I just finished reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis for the very first time. It’s the second book in The Chronicles of Narnia series.

Like I said in my post about The Magician’s Nephew, I’ve known the story of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe since I was a child and I’ve always liked the story and I really enjoyed actually reading it. I’ve always thought the ending was kind of abrupt; one moment the Pevensies are in Narnia, the next moment they’re not and the story’s over. I’ve always thought the abruptness might be a symptom of the movies not being able to fit more of the story into the required amount of time. However, as I read the book, I realized how faithful the movies were to the storyline. So, I guess my only complaint about this story is that the ending’s way too abrupt.  It didn’t feel like there was much closure to the story.

Now that I know the book isn’t even 200 pages long, it doesn’t surprise me that the movies are as faithful to the storyline as they are. However, even with the movies being as faithful as they are and having such wonderful imagery as they do, I still enjoyed reading the book more. My favorite thing about reading a book is that you know what the characters are thinking and unless a movie’s narrated, you just don’t get that same level of intimacy with the characters.

I’m quite happy that I’ve actually taken the time to read (or start reading) the series. I’m probably the only person that never read the books as a child. Only five more to go.

My rating:

Here are a few more Calvin and Hobbes snowman strips. The “Snowman House of Horror” is my very favorite snowman strip. I think it’s hilarious.

I just wanted to post a quick Merry Christmas to everyone! Also, thank you to all who gave us a gift. We like them all and appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Corey and I have had a nice Christmas. We slept in until 11:00 am, which was the nicest gift anyone could have given me! Around noon, we opened our presents. After that, I took a bath and read while Corey “hacked” on his computer. So, not a lot has happened today, but the low-key atmosphere has been very nice. There’s a part of me that wishes we were at my parents’ house spending time with them, but the other part of me’s glad we just spent it with each other.

Happy birthday, Caryn!

Our friends the Vigues invited us over for Christmas Eve lunch/dinner. The dinner was so good! Ali’s such a wonderful cook. While we were at the Vigues’s, we had fun talking with each other and, of course, playing with the kids. Ali and Tyler let Jack and Sheridan open the present we gave them early, so we could be a part of their excitement.

We bought Jack an expansion set for the GeoTrax train set he got for his birthday. As soon as he saw what it was, his eyes lit up like a light bulb and the wrapping paper came off before you could say train.

We bought Sheridan a hippo that converts from a push toy into a riding toy. As you push or ride it, it gobbles up blocks and anything else in its way. Sheridan loved it and so did Jack.

Jack made us a gingerbread house for our Christmas present. He told us the “dummy” bears were witches and started to reminisce about Halloween. He’s so funny and imaginative! We love the house and it’s sitting on our piano right now. Every now and then as I walk past it, I’ll eat a piece of candy.

Happy belated birthday, Jamie!

Today, I finished reading The Magician’s Nephew by CS Lewis. It’s the first book in The Chronicles of Narnia series.

The Magician’s Nephew is the book my book club read for December. The rest of the series are the books we’re going to read for December, January, and possibly February; it just depends on how long it takes all of us (Erin, Becky, Gentry, and me) to read them.

After I finished reading The Subtle Knife, I went to the library to check out all seven books to read for our book club. The next day, I was surprised to find The Magician’s Nephew at my cubicle. Becky gave it to me for Christmas.

Because The Chronicles of Narnia are classics, I’m going to forgo writing a synopsis of the story. Even though I’ve known the story of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe since I was a child, I’ve never actually read the books. I enjoyed reading The Magician’s Nephew, especially once the characters arrived in Narnia and I read about Aslan for the first time. It was neat to read about the birth of Narnia and learn where the wardrobe came from. I’m very excited to continue reading the story of Narnia now that I’ve started.

My rating:

Happy birthday, Brandon!

Here are four more Calvin and Hobbes snowman strips. I hope you’re enjoying these as much as I am. My favorite one out of this group is the evolution one.

Last night, I finished reading The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman. It’s the second book in the His Dark Materials trilogy. I enjoyed reading this book just as much as I enjoyed reading The Golden Compass.

In The Subtle Knife, Lyra finds herself in a new world and befriends Will, a boy from another world. Lyra, still determined to find the meaning of Dust, and Will, looking for his father who disappeared 12 years ago, learn to trust and help each other in their missions.

During the course of their journey, they find the Subtle Knife or Æsahættr. The knife looks very ordinary, but it has two sides; one which can cut through any known matter and one which can cut into different worlds. The knife is part of Lyra’s and Will’s destiny, but as of yet, we don’t know what their destiny is.

I’ve been bothered by the “hate” e-mails I’ve received over the past month about The Golden Compass movie. The fact that some people don’t want to read the books or go see the movie isn’t what bothers me. What bothers me is that people are spreading propaganda for something they know nothing about. They simply take the word of their friend or an article they read and send mass e-mails about the books’ “evilness.” I think people are too easily swayed and lead blindly by the media or their peers instead of finding out for themselves how they feel about something.

I can understand not reading or watching something because of an opinion you’ve heard or read. In fact, I haven’t read or watched The Da Vinci Code out of respect of Corey’s opinion regarding the storyline. However, I don’t think it’s right for me to tell someone else not to read or watch The Da Vinci Code because I know nothing about it. The same goes for The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass.

With the above said, after reading The Subtle Knife, I can understand how some people feel the books are anti-God. However, I don’t think they are and I don’t think I will even after reading The Amber Spyglass. They’re simply fantasy books. Fantasy books, from what I’ve read, usually have some parallels to real life. So, I think the books should just be taken at face value as fantasy books. And, one of the things I like about the books is that they challenge my views and help re-affirm my own beliefs.

My rating: