November 2018 – Page 2 – Ryan’s Book Blog

Leonardo Da Vinci

November 8, 2018 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Walter Isaacson‘s biography of Leonardo Da Vinci was released in 2017 and sat on the #1 best seller’s list. It is 600+ pages all compiled by Leonardo’s notebooks and what we know of him from others.

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed this. Leonardo is a fascinating figure. It really is amazing what he was able to do and, even if half the things attributed to him were true, he is still one of the most influential people who ever lived. I knew some of what he was and what he did but not really the half of it. The biggest surprise was how the work was done. How collaborative he was with his students and others.

Recommendations

There are some adult themes so I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone but it was a great read and I didn’t get bored the whole time.

Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman

November 6, 2018 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

Catherine the Great was the Empress of Russia during the time of the American Revolution. Robert Massie details her life from birth to death in just under 700 pages.

Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman

My Thoughts

This was a much better read than that of Elizabeth the II but the lives of the royals are pretty messed up. Maybe just from my perspective as a middle class American…

She led a pretty interesting and full life given the attitudes toward women. It seemed she played a good hand and things fell into place during her life. Oddly enough, there was a parallel with her daughter in law (Paul’s 2nd wife) and it makes me wonder what would have happened if she had been engaged to Peter instead of Catherine. By the account of the book, this other Sophia (later Maria) was well loved by everyone who met her.

It was an interesting read. I didn’t know so many things were going on in the world at that point. My education was mostly in the West so I knew about the French Revolution and, of course, the American Revolution but I didn’t know much about the rest of the world and how they viewed it.

Recommendation

I would recommend it!

The Lion the Witch and Wardrobe

November 1, 2018 by Ryan Leave a Comment

Background

CS Lewis’s classic “The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe” came out in 1950 and has been a classic and required reading in schools all over the world. It has reached every medium (written, video, audio, theater) and has even sunk into the mainstream culture.

My thoughts

Loved it! It was even better than I remembered though it has been a number of years. I listened to it as an audiobook read by Michael York which was fantastic. Particularly after the last read I was so happy to have a short fun novel.

The first time I read this story was in 3rd grade which would put me at about 8 to 9 years old. I didn’t understand the strong Christian overtones or really even think about what was being said. It was a good story and that’s all I cared about.

It is still a good story but the allegories are very apparent. The sinless sacrifice, the humiliation before such, the rumor of his return and so on. It is my understanding that CS Lewis denied it being intentional but it seems pretty heavy handed when you read it.

Recommendation

I really enjoyed the story and will be coming back. I would recommend it to just about anyone. In fact, it is on the shelf in my living room if you need a copy….