with the resonance of great characters.
Strong, believable, fully realized characters will make your fiction memorable. Even if you have the most brilliant premise and the best craftsmanship and the most wonderful cover design in the world, what will separate your fiction from the pack will be your characters."

"The only thing that will make your fiction endure will be excellent characters."

~The Art and Craft of Writing Christian Fiction by Jeff Gerke


I'm going to do a give-a-way of this book, so check back. :-)
Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

Plot vs. Character

Is it even a question? Obviously we need both.

I've been thinking a lot about this recently. I really wanted to go to a class at the OCW conference by James Scott Bell. This "Plot vs. Character" debate with Nick Harrison seemed my only opportunity. It got my mind turning.
(It also proves my point....I went to go see the characters speak, not particularly for their subject matter. ;-)

The debate was interesting, but it didn't really satisfy me. I don't think their will ever be a conclusion.

On the surface level, my first question is-- What classic (book that has withstood the test of time) is remembered for it's great plot elements?
I admit that I forget details rather easily. There is just to much coming in too keep it all straight. Any book I remember I certainly remember for the characters...even if I have no idea what they did. :-)

All things are propelled by character. Think about it. What happens without the action of someone's character? Plot cannot happen without characters. Characters make a plot. (They can make a very bad one by sitting around and eating Lucky Charms, but it's still there.)
The actions of the plot my not always be propelled by characters in the book's pages, but they were put into action by someone.

On a deeper level, my mind rambles...
Why do we write?
I believe we write because God created us in His image, and that is to be creative!

How does the world work? Did God create the plot of the world and then make the characters to fit the purpose? Or, did he create the characters predestined to fulfill His plot for the world?

Obviously we can only begin to attempt to imitate God and His creativity. Maybe this bares to no relation to plot vs. character at all. Maybe it does.

In conclusion.

It's pretty easy to tell if an author is a plot first or character first novelist. I didn't need anyone to tell me which side Nick Harrison and James Scott Bell would be on. You can tell by their writing. Is this a bad thing? I don't think so. We just need to like both the subject/plot and characters.
We all have different strong points and we all have so much we can learn from the other!
Many character first novelist would be lost without good plot advice and many plot first novelist would be.... Well, they'd be in pretty bad shape without some good characters!

I still haven't figured out if I'm a plot first or character first writer! Most of the time I think I'm a a character first.

All my story ideas begin with a name and character. He wants something or is in the middle of something horrid. Then I have to go back and actually fashion a plot. This makes me think I'm a character first novelist.

But sometimes...I really feel like a plot first. I have this horrible habit of having things happen to my protagonist. Wretched or wonderful things are happening, but my character hasn't really done much to get those going. This is especially prominent with my female characters. There's a intricate plot going on, but its happening to the character.

Maybe I'm just equally bad at both. ;-)

Have any thoughts on plot vs. character?

Thanks for reading this ramble.
Miss Pickwickian

Passion and Purity - Elisabeth Elliot

Passion and Purity: Learning to Bring Your Love Life under Christ's Control by Elizabeth Elliot
Kelsey Hough



Rating: 9
Readability: 9
Impact: 9


Read it Again: Certainly!
Recommend it: Highly



What to Expect

Elisabeth Elliot does a beautiful job of weaving her love story with Jim Elliot into a book inspiring one to purity. The book is divided into concise, applicable chapters. Its a delightful, easy read.

She deals openly and honestly with temptation. Our culture needs this!
Unfortunately she does gives us more details then necessary from Jim's love letters at the end of the book. This, I think, will keep it out of the hands of younger men and woman that could really use her wisdom from the beginning of all this guy/gal stuff.

My Squib

This book was so good for me!

Elisabeth Elliot excels at giving you the obvious, but difficult to completely grasp, truth in an understandable and applicable manner. I think she has a similar gift as C.S. Lewis in this aspect.

I have been able to read several of her other books in the past as well as Jim Elliot's published journals. It was very interesting to hear about their romance from her perspective. Jim Elliot has always been an inspiration to me.

This book was encouraging, inspiring, and convicting. Excellent for anyone considering marriage, preparing for marriage in the future, or even married couples.

I was greatly blessed by it.

Thank you, Aisha, for reading through this with me and for all our great discussions!

From the Book

"Does this story seem strange? Does it stretch to the breaking point and early twenty-first century credulity? If it does, perhaps it is because there is an idea of honor that has largely been lost.
Honor is fidelity to a system of fixed values and relations. Is there anything today, even in the imagination of Christians, for which we are willing to pay the price of self-sacrifice? Any ideal left, any clear cut goal, any control of passion?
Surely there is somewhere, but it is hard to find."

"We are not meant to die merely in order to be dead.
God could not want that for the creatures to whom He has given the breath of life.
We die in order to live."

Jim and Elisabeth Elliot
Wedding Day!

Phantastes - George MacDonald

Phantastes by George MacDonald
Wm. B Eerdmans Publishing Co.


Rating: 8
Readability: 7
Impact: 7


Read it Again: I certainly think it would be interesting at some point.
Recommend It: Yes, if you want an unusual read.



What to Expect

A novel typical of George MacDonald's fantasy sends you on an interesting ride through the random yet profound, romantic symbolism of a tale of the inner and outer journey.

My Squib

Everyone remotely interested in fantasy should read George MacDonald.
How ever bazaar and romanticized his work may be, he is truly deserves the title "the father of fantasy".
So many great authors have been profoundly influenced by his work. C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton attribute much of their inspiration to him.

I have never been a fantasy fanatic. I have read a lot of George MacDonald's more "Gothic" novels, but this is actually my first fantasy of his.
Like his other books, it took me about 50 pages to get hooked. From then on it was an easy read.

If you can get over the fact that we no think of fairies as rather childish experiences and so forth, you will enjoy this book to a greater degree.

It has some very cool symbolism, incredible stories, utter bazaarness, innocent romance, and a pure portrayal of honor.

I don't really feel like I caught all of it (but who says he meant for everything to be allegorical?). I really enjoyed it.

Thank you, Hadley, for recommending it and letting me borrow it!

From the Book

I admit that I copied an awful lot of this book out. Most of George MacDonald's writing bothers me. A lot of it is choppy. Some of it just seems absurd. But every once in awhile he really hits something absolutely beautiful.
I can't begin to copy those passages here. I encourage you to pick up the book yourself and fine those few, but precious, gold mines.

"...some strange melodious bird took up its song, and sang, not an ordinary bird-song, with constant repetition of the same melody, but what sounded like a continuous strain, in which one thought was expressed, deepening in intensity as it evolved in progress.
It sounded like a welcome already overshadowed with the coming farewell. As in all sweetest music, a tinge of sadness was in every note. Nor do we know how much of the pleasures even of life we owe to the intermingled sorrows.
Joy cannot unfold the deepest truths, although deepest truths be deepest joy.
Cometh white-robed Sorrow, stooping and wan, and flingeth wide the doors she may not enter. Almost we linger with Sorrow for very love."

"He was in fact a poet without words; the more absorbed and endangered, that the springing waters were dammed back into his soul, where, finding no utterance, they grew, and swelled, and undermined.
He used to lie on his coach, and read a tale of a poem, till the book dropped from his hand, but he dreamed on, he knew not whether awake or asleep, until the opposite roof grew upon his sense and turned golden in the sunrise."

"O light of dead and dying days!
O love; in glory go,
In a rosy, misty, and moony maze,
O'er the pathless peaks of snow.

But what is left for the cold gray soul,
That moans like a wounded dove?
One wine is left in the broken bowl-
'Tis- to love, and love, and love.

Better to sit at the waters' birth,
Than a sea of waves to win;
To live in love that floweth forth,
Than the love that cometh in.

Be thy heart a well of love, my child,
Flowing, and free, and sure;
For a cistern of love, through undefiled,
Keeps not the spirit pure."

"If I mistake not, he will make you weep till your tears are dry forever. Tears are the only cure for weeping."

Oregon Christian Writer's Conference (Part 2)

So...I learned so much! I hope I can keep it all crammed in my head and apply it. I did take a lot of great notes. Hopefully I can do some summaries in the weeks to come. It would be good review for me. Writing out things always helps cement them.

Anyways...

I really have no idea how to hit any of the amazing things that happened this week.

I met James Scott Bell.
I brought Plot and Structure and Revision and Self-Editing and got them autographed. Yeah! (If you want to write and don't know those books you should check him out. I've never got hooked on his fiction, but his writing books are extremely good. Plus, he's a cool person and speaker.)

I met Hillary Manton Lodge.
I bought Plain Jayne and got it signed. I'm normally not in to Amish fiction, but this one looked pretty spicy.
And guess what guys? Check out my side bar, Hillary Manton Lodge is following my blog!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I met Jill Williamson.
I only could afford the first book in her series, Blood of Kings. So now I have an awesome, autographed copy of her Christy Award winning, By Darkness Hid. Hopefully I can acquire the second book soon.

I met Christina Berry.
Who amazingly lives in the same microscopic town as me! I bought her book Familiar Stranger.

I met Leslie Gould.
In fact, I was in her coaching class! She taught an absolutely amazing class and I got some extremely helpful critics on my story. I am so excited and encouraged. She is awesome. :-)

I met Jeff Gerke. (Fiction pen name Jefferson Scott.)
And he made me the happiest person alive by reading some story and saying "It wasn't terrible." Seriously, I can never remember being so elated in my life! (I'm dead serious here.)
I was also able to purchase his book The Art and Craft of Writing Christian Fiction. It's actually the only new book I've started reading, and it is totally amazing. (I'm still in the middle of three or four I don't want to drop just because I got some new ones.)
Marcher Lord Press
Where the Map Ends

I met so many other totally awesome people I'm not mentioning. Seriously. It was so great. So many people worked so hard to help us all grow and have a wonderful time.

One young lady I met was Rachel. She is just getting ready to launch her blog, The Jesus Adventure. Stop by and follow or encourage her!

Life has been intense.

The night I got home from the conference we went to an outdoor play of Twelfth Night. My sister posted about it. Check it out. It was really good and it's still playing for the next few weeks in Hillsboro. I've always loved Twelfth Night and is was wonderful to see it live.

I'm so inspired to sit down and write, but my computer is sick with a virus. :-P I guess life has been to crazy anyways, but I am determined to amend my schedule so I can and will write everyday!

I've probably bored you by now....
So farewell for the present,
Miss Pickwickian

Indifference

Because of indifference, one dies before one actually dies.
~Elie Wiesel

Night - Elie Wiesel

Night by Elie Wiesel
Translated by Marion Wiesel
Hill and Wang

Rating: 10
Readability: The style is very readable, but the content is sometimes hard to read.
Impact: 9

Read it Again: Yes
Recommend it: Yes



What to Expect

A heart-rending, poignant memoir of a teenage boy during the holocaust.

This book is brutal in its portrayal of brutality.
It is certainly not for the faint hearted. It gets an R rating for violence, disturbing images, and some other material.
Having said that, it is not an inappropriate book. I highly recommend it. Some of it is disturbing, but it's subject matter is disturbing. To try to make it undisturbing would be unforgivable.

Elie Wiesel is now a best selling author of over 55 books. This is his first. His testimony to the world.

My Squib

I hardly know what to say about this book.

I feel guilty admiring his writing style (even after it has survived translation), but the truth is, its amazing. I was so struck by the elegant prose in the introduction that I read it three times and then immediately felt guilty for admiring it so much when it deals with the subject matter.

The main book text is not as fluid and amazing as the introduction, but his style fits perfectly with his story. It is heart wrenching and honest.

This is not a happy book, but I highly recommend it. There is much to learn from such a slim, 100 page volume.

One thing that did strike me was how far Jews have come from the OT even and how different everything would be without Christ. I would never have the stamina and will to continue living that this sixteen year old boy does if I did not have hope in Jesus.

I quoted a section of the forward by a French Christian who met the author before the book was written.
Wiesel, a reporter at the time, was conducting an interview with him on his reaction and memories from the war. Francois Mauriac, the French Christian, spoke of a memory of the eyes of starving Jewish children staring from a moving train car. Wiesel replied, "I was one of those children." Thus started their relationship.
Mauriac's reaction and wish for the Jews to have known and recognized Christ as Lord, spoke strait to me. You can see the quote below.

Please read the quotes. They say much more then I can.

From the Book

Okay, so I took a lot of quotes from this book. I wanted a piece of the intro because it was so beautifully profound. I took a piece of the forward because it took my emotions and thoughts towards this story from a Christian perspective and put them into better words. I took pieces from the book so you actually see what it was like. And I took pieces from Elie Wiesel's Peace Prize speech because he is so amazingly quotable. I do not necessarily agree with everything Wiesel says, but his views on indifference spoke right to me.

Please read the quotes. They will give you much more then my review can. Or, just pick up the book and read....

-From the introduction to the new edition-

"If in my lifetime I was to write only one book, this would be the one.
Just as our past lingers in the present, all my writings after Night, including those that deal with biblical, Talmudic, or Hasidic themes, profoundly bear its stamp, and cannot be understood if one has not read this very first of my works.
Why did I write it?
Did I write it so as not to go mad, or on the contrary, to go mad in order to understand the nature of madness, the immense, terrifying madness that erupted in history and the conscience of mankind?
Was it to leave behind a legacy of words, of memories, to help prevent history from repeating itself?
Or was it simply to preserve a record of the ordeal I endured as an adolescent, at an age when one's knowledge of death and evil should be limited to what one discovers in literature?
There are those that tell me that I survived in order to write this text. I am not convinced. I do not know how I survived: I was weak, rather shy; I did nothing to save myself. A miracle? Certainly not. If heaven could or would perform a miracle for me, why not for others more deserving than myself. It was nothing more than chance. However, having survived, I needed to give some meaning to my survival. Was it to protect the meaning that I set to paper an experience in which nothing made sense?
In retrospect I must confess that I do not know, or no longer know, what I wanted to achieve with my words. I only know that without this testimony, my life as a writer - or my life, period - would not have become what it is: that of a witness who believes he has a moral obligation to try and prevent the enemy from enjoying one last victory by allowing his crimes to be erased from human memory....

And yet, having lived through this experience, one could not keep silent no matter how difficult, if not impossible, it was to speak.
And so I persevered. And trusted the silence that envelops and transcends words. Knowing all the while that anyone of the fields of ashes in Birkenau carries more weight then all the testimonies about Birkenau. For despite all my attempts to articulate the unspeakable, 'it' is still not right....

Sometimes I am asked if I know 'the response to Auschwitz'; I answer that not only do I know it, but that I don't even know if a tragedy of this magnitude has a response. What I do know is that theres is a 'response' in responsibility. When we speak of this era of evil and darkness so close and yet so distant, 'responsibility' is the key word.
The witness has forced himself to testify. For the youth of today, for the children who will be born tomorrow. He does not want his past to become their future.

~Introduction to the New Translation by Elie Wiesel

-From the forward by Francois Mauriac-

"And I, who believe that God is love, what answer was there to give my young interlocutor whose dark eyes still held the reflection of the angelic sadness that had appeared one day on the face of a hanged child?
What did I say to him?
Did I speak to him of that other Jew, this crucified brother who perhaps resembled him and whose cross conquered the world?
Did I explain to him that what had been a stumbling block for his faith had become a cornerstone for mine.
And that the connection between the cross and human suffering remains, in my view, the key to the unfathomable mystery in which the faith of his childhood was lost? And yet, Zion has risen up again out of the crematoria and the slaughterhouses. The Jewish nation has been resurrected from among its thousands of dead. It is they who have given it new life.
We do not know the worth of one single drop of blood, one single tear. All is grace. If the Almighty is the Almighty, the last word of each of us belongs to Him.
That is what I should have said to the Jewish child. But all I could do was embrace him and weep."
~From the Forward by Francois Mauriac

-From the Book Text-

"The night was gone. The morning star was shining in the sky. I too had become a completely different person. The student of the Talmud, the child that I was, had been consumed in the flames. There remained only a shape that looked like me. A dark flame had entered my soul and devoured. it."

" 'I've got more faith in Hitler than anyone else. He's the only one who's kept his promises, all his promises to the Jewish people.' "

"I shall never forget Juliek. How could I forget that concert given before an audience of the dead and dying? Even today, when I hear that particular piece of Beethoven, my eyes close and out of the darkness emerges the male and melancholy face of my polish comrade bidding farewell to an audience of dying men."

"From the depths of the mirror, a corpse gazed back at me. The look in his eyes, as they stared into mine, has never left me."

-From Elie Wiesel's Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance speech 1986

"But I have faith. Faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and even in His creation. Without it no action would be possible. And action is the only remedy to indifference, the most insidious danger of all...

And I tell him that I have tried. That I have tried to keep memory alive, that I have tried to fight those who would forget. Because if we forget, we are guilty, we are accomplices.
And then I explain to him how naive we were, that the world di know and remained silent. And that is why I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation.
We must take sides.
Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.

~From the Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech by Elie Wiesel 1986

By it I See Everything Else

I stole this quote of my brother's profile because it is absolutely amazing. So, yeah...he was the one who found it. :-)

"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."
~ C. S. Lewis

Busy Dying

"He not busy being born is busy dying."
~Bob Dylan

Random Squib on "Daniel Deranda"

If you haven't, please read my post, The Author You know as George Elliot Thanks. :-)

So, this is just a mildly random post on what I liked and didn't like about the Masterpiece Theater portrayal of Daniel Deranda.

The strengths of the movie to me were the characters. (That's basically the strengths of any movie I like. ;-) They all seemed complex, and if sometimes extreme, believable...developed... interesting...

The most interesting character to me was Gwendolyn. She has obviously been pampered by her mother and hates being poor. She knows she beautiful and she uses it. She is pretty much utterly selfish. She marries a rich creep thinking she can control him. Before marrying him she even promises not to accept his proposal to his mistress who is raising his children with little money. Hello? Caution light, you'd think.

Basically she makes a series of miserable choices and she pays for it. She continues to see Daniel and makes us nervous being a little to friendly. Her husband becomes jealous etc...

Anyways...at the end she does not get what she wants, but she is a very, very different person. She lost, but she's changed and content with where she has come. She now knows how to act like a considerate human. I know it was unusual, but where the story ended for her was actually very cool and satisfying for me.

The other characters, Daniel, Mirah, and Sir Hugo (especially Sir Hugo) really made the movie for me.

I can see why a lot of people do not like Daniel Deranda and I'm really not defending very well here, but I think it makes it as an interesting delve into human character. Obviously not every character is probably realistic, but I just found it a very interesting study. It really made me think.

The costumes and acting were done very well. I was very impressed, especially compared to many period dramas and George Elliot ones in particular. I really enjoyed Hugh Dancy, Jodhi May, Romola Garai, and Jamie Bamber's performances.

My main bone to pick (which you would known if I you did what I told you at the beginning of the post) was the story being pro-Jews vs. pro-Christian.

So...that's all very unclear and not a very cool squib....but that's it.
I've been working all day on a book project and my brain has been dead for the last hour or two. ;-)

Love to hear more discussion on Daniel Deranda or George Elliot in general.

Thanks for reading. I know it wasn't too thrilling.
Miss Pickwickian

One of the best things about it being Daniel's white suit....

Paranoid

Do those who work to cultivate the imagination suffer from increased paranoia?

Veiled Freedom - J.M. Windle

Veiled Freedom by Jeanette Windle
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.





Rating: 8
Readability: 8
Impact: 8

Read it again: Probably
Recommend it: Certainly!



I picked this book up on a recommendation. I read 50 pages or so at the book store, but once it came home it sat on the shelf. I was sick this last week and took it back up.
I am always interested in well researched, good fiction. After reading Sigmund Brouwer's amazing Fuse of Armageddon (on modren day Israel) this book (centering on Afghanistan) really caught my interest.

I would have enjoyed a little different take on the climax and ending, but I thought the book was pretty awesome. :-) It certainly made me come away with a very different view of Afghanistan. I think the author does an excellent job of giving a balanced view. She doesn't even agree with herself but presents several point of views with different characters. It really gets you thinking.

It didn't make me laugh and cry (like Fuse of Armageddon), but I do highly recommend it. I wished she pulled a few things to more (the plot was mildly predictable...no big surprises) but I certainly thought it was an amazing book.

Once you read it we can talk about what I did and didn't like about it. ;-)

Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

Still thinking about perseverance....

"Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death."
~Albert Einstein

"Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired discouraged men who kept on working."
~Anonymous

"Energy and persistence conquer all things."
~Benjamin Franklin

"Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul."
~Douglas MacArthur