Aaaaaaannnnnnd, it’s Monday again! They just keep coming, don’t they? I had a busy weekend, but all good things, and I’m glad to be back here and able to reflect on some of the things I enjoyed.
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What I Read
I finished reading Katabasis by R.F. Kuang! This one was pretty long, but it didn’t seem that long, if that makes sense. The book is about taking a journey through Hell, but as you might expect, the true journey is within the main character. Anyway, it was really interesting reading the author’s conception of Hell, based on Dante’s Inferno and other mythological writings.
After that, I turned back to The Strength of His Hand by Lynn Austin. And, believe it or not, I finished it just today! I find the author is a little heavy-handed with tying Christian themes into the Jewish stories, but I do enjoy how she both fills in the lives of the biblical characters, along with bringing in new characters unmentioned in the text. I think there are two more books in this series, and I would like to finish it in the medium term.
I had taken off some library suspensions hoping for one to come up pretty soon, but actually had an active hold up come up just in time. So today I also checked out We Fell Apart by E. Lockhart. It’s part of the We Were Liars series, but centers on different characters present on Martha’s vineyard during the events uncovered in the first book. It does have spoilers, so if you plan to read the other books, you should do that first, even though this book can stand on its own. I was a little uncertain about a book about all new characters, but I got hooked pretty quickly.
In spiritual reads, I decided to pick up Wonder of Wonders: Christmas with Dietrich Bonhoeffer. This is a devotional that contains devotions for four full weeks of Advent (which we don’t always get, depending on the timing of December 25), plus Christmas through Epiphany on January 6. Since I both started a little late and plan to start something new on January 1, I’m reading two of the devotionals on some days to catch up. So far, so good.
What I Watched
I think it’s been all Lost all the time this week! I’m about a third of the way into season two. It’s mysterious enough to keep me interested, but also familiar enough that I can pretty easily split my attention most of the time. I’d forgotten how very cinematographic this show is with the scoring and everything. The boat launching scene in Exodus: Part 1 may be one of the most beautiful made for television shots ever.
What I Listened To
There’s not much change here this week. I’ve been listening to my usual stuff, plus more episodes of The Declutter Hub Podcast, which I’m enjoying so far. I happened to hit a series of episodes discussing the holiday season last week, so that was a good incentive to stay with this one for a while.
I realized that I forgot to mention last week that I had finished Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon on Audible! Next, of course, I started on Voyager, and have made a small dent in it so far. These books are more that 40 hours a pop, so it’s no small commitment, but I’m slowly making my way through the series.
So that’s my week! How about you? Have you read, watched, or listened to any of the same things I have? Have you finished anything good recently? Let’s chat in the comments!