Hello readers.
Wow, it has been a while since I last posted. These past couple of months have been hectic and busy on this side of the Mason-Dixon line, between finals and work and the overall Christmas season. But, I wanted to take a few minutes to wish you all a very merry Christmas.
Now, to make my post a little longer, I wanted to give you an idea for decorating next December (or November or whenever you start decorating ;-) ). This year, the tree that I usually put in my room was not brought up with the rest of the boxes of ornaments. So, instead of just letting that corner of my room stay empty I decided to do something new: I made a book tree. There are enough books in my room that I could easily pull this off and still have books to spare. So I did it. Unfortunately, I could not get a picture to put on here (I still haven't figured out how to get pictures off my Kindle Fire onto my computer so I could put them on here), but I can tell you how I figured it out.
Basically what I did was pull most of my books off my shelves and stacked them around the corner where I would build my tree. Once that task was accomplished, the fun part began. I started my tree with a circle of about 5 of my biggest books (this was to make sure I had a sturdy base) with one in the middle. Then, I took more books and stacked them around the circle, kind of like building a cone structure with cups, making each layer a little less wide than the one below it. As I built up, the books got smaller, and the number of books in each layer got smaller until I got down to stacking one on top of the other. These I offset the corners a little to give a little stability and to give it a little visual interest. This sequence I started once more with a large-ish book and worked my way down from there. For the top, I took one of my Christmas books and stood it up with the pages fanned, to give a little interest and add to the bookish theme. So there you have it, my book Christmas tree. I must say I will be doing this again next year. If you have any tips for me, let me know, or if you have done a book tree, I'd love to hear about it, how big, what theme (if any), etc.
Merry Christmas everyone! May your days be merry and bright!
Happy reading!
December 24, 2015
October 12, 2015
How to Sell Yourself
Hello readers!
Well, cooler weather is once again upon us. And with it has come school, cold nights, chili, school, campfires, dressing up season, and school. For my fellow summer children, I hope it hasn't hit you too hard.
For this post, I decided to do something a little different. I had to read a book on sales for one of my classes this semester, and write a book review on it, hitting on some of the high points of the text. I knew it was about time for a new post, so I figured why not do something a little different (although I did do a post a year or so ago from an essay I had written for school. You can find it here), and write about a nonfiction book, and maybe inspire a few of my readers. The name of the book is Selling ASAP: Art, Science, Agility, Performance, and it was written for anyone with any sort of interest in sales. Although, as you'll see in the rest of this post, I think this can apply to life just as well as it does for those who are in sales. So, here we go.
Selling ASAP: Art, Science, Agility, Performance is a very good book for anyone interested in sales. Whether or not an individual is wet behind the ears when it comes to selling, or has had years of experience, this book is an excellent choice for developing skills. It introduces some new and some well-known concepts. Even so, much of this book is focused on stressing the importance of cultivating a good relationship with everyone in the buying matrix, from the gatekeepers to the buyers themselves. That is what I will focus more on myself.
Before I dissect, in part, the text of this book, I want to focus on what ASAP is in relation to selling. The authors explain this in the very first pages. The first “A” stands for art. In their words, “[s]elling involves your unique style (art) of applying a systematic process (science) to understanding customers’ needs and wants and matching the benefits of your product or service” to their needs. In my words, it is how you approach a prospect and tell them how your product can benefit them. The “S” stands for science. In selling, there is a systematic process, which makes it a science. According to the authors, “selling revolves around the marketing concepts of segmenting and targeting potential customers, and then presenting your products or service to the right prospects at the right time.” Much of the book is dedicated to exploring this concept. The second “A” stands for agility. The definition of agile according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is able to move quickly and easily, and having a quick resourceful and adaptive character. This is extremely important in selling, as an agile salesperson can respond quickly and easily to any situation at any time. Another benefit of being agile is the ability to change with the times, so to speak, and to adjust to the changing market and needs. The “P” stands for performance. Sales performance is a critical component. Sales is not just about meeting a goal; “it is also about an emphasis on continuous learning and on maintaining long-term customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.” Over the years performance in sales has been measured in many different ways. Even so, one common theme shines through, and that is becoming an advisor for the buyers.
All the chapters in this book center around one general them, and that is building rapport with everyone in the buying process, especially the buyers and gatekeepers. While the authors do not explicitly say that is what the bottom line is, it is still there all the same. In the fourth chapter, the authors focus on getting the attention of a buyer, earning a few precious minutes of their valuable time to sell a product to them that could benefit them in some way. Some aspects of this chapter could have been placed earlier in the first two chapters, but in context it is placed just right. One of the main subjects of this chapter is a first impression. Several pages are spent on the importance of a salesperson’s first impression on a potential buyer. For example, holding a confident and professional air will be much more effective than allowing nerves to take control and make you forget what it was you were going to say and messing up the entire presentation.
Before you even make it to a buyer, before you prepare your sales presentation, you must first determine who is simply a lead and who is a prospect. This part of the process is what I call the qualifying round. In order for a lead to turn into a prospect, they must first meet certain requirements. This is where Selling and our textbook are similar but not quite the same. The textbook uses a longer acronym than this book uses to determine the eligibility of a lead. For the purposes of this review I will talk about the one used in the book. In order to qualify a lead must be a MAD prospect. No, I don’t mean angry, I mean MAD. What this acronym stands for, is three questions. Does the individual have the money to spend on a particular product? Do they have the authority to purchase this product? Is there a desire present for this product so they will be interested? If a lead’s characteristics give a negative answer to any of these questions, then they are not promoted to the status of prospect. If a lead does match any of these qualifications, then they are a potential buyer, and the salesperson is then able to move on in the sales process, most of which involves getting the attention of the prospect and presenting the product to them.
Part of the process of getting the attention of a potential buyer is cold calling in some fashion. It could take the form of a face to face meeting, or writing a letter to a VITO (very important top officer), although the most common form is a telephone call. When a salesperson makes a sales call to a potential customer, he or she may have to go through one or more layers of the buying matrix before getting down to the buyer themselves. Now, the book mentions the same matrix as our textbook uses. The most common layer to have to push through is the gatekeeper. As both books describe this position, the gatekeeper is a person, or persons depending on the situation, through whom a salesperson will have to go in order to get to their intended target. Selling ASAP takes this explanation a little further, and gives a few pointers on how to successfully make it past the gatekeeper, from lists that actual gatekeepers have made. The most important thing to remember is to be respectful and to treat them like a human being, and not “a piece of furniture” as the authors said it. Once you master this characteristic the rest should be fairly easy: respecting the fact that they have their own jobs and duties to attend to, being patient and friendly, refraining from complaining, and clearly introducing yourself. According to the authors, these are some things to keep in mind for a smooth conversation and to put yourself in a better light from the gatekeeper’s perspective.
Making it through the gatekeeper is only half the struggle. You have sold yourself and your product to the gatekeeper, now you have to work much harder to sell the exact same thing to your prospective buyer. Once you make it to the buyer, you must find a way to get their attention, keep it, and successfully sell your product to them, all in a short amount of time. First, in order to get their attention, you must start with your appearance. If you appear to be confident, professional, and relaxed, then chances are good that a prospect will give you a few minutes out of their day to hear what you have to say. Once you have their attention visually, you must get their attention audibly. The key to doing this is to start off with something that can get their attention, such as telling them up front how they can benefit from purchasing your product. After you get their attention focused on you, keep it there by inviting conversation, being interested in what they are interested in, building rapport with them, all the while steering them toward making a purchase. As the authors pointed out in the fourth chapter, a prospect may not actually listen to you until you hit on a subject that is interesting to them.
One of the most important aspects of selling, and I mean top three important, is listening to the customer. According to the authors, listening is an art, and I would place it under the first “A” of the acronym ASAP. If you do not listen to what a customer needs, then you do not fully understand what it is they are looking for. I have two examples of this, one from the book itself, and one from a television show I watch. In the fifth chapter, the authors use the example of a store manager who overheard a sales clerk telling a customer that they had not had something for a long time. With good intention, the manager told the customer that he was sure they had more than what she needed in the back, and if she would come back later they would have it ready for her. Then he asked what it was she had asked about. Her response was “rain.” I’m sure that manager would have stuck his foot in his mouth if he had been able to. Now for my second, slightly less relevant but still applicable example. There is a show called Mr. Selfridge. The premise of the show is an American entrepreneur sails to England to open a new department store in the late 1910’s. In an episode late in the first season, the store is short-staffed, and so the different departments have to temporarily meld in order for business to run smoothly. In one scene, a sales clerk is selling a piece of fabric to a customer. The customer insists that the particular fabric is not right for her, but the clerk pushes the fabric on her, touting the exquisiteness of the pattern. Still the customer refuses. The head of the fabric department notices and tries to remedy the situation by offering another piece of fabric, but by this point the customer is no longer interested in purchasing any fabric, and walks away. The department head chastises the clerk, saying that in the fabric department, unlike the accessories, you must listen to the customer. The same lesson can be pulled out of both these examples and applied to what I have read in this book and the textbook: always listen to the customer and understand what their needs are. Otherwise, you won’t be able to give them what they need. This can also hold true in building relationships with prospects. When you develop a relationship with someone, the only way to truly learn about them is to listen to what they have to say. But, there is a difference between hearing and listening. When you simply hear what someone is saying, all that is being processed is sounds and noises. In contrast, when you actually listen to someone, you understand what they are saying and you are processing and retaining information to go along with the sounds you hear.
All in all, selling is a more involved process than one might think. It involves lots of thought, as well as careful planning. You must know exactly what you are going to say, and have a plan of how to react to different situations. Selling is an art to be mastered, a science to study, an exercise in agility, and a measurable performance. A salesperson who has these aspects somewhat mastered is a salesperson prepared for whatever they may face. And even if an individual is not planning to sell a piece of equipment to a manufacturing company or a vacuum cleaner to a family with three kids and a dog, these are still valuable traits to be able to exhibit. A person should be able to adjust to any situation life may give out, and one of the most important aspects of selling is also one of the most important aspects of life: listening. If you listen to people, you will go far. And who knows? You might even make a few sales along the way.
So, what do you think? You think you might want to go into sales at some point? Or at least implement some of these ideas and techniques in your own personal life? Or even read the book for yourself and gain your own insights. Let me know!
I'll be back soon with some other adventure I have been on, so stay tuned!
Happy reading!
September 16, 2015
A Journey You Won't Soon Forget
Hello readers!
I don't know about you, but the past couple of weeks have been crazy! I started a new job and started my junior (!) year of college, all in the same week. Boy has that been an adventure in itself. Before all the craziness ensued I did manage to read a new book that has quickly endeared itself to me. I will definitely be reading it again. So let me tell you why I enjoyed it so much.
First off, I will tell you that I am fascinated by stories about the Titanic. The only exception to this rule is the movie; I can't stand the movie, mainly because it is the first movie (after Marley and Me, which is another story in itself) to make me bawl my eyes out, not to mention put me in a sort of depressed mood for two weeks. True story. But any book I can get my hands on that tells of a passenger on the ill-fated voyage and their experiences before, during, and after. I'll even watch a documentary if I can find a good one. All that to say that it should come as no surprise when I say that this new book has made its way onto my favorites shelf.
The title is mainly what caught my eye: The Dressmaker. Now my favorite hobby other than reading is sewing. So that is the big reason why the picture of an early 20th century dress on a seashore caught my eye along with the title. I opened the cover and started reading the front flap, read that this book is centered around the sinking of the Titanic, and knew I had found my newest book. I guess you could say it was love at first sight ;-) Needless to say I started reading it there at the store, bought it, and finished it at home over the next few days.
This story is about a young girl named Tess who wants to do more than clean someone else's house and mend their clothes for little pay for the rest of her life. One day she makes up her mind to leave her employer. It's quite an amusing scene actually. She's trying to pick up her final pay and leave the house for good when her mistress intercepts her. Madame threatens that if Tess takes the envelope and goes through the front door without finishing her duties, her employment is terminated, which is exactly what she wants. They exchange a few lines of dialogue before Tess finally just walks out with only a few belongings in a small bag and her final pay. And so changes her life for good.
She had heard about a ship called Titanic that would be departing the next day for America. There were good jobs for seamstresses there, or so she heard, so she decided to find passage on the ship, however she could. Her plan was to find someone who would be willing to take her on as a maid, and thus pay for her passage. While searching the dock she spots a well-dressed woman with a fiery personality and learns this is the legendary Lady Duff-Gordon, a famous dress-maker at the end of her rein. To save you the amusing details, Tess manages to convince the high society lady to take her on as her maid and potentially an employee in her dress warehouse.
And now we are on the ship. And what a glorious ship it is, especially to Tess's eyes. While she is not given quarters with her new mistress, she is as happy as can be. She makes a few friends along the way, including a soon to be divorced millionaire and a young sailor named Jim. Both win her affections by appealing to what they see in her, the millionaire seeing a potential mistress and the sailor seeing a potential friend. And it is in the midst of her adventures on board with her mistress, the millionaire, and the sailor that tragedy strikes. We all know what happened next so I won't give you the details that brought tears to my eyes, just as in any story about this tragic night. So I will skip ahead in the story. The passengers who managed to find a seat in the lifeboats all made it to the Carpathia, yet not without any regrets or shock. One woman stayed at the railing the entire rest of the journey to New York, looking for her children.
Once in New York, our characters find themselves facing yet another sea, but this one full of flashing lights and shouting voices, reporters clamoring to get the best story from the survivors. It is not long before rumors begin to spread about Lady Duff Gordon that she intentionally left her large lifeboat only partially filled and would not return to rescue anyone else. To cut this long portion of the story short, all the crew members, including Jim, Titanic officials, and some willing survivors are called to testify about what happened that night. I won't tell you exactly what happened, you'll just have to read the book and find out ;-)
But to get to what I really wanted to talk about. I really liked reading about Tess' journey from a timid young servant girl with high dreams of becoming a seamstress, to an independent young woman who knows who she is and what she wants and isn't afraid to live a little. She eventually manages to get away from Lady Duff Gordon's employ, determined to make her own way. Now you might start to think that this is a feminist book, that I only want to talk about it because of that. That couldn't be further from the truth. (I will give my thoughts on feminism in my other blog later, but enough on that). I want to focus on her development. She thought the only life that she would be able to claim would be one of servitude to someone else with a stronger will than she; that she would spend the rest of her life living up to someone else's expectations for her life instead of her own. It wasn't until she met Jim and walked the streets of New York that she knew only she had the true power to set the course for her life. She became friends with a female reporter who also was coming to the realization that only she had the power to control her own life. Both women learned a lot from each other, and I'm sure were friends long after the last page. Tess eventually realized where her heart was at and decided to follow it. I think that if Tess had never walked out that front door, had never stepped foot on that ship, that her life would never have changed the way it did.
Sometimes a little risk is what we need in order to take the reins of our own lives. Imagine if Tess had not set foot on the Titanic, but instead stayed in Cherbourg. She would have been lost and confused and living in the shadow of all those whose voices ran through her head constantly. She most likely would never have discovered her heart and her dreams, never realized the person she is or what she could accomplish. Don't be afraid to open that front door, grab that envelope, and step foot on the next boat out of there. You never know what might be waiting for you when you get off. Yes there may be heartache along the way, but that can only make you stronger. Now I'm not saying quit your job and travel the world; all I'm saying is, don't be afraid to take a risk.
If you have not read this book yet, I suggest you do so as soon as possible. It is a beautiful story and one that I know I will cherish for a while. If you have read the book, do you think I did it justice? Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Happy reading!
I don't know about you, but the past couple of weeks have been crazy! I started a new job and started my junior (!) year of college, all in the same week. Boy has that been an adventure in itself. Before all the craziness ensued I did manage to read a new book that has quickly endeared itself to me. I will definitely be reading it again. So let me tell you why I enjoyed it so much.
First off, I will tell you that I am fascinated by stories about the Titanic. The only exception to this rule is the movie; I can't stand the movie, mainly because it is the first movie (after Marley and Me, which is another story in itself) to make me bawl my eyes out, not to mention put me in a sort of depressed mood for two weeks. True story. But any book I can get my hands on that tells of a passenger on the ill-fated voyage and their experiences before, during, and after. I'll even watch a documentary if I can find a good one. All that to say that it should come as no surprise when I say that this new book has made its way onto my favorites shelf.
The title is mainly what caught my eye: The Dressmaker. Now my favorite hobby other than reading is sewing. So that is the big reason why the picture of an early 20th century dress on a seashore caught my eye along with the title. I opened the cover and started reading the front flap, read that this book is centered around the sinking of the Titanic, and knew I had found my newest book. I guess you could say it was love at first sight ;-) Needless to say I started reading it there at the store, bought it, and finished it at home over the next few days.
This story is about a young girl named Tess who wants to do more than clean someone else's house and mend their clothes for little pay for the rest of her life. One day she makes up her mind to leave her employer. It's quite an amusing scene actually. She's trying to pick up her final pay and leave the house for good when her mistress intercepts her. Madame threatens that if Tess takes the envelope and goes through the front door without finishing her duties, her employment is terminated, which is exactly what she wants. They exchange a few lines of dialogue before Tess finally just walks out with only a few belongings in a small bag and her final pay. And so changes her life for good.
She had heard about a ship called Titanic that would be departing the next day for America. There were good jobs for seamstresses there, or so she heard, so she decided to find passage on the ship, however she could. Her plan was to find someone who would be willing to take her on as a maid, and thus pay for her passage. While searching the dock she spots a well-dressed woman with a fiery personality and learns this is the legendary Lady Duff-Gordon, a famous dress-maker at the end of her rein. To save you the amusing details, Tess manages to convince the high society lady to take her on as her maid and potentially an employee in her dress warehouse.
And now we are on the ship. And what a glorious ship it is, especially to Tess's eyes. While she is not given quarters with her new mistress, she is as happy as can be. She makes a few friends along the way, including a soon to be divorced millionaire and a young sailor named Jim. Both win her affections by appealing to what they see in her, the millionaire seeing a potential mistress and the sailor seeing a potential friend. And it is in the midst of her adventures on board with her mistress, the millionaire, and the sailor that tragedy strikes. We all know what happened next so I won't give you the details that brought tears to my eyes, just as in any story about this tragic night. So I will skip ahead in the story. The passengers who managed to find a seat in the lifeboats all made it to the Carpathia, yet not without any regrets or shock. One woman stayed at the railing the entire rest of the journey to New York, looking for her children.
Once in New York, our characters find themselves facing yet another sea, but this one full of flashing lights and shouting voices, reporters clamoring to get the best story from the survivors. It is not long before rumors begin to spread about Lady Duff Gordon that she intentionally left her large lifeboat only partially filled and would not return to rescue anyone else. To cut this long portion of the story short, all the crew members, including Jim, Titanic officials, and some willing survivors are called to testify about what happened that night. I won't tell you exactly what happened, you'll just have to read the book and find out ;-)
But to get to what I really wanted to talk about. I really liked reading about Tess' journey from a timid young servant girl with high dreams of becoming a seamstress, to an independent young woman who knows who she is and what she wants and isn't afraid to live a little. She eventually manages to get away from Lady Duff Gordon's employ, determined to make her own way. Now you might start to think that this is a feminist book, that I only want to talk about it because of that. That couldn't be further from the truth. (I will give my thoughts on feminism in my other blog later, but enough on that). I want to focus on her development. She thought the only life that she would be able to claim would be one of servitude to someone else with a stronger will than she; that she would spend the rest of her life living up to someone else's expectations for her life instead of her own. It wasn't until she met Jim and walked the streets of New York that she knew only she had the true power to set the course for her life. She became friends with a female reporter who also was coming to the realization that only she had the power to control her own life. Both women learned a lot from each other, and I'm sure were friends long after the last page. Tess eventually realized where her heart was at and decided to follow it. I think that if Tess had never walked out that front door, had never stepped foot on that ship, that her life would never have changed the way it did.
Sometimes a little risk is what we need in order to take the reins of our own lives. Imagine if Tess had not set foot on the Titanic, but instead stayed in Cherbourg. She would have been lost and confused and living in the shadow of all those whose voices ran through her head constantly. She most likely would never have discovered her heart and her dreams, never realized the person she is or what she could accomplish. Don't be afraid to open that front door, grab that envelope, and step foot on the next boat out of there. You never know what might be waiting for you when you get off. Yes there may be heartache along the way, but that can only make you stronger. Now I'm not saying quit your job and travel the world; all I'm saying is, don't be afraid to take a risk.
If you have not read this book yet, I suggest you do so as soon as possible. It is a beautiful story and one that I know I will cherish for a while. If you have read the book, do you think I did it justice? Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Happy reading!
August 17, 2015
Revisiting Old Friends
Hello readers!
As the summer is drawing to a close (sniff), it is time to start thinking about school, cold days ahead, actual responsibilities, and all that fun stuff. This weekend I took the time to revisit some old friends of mine to help me ease back into the regular swing of things.
Several years ago I found an author who goes by the name of Donita K Paul. Perhaps you have heard of her, perhaps you haven't. In case you haven't, you should check out some of her books. I definitely recommend the Dragonkeeper Chronicles, which just so happens to be the series I started to revisit this weekend. ;-)
I'll try not to spoil the books too much for you ;-) The story line of this series follows a young girl (well, she's a teenager at the beginning of the story) named Kale who finds out that she is destined to be a mighty dragonkeeper of Amara. She also happens to be a village slave and an orphan who does not know who her parents are or even that she has any special powers at all. She thinks she is a simple village slave and will continue to be the rest of her life. Until one day she finds her first dragon egg. As soon as her fingers touch the hard shell, her life is changed forever. She is sent by the village elders to a place called The Hall in the capital city of Amara, Vendela. Just before she reaches her destination, though, she is swept off onto a whirlwind quest. Her companions are an emerlindian (the equivalent of an elf of the Tolkien variety, with a few differences) and a doneel (the picture I always have in my mind is a three foot tall terrier-like man in flamboyant, bright clothing). These two are in service to Paladin, the good leader of Amara, and Wulder, the deity. Their quest is to bring back a rare, special dragon egg, a meech egg to be exact, from Risto, the evil wizard who wants to overthrow Paladin.
And so, Kale's new life begins. Little did she know just what a small dragon egg could do. And that is just the first book! Throughout the last four books, she and her companions go on even grander adventures and make new friends. They battle Risto and his cronies countless times, Kale ends up with dozens of small dragons buzzing around her head (okay maybe not dozens, but she does end up with quite a few), and in the end save the day. And, whilst reading these stories, you can find delicious recipes to try while engrossed in these adventures ;-)
That's all for today. I know, it was a short post. But, I am in the process of revisiting this series, so once I finish reading it again I will write a little more when it is all fresh on my mind. Or who knows, I might write about each book as I read it. You never know what I'll write about. So check back soon!
Who are some authors you would recommend that maybe very few people have heard of? Let me know in the comments. :-)
Happy reading!
As the summer is drawing to a close (sniff), it is time to start thinking about school, cold days ahead, actual responsibilities, and all that fun stuff. This weekend I took the time to revisit some old friends of mine to help me ease back into the regular swing of things.
Several years ago I found an author who goes by the name of Donita K Paul. Perhaps you have heard of her, perhaps you haven't. In case you haven't, you should check out some of her books. I definitely recommend the Dragonkeeper Chronicles, which just so happens to be the series I started to revisit this weekend. ;-)
I'll try not to spoil the books too much for you ;-) The story line of this series follows a young girl (well, she's a teenager at the beginning of the story) named Kale who finds out that she is destined to be a mighty dragonkeeper of Amara. She also happens to be a village slave and an orphan who does not know who her parents are or even that she has any special powers at all. She thinks she is a simple village slave and will continue to be the rest of her life. Until one day she finds her first dragon egg. As soon as her fingers touch the hard shell, her life is changed forever. She is sent by the village elders to a place called The Hall in the capital city of Amara, Vendela. Just before she reaches her destination, though, she is swept off onto a whirlwind quest. Her companions are an emerlindian (the equivalent of an elf of the Tolkien variety, with a few differences) and a doneel (the picture I always have in my mind is a three foot tall terrier-like man in flamboyant, bright clothing). These two are in service to Paladin, the good leader of Amara, and Wulder, the deity. Their quest is to bring back a rare, special dragon egg, a meech egg to be exact, from Risto, the evil wizard who wants to overthrow Paladin.
And so, Kale's new life begins. Little did she know just what a small dragon egg could do. And that is just the first book! Throughout the last four books, she and her companions go on even grander adventures and make new friends. They battle Risto and his cronies countless times, Kale ends up with dozens of small dragons buzzing around her head (okay maybe not dozens, but she does end up with quite a few), and in the end save the day. And, whilst reading these stories, you can find delicious recipes to try while engrossed in these adventures ;-)
That's all for today. I know, it was a short post. But, I am in the process of revisiting this series, so once I finish reading it again I will write a little more when it is all fresh on my mind. Or who knows, I might write about each book as I read it. You never know what I'll write about. So check back soon!
Who are some authors you would recommend that maybe very few people have heard of? Let me know in the comments. :-)
Happy reading!
July 21, 2015
Why I Read
Hello readers
It has been a little while since I last posted. I've been busy with summer term and life in general. But that has not stopped me from reading!
Today's post is one that I've been stewing on for a while now. To give a background of why I've been thinking about it for so long, let me tell you the sweetened condensed version of the story.
I was taking an introductory business course my first semester at college. Toward the end of the term, I was placed into a group with three other students. One day, one of my teammates, for the sake of anonymity and forgetfulness of names and all that good stuff I'll call him Will, and I were waiting in the library for the rest of the team to arrive so we could discuss our project. (I'm sure everyone who has taken any college course, especially a business course, can understand this!) Well Will and I started talking to pass the time, and the subject of reading came up. After talking for a minute about it, Will asked me an unusual question, one that I'd never been asked before. I don't remember the exact wording that he used, but he asked if I took reading seriously, treating the worlds within the stories as real. I told him yes I do. He responded with the craziest (at least to my mind) statement, and as soon as he said it I knew he was not a reader, and had not experienced the joy that is reading, at least not in the way I have experienced it. Again, I don't remember the way he worded it, so I'll paraphrase his response. He said I should not take it so literally, that I should keep my head out of the clouds. The world around me is more important than the ones I find in books, and my life in the real world is the best thing to focus on than the one that I experience in books, according to Will. You can imagine that I did not like that comment too well. However, instead of jumping into a rant about how I love to read and just how good for the soul a good book is, I just nodded and said maybe so. So, that is the shortened version of the story behind why I have been thinking about this for a while. Over the past year it it will come back to mind and I will have one of those arguments inside my head and you totally kill the other person and win your case. But unfortunately Will is no longer around to hear it. So, here I am typing it out for you to read, my defense for why I read and lose myself in books.
To start with, books do not addle the brain, despite what Aunt March says. On the contrary they can make a brain a better thing, especially if it is nurtured properly. Reading stories can help develop imaginations which can spill over into the real world. With a greater imagination comes greater creativity. Greater creativity can lead to success in any career regardless of the field of work; it pushes readers to think outside the box to come up with unique solutions to problems of all shapes and sizes. One example, albeit humorous yet not so humorous, is how to respond to any insult or situation. You've heard of Disney comebacks for any situation; well there is the literary equivalent. This could really be expanded to responses for any awkward situation. I usually use a common phrase from Bryan Davis' books whenever I'm thinking too hard or I'm bombarded with information. The phrase is "My brain is choking!" Of course the effect is much better if you have a panicked look on your face and hold both hands to either side of your head. ;-) I did get a little off subject, but I think it was worth it. That's just a small advantage that readers have over non-readers. But a part of my point about the imagination is readers are able to picture things in their minds. Books, especially those without pictures, give flight to the imaginations of those who open their pages. As a person reads the words on a page, the picture that the author has so wonderfully painted forms in their mind, giving them a viewing portal into the world in which the characters live. And that my friends, is imagination at work and being exercised.
Another advantage is the ability to escape. Stories give readers the wonderful opportunity to escape from the worries of the present world and run to the embrace of another place and sometimes another time, into the open arms of friends both old and new. I can't tell you how many times I have picked up a book to forget what I'm worried about or to run off on an adventure and escape the normal routine. Sometimes I just need a little comfort that can't be offered by anyone present, but the characters in the story world give me just what I need. If I need a laugh there are books that do just that (I'm reading one such book right now); if I need a word of wisdom any book on my shelf will give me what I need. So, books can provide the means for escape and comfort that nothing else can provide. Sure a movie or a video game can provide that, and for some people that is their outlet, but there is something special about using your imagination to paint a picture in your mind's eye and interpreting the descriptions for yourself.
Yet another reason why I love to read is this: I meet so many new friends. With every book I pick up I learn a new name that I know I will grow to love and a new name I will grow to despise and never want to see. And yet, each name is dear and special to me. Yes I may not want to see that character ever again, but I still want to see their name on the page because I know that means the story is not over yet and I don't have to say goodbye just yet to the characters I do like. There are some characters who have left the story worlds that I read, never again to dance across the pages, and that fills me with grief whenever I open those books. Yes, I can always go back and read the stories again, but that separation will always be there. I will never again meet them for the first time, never reel from the shock of their disappearance. These characters include Susan, Peter, Professor Kirk, Mr. Tumnus, and Reepicheep; Sapphira, Elam, Karen, and Professor Hamilton; Brom; Boromir; all these just to name a few. Some have died and some have just left the story altogether to live happily ever after, but they are my friends all the same. At the same time I have many friends who are still in the story at the end: Meggie and Mo; Maria, Robin, and Sir Benjamin; Aslan; Billy, Bonnie, Matt, Lauren, and Clefspeare. Through these friends I have gained wisdom, learned how to fight evil and allow good to prevail, how to persevere and hold on to my faith when it seems like all hope is lost.
Reading has taught me patience. (I know, this is probably a stretch, considering I do glance ahead to see if a character is still present later in the book) In spite of my flaw, I have developed a patience in waiting to learn what happens. There are many times when there is a situation in one of my books that I want to see resolved but it won't be resolved for several chapters because of a skipping between points of view. There is also the wait between books in a series! That is probably the worst kind of waiting when it comes to reading because even when you can't stand it any more and have to know what comes next, you can't look ahead except at the summary that the author might decide to give. And that is enough to drive any book lover absolutely bonkers!
One last thing is reading teaches readers to be quiet and still, even when everything around us is not. I could write a whole post about how calming a book can be, and I might do just that at a later date. Even when everyone else is running around and losing themselves in the hustle and bustle and noise around them, a reader can immerse herself in a good book and tune out everything else. This is what makes reading so relaxing. It helps a reader to slow down and de-stress, distracting from the worries of the day.
That is why I love to read. These are abbreviated reasons, but they still show just how wonderful it can be.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on reading and what it means for you! Tell me in the comments. Then go read a book and put your head in the clouds.
Happy reading!
It has been a little while since I last posted. I've been busy with summer term and life in general. But that has not stopped me from reading!
Today's post is one that I've been stewing on for a while now. To give a background of why I've been thinking about it for so long, let me tell you the sweetened condensed version of the story.
I was taking an introductory business course my first semester at college. Toward the end of the term, I was placed into a group with three other students. One day, one of my teammates, for the sake of anonymity and forgetfulness of names and all that good stuff I'll call him Will, and I were waiting in the library for the rest of the team to arrive so we could discuss our project. (I'm sure everyone who has taken any college course, especially a business course, can understand this!) Well Will and I started talking to pass the time, and the subject of reading came up. After talking for a minute about it, Will asked me an unusual question, one that I'd never been asked before. I don't remember the exact wording that he used, but he asked if I took reading seriously, treating the worlds within the stories as real. I told him yes I do. He responded with the craziest (at least to my mind) statement, and as soon as he said it I knew he was not a reader, and had not experienced the joy that is reading, at least not in the way I have experienced it. Again, I don't remember the way he worded it, so I'll paraphrase his response. He said I should not take it so literally, that I should keep my head out of the clouds. The world around me is more important than the ones I find in books, and my life in the real world is the best thing to focus on than the one that I experience in books, according to Will. You can imagine that I did not like that comment too well. However, instead of jumping into a rant about how I love to read and just how good for the soul a good book is, I just nodded and said maybe so. So, that is the shortened version of the story behind why I have been thinking about this for a while. Over the past year it it will come back to mind and I will have one of those arguments inside my head and you totally kill the other person and win your case. But unfortunately Will is no longer around to hear it. So, here I am typing it out for you to read, my defense for why I read and lose myself in books.
To start with, books do not addle the brain, despite what Aunt March says. On the contrary they can make a brain a better thing, especially if it is nurtured properly. Reading stories can help develop imaginations which can spill over into the real world. With a greater imagination comes greater creativity. Greater creativity can lead to success in any career regardless of the field of work; it pushes readers to think outside the box to come up with unique solutions to problems of all shapes and sizes. One example, albeit humorous yet not so humorous, is how to respond to any insult or situation. You've heard of Disney comebacks for any situation; well there is the literary equivalent. This could really be expanded to responses for any awkward situation. I usually use a common phrase from Bryan Davis' books whenever I'm thinking too hard or I'm bombarded with information. The phrase is "My brain is choking!" Of course the effect is much better if you have a panicked look on your face and hold both hands to either side of your head. ;-) I did get a little off subject, but I think it was worth it. That's just a small advantage that readers have over non-readers. But a part of my point about the imagination is readers are able to picture things in their minds. Books, especially those without pictures, give flight to the imaginations of those who open their pages. As a person reads the words on a page, the picture that the author has so wonderfully painted forms in their mind, giving them a viewing portal into the world in which the characters live. And that my friends, is imagination at work and being exercised.
Another advantage is the ability to escape. Stories give readers the wonderful opportunity to escape from the worries of the present world and run to the embrace of another place and sometimes another time, into the open arms of friends both old and new. I can't tell you how many times I have picked up a book to forget what I'm worried about or to run off on an adventure and escape the normal routine. Sometimes I just need a little comfort that can't be offered by anyone present, but the characters in the story world give me just what I need. If I need a laugh there are books that do just that (I'm reading one such book right now); if I need a word of wisdom any book on my shelf will give me what I need. So, books can provide the means for escape and comfort that nothing else can provide. Sure a movie or a video game can provide that, and for some people that is their outlet, but there is something special about using your imagination to paint a picture in your mind's eye and interpreting the descriptions for yourself.
Yet another reason why I love to read is this: I meet so many new friends. With every book I pick up I learn a new name that I know I will grow to love and a new name I will grow to despise and never want to see. And yet, each name is dear and special to me. Yes I may not want to see that character ever again, but I still want to see their name on the page because I know that means the story is not over yet and I don't have to say goodbye just yet to the characters I do like. There are some characters who have left the story worlds that I read, never again to dance across the pages, and that fills me with grief whenever I open those books. Yes, I can always go back and read the stories again, but that separation will always be there. I will never again meet them for the first time, never reel from the shock of their disappearance. These characters include Susan, Peter, Professor Kirk, Mr. Tumnus, and Reepicheep; Sapphira, Elam, Karen, and Professor Hamilton; Brom; Boromir; all these just to name a few. Some have died and some have just left the story altogether to live happily ever after, but they are my friends all the same. At the same time I have many friends who are still in the story at the end: Meggie and Mo; Maria, Robin, and Sir Benjamin; Aslan; Billy, Bonnie, Matt, Lauren, and Clefspeare. Through these friends I have gained wisdom, learned how to fight evil and allow good to prevail, how to persevere and hold on to my faith when it seems like all hope is lost.
One last thing is reading teaches readers to be quiet and still, even when everything around us is not. I could write a whole post about how calming a book can be, and I might do just that at a later date. Even when everyone else is running around and losing themselves in the hustle and bustle and noise around them, a reader can immerse herself in a good book and tune out everything else. This is what makes reading so relaxing. It helps a reader to slow down and de-stress, distracting from the worries of the day.
That is why I love to read. These are abbreviated reasons, but they still show just how wonderful it can be.
 |
| Even dogs love to read! |
I'd love to hear your thoughts on reading and what it means for you! Tell me in the comments. Then go read a book and put your head in the clouds.
Happy reading!
May 22, 2015
Books: Passports to the Known and Unknown
Hello readers!
I hope you have all had a good start to your summers so far. Mine has started out great. I just got home from a week at the beach and boy was it perfect! Beautiful weather, perfect waves, and best of all, plenty of time to catch up on some reading. I did a lot of traveling while sitting in my beach chair.
And thinking about traveling, I am reminded of a quote I found recently by Jean Rhys:
"Reading makes immigrants of us all. It takes us away from home, but more important, it finds homes for us everywhere."
I must say that I agree wholeheartedly with her. When I lose myself in the pages of a book I will often be swept away by the beautiful words and story and, in some cases, lose my sense of reality. Some of the books I have read have taken me as far away as Russia, and as close to home as right here in the United States, one book even taking place a few miles from my hometown. Through these books, I feel as if I know the locations as well as my own home.
You know the saying "home is where the heart is." Well, I think that as readers, we often leave a piece of our hearts in every book we read and fall in love with (I say that because there are often books that just don't tug at your heart like others do, at least not for me). So, a bit of home can be found in every story that we read, every land we traverse, from Narnia to Terabithia, to the Inkworld to medieval Europe, to outer space even. There is no limit to the places that books can take you if you are willing to let them sweep you away.
A reader can travel hundreds, if not thousands of miles across the world, through the ages, across dimensions without even leaving her chair or bed or wherever she likes to curl up with a book. And once she is there, as long as she stays, however short or long, both physically reading and daydreaming about it, that is her home. It's where she is happiest, where she can be who she wants to be, live a little more adventurous than her current physical life may allow. She can travel to places she has only dreamed about seeing, or even places she never even imagined existed.
A book can be a magical thing. It can be a time machine, a cross-dimensional transport, a teleport, all these and more (for my Whovian readers, think TARDIS). You can be a permanent or temporary citizen of whatever world you choose to travel to by book, for as long as you choose. And when you do decide to leave, no matter how attached you become to the world, if you loved it enough to invest your heart, you will leave a piece there, and you will always find a home in that world. Any reader can testify to this. Once you leave a world or worlds behind and find yourself tired and worn out or just lonesome, you will discover you have a longing for home; you just have to find a book, sit down, and open it. That's all you have to do and you will be swept away once more on an adventure you'll not soon forget.
This past week, I took four vacations. I traveled to the beach, and from there I went to the Beast's castle, read a certain fairy tale from a stepsister's point of view (an interesting read, I may write on it later), and then ended in Renaissance Italy. All of these adventures were experienced in one place, without me hopping on an airplane. So, in a way, I had an extensive vacation without spending a whole lot of money. Just a library card.
That's my thoughts on traveling with books as your guide. What have been your experiences? I want to know!
Happy reading and traveling!
I hope you have all had a good start to your summers so far. Mine has started out great. I just got home from a week at the beach and boy was it perfect! Beautiful weather, perfect waves, and best of all, plenty of time to catch up on some reading. I did a lot of traveling while sitting in my beach chair.
And thinking about traveling, I am reminded of a quote I found recently by Jean Rhys:
"Reading makes immigrants of us all. It takes us away from home, but more important, it finds homes for us everywhere."
I must say that I agree wholeheartedly with her. When I lose myself in the pages of a book I will often be swept away by the beautiful words and story and, in some cases, lose my sense of reality. Some of the books I have read have taken me as far away as Russia, and as close to home as right here in the United States, one book even taking place a few miles from my hometown. Through these books, I feel as if I know the locations as well as my own home.
You know the saying "home is where the heart is." Well, I think that as readers, we often leave a piece of our hearts in every book we read and fall in love with (I say that because there are often books that just don't tug at your heart like others do, at least not for me). So, a bit of home can be found in every story that we read, every land we traverse, from Narnia to Terabithia, to the Inkworld to medieval Europe, to outer space even. There is no limit to the places that books can take you if you are willing to let them sweep you away.
A reader can travel hundreds, if not thousands of miles across the world, through the ages, across dimensions without even leaving her chair or bed or wherever she likes to curl up with a book. And once she is there, as long as she stays, however short or long, both physically reading and daydreaming about it, that is her home. It's where she is happiest, where she can be who she wants to be, live a little more adventurous than her current physical life may allow. She can travel to places she has only dreamed about seeing, or even places she never even imagined existed.
A book can be a magical thing. It can be a time machine, a cross-dimensional transport, a teleport, all these and more (for my Whovian readers, think TARDIS). You can be a permanent or temporary citizen of whatever world you choose to travel to by book, for as long as you choose. And when you do decide to leave, no matter how attached you become to the world, if you loved it enough to invest your heart, you will leave a piece there, and you will always find a home in that world. Any reader can testify to this. Once you leave a world or worlds behind and find yourself tired and worn out or just lonesome, you will discover you have a longing for home; you just have to find a book, sit down, and open it. That's all you have to do and you will be swept away once more on an adventure you'll not soon forget.
This past week, I took four vacations. I traveled to the beach, and from there I went to the Beast's castle, read a certain fairy tale from a stepsister's point of view (an interesting read, I may write on it later), and then ended in Renaissance Italy. All of these adventures were experienced in one place, without me hopping on an airplane. So, in a way, I had an extensive vacation without spending a whole lot of money. Just a library card.
That's my thoughts on traveling with books as your guide. What have been your experiences? I want to know!
Happy reading and traveling!
May 9, 2015
A Tale of Two Girls
Hello readers!
I have a new book to share with you! But before I tell you about the book, let me introduce you to the author. He has written some of the most beloved children's books of his time, and ours, some of which have been made into feature films. Some of his other works provide insightful advice on the spiritual side of living, one of which has been adapted for the stage and radio. What's more, he was close friends with another great author of his time, and who is still celebrated today. You may already be familiar with who I am talking about. His name is Clive Staples Lewis. I have traveled throughout his imaginary world of Narnia more times than I can count, on paper and screen as well as listening to audio dramatizations of the books, and have been wanting to explore more of his writings.
I thought I had heard of all the titles that came from his pen. So, you can imagine my surprise and delight when I found a title that I had never seen before. It's called Till We Have Faces. The book is a retelling of an old myth written sometime in the 2nd century by the writer Apuleius. Reading this book made me want to read the original. I must say, it is a very interesting story. In the original, Psyche is the youngest and most beautiful of three royal sisters. She was so fair that people came from all over to worship her in place of the goddess Venus. Well, Venus grew jealous of Psyche's beauty and the worship she received because of it, so she commanded her son, Cupid, to make her fall in love with a monster and thus give her the retribution she deserved. The god agreed and made to obey his mother. However, while he was in the process of following through with his vengeful deed, he accidentally made himself fall in love with her. He became so enamored and so full of pity that he sought to rectify what he had done. Meanwhile, her parents received a prophecy that she was destined to wed a monster, and that she was to be taken to the top of the mountain and left to be claimed by her husband. After they had taken her and while she was fearfully waiting for the monstrosity to appear, the wind god retrieved her and took her to a palace with invisible servants who catered to her every whim. It was there that she found her husband, although she did not know what he looked like because he had forbidden her to set eyes on him. So, he came to her in the night and left before the sun rose over the horizon. After a time, even though her days were pleasurable, she began to be homesick and asked for permission to send for her sisters. Her husband agreed and sent the wind god to fetch them to her. Once the sisters saw where she had been living they grew jealous and wanted to make her miserable because of her luck. They told her that she had indeed wed a monster and advised her to take a candle and knife into the bedchamber with her that night, which she did. She lit the candle after her husband had fallen asleep, and only then did she realize that it was the god Cupid. Before she could snuff the candle out, she dripped hot wax onto his shoulder, which then woke him. Once he took in the situation, he flew away and the palace and everything in it disappeared. The poor girl wandered the countryside looking for her husband. She eventually went to Venus for help, who then set her doing many grueling tasks. After a time, Cupid learned of what was happening, and asked Jupiter to make Venus release Psych. He did, and Cupid and Psyche were wed, making her a goddess.
The retelling was similar, except it told the story from the perspective of the oldest daughter, Orual. In fact, the story doesn't just consist of Psyche's story; it follows the heartache of a woman shunned by all she loves, and her life alone. It is divided into two parts. The first part is Orual's complaint against the gods for all the heartache and woes she has experienced throughout her life, one of which is having a not so pleasant countenance. She is the oldest daughter of the king of Glome; her tutor is a Greek slave called the Fox, who is more of a grandfather than tutor, the only man who ever truly loved her; her youngest sister is the Psyche from the myth, the Psyche who breaks her sister's heart and leaves her to nurture her hurts. She is sent to the mountain to be a human sacrifice for a monster because of her goddess-like beauty and countenance. It is here that the story walks away from Psyche, and instead follows Orual's turmoil over losing her beloved younger sister who she raised like she was her own child. The second part is Orual's coming to terms with who she is and realizing how powerful she could be if she let herself believe it.
Instead of summarizing the whole book, which would take entirely too long, I'll instead offer my thoughts on the story. I think one of the most poignant morals that can be pulled from this story is your life is what you make it. I know that sounds cliche and is overused, but this is definitely one of the underlying themes of the story. Orual allows her father to verbally, and sometimes physically, abuse her and make her think that she is ugly and not worth anything to anyone. She manages to find solace in the company of the Fox and Psyche, although that too is taken away from her. Initially she is bitter and hard, unwilling to believe that any good can come of her situation. However, in the last bit of the first part and into the second part she realizes that despite her flaws and misfortunes she can still be a powerful, loved leader if she is willing to embrace who she is. Psyche is also an example of this. At first the reader only thinks that she is deluded and has a childlike imagining of what her life is like with her husband. However, like Orual, that opinion is changed once the older sister sees a vision of the god telling her of Psyche's fate. Even though she is cursed to wander the earth, ever weeping and searching, scorned by all, Psyche still believes that her husband is out there waiting for her. It is this thought that helps her overcome all the obstacles between her and her lover. So we see the difference between the two sisters' outlooks: one has a miserable life because of how she views it, the other has a bearable life because she knows there is something better.
Even though it was his last, the writing in this book is some of Lewis' best that I have come across. I nearly wept when reading about Orual's heartache, and laughed when the Fox offered a nice retort. The overall beauty of this tale is enough to make it a treasured story. Lewis presents the raw emotion so very clearly, and in such a way that leaves the reader feeling the way the characters feel. This story is one of the best that has made its way from Lewis' mind to the bookstore, and yet it is the lesser known of all his works, and that makes me a little sad. So many have not had the opportunity to experience this amazing journey, unfortunately.
Well, that about wraps it up for this post. Now that you've had a taste of what this story has to offer, I hope you'll delve into the full adventure soon. If you already have experienced this adventure, I would love to hear what you think about it.
If you have any suggestions about what I should share my thoughts about, or any books, feel free to let me know!
Happy reading!
I have a new book to share with you! But before I tell you about the book, let me introduce you to the author. He has written some of the most beloved children's books of his time, and ours, some of which have been made into feature films. Some of his other works provide insightful advice on the spiritual side of living, one of which has been adapted for the stage and radio. What's more, he was close friends with another great author of his time, and who is still celebrated today. You may already be familiar with who I am talking about. His name is Clive Staples Lewis. I have traveled throughout his imaginary world of Narnia more times than I can count, on paper and screen as well as listening to audio dramatizations of the books, and have been wanting to explore more of his writings.
I thought I had heard of all the titles that came from his pen. So, you can imagine my surprise and delight when I found a title that I had never seen before. It's called Till We Have Faces. The book is a retelling of an old myth written sometime in the 2nd century by the writer Apuleius. Reading this book made me want to read the original. I must say, it is a very interesting story. In the original, Psyche is the youngest and most beautiful of three royal sisters. She was so fair that people came from all over to worship her in place of the goddess Venus. Well, Venus grew jealous of Psyche's beauty and the worship she received because of it, so she commanded her son, Cupid, to make her fall in love with a monster and thus give her the retribution she deserved. The god agreed and made to obey his mother. However, while he was in the process of following through with his vengeful deed, he accidentally made himself fall in love with her. He became so enamored and so full of pity that he sought to rectify what he had done. Meanwhile, her parents received a prophecy that she was destined to wed a monster, and that she was to be taken to the top of the mountain and left to be claimed by her husband. After they had taken her and while she was fearfully waiting for the monstrosity to appear, the wind god retrieved her and took her to a palace with invisible servants who catered to her every whim. It was there that she found her husband, although she did not know what he looked like because he had forbidden her to set eyes on him. So, he came to her in the night and left before the sun rose over the horizon. After a time, even though her days were pleasurable, she began to be homesick and asked for permission to send for her sisters. Her husband agreed and sent the wind god to fetch them to her. Once the sisters saw where she had been living they grew jealous and wanted to make her miserable because of her luck. They told her that she had indeed wed a monster and advised her to take a candle and knife into the bedchamber with her that night, which she did. She lit the candle after her husband had fallen asleep, and only then did she realize that it was the god Cupid. Before she could snuff the candle out, she dripped hot wax onto his shoulder, which then woke him. Once he took in the situation, he flew away and the palace and everything in it disappeared. The poor girl wandered the countryside looking for her husband. She eventually went to Venus for help, who then set her doing many grueling tasks. After a time, Cupid learned of what was happening, and asked Jupiter to make Venus release Psych. He did, and Cupid and Psyche were wed, making her a goddess.
.jpg "Cupid and Psyche") |
| Cupid and Psyche |
The retelling was similar, except it told the story from the perspective of the oldest daughter, Orual. In fact, the story doesn't just consist of Psyche's story; it follows the heartache of a woman shunned by all she loves, and her life alone. It is divided into two parts. The first part is Orual's complaint against the gods for all the heartache and woes she has experienced throughout her life, one of which is having a not so pleasant countenance. She is the oldest daughter of the king of Glome; her tutor is a Greek slave called the Fox, who is more of a grandfather than tutor, the only man who ever truly loved her; her youngest sister is the Psyche from the myth, the Psyche who breaks her sister's heart and leaves her to nurture her hurts. She is sent to the mountain to be a human sacrifice for a monster because of her goddess-like beauty and countenance. It is here that the story walks away from Psyche, and instead follows Orual's turmoil over losing her beloved younger sister who she raised like she was her own child. The second part is Orual's coming to terms with who she is and realizing how powerful she could be if she let herself believe it.
Instead of summarizing the whole book, which would take entirely too long, I'll instead offer my thoughts on the story. I think one of the most poignant morals that can be pulled from this story is your life is what you make it. I know that sounds cliche and is overused, but this is definitely one of the underlying themes of the story. Orual allows her father to verbally, and sometimes physically, abuse her and make her think that she is ugly and not worth anything to anyone. She manages to find solace in the company of the Fox and Psyche, although that too is taken away from her. Initially she is bitter and hard, unwilling to believe that any good can come of her situation. However, in the last bit of the first part and into the second part she realizes that despite her flaws and misfortunes she can still be a powerful, loved leader if she is willing to embrace who she is. Psyche is also an example of this. At first the reader only thinks that she is deluded and has a childlike imagining of what her life is like with her husband. However, like Orual, that opinion is changed once the older sister sees a vision of the god telling her of Psyche's fate. Even though she is cursed to wander the earth, ever weeping and searching, scorned by all, Psyche still believes that her husband is out there waiting for her. It is this thought that helps her overcome all the obstacles between her and her lover. So we see the difference between the two sisters' outlooks: one has a miserable life because of how she views it, the other has a bearable life because she knows there is something better.
Even though it was his last, the writing in this book is some of Lewis' best that I have come across. I nearly wept when reading about Orual's heartache, and laughed when the Fox offered a nice retort. The overall beauty of this tale is enough to make it a treasured story. Lewis presents the raw emotion so very clearly, and in such a way that leaves the reader feeling the way the characters feel. This story is one of the best that has made its way from Lewis' mind to the bookstore, and yet it is the lesser known of all his works, and that makes me a little sad. So many have not had the opportunity to experience this amazing journey, unfortunately.
Well, that about wraps it up for this post. Now that you've had a taste of what this story has to offer, I hope you'll delve into the full adventure soon. If you already have experienced this adventure, I would love to hear what you think about it.
If you have any suggestions about what I should share my thoughts about, or any books, feel free to let me know!
Happy reading!
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