Years ago, an old farmer was attending our church. He saw my baby, and he asked me how I would have liked to give birth underground in a sod hut in winter. I shook my head. That sort of roughing it isn’t for me. It was hard enough to have a baby in winter withContinue reading “Playing in Plum Creek”
Tag Archives: books
A Review of Emma C. Fox’s Heart of Stone
In George Saunders’s A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, he wrote about the inner workings of the Russian short story. He said, “The part of the mind that reads a story is also the part that reads the world.” Emma C. Fox’s young adult sequel, Heart of Stone, challenges readers to do more than simply read aContinue reading “A Review of Emma C. Fox’s Heart of Stone”
The Force of a Story
Author Wendell Berry transforms the ordinary of everyday into wonders too wide for comprehension. A humble barber (Jayber Crow) follows Dante’s path through 1950’s Kentucky before discovering that love and heaven dwell together. A war widow (Hannah Coulter) gives birth after her husband’s death but finds what it means to truly live. A tobacco farmerContinue reading “The Force of a Story”
The Shining Wire
For a snare to work, an animal’s gut instinct must drive it to kill itself. Struggling against the snare is precisely what strangles it. Snares are ugly things. Anyone who has seen an animal in a snare doesn’t want to talk about it. The Psalmist recognized a snare’s connection to sin, as did the Prophets.Continue reading “The Shining Wire”
Book and Writing News
“Letters from Father Christmas” : A Review for the Advent Season
In 1920, a small boy asked his father a simple question: “What is Father Christmas like and where does he live?” In answer, the father began the tradition of writing a newsy letter from Father Christmas to his children, detailing the preparations for the holiday, the past year’s events, and other fun tidbits from theContinue reading ““Letters from Father Christmas” : A Review for the Advent Season”
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness: A Book Review and a Memory
When I first read Andrew Peterson’s title, “On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness,” I remembered being there myself. My father was a fisherman, and it was nighttime on the Atlantic in January. The slap of gentle waves against the ship made me sleepy as we sat silently side by side, staring outContinue reading “On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness: A Book Review and a Memory”
On the Hunt for Adventure
My eleven year old burst into tears while sitting on the couch. As I rushed over to investigate, I noticed a worn copy of Howard Pyle’s The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood in her hand. “What’s the matter?” I asked. “All the adventures happen in books and never to meeeeee…” she cried. Her tears andContinue reading “On the Hunt for Adventure”
Reading the World
When I was twelve, I would pray the same prayer every night: Lord, send me adventure. Following Him has been the greatest adventure of all, and seeing how He weaves plot, character, and conflict has proved to me that He is indeed the “Author and Perfecter” of my faith. Perhaps that’s why I love booksContinue reading “Reading the World”
“The Winning of Lady Wisdom” #1 New Release in its Category
Adam sought wisdom in a forbidden way. When he accepted the fruit from Eve’s hand, the false promise from the enemy was still ringing in his ears: Your eyessss will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil…. We all inherited the desire to define our own good and our ownContinue reading ““The Winning of Lady Wisdom” #1 New Release in its Category”
Sarah Dixon Young 