Yesterday, I turned in my last school project for the semester. I also received 2 new books. What a deal! Guess what I’m looking forward to doing this break?
The first I received was a copy of Blaise Pascal’s Pensees. Pascal has fascinated me for years, but I’ve never had a copy of his works to call my own, though I picked of Pascal’s works at the library a few times. The Pensees are the collection of his theological and Christian apologetics notes– each note is to be savored, thought over again, and then, also often laughed over. Indeed, I love his blend of wit and wisdom. I’ve been known to curl up on the couch with a copy of his the Pensees and burst into laughter as I digest the words I’m reading.
Like I said though, the only time I’ve previously been able to get a hand on Pascal was with that library edition. I say that library edition. I didn’t like it. The translation was unsatisfactory, and it had a bad habit of being due back at the library way too often. Thus, I was thrilled to receive a birthday package in the mail yesterday containing “The Mind on Fire”, a collection of Pascals’ Pensees (with selections from his Provincial Letters) all edited by James Houston– edited because I can’t read French. :) I can’t wait to spend some of this break with my own copy of Pascal, gleaning nuggets of wisdom and laughing over truthful wit.
The second book I’ll spend some time with is “A Passion for the Impossible” by Miriam Huffman Rockness. Remember how I mentioned Lilias Trotter a few months ago? I initially read a chapter about her in Noel Piper’s “Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God” and was immediately impacted by the life of this woman– Lilias Trotter, artist, missionary, not afraid of giving up anything in order to follow the call of Christ. Her faith has been an inspiration to me, and her focused life a rebuke to the self centered, scatter-brained world I find myself wrapped in.
Well, also for my birthday, Jessica gave me Lilias’ biography. I was so surprised, as I had only mentioned Lilias to Jessica a few times. Now, I don’t have to travel to MI to borrow the book from Anna. :)
What books are you reading this break?
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Comments
Yay! You’ll love it. :)
I’m reading so many books right now, it’s kind of crazy. Mostly focusing on a mystery, Days and Hours by Susan Meissner.
Posted by: Anna | December 21st, 2007 05:03
I am a big Jane Austen fan, and this break I decided that I’d re-read P&P and Sense and Sensibility too much. So, I picked up Persuasion and am enjoying it quite a bit!
Posted by: Kristin | December 21st, 2007 14:22