"Twice Freed" by Patricia St. John

I can't believe I'd never read this book before!  I feel like I read something else by Patricia St. John, as her style felt extremely familiar -- I'm betting my childhood best friend loaned me one of her other books, as this was exactly the sort of sweet Biblical fiction her family was so good at finding.  My friend Eva gave me a copy for Christmas because she knew I love the story of Onesimus and Philemon in the Bible; she knows this because the character Ness in my book One Bad Apple is actually named Onesimus, and I have his adoptive father Wallace actually quote a bit of Philemon in my book.

Anyway.  THIS book weaves a fictional story around the slave Onesimus, his master Philemon, and the apostle Paul.  It is crammed with wonderful historical details about live in the Roman Empire for slaves and free, for Christians and Jews and nonbelievers.  I just ate all that historicity up with a spoon, I tell you.  

St. John portrays Onesimus as a proud and stubborn boy who grows slowly into a proud and stubborn man.  He eventually runs away from his master, Philemon, and ends up in Rome with Paul kind of by accident -- or at least, Onesimus doesn't get there on purpose, but you can see God's hand guiding his journey all the way.  Onesimus has been resistant to this new Christian religion that his master, his mother, and so many around him convert to, but when he sees how Paul bears his own bondage and chains, he can't ignore the power of Christ to give even the most humble and downtrodden person hope and peace.

While this book doesn't shy away from the cruel reality of slavery, it doesn't fixate on that either, but treats it in what I feel is age-appropriate for its middle-grade audience.  I'll definitely be encouraging my kids to read Twice Freed, and possibly even incorporating it into our world history curriculum.

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG for discussions of beatings, brandings, an earthquake, and other harsh realities, all of which are presented in a straight-forward, non-sensationalist way.

This has been the 11th book I've read from my TBR shelves for #TheUnreadShelfProject2022.

"Jewel of Persia" by Roseanna M. White

I don't read a lot of Biblical fiction, mostly because the idea of fictionalizing the life of a real person from the Bible kind of bothers me.  But Jewel of Persia is about a fictional person living at the time of the book of Esther, more than about Esther herself, so that sounded like a book that I would really enjoy.  And it turns out, I did!

Kasia is a young Jewish woman who catches the eye of mighty emperor Xerxes, who takes her as one of his wives even though she has no dowry.  Theirs is a love match, and Kasia remains his favorite wife even after many others succeed her as newest wife.  The idea of a king with hundreds of wives and concubines, and how they all lived together, was fascinating to try to wrap my head around, and it lent itself to a lot of drama and tension too.  Roseanna M. White clearly did an astonishing amount of research for this book, and she tells you at the end which plot points were historical, and so on.  

Kasia's best friend, before she leaves home to marry Xerxes, is a young orphan named Esther, who's being raised by Kasia's family's neighbor, Mordecai.  The story of Esther that we're familiar with from the Bible really only takes up the last quarter of this book, but the first several hundred pages build very deliberately toward it, showing reasons for Haman to hate the Jews so much, why Queen Vashti would refuse to appear at Xerxes' banquet and then be replaced by a total newcomer, and so much more.

This book was a lot meatier than I thought it would be.  I was expecting it would be mostly a romance set in Biblical times, and it definitely had that going on, too.  I'd say it's one of the most lovely-dovey books I've ever thoroughly enjoyed.  But it had so much else going on too, with the Jewish protagonist, Kasia, constantly battling to be allowed to practice her faith in the pagan household of her husband, Xerxes, who is king of all Persia, etc., etc., etc.  Kasia would be described today as a "prayer warrior," constantly lifting up those around her to God with prayer for his help and guidance.  

This book also has almost a kind of religious magical realism, with characters glimpsing angels and demons that help or impede them.  That was particularly intriguing, as I hadn't expected it, but it did make a lot of sense within the context of the story.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book, even if parts of it made me a little squeamish (ancient violence can be really extreme, and though White left the gory particulars to our imaginations, some things are just never going to leave my brain...).  I do think I will reread it at some point in the future.

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG-16.  It never quite crosses over into what I would consider R-rated territory, but this book has a LOT of kissing, petting, foreplay, and content I would not allow my kids to read until they were in their upper teens.  There are multiple instances of adultery, and the damage it can cause is at times severe.  There's quite a bit of violence, though mostly it's implied and not described.

This was my third book read from my TBR shelves for #TheUnreadShelfProject2021.

"Aslan's World" by Angus Menuge

I. Loved. This. Book.

This Bible study is broken into six sections that each tackle some part of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and the Biblical truths that are presented fictionally by C. S. Lewis in that book.  I learned a lot from it, and I'm going to have my son use it for school later this year.  It's aimed at probably middle school on up, but younger kids could get a lot from it too, with more help from an adult or parent.  

There's a leader guide at the back with some explanations and answers, and also a list of additional resources for those looking to dig deeper.  My Christmas wish list just got longer, friends.

This was published in 2006 in book form, but it's out of print now, except as a downloadable Bible study offered by Concordia Publishing House.  However, you can find used copies other places.  I heartily recommend it for anyone who wants to dig deeper into the first Narnia book, or the Narnia world as a whole.

This has been another book read for My Year with C.S. Lewis, and also my 44th book read off my TBR shelves for #TheUnreadShelfProject2020.

"Psalms to Color and Soothe the Soul" Coloring Book by Felicity French

Today is National Coloring Book Day!

To celebrate, I'm going to share one of my favorite adult coloring books with you: Psalms to Color and Soothe the Soul with artwork by Felicity French.

I've had this book for a couple of years now, but I'd only done two pictures in it until this summer.  I go through phases where I color regularly or don't color at all, sometimes for weeks or months.  Right now, I'm in the middle of one of the color-often phases, and I've been really drawn to this book for the past few weeks.

I love how intricate these drawings are!  And yet, they're not too busy.  It takes me a couple of sessions to color one picture, which I like because it prolongs the fun.

The pages of this book take colored pencils really well, which I appreciate.

The pages are thick enough you can use gel pens too.  I tend to get impatient with gel pens when coloring large areas, so I only use them for pages like this where I'm coloring lots of tiny areas:

And the pictures are only printed on one side of each sheet, so you can remove a page and share it or frame it if you want to.  I LOVE Psalm 46:10, and I love how this picture turned out, so I'm seriously considering framing it to hang in my bedroom:

Here's the page I started working on last night:

I tend to mostly color in the evening after my kids are in bed, while I'm watching a TV show of some sort.  It's a good way to unwind after a stressful day, and I have something pretty when I'm done!  This particular book has the added benefit of letting me meditate on a particular piece of Scripture while I'm coloring, which I really like.  There are lots and lots of pages I haven't gotten to yet, so I know I'll be enjoying this particular book for a long time yet.

Are you a fan of adult coloring books too?  If so, do you have favorite coloring books?

My Review of "Pew Sisters" by Katie Schuermann on Sister, Daughter, Mother, Wife

Just dropping in for a minute or two to let you know that I've written a review of this awesome Bible study book aimed specifically at women, and you can read my review right here on one of my favorite blogs, namely Sister, Daughter, Mother, Wife.  

Pew Sisters was written for small-group Bible studies, but you could also use it on your own for personal devotions.  

"I, Claudia" by Charity Bishop

This is one of the best books I've read all year.  And I don't say that merely to curry favor with Charity Bishop, who is my Femnista editor.  

Claudia is a Roman girl who suffers from terrifying, seemingly prescient nightmares.  She marries a Roman officer, Lucius Pilate, thinking the nightmares will cease once they've consummated their marriage.  They move to Judea when Pilate is appointed the governor of that region, and if you know your Bible history at all, you know whose trail he eventually must judge.  But Charity Bishop doesn't stop with Christ's death and resurrection -- she continues their story beyond that, to its own conclusion.

The characters here are well-rounded and compelling -- I even got attached to some of the secondary characters, like Claudia's servants.  The pacing and plotting were good as well.  But Bishop's best work was with her details of the Ancient Roman world.  She clearly did a massive amount of research, and I could have read another 200 pages set in this place, with these characters.

If you read my other blog, then you know I was very, very impressed by the film Risen (2016).  Coincidentally, my husband chose that for our Friday night movie right while I was reading this, and I enjoyed contrasting the two presentations of Christ's death and resurrection from a Roman point of view.  The two Pilates in Risen and I, Claudia are very different, but both are believable expansions of the person we read about in the Bible.


Particularly Good Bits:

"Life is like driving a chariot, Claudia.  You can do it alone and feel every flinch and tug of the lines.  You can fight the horses or you can learn from them.  It's easier if you have help" (p. 25).

"Religion forbids a lot of things but it never stops anyone" (p. 26).

"Who but the son of God could take away hatred and replace it with love in those who follow him?" (p. 166).


If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It:  PG-13 for a lot of suggestive material, scary scenes, pagan magic, demon possession, and violence.

Top Ten Tuesday: Historically Speaking

This week's prompt, from The Broke and the Bookish, is Top Ten Historical Settings You Love.

I love books set in the past, as you know by now.  Whether they were written long ago, or are what I consider to be "historical fiction" (set in a time prior to the age the author lived in), I love learning about how life was different in time gone by, and how it was also the same as what we have today.  People haven't changed much since the fall into sin, and that saying that "the more things change, the more they stay the same" definitely feels true when I'm reading historical fiction.

Anyway, here are the settings I'm most drawn to, in chronological order:

4000 BC-100 AD -- Biblical times.  I don't read a lot of fiction set then, though I do really love The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare and Ben-Hur:  A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace.  But I do read quite a bit of nonfiction about it -- right now, I'm working my way through When Christ Walked Among Us by James F. Pope.

500-1500 -- Middle Ages.  Basically anything involving Robin Hood, King Arthur, knights and ladies and castles.  The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle and so on.

1600s -- Elizabethan England.  If it involves Shakespeare, I'm interested.

1700s -- American Colonial Era and Revolution.  The Felicity books, The Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter, The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare, Sarah Bishop by Scott O'Dell, anything involving Daniel Boone.

1800s -- Napoleonic Wars, British Regency, American frontier life.  Jane Austen, Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series.  Streams to the River, Rivers to the Sea by Scott O'Dell, anything about Davy Crockett and Kit Carson.

1860s -- American Civil War.  Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, books by Shelby Foote, memoirs of soldiers, etc.

1870s-1900 -- American Old West.  My favorite era for movies, and the one I love writing in the most.  I'm very fond of Zane Grey, getting fonder of Louis L'Amour, and want to try out Max Brand.

1900s -- Victorian Era Britain.  I love Sherlock Holmes!

1920s -- the Jazz Age.  I love Fitzgerald and Hemingway, books by them or about them.  Especially The Sun Also Rises and A Moveable Feast by Hemingway, and Tales of the Jazz Age and Flappers and Philosophers by Fitzgerald.  

1940s -- WWII.  Basically, anything set during WWII grabs my attention.  Sarah Sundin, Raymond Chandler, anything historical about WWII.  The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan, Shadows Over Stonewycke by Michael Phillips and Judith Pella, anything by Bill Mauldin or Ernie Pyle.


That's only 9, but that's all I've got :-)

EDIT:  No, it's not!  I realized that I was thinking mostly about fiction, but I do read non-fiction (and a bit of fiction) about Biblical times, so I'm adding that to the top of this list.

Hamlet Read-Along: Act III, Scene 4

Clearly, I just don't have the wherewithal to do read-along posts regularly while visiting my parents this time. I promise that next week, I'll get back to my more usual posting schedule.

So here we are in Act III, Scene 4, and things have started going downhill fast, haven't they? I mean, first Hamlet gets very sarcastic and disrespectful with his mom, and then he goes and kills Polonius. Accidentally, as it were -- he thought the person hiding behind there was surely Claudius, and that he'd found exactly what he'd wished for in the previous scene: a chance to kill Claudius while he was sinning. But nope, it was that "wretched, rash, intruding fool" (31).

I really like the line "I took thee for thy better" (32) because you can understand it two ways: either "I mistook you for your better" or "I killed you in place of your better." Love passages with multiple meanings like that.

Finally, Hamlet convinces Gertrude that Claudius killed his father and that she did wrong to marry her dead husband's brother. Like the Ghost, Hamlet spends a lot more time talking about the latter issue than the former, and while some read this as indicating he has an Oedipus-like desire for his mother, I think it more reflects the Ghost's accusations as well as the moral code of the time and culture in which Shakespeare wrote this. Killing someone was bad, but fairly commonplace. Marrying your in-law, though, was seen as icky. And so often, our human nature reacts more strongly to "icky" than "bad." Anyway, I'm not saying the more Freudian interpretation is totally invalid, I just don't see it as the only valid one.

Did you catch that "ears" theme cropping up again? Gertrude says, "Oh, speak to me no more! These words like daggers enter in my ears" (94-95). I really think Shakespeare deliberately had Claudius poison King Hamlet by pouring the poison in his ear -- it's not how you usually poison someone, after all. And here again -- words like daggers, ears the place where you are vulnerable. Hearing things, Shakespeare seems to say, can be just as dangerous as doing them. I'm always reminded of a Bible passage, the part in James where it says "no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:8). I wonder if Shakespeare had that passage in mind while writing Hamlet.

Anyway, the Ghost pops up again! This time inside the castle. And here we have an enduring question: Why Doesn't Gertrude See It? Horatio and Marcellus and Barnardo could see it. Does Gertrude truly not see it? Or is she only pretending not to see it because she doesn't want to? That's our Possible Discussion Question for today.

Hamlet promises the Ghost to get on with the revenging business, then adjures Gertrude to quit sleeping with Claudius and to absolutely not tell him that Hamlet isn't actually mad, just pretending. Then off he goes, pulling Polonius' body out behind him. He clearly suspects that the whole "send Hamlet to England" idea is a trap, and tells Gertrude he doesn't trust Rosencrantz and Guildenstern a bit. Poor Hamlet -- he basically can't trust anyone but Horatio anymore. Even Ophelia was helping her father and Claudius spy on him. Hamlet, Hamlet, get out while the getting is good!

One last thing: pay attention to this idea of someone being "hoist with his own petard" (207), or destroyed by the violence or trap they intended for someone else. It's going to come up again.

Favorite Lines:

"O Hamlet, speak no more!
Thou turn'st my very eyes into my soul" (88-89).

"This is the very coinage of your brain" (137).

"My pulse as yours doth temperately keep time
And makes as healthful music. It is not madness
That I have uttered" (140-42).

"O Hamlet, thou hast cleft my heart in twain" (156).

"Assume a virtue if you have it not" (160).

"I must be cruel only to be kind" (178).

"Indeed this counselor
Is now most still, most secret, and most grave
Who was in life a most foolish, prating knave" (213-15).