Book Review for the Anne of Green Gables Series

I think I've decided that, for the most part, when I review a book from a series (at least those that are from series in which all the books have already been published), I will review the series as a whole instead of the books individually. In the case of the Anne books, I almost feel like this is a betrayal of sorts because this is one of my very favorite series and Anne is my favorite female literary character. I know some may laugh at my so loving Anne, saying she is not a tremendously complex character or a brilliant literary creation but, frankly, I am more than a little in love with her and would marry her if I could (for those of you who don't know, the series follows her into adulthood).

What they're about: kindred spirits, love, bosom friends, imagination, simple joys, loss, life's little adventures, scrapes (the predicament kind), humor, stubbornness, love's softening nature, orphans, building “castles in the sky” and how sometimes our dreams change and are fulfilled in ways we didn't expect. They are about changing your expectations about your life, being willing and open enough to other people that you are able to change your expectations about them as well. They are about growing up, becoming more somber, but maintaining the dancing laughter behind your eyes...and sometimes still dancing and frolicking when you are by yourself or with kindred spirits.

We first meet Anne (spelled with an “e” because it's not as plain that way) as an unloved, skinny, poorly dressed orphan who can talk a mile a minute, has an imagination to be proud of, and eyes filled with the stars. The old bachelor, Matthew, and his bachelorette sister, Marilla, sent for a little boy, not a little girl but as they slowly come to realize, perhaps it was Providence which interfered to cause this “mistake.” Their busybody, sharp-tongued, kindhearted neighbor, Rachel, would probably say it was foreordained.

So Anne, after having been mistreated, unloved, and just not really having been “brought up” in her earliest years, finds herself in a home which slowly fills with love. Matthew, so shy he is virtually a recluse, is surprised to find he is almost immediately fond of this little chatty creature of an Anne and Anne finds in him, though they are seemingly so different, a “kindred spirit,” a sympathetic listener, and some of the love her heart has so long been neglected. Marilla is all hardness and sharp edges and is, at first, appalled at Anne's almost heathen ways and is almost ashamed at the mirth she experiences because of Anne's impulsive ways; but over time, through softening and development of her sense of humor, Anne finds in Marilla another loyal heart.

Before moving to her new home, Green Gables, Anne has only had a little “mirror girl” and “echo girl” as friends (aka imaginary), though she has always longed for a “bosom friend.” Upon meeting her neighbor, Diana, whose looks personify how Anne herself longs to look, Anne soon has them swear to undying friendship, an oath they keep throughout their lives despite obstacles being put in their way. Diana is a raven-haired, dimply girl, who is sweet as can be and who, though she lacks much imagination, is glad to return Anne's wholehearted love.

And then there's Gilbert, who though he's a handsome, sweet-hearted lad, enjoys teasing the girls. On his first day of meeting Anne, he manages to utter a teasing word which earns him enmity for years to come, despite his wanting to make it up and to be friends.

I suppose I am just covering the first book after all or maybe just introducing the characters. The most important thing to keep in mind is, if you like the first one, don't forget there are more! I believe there are very few series in which the following books are as good as the first, and this is one of those rare series. I deeply enjoy the first one and I deeply enjoy all the others as well. One critic said that the series feels very much like a serial, there are only a few loose threads which run between books, and it feels like there are not many overarching themes, but I have never felt this way. In each book we are introduced to new characters, some old major characters do not play as big a role, and Anne lives in a different place in almost every book...but that is how my life is, I drift from place to place and, except for a central core, the main characters in my life change; maybe that's one reason I so like the series.

Yet another critique some may bring against the series, and I have vaguely thought it myself on occasion, is that there are too many happy coincidences and too much good luck on Anne's part, both in her relationships and circumstances, but to think that is to not learn one of the series' greatest lessons; that hard work, whether it be in life or in relationships, pays off. Anne finds along her way more kind hearts and “kindred spirits” than she originally thought she would, but this is largely because she believes the best of people and works hard to draw their best out, even when it is buried under pain, grumpiness, contrariness, or sorrow. Also, opportunities come her way because she has “gumption” and works very hard for them. Beyond all this, there is perhaps the feeling that God or Providence does guide some things in our life, sometimes he does cause blessings to come our way and wonderful people to cross our paths, especially if we are on the lookout for those blessings and greet them with wonder-filled eyes and open hearts.

This series, more than any other, makes me often tear up with “happy tears,” each book is achingly sweet, though without being cheesy. Also, Anne's and her friends scrapes often make you smile. So if you are a young lady, a woman young at heart, or “of the race of Joseph” (a sensitive soul who loves to dream and cherish books as old friends), I encourage you to read not only the first in this series, but all of them. I think you will far from regret it and will make some new friends.

  P.S. These books were first read aloud to me and my older sisters by my mother and aunt. I think reading aloud, even after children begin to read for themselves, is a wonderful idea. Among other reasons, it allows children to ask questions about any of the issues being dealt with (loss, neglect, adoption, preconceived notions, etc.). Also, I just think it is a wonderful bonding opportunity, something to do as the kids settle down for sleep...and may even help them unwind from this over stimulating world that we now live in.

I would rate this series G maybe verging on PG. The PG would be because some of them deal with loss and death. Also, though Anne does not directly speak it, she hints at having been hit by one of the men (an alcoholic) who was the father in one of her earliest “homes.”

Some Non-book Reviews or Book Non-reviews?

I have discovered one of my weaknesses as a book reviewer and it is a fairly major one, I only review books I really like because I do not care enough for the books I disliked to write about them. To make up for this deficiency, here a some “non-reviews”...I suppose they are still reviews, but they will be very short and a little vague.

Firstly I will say, thanks to my new job and the fact that I am tucked back in a corner and rarely disturbed, I am free to listen to audiobooks (while working, of course) most of the day. In the past two weeks I have listened to 5 of them.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. It has been years since I read this book, but it is still strongly in my mind as one of my least favorite books ever. Perhaps my dislike is somewhat misplaced because I dislike it almost entirely because the people, in their relating to the main character (a mute), or, more accurately, their lack of relating to him, are so thoughtless as to his needs. But the world is sometimes cruel and people often don't seek to understand and put effort into their relationships. So though this book may have conveyed some truth about the cruel aspects of our world, I did not like it because it left me with a very “bitter taste” in my mouth and I do not think I will ever read it again.I do not remember this one clearly enough to give it a content rating.

Another very unenjoyable book was Toilers of the Sea. Now, despite their tediousness (I refuse to read abridged books) and, in The Hunchback of Notre Dame's case, lack of a happy ending, I very much enjoyed Les Mis. and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The Toilers of the Sea is just as tedious or more so than the aforementioned books but has an ending leaving you feeling there is a pointlessness to life, a belief in broken promises, true love fought for does not win (okay, the love was a little one-sided, so it could be viewed more as an obsession than love), and just with an overall bad feeling. Apparently Hugo was in exile while writing this book, so maybe that was one reason for it unredeeming tragedy. I do not remember this one, either, well enough to give a content rating.

Recent audiobooks listened to which I will not be writing full-length book reviews of: Treason by Orson Scott Card and House of Dark Shadows by Robert Liparulo.

I suppose, taken on its own Treason is actually a decent book, it's quite interesting and original but because Card has written two of my favorite books (Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow), I was expecting more. Treason is a planet seemingly without any hard metals (thus the treasonous cannot build ships to get off-world) on which The Empire put “the cream of the crop” of humanity because they were seeking to overthrow the established order. After being there for thousands of years some of the families have taken their predecessors gifts to the extreme. The geneticists have engineered a people who can regenerate and recover from almost any wound (to the point where completely chopping off their head or totally burning them is the only sure way to kill them). The geologists have grown to understand things so thoroughly at their most basic levels that they can control earth and DNA with their minds. And others, I'm not sure what their forbearers occupation was, have learned to control the flow of time. I guess one thing I disliked is just that it is a little strange, the main character is a “Rad” (radical regenerate), which means he not only regenerates all his parts but begins to grow others. When we meet him as a late teenager he has begun to grow breasts and soon begins to grow an arm out of his shoulder. As well as being a little odd, besides the main character, you don't really get to know anyone, its a sort of lonely book. The book vaguely reminded me of Dune, so if you liked that then you may like this. As I said, despite its weaknesses, it is quite interesting. 

I would give Treason a rating of PG-13 for violence, sexuality, some language, and disturbing situations.

House of Dark Shadows has the makings of a good juvenile book: mystery, a linen closet which transports you to a school locker, magic doors that lead to other worlds, a bazaar house, a boy determined to right a wrong and, yet, though the end of the first book ended on a cliffhanger, I am not in a hurry to read/listen to the next one. I didn't really get attached to the characters, didn't really become invested in their adventures, I suppose those are its greatest downfalls, and those are some major downfalls to have. 

I would rate this PG for violence and disturbing situations.

Book Review for The Chosen by Chaim Potok

First of all, a little about Potok, he was a Rabbi and his siblings either became rabbis themselves or married one. He had an Orthodox Jewish education and, as well as having a master's degree in Hebrew literature, he also had help doing research for this book. I say this because of some I will say in the review.

The Chosen is not for everyone, you could view it as part history book, as well as being a novel. It may move too slowly for some, but I will say I have now read it three times and have enjoyed it and found it interesting each time. It is about two different sects of Judaism, psychology, a little of the modern history of the Jews, growing up, about the pain of the world, suffering, silence, the relationship between father and son, and most deeply, about friendship and learning to be a true friend.

It is a coming of age story about two unlikely friends, Reuven and Danny. Their friendship is such that one of their sister's teases them about being “David and Jonathan” (who were the most beautiful example of friendship in the Bible). Though they are both Jews, both attend Jewish schools and spend hours a day studying the Talmud (a central text of Rabbinic Judaism, considered second to the Torah), they live in different worlds. They are raised differently. One is raised is a shadowed world, with dark colors, bare walls, and silence from his father; while the other lives in a warmer world with a father who often speaks softly to him about his day, the world, and life.

This book is truly beautiful and equally fascinating. It is a coming-of-age story that is anything but typical.

I normally don't quote so much from the book, but I just wanted to share these. Some excepts that I find fascinating:

“My father doesn't write,” Danny said. “He reads a lot, but he never writes. He says that words distort what a person really feels in his heart...He told me once he wishes everyone could talk in silence.”

After the main character, Reuven, is injured near the beginning of the book he says this to his father: “I wish I was outside now,” I said. “I envy them being able to walk around like that. They don't know how lucky they are.” “No one knows he is fortunate until he becomes unfortunate,” my father said quietly. “That is the way the world is.”

Reuven's father: “Reuven, listen to me. The Talmud says that a person should do two things for himself. One is to acquire a teacher. Do you remember the other?” “Choose a friend,” I said. “Yes. You know what a friend is, Reuven? A Greek philosopher said that two people who are true friends are like two bodies with one soul.”

Reuven and his father: “It all started with a silly baseball game,” I said. “I can't believe it.” “Reuven, as you grow older you will discover that the most important things that will happen to you will often come as a result of silly things, as you call them – 'ordinary things' is a better expression. That is the way the world is.”

My father nodded, “It is a little cruel, Reuven. But that is the way the world is. If a person has a contribution to make, he must make it in public. If learning is not made public, it is a waste...”

Reuven's father: “...Human beings do not live forever, Reuven. We live less than the time it takes to blink an eye, if we measure our lives against eternity. So it may be asked what value is there to a human life. There is so much pain in the world. What does it mean to have to suffer so much if our lives are nothing more than a blink of an eye?” He paused again, his eyes misty now, then went on. “I learned a long time ago, Reuven, that a blink of an eye in itself is nothing. But the eye that blinks, that is something. A span of life is nothing. But the man who lives that span, he is something. He can fill that tiny span with meaning, so its quality is immeasurable though its quantity may be insignificant. Do you understand what I am saying? A man must fill his life with meaning, meaning is not automatically given to life. It is hard work to fill one's life with meaning. That I do not think you understand yet. A life filled with meaning is a life worthy of rest. I want to be worthy of rest when I am no longer here. Do you understand what I am saying?”

Danny's father: “A man is born into this world with only a tiny spark of goodness in him. The spark is God, it is the soul; the rest is ugliness and evil, a shell. The spark must be guarded like a treasure, it must be nurtured, it must be fanned into flame. It must learn to seek out other sparks, it must dominate the shell. Anything can be a shell, Reuven. Anything. Indifference, laziness, brutality, and genius. Yes, even a great mind can be a shell and choke the spark.”

Then there is a final speech given by Danny's father that is truly intriguing, but it is too long to write and would give too much away. If, as you are reading, you grow weary during the slower parts, persevere...I promise you it's worth it.

As well as all of this, you also gain a little bit of an understanding why some Jews were so determined to establish a Jewish homeland after WW2, they felt that was the only thing which could give some meaning to the millions of Jews who were killed during the war. You will also see how some sects were vehemently against establishing a homeland, because to do so would be to try and force the hand of God (try to make the Messiah come on their time instead of God's).

Oh, the content rating, I would give it a PG-13 for slight language and mature themes (not as in sex, drugs or anything, but suffering, death, and such). Also, just because there is a “13” in my rating, does not mean a 13-year-old will like it, most will likely not. Perhaps most suitable for 15 and up.

The Story of Simon the Zealot or Why I Ran From My Lord

Because almost nothing is known of Simon, there even seems to be disagreement as to what "Zealot" refers to, I feel free to tell his story, because I cannot be contradicted and cannot be told it is not true. Even so, remember this is fiction, I am merely trying to convey how he may have felt, especially if he was a part of the Zealot political group. To an extent, perhaps this is how a few of the Apostles felt and is the reason why they ran away. The time-line of events followed is from the gospel of Luke:

I know my name is not mentioned until the Lord healed the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath, but I was with him before that. Like all of my people for hundreds of years, I hoped the Messiah would come in my lifetime. We had been oppressed for so many years that I felt certain he would soon come, that YHWH would surely raise up the King to reclaim his kingdom and set us free. So I listened to the rumors, to the scandal which arose after Jesus rose in the synagogue and read from Isaiah that he would "set at liberty those who are oppressed." I was with him that first time he healed many. It was then my heart first filled with hope, it was then I decided to follow this man who appeared to be more than a man, for I wanted to see where he would lead us.

Then I saw how people listened to Jesus, how he could not only heal but inspire followers by his words. How he was not scared to challenge authority, how, in claiming he could forgive the paralyzed man his sins and also claiming he was "Lord of the Sabbath," he was claiming to be much more than a man. So he appeared to be more and claimed to be more and I continued to follow him.

Imagine my delight when he called me by name to be one of his 12. I was a little confused by some of his choices, if you are going to be a King reclaiming the kingdom, it seems odd to include traitors like Matthew. I supposed he had his reasons.

I saw a multitude gather and hang on every word, I saw many healed and a smile played on my lips, I saw that even demons obeyed my Lord's voice and was awed. I have heard some tell the stories of those times, how they say the Spirit blinded our eyes, covered our ears, and shielded our hearts so we would not fully understand some of the things which Jesus spoke, but as for me, I know I did my share of purposely misunderstanding and hearing only want I wanted to hear. What kind of Warrior King speaks of loving your enemies, of doing good to them, of blessing them instead of praying for their demise?

I was near Jesus' side when a centurion came to ask him to heal his servant, I heard Jesus say he healed the servant from afar and later heard the confirmation that, indeed, the servant had been healed. A part of me wondered why the Lord would consent to do anything for a centurion, a soldier of the Oppressor, but a larger part of me was elated to learn the one I served could heal even at a distance.

Then, then I saw that Jesus had power even over death! The Lord spoke and, by his touch, gave back the widow's only son. This is when I knew, I knew that with this more than man we had a chance, we had a real fighting chance of casting off our oppressors. Also, I was there when the Lord answered John's disciples, and noticed that he did not encourage them to look for another Messiah, but rather to look at what he was doing.

I remember it had been a long day, filled with Jesus' teaching in parables and explaining their meanings to us. We were all tired, but especially our Lord, for he had been standing before the crowd from that morning. Then he asked us to cast out in a boat and cross to the other side of Galilee. The wind was behind us, so we all dozed for awhile but then the wind became stronger and the waves came crashing over the sides of our boat. We were all wide-awake then, well, at least for Jesus, who was still somehow asleep amongst the storm. We thought we would drown, we thought the boat would capsize at any minute, so we cried for him to wake up and save us. The Lord awoke and rebuked the wind and the waves and they listened to his voice. The very elements obeyed his commands! And we wondered, what man is this that even the wind and rain obey him!

After seeing other amazing things, Jesus gave us some of his power and sent us out. So we were able to heal the sick and broken, we were able to cast out demons by the very power of His name. And I was beginning to feel we were invincible, with this much power on our side, how could we fail.

We then returned to our Lord to be with him more, to learn from him and to walk in his shadow. Soon after this I saw the last piece of the puzzle fall into place, I saw the thing which convinced me that the Lord would indeed be the one who brought our people salvation. There were more than five thousand men gathered, who had been there all day, so they had eaten all they had brought with them. When we suggested to Jesus that he send the people away so that they might get food, he told us to feed them, but among all those people we could find only five loafs and two fish. Despite the lack of food, the Lord had us sit the people down, said a blessing over the little food we had, and told us to pass it around. The food began to multiply, every time we passed the baskets, there was more food to be had, until everyone had had their fill.

I had now seen how our Lord commanded the attention of those around him, how when he wanted them to, they would hang on every word. I had seen him heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast down evil. I had seen him command elements, with the power of his words. And in this last miracle, I had seen him feed thousands with food which did not even fill one basket. I saw all barriers to our victory stripped away and saw the certainty of our enemy's defeat.

What matter that my countrymen were small in number? If we were injured or even slain, the Lord would simply heal us and raise us up. Rome is evil, but I had seen the Lord command an even greater evil to bend to his will. I imagined battles where the rain would fall in our enemies eyes, the wind would be at our backs giving us strength, and the very earth would tremble beneath the feet of our enemy as we charged toward them with a yell of certain triumph on our lips. I envisioned an army with no need of a supply line, for the provisions we could carry would last for the duration of any war. I saw in our Lord the perfect Commander, the perfect General, the Jewish people's secret weapon, I saw before me the promised Warrior King.

Once I had decided on Jesus' destiny, is it any wonder I did not hear his foretelling of his death? My heart and mind had shaped him into what I wanted him to be and I refused to hear anything else, to see anything else. From then on I twisted Jesus' every word to my liking, chose to hear such sayings as, "I came to cast fire on the earth..." and nothing else, nothing about loving my enemy or how all who followed him would suffer, for he was the Warrior King. David risen again, but greater. I chose not to see when Jesus forgave another traitor, another tax collector, to listen to his talk of forgiveness, to further tellings of his eminent death, and I did not heed his tears when he wept for the city of Jerusalem because her walls would someday be tore down by the very enemy I thought we would crush.

Knowing all this, do you see why I ran? Why we all ran? First our Warrior King tells us merely two swords are enough and then when clumsy Peter swings his sword, the Lord tells us to put them away and he heals the enemy! Even though the mob who came to arrest him falls to the ground because of the power of his words, he surrenders to them willingly! Our Warrior King allows himself to be seized and begins to walk meekly out of the garden; so our dreams were crushed, our hopes and prayers were trampled on, our courage left us and we fled.

So after his death we gathered together, wondering what we would do now, regretting all we had given up, and feeling helpless, scared, and lost. Our leader had failed us, our King had given up his power, our Messiah had died. Some of the truest and strongest whispered about him saying he would rise, but what would that really accomplish? Jesus had made it clear by his death that he would not fight, would not be the King we wanted and the Savior we thought we needed.

Then some of the women came running to the room where we were gathered and told us angels had told of the Lord's rising, but we were hopeless and so did not believe them. The evening of that same day, two of our number came banging on the door to the room where we were gathered and also told of his rising, so we began to wonder. Then, as they were telling their story, Jesus himself appeared in our midst, and everything changed. He opened our eyes and our hearts to understand the prophecies concerning him, he removed my self-imposed blindness and deafness, he made us see a New Kingdom of which he was the foundation and that we would help to build. He gave us life and hope and joy.

Review for the movie Now Is Good with Dakota Fanning and Jeremy Irvine

I do not remember exactly what was said which brought about the comment, but recently my brother told me, “I think Dakota Fanning is under-appreciated” and I would have to agree. I think she was amazing in I Am Sam, Man On Fire, Hide and Seek, and The Runaways. Now, I will add this one to the list. First of all, her British accent was so convincing, I looked her up to see if she was British, and she's actually from down south in Georgia. But enough about her and on to the movie.

Near the beginning, this movie reminded me of A Walk To Remember, except without a lot of its innocence. Later on I started to enjoy it for its own sake, and forgot about comparing it.

On IMDB the storyline/plot synopsis simply says, “A girl dying of leukemia compiles a list of things she'd like to do before passing away. Topping the list is her desire to lose her virginity” and while this is partially true, throughout the movie Dakota's character, Tessa, realizes that some of her list is a little silly, as she falls in love she adds things she knows she will never accomplish, “...a joint bank account, listening to you snore for years and years, to go to a parent's evening and [find out] our child's a genius, actually all three of our kids...”

As well as having a good script, the cinematography is wonderful, the music is well done, and it is, overall a very beautiful movie. To someone who isn't a hopeless romantic (which I am a most hopeless romantic) some of it may seem a little unbelievable, I mean, what late teen/early 20-year-old guy would really fall in love and be so committed to a girl he's newly met and soon finds out is dying? But besides that, much of it is very “real:” the mother just can't handle it, has moved out and doesn't really deal with any of her daughter's sickness; and the father, though he's doing his best, most of all just feels utterly helpless. Some people may think Tessa's little brother is quite heartless how he talks about her inevitable death, but it's just something he's grown up with, knowing that his sister is going to die. I like how the father is always slightly horrified by his remarks, but Tessa is always just a little amused.

Here is a quote involving Tessa and her love interest that I really like, because, as we die, isn't this what most of us want:

“Stay with me, stay the nights.” “What do you want from me, Tess?” “Night time, sleeping together, waking up together, breakfast.” “What do you really want?” “I want you to be with me in the dark, to hold me, to keep loving me. To help me when I get scared, to go right to the edge and see what's there.”

In summary, I think this is a movie which is beautiful and heartbreaking. Though it leaves you feeling sad, it is a sweet and warm sadness. If you like romantic dramas, I encourage you to check it out.

Instead of giving it a content rating myself, I will just put the MPAA rating. Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving illness, sexuality, and drugs, and for brief strong language.

Book Review for On the Wings of Heroes by Richard Peck

I think this would be a wonderful book for middle schoolers to read while they are learning about WW2 because it teaches them about how things were for those who were left at home and how greatly the war effected even them. The main character, Davy, and his friend collect scrap metal for the war effort, cat tail fluff to be used in life jackets for soldiers, people are asked to save their fat drippings, flatten their tin cans, turn in extra tires, and many things are rationed.

This book is about what war costs, even if you are far from the battlefield. It's about all that people gave up willingly during those days to help win the war. It's about some people being selfless, doing what they feel is their duty, going beyond the call of duty, and others trying to take advantage of the situation. It is about loss, fun, waiting, making a game of scavenging, and fear. Davy's brother goes to war, his best friend leaves because of war, his Dad is coiled up inside because of war (he fought and was injured in the First World War), things change because of war. It's how people thought the First World War would mean there wouldn't be anymore, at least not as big as that, and wondering, if that other war didn't end wars, what were all the sacrifices for?

I would rate it PG for a little violence and dealing with some tough issues. I know this is a fairly short review, but it was a fairly short book. It's worth reading, best if you have a middle school kid in your life you can talk about it with, but also just if you want an easy read about how things were here at home during that time period.

An Amazing Dream and From Which Inspiration Comes for Great Literary Works

I had the most amazing dream a few nights ago. I awoke around 2 in the morning for no apparent reason with a dream fresh in my mind, I wrote down a sentence concerning the dream so I would not forget it, and was able to go back to sleep. Within the dream I was not a participant, did not feel I had a body even, but was rather an observer floating in the sky. I was shown a world of floating cities and, without any words being spoken to me, was made to understand that the world below was covered in water, so hot that humans could not live there, and what made the floating cities possible was the continual rising hot air. You see, the cities, were suspended from giant sails, which caught the rising hot air, enabling them to float. I was given the feeling that this place had a very stable atmosphere, another reason the cities were possible, for there were no strong winds or storms to destroy the sails. As far as architecture, if you imagine something along the lines of Tolkien's elvish cities, you will be fairly close. I was given a glimpse into another world and, once shown, was permitted to leave.

I have made comments in the past to people and often wished it to myself, that I wish there was a machine which could directly and accurately extract images from people's minds. I wish this again so that you could see the world I saw, rather than me attempting to explain it in a few fumbling words.

Now onto inspiration. I have felt different times, when I am reading a book that is especially good, that the events contained therein actually happened. I am sure this is a far from original idea, though I do not remember hearing or reading about it anywhere, but at such times a part of me wonders if great authors are given glimpses into alternate realities and other dimensions and are merely conveying the events which there transpired or have transpired in those pasts. A part of this wondering arises from the fact that the believability of the world which I am reading has nothing to do with how fantastical or mundane the said world is. Tolkien so exhaustively creates a world, one cannot help but feel you are simply reading a history of Middle-earth, a history which may be an alternate history to our own world. C.S. Lewis manages to do create the believability of Narnia, Perelanda other worlds in far fewer words, which is one of the reasons I love him. Within the works of Jane Austen, Victor Hugo, and many others, you are sure if you could time travel and glimpse behind the veil that you could catch the Hunchback in his tower ringing the bell or Mr. Knightly walking his estate. This is not to demean great authors and their abilities, for whether they are peering across dimensions or not, it takes a great writer to convincingly convey what they have seen.

My Dad shared a link to a talk done by Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat, Pray, Love) having to do with "You Elusive Creative Genius" and within it she talks about how, in the past artistic geniuses were viewed to be mediums of beings who inspired/conveyed masterpieces to them. Perhaps these beings are great travelers, crossing time and space and reporting the significant or interesting happenings which occur in the places they have been.

Here is a link to the talk which I mentioned. It is quite interesting. If you have a few minutes, take a look.

http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_on_genius.html