The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the next book in C.S. Lewis’s Narnia Series. Published in 1952, it distinguishes itself by being the only book in the series that doesn’t have a main villain. The Dawn Treader is a ship commissioned and sailed by Prince Caspian. They are trying to get to the far East (Aslan’s county). It brings in a new character, Eustace Scrubb. He is the cousin of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. Eustace is nuisance and ends up learning a great lesson.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
My Thoughts
This was an interesting book. I’m not the fondest of boats and the like so it wasn’t my favorite setting. However, the islands were interesting. This book reminded me of Alice in Wonderland. Not my favorite but a good read none the less.
Recommendation
My least favorite of the books thus far but still worth reading.
The next book in the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis is Prince Caspian. It was published in 1951 and once again involves children from our world being brought to Narnia to help out the rightful heir to the throne of Narnia. Prince Caspian must rise up against the man who took his rightful place as King.
Prince Caspian
My Thoughts
A good read as was the others. This volume was a little contrived and it took a while to build to the climax. Emotionally, we are still connected to the 4 kids introduced in the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe but their presence kind of muddles the protagonists. Still I enjoyed it.
A Horse and His Boy was written after several of the Narnia books were released and chronologically occurs after The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. It is largely the tail of Shasta, a boy who is raised as a slave and ends up on an adventure.
The Horse and His Boy
My Thoughts
I quite enjoyed this book though it wasn’t the epic which was The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. I also hadn’t read it before or at least I didn’t remember it… It was like reading a new book either way and I really enjoyed it.
It is a quick read and it took a while to get moving. However, it had a lot of C.S. Lewis hallmarks; the horse was arrogant and humbled toward the end, the boy thought he was nothing but turned out to be the lost prince and later the king and so on… It had plenty of the archetypal stories we love to hear.
Recommendations
Great book. I would recommend it to anyone and my boys are reading it now.
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.
Leonardo Da Vinci
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 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.
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.
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
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….
This biography of Queen Elizabeth II was done by Sally Bedell Smith in 2012. It is 663 pages long to mirror the long life of Queen Elizabeth II who is currently 92 years old. This work takes her through her girlhood all the way through the wedding of her grandson William highlighting many of the events along the way.
Elizabeth The Queen
My Thoughts
While I was interested in the life story of Queen Elizabeth and I was keen on understanding more about the monarchy in general, I was pretty bored by the story. It was very long and felt formal and stuffy. I guess that was appropriate given the subject matter. It was a chore to get through it…
I did learn a lot and found I have more respect for the Queen as a whole.
Recommendations
I won’t be reading it again any time soon but I do have other royals to read up on. I can’t say I would recommend it.
12 Rules for Life started when Dr. Jordan Peterson (a clinical psychologist and a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto) answered this question on Quora, “What are the most valuable things everyone should know?” His first answer spanned 40 lines. He had since distilled it to 12 and described each in this book. His answers are below.
Stand up straight with your shoulders back
Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping
Make friends with people who want the best for you
Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today
Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them
Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world
Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient)
Tell the truth – or, at least, don’t lie
Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don’t
Be precise in your speech
Do not bother children when they are skateboarding
Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street
12 Rules for Life
My Thoughts
I follow Dr. Peterson’s podcast and have been watching his work over the last 6 months. I can see why some folks bristle at his advice and why he rubs some the wrong way. However, I am deeply sympathetic to the ideas he puts forth. I like the list he put together and I like the rationalization behind it even better. It’s not a bad place to start and I wish I could keep the tenets of the list everyday of my life.
My Recommendation
Very dense subject matter and the content requires a lot of supporting information. I really enjoyed it and I believe anyone will as well.
This is a story of Bryan Cranston. To quote Google Books “With BREAKING BAD, Bryan Cranston created moments that had the world on the edge of their seats and coined catchphrases that became famous all over the globe. Now, at last, we can learn of the man behind one of TV’s most successful programs ever. Bryan Cranston’s profile has skyrocketed, due to his portrayal of chemistry teacher turned drug manufacturer Walter White, for five seasons in the award-winning BREAKING BAD… Told with honesty and intrigue this will be Bryan’s first – and – definitive autobiography. “
A Life in Parts
My Comments
Reading an autobiography of someone is always a risk. You can lose some of the character you enjoyed if you know more about the actor creating them. You can lose respect for them and it taints the image you have of them from that time onward. Sting is one of those people. I loved the music and thought he must be much more than what his words made him out to be. Then there is the opposite. You can enjoy the performance that much more if you have grow to respect the actor. Bryan Cranston is one of the latter.
I was glad to have heard of his exploits and honest dealing with the world. I was happy to hear he didn’t get sucked into the world of drugs and alcohol like so many of his peers. I was pleased to hear of his solid relationships despite his rough beginnings. I liked his; honesty, humility, and overall depth of character. A very interesting person and a very interesting read.
My hat is off to you, sir!
Recommendations
A great read from a great person. I wish him all the best.
“Keep Moving and Other Tips About Aging” is a non-fiction book by journalist and author Dick Van Dyke, which offers practical advice on how to maintain a healthy and fulfilling life as one ages. The book covers a range of topics including physical fitness, mental health, diet, and social connections. Van Dyke draws from his own experiences as a performer and his personal journey with aging, as well as from the expertise of medical professionals and other experts in the field. The book offers a message of hope and optimism, emphasizing that aging is not a time to give up on life, but rather an opportunity to embrace new experiences and perspectives. “Keep Moving and Other Tips About Aging” has been praised for its practical and engaging approach, as well as for its positive outlook on aging.
Keep Moving
My thoughts
Dick Van Dyke is simply delightful. That hasn’t changed in his 90s. So was this book. Delightful! I felt better just listening to him. He has the air of an older gentleman and makes you want to be a better person. You can’t really beat that.
It was interesting to hear about his struggles with smoking and alcohol but not really much of a surprise as an actor. That seems to be something they are known for and the only surprise is if they managed to stay out of it.
His love life also was pretty refreshing. He was married for more than 30 years until she died of cancer. He then met and married someone 40 years junior to him. He made a pretty good case as to why this shouldn’t be anything really to remark on. You’ll have to read the book to understand I guess. I can’t really explain it as my wife would tell you.
Recommendation
Surprisingly, I wouldn’t rate this suitable for anyone under 14. There is some blue humor in it and I don’t know anyone younger would understand much of it. But for those 14 and older, I would consider this a must read.
