47. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

This is a beautiful book. I had NEVER read it before, and I did not know that the quote that inspired the name of this blog comes from THIS book! 

"What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well." (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry) 

I knew it was by the author, but I assumed it was in his non-fiction.

Another favorite quote is said by the fox to the little prince when he is saying good-bye:

"Here is my secret. It's quite simple: One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes." 

Here is a review from library thing with several of the quotes that I thought were good:

(By Kirankinny and found here: https://www.librarything.com/work/11883/reviews/170514328)

Wow, a true classic and masterpiece. Small book, easy language and fast read, but the ideas and messages are large, complex and hard to sink. Expected to be small children's book. But turned out to be a non-pretentious, genuine philosophy of life itself. I wanted to read it because of the 2015 movie. I loved the movie. The book is about the titular character whom the author meets in the desert. The author learns that he is from another planet. Then the story becomes the tale of journey of the little prince. 

The conversation he has with the various characters make up the story. My favourite conversation is with the businessman, where the little prince questions the boundary between need & greed. There is also a rose, the fox, snake, the king, baobab trees, sheep, hundreds of sunsets in a day, a lamplighter etc. Every character has something to tell, something to show. 

I love the book. It is about virtually everything. About growing up and forgetting, giving up, letting go, innocence, need/greed, adults, kids, friendship, love, life, death and eventually the cosmos itself.

Following are the some quotes. (Every sentence in the book is quotable.)

1) "One must command from each what each can perform," the king went on. "Authority is based first of all upon reason. If you command your subjects to jump into the ocean, there will be a revolution. I am entitled to command obedience because my orders are reasonable." -The King

2) "Where are the people?" resumed the little prince at last. "It's a little lonely in the desert..."

"It is lonely when you're among people, too," said the snake. 

3) “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” - The Fox

4) "What makes the desert beautiful," said the little prince, "is that somewhere it hides a well." 

5) “All grown-ups were once children... but only few of them remember it.”

6) “You're beautiful, but you're empty...One couldn't die for you. Of course, an ordinary passerby would think my rose looked just like you. But my rose, all on her own, is more important than all of you together, since she's the one I've watered. Since she's the one I put under glass, since she's the one I sheltered behind the screen. Since she's the one for whom I killed the caterpillars (except the two or three butterflies). Since she's the one I listened to when she complained, or when she boasted, or even sometimes when she said nothing at all. Since she's my rose.” - Prince.

7) “Grown-ups love figures... When you tell them you've made a new friend they never ask you any questions about essential matters. They never say to you "What does his voice sound like? What games does he love best? Does he collect butterflies? " Instead they demand "How old is he? How much does he weigh? How much money does his father make? " Only from these figures do they think they have learned anything about him.”

8) “A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.” 

9) “When you find a diamond that belongs to nobody, it is yours. When you discover an island that belongs to nobody, it is yours. When you get an idea before any one else, you take out a patent on it: it is yours. So with me: I own the stars, because nobody else before me ever thought of owning them.” - The Businessman

10) “Why are you drinking? demanded the little prince.
"So that I may forget," replied the tippler.
"Forget what?" inquired the little prince, who was already sorry for him.
"Forget that I am ashamed," the tippler confessed, hanging his head.
"Ashamed of what?" insisted the little prince, who wanted to help him.
"Ashamed of drinking!” - The Tippler.

2016 Reading Wrap Up

This is my fifth year participating in this endeavor. I didn't think I would make 52 this year, but I read a lot over the last two weeks! I did not link the books I mentioned within this wrap up post, but there is a list of all the books at the end of it with the links if you want to see favorite quotes or reviews.

Here are the Wrap Up questions from http://www.read52booksin52weeks.com/:

How many books did you read and did you meet or beat your own personal goal?  Or did you get caught up in reading and forget to keep track like me?  *grin* 

I read 52. I love to have goals. This is a manageable one for me after reading all the books on Well-Educated Mind, Invitation to the Classics, and 100 Great Books Lists (see links to those lists above - it was a Big Hairy Audacious Goal). 

What countries and time periods did you visit?

COUNTRIES:

• England: this was the main one since we traveled there (see my Travelogue of that trip here: http://carolhomeschool2.blogspot.com/search/label/Travelogue) to see a photograph I had on exhibition there and to enjoy some of the haunts of our favorite authors.
• Afghanistan (In the Sea there are Crocodiles)
• Middle East (The Rise of ISIS, The Terror Years)
• Iran (My Name is Mahtob)
• Multiple Nations in Poverty (Half the Sky)
• Everywhere (Pray for the World)
• I had some delightful journeys to Narnia also!

TIME PERIODS:

• Post War London (The Life and Times of Call the Midwife)
• 1930's America and Germany (The Boys in the Boat)
• 1930-1950's England (The Fellowship and Bandersnatch)
  

What were your most favorite stories?   Any stories that stayed with you a long time,  left you wanting more or needed to digest for a while before starting another?  

Ben-Hur - Absolutely beautiful
The Boys in the Boat
The Silver Chair (my favorite of all the Narnia books because of Puddleglum's speech)

The Way of the Beloved was not a story but one of my favorites of the year.

Which books became comfort reads? - don't have one

What is the one book or the one author you thought you'd never read and found yourself pleasantly surprised that you liked it?

Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life - I thought it would be another "pop" Christian book and was so delightfully surprised at its depth and beauty!

Did you read any books that touched you and made you laugh, cry, sing or dance?

Boys in the Boat - WOW!

Any that made you want to toss it across the room in disgust?

Half the Sky - You can read my review, but I really hated the patronizing tone of the authors. The stories about women were around the world was good though.

Please share a favorite cover or quote.

Here is my list:

1. Mary Poppins

2. Half the Sky

3. Winnie-the-Pooh

4. Ben Hur

5. My Name is Mahtob

6. The Healing Timeline

7. A Harmony of the Gospels

8. Gospel Harmony Book Club

9. Rick Steves London 2016

10. Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS

11. Rick Steves England 2013

12. When Breath Becomes Air

13. Pray for the World

14. The Celebration of Discipline

15. The Cost of Discipleship

16. Delighting in God

17. The Rainbow Comes and Goes

18. In the Sea There Are Crocodiles

19. The Boys in the Boat

20. Message: Remix

21. A Testament of Devotion

22. Life Together

23. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

24. Prince Caspian

25. The Fellowship: The Literary Lives of the Inklings

26. The Jungle Books

27. The Jungle Book 1 (Librivox Ver. 3)

28. Bandersnatch: Creative Collaboration of the Inklings

29. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

30. The Silver Chair

31. The Horse and His Boy

32. The Magician's Nephew

33. The Last Battle

34. The Maltese Falcon

35. Muslims, Christians, and Jesus

36. The Christ of the Indian Road

37. Miraculous Movements

38. Spiritual Multiplication in the Real World

39. The Terror Years

40. Beyond Loneliness

41. The Game with Minutes

42. God Guides

43. SPEG Manual

44. Messiah Meditations Devotional

45. Life of the Beloved

46. Notes from a Small Island

47. The Index Card

48. Going Clear: Scientology

49. Settle for More

50. The Way of the Heart

51. The Life and Times of Call the Midwife

52. Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life

52. Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life

I would not have picked this book up if it had not been the third book of the Renovare Book Club, but this is where "required reading" can help us to discover delightful things. I can honestly say that I loved this book. I was a little leery of it because I read a book a few years ago that seemed similar.  I felt like everyone loved this book but me. That author's reflections seemed  immature and lukewarm. It was obvious that she was commissioned by a publisher to write a book because she is a good writer, but I didn't sense she had a real hunger and thirst for God. She is popular now, but I was not impressed. I cannot even remember the name of the book, and I won't look it up to remind myself of the title.

Since this is a book looked similar from the outside, I was a bit leery, but I know now I just cannot judge a book by its cover! This author does have a heart for God and a wisdom far beyond her years. Her writing style is beautiful. I was pleasantly surprised and delighted by everything about this book. She quotes some of my favorite classical authors showing she is well-read. She also refers to popular culture! Love that too. She quotes one author I have never read, Annie Dillard, and makes me want to read her. She quotes Scripture too. Everything is so perfectly balanced. Oh, this is a lovely book in every way.

She goes through a day of moments and routines where we can become aware of God presence:

1. Waking: Baptism and Learning to Be Beloved
2. Making the Bed: Liturgy, Ritual, and What Forms a Life
3. Brushing Teeth: Standing, Kneeling, Blowing and Living in a Body
4. Losing Keys: Confession and the Truth About Ourselves
5. Eating Leftovers: Word, Sacrament, and Overlooked Nourishment
6. Fighting with My Husband: Passing the Peace and the Everyday Work of Shalom
7. Checking Email: Blessing and Sending
8. Sitting in Traffic: Liturgical Time and an Unhurried God
9. Calling a Friend: Congregating and Community
10. Drinking Tea: Sanctuary and Savoring
11. Sleeping: Sabbath, Rest, and the Work of God

I highly recommend this book!

“The new life into which we are baptized is lived out in days, hours, and minutes. God is forming us into a new people. And the place of that formation is in the small moments of today.”   

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“...small bits of our day are profoundly meaningful
because they are the site of our worship. The crucible of our formation is in the monotony of our daily routines.”   

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“Everyone wants a revolution. No one wants to do the dishes.” I”   

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“Alfred Hitchcock said movies are “life with the dull bits cut out.”
― Tish Harrison Warren, Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life

51. The Life and Times of Call the Midwife by Heidi Thomas

I devoured the Call the Midwife trilogy of Worth's books back in 2013. Worth based them on her deeply personal experience of working in the East End of London in the 1950s (see reviews HERE), and this book was just icing on the cake. It made me cry. I really thought I would just look at the pictures, but the text was so beautifully written by the writer for the series, Heidi Thomas (Cranford and Upstairs, Downstairs). It was especially moving because Worth died just months before filming began.

The diary of Thomas' experience is my favorite part, but the background chapters are fascinating. I learned so much about life in Poplar. The cherry on top was the chapter on Christmas in the East End since I finished reading on December 23.

Wonderful read and gorgeous photographs!

50. The Way of the Heart by Henri JM Nouwen

This book takes a look at the way of the "Desert Fathers and Mothers" and their commitment to Solitude, Silence, and Prayer. I noticed it on my shelf after reading Nouwen's The Life of the Beloved.  Since I liked that book so much, I thought I would also read this one. It is a simple and profound book.

"In Solitude we become compassionate people, deeply aware of our solidarity in brokenness with all of humanity and ready to reach out to anyone in need."

“Solitude is the furnace of transformation. Without solitude we remain victims of our society and continue to be entangled in the illusions of the false self. Jesus himself entered into this furnace. There he was tempted with the three compulsions of the world: to be relevant ('turn stones into loaves'), to be spectacular ('throw yourself down'), and to be powerful ('I will give you all these kingdoms'). There he affirmed God as the only source of his identity ('You must worship the Lord your God and serve him alone'). Solitude is the place of the great struggle and the great encounter - the struggle against the compulsions of the false self, and the encounter with the loving God who offers himself as the substance of the new self.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Way of the Heart: The Spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers 

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“Secularity is a way of being dependent on the responses of our milieu. The secular or false self is the self which is fabricated, as Thomas Merton says, by social compulsions. 'Compulsive' is indeed the best adjective for the false self. It points to the need for ongoing and increasing affirmation. Who am I? I am the one who is liked, praised, admired, disliked, hated or despised. Whether I am a pianist, a businessman or a minister, what matters is how I am perceived by my world. If being busy is a good thing, then I must be busy. If having money is a sign of real freedom, then I must claim my money. If knowing many people proves my importance, I will have to make the necessary contacts. The compulsion manifests itself in the lurking fear of failure and the steady urge to prevent this by gathering more of the same - more work, more money, more friends.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Way of the Heart: The Spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers

"Silence first makes us pilgrims. Secondly silence guards the fire within. Thirdly, silence teaches us how to speak."

"Prayer, when we are faithful to it and practice it at regular times, slowly leads us to an experience of rest and opens us to God's active presence."

“Prayer is standing in the presence of God with the mind in the heart; that is, at that point of our being where there are no divisions or distinctions and where we are totally one. There God's Spirit dwells and there the great encounter takes place. There heart speaks to heart, because there we stand before the face of the Lord, all-seeing, with us.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Way of the Heart: The Spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers   

“For many of us prayer means nothing more than speaking with God. And since it usually seems to be a quite one-sided affair, prayer simply means talking to God. This idea is enough to create great frustrations. If I present a problem, I expect a solution; if I formulate a question, I expect an answer; if I ask for guidance, I expect a response. And when it seems, increasingly, that I am talking into the dark, it is not so strange that I soon begin to suspect that my dialogue with God is in fact a monologue. Then I may begin to ask myself: To whom am I really speaking, God or myself?”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Way of the Heart: The Spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers

"By their solitude, silence and unceasing prayer the Desert Fathers show us the way. These disciplines will teach us to stand firm, to speak words of salvation, and to approach the new millennium with hope, courage, and confidence.

"When we have been remodeled into living witnesses of Christ through solitude, silence, and prayer, we will no longer have to worry about whether we are saying the right thing or making the right gestures, because then Christ will make his presence known even when we are not aware of it."

49. Settle for More by Megyn Kelly

I do not get Fox News, but I have seen her on clips on our ROKU. I also saw her on several interviews after the debate where she asked Donald Trump about his attitude toward women. So, I wanted to learn more about her.

I like her. It was a good read. I learned a lot about the News and what makes a good reporter. Donald Trump called her a Bimbo, and she is anything but that. I am glad to read that she is so happy in her marriage and family life, and her employers give her the opportunity to live the balance between work and family life. It sounds like she has a wonderful husband who helps a lot. This is a book about living your best life and not being afraid to make a course correction career-wise.

48. Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief

Oh my, what a book. I checked out this book because it is written by Lawrence Wright, and I loved his book that I read earlier this year called The Terror Years. Going Clear has the same excellent writing style and does not disappoint.

I had checked out the audiobook from Library2Go (Oregon Digital Library Consortium) more than a month ago, but I did not finish it before I had to bring it back. I would have had to wait on the hold list for quite some time. So, I checked out the Kindle book. It captivated me from the get-go.

I also checked out the HBO Documentary of the same name that came out in 2015. The book is MUCH more detailed than the documentary, but both of them are excellent! The documentary gave me the opportunity to see the faces of the ex-Scientology leaders who are quoted in the book.

This is a cult founded by the most prolific "Pulp Fiction" writer ever, L. Ron Hubbard. His religion is also fiction. So sad.

Fascinating read.

47. The Index Card: Why Personal Finance Doesn't Have to Be Compilcated

I wasn't as wowed by this book as many people who touted it. Most of it was pretty much a repeat of what Dave Ramsey has been saying for years. I also thought they made the "Buy Inexpensive Index Fund" really confusing, and I never really understood what the bottom line in the whole chapter was. So, it was COMPLICATED. The very thing they promised they would not do!

Then some of the captures were like "no duh"! So I wasn't too impressed with it.

46. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson

I read A Walk in the Woods several years ago. If you read my blog, you know that I blogged about our travels in England this last summer. If you missed it, here are all the posts: http://carolhomeschool2.blogspot.com/search/label/Travelogue. This book was DELIGHTFUL to read because so much of it is so true!

I read the majority of this book on a plane flight to and from Mexico, and I kept laughing out loud. So I am sure that other passengers thought I was mentally ill! I would read it before I went to bed, and I had to hold my hand over my mouth so my laughing would not wake up my husband.

I love England and its people with all my heart. (In fact, we just got a Christmas card from the owners of one of the bed and breakfast places we stayed at!)  It was such a delightful experience to go there.. So, this book warmed my heart, but I don't think you have to go to England to really enjoy this. He is a masterful comedic writer!

Just a warning: there is some profanity, but it is not gratuitous. Also, his humor can be quite sarcastic and snarky at times, but I think he is just doing it tongue-in-cheek. So, if that is not your cup of tea, you might NOT like his book. Also, I am wondering if you have never been to England if you would like it as much. I definitely liked reading about the places I had already seen and experienced better than the places that I had not yet seen.  

Here is a favorite quote:

“Suddenly, in the space of a moment, I realized what it was that I loved about Britain - which is to say, all of it. Every last bit of it, good and bad - Marmite, village fetes, country lanes, people saying 'mustn't grumble' and 'I'm terribly sorry but', people apologizing to me when I conk them with a nameless elbow, milk in bottles, beans on toast, haymaking in June, stinging nettles, seaside piers, Ordnance Survey maps, crumpets, hot-water bottles as a necessity, drizzly Sundays - every bit of it.

What a wondrous place this was - crazy as f**k, of course, but adorable to the tiniest degree. What other country, after all, could possibly have come up with place names like Tooting Bec and Farleigh Wallop, or a game like cricket that goes on for three days and never seems to start? Who else would think it not the least odd to make their judges wear little mops on their heads, compel the Speaker of the House of Commons to sit on something called the Woolsack, or take pride in a military hero whose dying wish was to be kissed by a fellow named Hardy? ('Please Hardy, full on the lips, with just a bit of tongue.') What other nation in the world could possibly have given us William Shakespeare, pork pies, Christopher Wren, Windsor Great Park, the Open University, Gardners' Question Time and the chocolate digestive biscuit? None, of course.

How easily we lose sight of all this. What an enigma Britain will seem to historians when they look back on the second half of the twentieth century. Here is a country that fought and won a noble war, dismantled a mighty empire in a generally benign and enlightened way, created a far-seeing welfare state - in short, did nearly everything right - and then spent the rest of the century looking on itself as a chronic failure. The fact is that this is still the best place in the world for most things - to post a letter, go for a walk, watch television, buy a book, venture out for a drink, go to a museum, use the bank, get lost, seek help, or stand on a hillside and take in a view.

All of this came to me in the space of a lingering moment. I've said it before and I'll say it again. I like it here. I like it more than I can tell you.”
― Bill Bryson, Notes from a Small Island   

45. Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World by Henri J.M. Nouwen

And you cannot go wrong with a Van Gogh on the cover!

Why had I never read this book before? It is priceless and beautiful, and I give it my highest recommendation. I am reading it for my Renovare Spiritual Formation Online Book Club. The discussion starts on January 2 if you want to join in. Just click on the link.

Henri talks with his Jewish friend about our belovedness before God. So many yummy quotes!

I will share just one:

“Aren't you, like me, hoping that some person, thing, or event will come along to give you that final feeling of inner well-being you desire? Don't you often hope: 'May this book, idea, course, trip, job, country or relationship fulfill my deepest desire.' But as long as you are waiting for that mysterious moment you will go on running helter-skelter, always anxious and restless, always lustful and angry, never fully satisfied. You know that this is the compulsiveness that keeps us going and busy, but at the same time makes us wonder whether we are getting anywhere in the long run. This is the way to spiritual exhaustion and burn-out. This is the way to spiritual death.”
― Henri J.M. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World

44. Messiah Meditations by Carol Weaver

This is one of my favorite ways to focus on Jesus during the Advent season: Messiah by Handel!

I have also written a devotional for the month of December that goes along with the libretto:

You can read it online:
http://3yearbiblebookclub.blogspot.com/2016/11/december-messiah-meditations.html

Or download a document:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ul28wxndosxkqyy/Messiah%20Meditations%20Devotional.docx?dl=0

I have to say that I enjoy going through this devotional even though I wrote it! LOL!

I had the wonderful privilege of going to his flat in London. I sat in the room where he composed this wonderful piece of music. It was a holy experience:

An interesting fact: Jimmy Hendrix's flat was one floor above Handel's two centuries later! Hendrix was a fan of Messiah as he had two albums of it in his flat:

43. SPEG Manual

This is a 74 page manual in electronic form that we read for our ministry training. I am counting it as one of my books for 2016 because it has small print! :) It is not available in stores, and it is SO, SO GOOD! It is overwhelming, and I don't think I should have given it to my Kingdom Community. I think it overwhelmed them! LOL!

Prayerful Review of My Weekend

Gifts:
REST!
George!
Our wonderful church - always so glad I go!

When did I feel most alive, responsive, and living in tune with God's dream?

Walking the boardwalk at Finley Wildlife Refuge. Seeing the tundra swans making all sorts of noise on Cabell Marsh from the blind (we cannot hike on the Marsh at this time of year, but I thought we could observe it by walking on the boardwalk, and I was right!

Eat and Treats Steakhouse Salad with George and a free cookie.

The Finley Wildlife Refuge store! We bought a bunch of Christmas presents there!

Doing the thing I feared and submitting my grades for Fall term.

Reading Messiah Meditations - I know I wrote it, but I really like it.

Writing these prayer reviews are life-giving for me!

Writing in general. I have not done as much of it lately, and I really, really enjoy it.

Listening to my three new Christmas CD's by Jeff Johnson, Brian Dunning, and Wendy Goodwin. They are excellent!

Dead/Unresponsive/Least Myself/Out of Tune with God's Dream?

Trying to get my Winter term website up and running.

Grades for four of my students not submitting correctly. Do not know why.

One of my students emailing to question her grade when she looked at the website incorrectly. Ugh! (I hate the grading part of my job - can you tell?)

One thing to express love for God and others tomorrow:

Yesterday follow up: "Give to charities instead of Christmas gifts to my family. I did one on Thursday and will do the other two today." 

Follow Up: I did just one, and I got the sweetest letter from the person we gave to! I will do the other one today and also send a letter to Chris, Holly, and Debbie telling them about it and sending links.

New Expression of Love: I need to pray about it. I am not sure I am hearing what He wants me to do. Stay tuned.

Current:

42. God Guides by Mary Geegh

This is maybe my third time through this book.(Although my blog records I have only read it once before in 2014. I think I partially read it again in 2015 and did not finish it, but I digress.) I am always challenged to take time to "Listen and Obey" God's voice as a result. I think the key thing added to the mix is writing down what I hear. That has helped me to remember to follow through on the "obey" part. I often write it with shower crayons on my shower wall. It is amazing how God really does orchestrate everything in His time. He is real. I know that for a fact.

Here is what I wrote after I read it the first time and was evaluating all the books I had read in 2014:

Most thrilling, oh my goodness, I want to read it again, unputdownable book?

God Guides by Mary Geegh. 

This book is life-changing for anyone who wants a dynamic relationship with God. I recommend it to everyone, and I give it away like candy now. It is the simple concept of listening to God and obeying Him, but I love that it communicates this through real-life stories of a person who lived in India for over 30 years! She also recommends a “listen and obey” time every day where your WRITE DOWN what God tells you. Since I easily forget, I have gotten into this habit, and it has really helped me.  I recommended this book to two different friends that each ordered 100. One friend had given all 100 away within two months.