Let's kick off April's theme of "Religion and Philosophy" in our 2019 Reading Challenge with two very different books. One is a non-fiction reflection looking at the monastic life, the other is a beloved children's novel looking at a decidedly different kind of inner life.
The Phantom Tollbooth is one of those books which is held as a beloved classic of children's literature by everyone who has read it, but is almost entirely unheard of by those who haven't. I'll occasionally mention something from this book, and people will look at me blankly - it's always the saddest thing. I say "you must read The Phantom Tollbooth!" and they smile and nod, but you know they never will.
A boy called Milo who is permanently at a loose end and never knows what to do with himself suddenly finds a tollbooth in his house (along with a map and some strange instructions). He drives through it in his toy car to find himself in a strange world where words and numbers take on a life of their own.
Milo ends up on a quest to find Rhyme and Reason (two princesses), and must avoid jumping to Conclusions (an island) and keep out of the Doldrums (kind of an energy sapping swamp - but not actually a swamp). Quite frankly, the book is a long series of puns - but it also includes some stunningly magical moments, like when Milo has to conduct the orchestra which plays colours into the world ("What are they playing?" ... "The sunset, of course").
The book is a sort of sideways exploration of philosophy, and there are philosophical moments woven throughout the book, but mostly it's a mind-bending trip of a word game that is so much from the 1960s it makes your head hurt. In a good way. You must read it.
Philosophy, Fiction, c810 JUS
Brenda Carter read Meditations:
On the Monk Who Dwells in Daily Life, by Thomas Moore.
Have you ever considered entering monastic life or wondered
what it might be like? Thomas Moore left home to enter a seminary at thirteen
and spent the next twelve years in the Servite Order, a life characterised by
dedication to community and contemplation. After leaving the order, he has
spent the rest of his life as an academic, musician, psychotherapist, husband
and family man.
Meditations is a
beautiful, small hardcover book filled with single page reflections on Moore’s
monastic experiences. Moore writes,
I believe we all, men and women, have much to gain by reflecting on religious community life as a spirit that can be fostered within our ordinary, secular lives. It is a spirit that deepens our values and experiences, nourish our souls, and reveal sacredness where one previously suspected only secularity (pp. xi-xii).
At this busy time of semester, Meditations could be a useful book to dip into for reflection,
relaxation and perspective.
Religion, Non fiction,
An author I haven’t read before, Australian, 204 MOO
A boy called Milo who is permanently at a loose end and never knows what to do with himself suddenly finds a tollbooth in his house (along with a map and some strange instructions). He drives through it in his toy car to find himself in a strange world where words and numbers take on a life of their own.
Milo ends up on a quest to find Rhyme and Reason (two princesses), and must avoid jumping to Conclusions (an island) and keep out of the Doldrums (kind of an energy sapping swamp - but not actually a swamp). Quite frankly, the book is a long series of puns - but it also includes some stunningly magical moments, like when Milo has to conduct the orchestra which plays colours into the world ("What are they playing?" ... "The sunset, of course").
The book is a sort of sideways exploration of philosophy, and there are philosophical moments woven throughout the book, but mostly it's a mind-bending trip of a word game that is so much from the 1960s it makes your head hurt. In a good way. You must read it.
Philosophy, Fiction, c810 JUS
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