The Blue Fairy Book (Hesperus Press)

With the introduction of Common Core, lack of God in public schools, and growing safety concerns, the homeschooling movement is growing stronger in the United States. I for one am thrilled as children are once again being taught Latin and Greek. It is also great because publishers are starting to re-print some classic works. However, they will only continue to print these works if we support them and buy their titles. Hesperus Press was generous enough to send me two works, The Blue Fairy Book and The Red Fairy Book to review.

If you're like me, you probably grew up on fairy tales. We live in a Disney society of Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, etc. But have you ever taken the time to read the actual fairy tales? The Brothers Grimm? Hans Christian Andersen? There are some similarities between Disney and Grimm, but the differences is where the beauty is. In this reprint of a classic, Andrew Lang gathered fairy tales from around the world, edited, and compiled them into different fairy books.

For those who have not read these fairy tale books before, I will reference "Beauty and the Beast." Mr. Lang draws this tale from Mme de Villenvue, and it is quite different than the Disney version. For starters, Beast wasn't a bratty and spoiled prince, but cursed by an evil fairy. Beauty (not called Belle in this version) is not an only child, but has many brothers and sisters. She is the son of a merchant, who had Job-like misfortunes and lost everything. Ultimately Beauty and the Beast end up together (like Disney), but the story read better than Disney could have imagined.

For those familiar with Andrew Lang's work, you already know about the quality of the writing and probably want to know about the quality of the physical book. In a word, the book is superb. It's hardcover, with a vibrant blue dust jacket. The pages are of a nice thickness, and it contains original artwork from the original works. I've seen other editions of this work from other publishers, and I would pick the Hesperus Press one every time. It is built to stand the test of time and wear and will look beautiful on your shelf! I just hope they continue to print the rest of the series, but they can only do that if we buy the two that are already out. So if you are looking for a wonderful, quality book on fairy tales to read to your children, grab both The Blue Fairy Book and The Red Fairy Book from Hesperus Press.

I received this book for free from Hesperus Press in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click the link and hit Yes!

Over Hill and Under Hill (The Hobbit Chapter 4)

There hasn't been much activity on these posts lately. So I'm debating keeping this going, or replacing it with an occasional review of a children's book. Let me know what you think.

Chapter 4 again focuses on the difficult journey and Bilbo reminiscing about his home and the Shire. How far on our journey/adventure with God must we travel before we stop looking back to the past? Will we always be looking back to the past? I've read/heard somewhere that there are no plateaus on the path to Heaven. You are either making progress towards Heaven, or your slipping down to Hell. As my readers are well aware, it takes a lot more effort and time to climb upwards than it does to slip downwards. All the progress you have made for months or years could be wiped away in a day with the wrong decisions. So let us aim to always be vigilant, trust in the Lord for guidance, and constantly strive to be moving upwards.

I could not find anything Catholic or spiritual in the description of the thunderstorm. I just found it fascinating on a mythological level. The description of the stone-giants playing a game of hurling rocks truly made my imagination come to life.

In order to escape the thunderstorm, our adventurers send out a 2 man scout party of Fili and Kili to find them a drier place. They come back, a little too quickly, and find an absolutely wonderful dry cave with enough room for them and their horses. This reminds me of when Moses sent scout teams into the land of Canaan. Joshua and Caleb were the only two who returned with good news. Unfortunately, Fili and Kili did not investigate their cave well, and it turned out to be the front porch for goblin headquarters and led to our adventurers capture.

The description of the goblins spoke to me the most. "They make no beautiful things, but they make many clever ones...Hammers, axes, swords, daggers, pickaxes, tongs, and also instruments of torture, they make very well, or get other people to make to their design, prisoners and slaves that have to work till they die for want of air and light." I believe the goblins at Tolkien's time represented Nazi Germany, but you could argue they represent the darkest part of all of us. Is this a cause of our original sin?

I would lastly like to talk about the two swords, "Orcrist" and "Glamdring the Foe-hammer." They are simply known to the goblins as Biter and Beater. I would compare these to the Bible and the Rosary. I think I would refer to the Bible as Beater, because the Goblin's hated it worse than Biter, and because of the term Bible-beaters. It is important to note that when Gandalf and Thorin were being chased by goblins and turned to fight, the goblins were afraid of Biter and Beater not Gandalf and Thorin. This is how the demons feel about the Bible and the Rosary. They are not afraid of the people who use these tools, but the tools themselves, as they are the tools God has given us to fend off demons!

So what did you think of Chapter Four in The Hobbit? Read along with me, and comment at the bottom. Also, tune in two weeks for my reflections on Chapter Five, unless y'all tell me y'all are done reading about The Hobbit!

A special thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt who was generous enough to provide me with the 75th Anniversary Pocket Edition of The Hobbit.

Witnesses to Mystery (Ignatius Press)

Every year, about a dozen major Catholic publishers in the United States publish approximately 200-300 books total. I am privileged enough to review 1/4 to 1/3 of them. Most of the books are solid in the faith, easy to read, and spiritually edifying. Some of the books are merely average, and unfortunately, some of the books are by authors we don't need to read (like Richard Rohr or Ron Rolheiser). However, there are about 5-10 that come out each year that blow you away with their exceptionalness, and are "must-owns." The book I am reviewing today, Witnesses to Mystery, falls into the exceptional category.

This book is the product of journalist, Grzegorz Górny, two year investigative study on the authenticity of the relics of Christ's Passion. The primary relics investigated and covered include the Shroud of Turin, the True Cross, the Holy Nails, the Sudarium of Oviedo, the Tunic of Argenteuil, the Holy Coat of Trier, the Veil of Manoppello (Veronica's Veil), the Pillar where Jesus was Scourged, and the Crown of Thorns. Also covered in a smaller chapter are items like the Spear of Longinus (the one that pierced Jesus' side) and sandals that supposedly were worn by Jesus.

As to be expected, larger chapters are focused on more well-known relics. The Shroud of Turin received over 50 pages (roughly 15% of the book) devoted to it. Though I have watched several documentaries on the Shroud, the photographs of Janusz Rosikon and the drawings mapping the images and blood stains on the Shroud were breathtaking. My favorite chapter, however, dealt with the True Cross. I know the legend and tradition associated with St. Helen (Constantine's mother) finding the True Cross. What I didn't know and learned from this book was all the information about the titulus (sign hung on the Cross). I also learned a great deal about the many fragments of the True Cross. It made me sad to read how only half of the titulus remains and also that some of the larger fragments of the True Cross were stolen, lost, or destroyed.

This book is absolutely gorgeous in terms of the pictures, illustrations, and the overall presentation. If this book were nothing but those images, it would be worth every penny. Thankfully, the writing was equally beneficial. One could say that this could be considered a textbook on relics. However, textbook has a negative connotation associated with it. This book is scholarly, but not dry; steeped in details and facts, but not boring. Grzegorz Górny really makes the subject come alive, and he did an A+ job with the numerous trips and interviews conducted to obtain all the information presented in this book. I admit that I sometimes struggle with the authenticity of relics of Christ, but after reading this book, my doubts have dissipated. So if you're a doubter like I was, or someone who believes but just wants more information, I would highly recommend this book.

This book was provided to me for free by Ignatius Press in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click the link and hit Yes!