Pictures

Before Breakfast Part 3

“It isn't Narnia, you know," sobbed Lucy. "It's you. We shan't meet you there. And how can we live, never meeting you?"
"But you shall meet me, dear one," said Aslan.
"Are -are you there too, Sir?" said Edmund.
"I am," said Aslan. "But there I have another name. You must learn to know me by that name. This was the very reason why you were brought to Narnia, that by knowing me here for a little, you may know me better there.”
- C.S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

all images below were found on Google Images

3. Someday, I will walk through a wardrobe, hear the sound of a magic horn, dive into a picture, put on a magic ring, go through a door that should have been locked, or get in a wreck, and end up in Narnia. (I obviously wasn't born there, sorry A Horse and His Boy)

Before Breakfast pt. 2

Faeries, come take me out of this dull world,
For I would ride with you upon the wind,
Run on the top of the dishevelled tide,
And dance upon the mountains like a flame.
~William Butler Yeats, "The Land of Heart's Desire," 1894
(again, all pictures are not my own, thank you google images!)

2. There are faeries. Not only pixies and Victorian flower faeries, but water and wood sprites, and woodland folk.

Before Breakfast- pt. 1

Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.- Lewis Carrol (Alice In Wonderland)

My list of 6 impossible things I would like to believe, despite all evidence to the contrary. (Hold your tongue, thou skeptic thou.)

None of the pictures below are my own, I found them on google images.

1. There ARE Dragons

And someday, I will find one. And I will tell it riddles and stories and it will love me. But most importantly....I will ride it

to be continued........

Grace

(written June 30th)

So I knock down my Idols
And I stand up in triumph
But the shards around my feet
They cut me deeply
And I'm starting to believe this is impossible
To think that I could ever offer all my soul
I tear myself apart
When I think of who you are
That I'll never be clean enough
No you could never bring yourself to love me
You can stand no darkness in your perfect light
The smallest smudge of coal against your purest white
I'm just a living lie shamed by holy truth
I know that nothing I do
Could ever bring me to you
I spit in your face
There's  no earning back your grace
I think that I know now this is impossible
But then you take my breath away, you overwhelm my soul
When forgiveness semmed so far
You placed my fingers on your scar
I fall, weeping to my knees
To think that you would die to save me
You take my filthy heart into your holy hands
You wash it in the spotless blood that you have shed
You help this worthless child to stand
Sturck silent by the words you said
You call me by your name
Give me your grace and take my shame
You take my shame

Thank You for Reading,
Esther

Classic Quotes

Classic Quotes I love:

1. He didn't Study God, He was Dazzled by him- Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo (Emphasis/Italics added)

2. "What we dread most," said the priest in a low voice, "is a maze with no centre. That is why atheism is only a nightmare."- The Wisdom of Father Brown, (a mystery) by  G. K. Chesterton

3. "It is an old maxim of mine that when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes- by A. Conan Doyle

4. Life is like some crazy machine that is always going either too slow or too fast. From the cradle to the grave we alternate between the Sargasso Sea and the rapids-- forever either becalmed or storm-tossed.
 A Damsel in Distress- by P.G. Wodehouse

5. (one of my absolute favorites) "I do see your point of view. But dimly. You see, my own takes up such a lot of the foreground."-  A Damsel in Distress- by P.G. Wodehouse

6. "It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes- by A. Conan Doyle

7. No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true.- The Scarlet Letter- by Nathaniel Hawthorne

8. "Why, dash it," I said, astounded, "you must know it is. Use your intelligence, Jeeves. Reflect what proposing means. It means that a decent, self-respecting chap has got to listen to himself saying things which, if spoken on the silver screen, would cause him to dash to the box-office and demand his money back."- Right HO, Jeeves- by P.G. Wodehouse

9. "I'm not absolutely certain of my facts, but I rather fancy it's Shakespeare-- or if not, it's some equally brainy lad-- who says that it's always just when a chappie is particularly top-hole, and more than usually braced with things in general that Fate sneaks up behind him with a bit of lead piping.- My Man Jeeves- by P.G. Wodehouse (Did anyone else just conjure up a image of Clue ?) (lead piping.....)

10. "It is a truth universally acknowledged,that a single man in posession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife"- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

And I know there are hundreds more wonderful book quotes out there, that is why I am asking you to leave your favorite quote (from a book) in any comments.

Thank you for reading,
Esther

Summer Reading List: Classics

So, Summer is here and it's time for all those wonderful library reading programs! But they only deal with the hours spent reading, not the books you read, for all they care you could spend the entire summer reading The Boxcar Children, (not like that's a bad thing). Usually, however, I make a reading list of all the books I would like to finish by the end of the summer. The problem being that I never quite make it through the list, however well-meaning, educational, and impressive it is, because I'm too busy reading fantasy/fiction/fairy tale/magic/dragons EXCITING, FUN books. I enjoy making the list regardless, and this summer, I'll share it with you. Hopefully, I will also include a post later on in the year concerning how many I actually finished.

1. Les Miserables- (By Victor Hugo) Ever since we listened to the abridged version of this book, a WONDERFUL, multi-voice dramatized recording by Focus on the Family, I longed to read the full version. I was extremely disappointed when I could not find it in our old library system, but I recently found it in all it's glory, (except for the fact it was translated into English of course.) This is the book I am currently reading, and it is even MORE beautiful than I thought it would be.

2. Bleak House- (By Charles Dickens) I watched the BBC drama Bleak House when I was sick with the flu last spring, I can't wait to see how the book compares.

3. A Tale of Two Cities- (By Charles Dickens) Am I looking forward to this one? Honestly? No. It is required reading to complete my British Literature course.

4. Frankenstein- (By Mary Shelley) Again, REQUIRED READING. Not something I would pick myself. Which is probably why I've waited this long to read it.

5. The Little Prince- (By Antoine de Saint-Exupery) Can everyone say "lol". This is a small, about 100 pg story, that is a children's book. That said, it IS A CLASSIC. Not to mention, I have read some of it, and intellectually, an Adult could read it and still learn something. It's a fable about a Prince who lived on a tiny planet with three small volcanoes, and one proud, beautiful rose. He traveled to Earth where he learned, from a fox, about what is important in life. (paraphrased from back of book)

There are other books that I look forward to reading this summer, but for now, this is the list I'm posting.
And of course, I'll also read whatever I find at the library, or in my bookshelf, or in someone else's bookshelf. Because it wouldn't be summer if you couldn't read books just for fun, as well as school.

Now for Recommendations, books I think everyone needs to read: (bear in mind I'm talking about classics today, but all the one's I am about to mention are wonderful fun)

1. Pride and Prejudice- (by Jane Austen) Need I say more? In fact, I won't, it more than speaks for itself. However, one word of advice. If you want to watch the movie (which I highly suggest btw), watch the 1995 Masterpiece Classic version. It is 6 hours long, because it follows the book perfectly, even word for word in some parts, it captures the characters and the plot of the story so much better than the new movie with Kiera Knightly. If you are going to make a movie out of a classic book, make that movie classic, and Masterpiece Classic did. (Besides, it has the most wonderful Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett)

2. Something New and/or A Damsel in Distress- (by P.G. Wodehouse) (Couldn't pick) Are they both Classics? Maybe not. Are they the some of the most hilarious pieces of British Literature I have ever read? Most Certainly. A word of warning, although fairly mild, they sadly contain some words I would not repeat. Or, more accurately, just one, only said a couple times. SO, I leave it up to your discretion.

3. Sherlock Holmes- (by A. Conan Doyle) "It's elementary my dear Watson" "This is but sparsely connected to the movies, therefore, must be read separately to reach full potential". Enough Said

4. Lord of the Rings- (by J. R. R. Tolkien) Although this is one of the few books that I read first, than actually enjoyed the movies, the books do contain subject matter that did not make it into them.

And with that.... enjoy your summer! If you comment, please leave YOUR summer reading list and recommendations, as well as saying what you think of mine.

Thank you for reading,
Esther