In Praise of Folly - Desiderius Erasmus

"And now, let him that will compare the benefits they receive by me.... as if there were any difference between perishing and being another thing! But I restore the same man to the best and happiest part of his life"

-In Praise of Folly, Desiderius Erasmus

 

This book was really awful. I was glad when it was done. Maybe someone else would have a different opinion, but it was poor.

 

The book was written from the perspective of Folly, as though she were a real woman. So, the book is everything that Folly praises. Such as rowdy living, little self-control, living for happiness.. etc.

Because of this, the book had the same flow all throughout the 71 long pages. No part was more exciting than the other. There was no thrill, no excitement, no suspense. Zilch. Nada. Since it was like that from beginning to end, I felt like I was always waiting for the book to get into the good part. But it just didn't.

 

The word choice wasn't so great either. Certain words and phrases were used so often I grew to hate hearing them. 'Add to this', 'subtleties',  and 'on the contrary' are the some I felt were used too often. I really should've counted how many times Erasmus used those phrases... because you wouldn't fully grasp my point without a proper number. It would probably be like me using the word 'actually' for anything and everything in every paragraph. It's not that the phrases or words were used incorrectly, though, they were just used way too often.

 

Another thing that irked me, although this may just be a pet-peeve, was that Folly would say something, then be like "did I say? oh I meant..." For example, "... of men that overcharge the Roman See - I mistook, I meant honour - might beg their bread."  Why couldn't she just say honour in the first place?

 

I found it interesting that Erasmus dedicated the book to Sir Thomas More. They were good friends, and apparently Erasmus was Thomas's favorite author. Although I wonder what he thought of this book. I personally loved Utopia, so I thought maybe Erasmus would have the same style of writing as Sir Thomas More in  In The Praise Of Folly. I was wrong. It was not the same at all. I would say the book itself was foolish.

 

If I had to pick one good thing, it would be that we learned a little about what the times were like then.  Since he is poking fun at man's foolishness we briefly see what the church was teaching, how philosophers acted, and the like. I would have likely enjoyed it more if there were more insights of that time.

 

I think maybe if this was written in modern times it would be funny. Most of the things he talked about that were foolish then, are just not happening today. So we don't really  get the full impact, because people don't act that way anymore.  

 

I'm betting this book was a hit in its time, everything was relevant and happening in present-day. The language would've been easier to understand, and maybe it even had comic book-like humor. I just don't think In Praise of Folly is a book that stands, or will stand, the test of time.

 

 

 

 

 

 



Crazy Jacob - Jim Ware

Jesus. He could not get that name out of his mind. Over and over, it pushed its way to the top of his brain as he prepared to launch his newly finished boat on the waters of Kinneret. Again and again, Stephen's words replayed themselves in his memory: "stories about happenings of that very sort" ... "on the the other side of the lake" ... "cured of a fever" ... "a man named Jesus"....

-Crazy Jacob, Jim Ware

 

 

 

This book was phe-nom-e-nal. Oh, wow I loved it. Seriously, just woah.

 

The book is inspired by a biblical  story of a demon-possessed man. There is no record of the actual mans name, so the author used Jacob as his name. There's actually not much biblical information about the man himself, other than his healing by the grace of Jesus. So, much of the book is made up. Jacob is a Jewish man in the boat business. Although he is Jewish, he freely believes in any god or spirit. Which eventually opened him up to demon-possession. The main character, however, is Jacob's son, Andrew. We see how much Andrew loves his father and tries to find someone who will help him. He had heard about a man named Jesus, but instead he tried seeing a witch. When that didn't work, Jesus was his last hope.

 

I heard the story when I was younger and it really scared me, but now that I'm a teenager I figured I could use a book with a chilling theme. It wasn't too scary, most macho people would say it's not. It's probably not scary if you have no imagination. But, I do, so I didn't let my mind vividly picture the scenes.  

 

I loved this book because the way Jesus was portrayed. He was portrayed beautifully, the way I'm sure He is. Jim Ware perfectly captured Him the best he could with human words. I loved it. Only a short part of the book is Jesus actually there, instead of just being talked or thought about, but the few chapters that He was present with Andrew and his family was wonderful. I wasn't scared to let my imagination vividly picture the scenes there.

 

This was written for a younger audience. (8-12), but I think anyone and everyone should read it. It's light, short, and easy to read. But nevertheless, it has a powerful impact.  I really don't know how to explain it in just the right way, because it's wonderful.

 



To The Edge of The World - Michele Torrey

Rodrigo regarded me. "Do you see all these men before you?" I nodded. "If we are lucky, half of us will return. It is the way of the sea. And that, my friend, is what I call adventure."

- To The Edge of The World, Michele Torrey

 

 

This is possibly one of the best books I've read for school this year. It was suspenseful, joyful, sad, action-packed. It had it all. Even romance.

 

So, at first I thought the book was just okay. I didn't read more than the assigned two chapters per day, but I didn't dread reading it. In  fact, I found myself thinking of the story, wondering where it was from, then realizing, oh duh, it was from this book. Okay, yeah, I always wanted to know what was going to happen.

 

Then one day I had no clue what to do. Bored out of my mind. So I read this book. And I read, and read, and read. At first it started with me wanted to read more so I wouldn't have to read it this weekend. Then it came to me not wanting to move. I love it when a book gets progressively better by the end. It's very capturing. I read ten chapters in one day because I was hooked. The chapters were short,  but in school-terms, I was five days ahead of my assigned reading. That doesn't happen often.

 

The beginning was intriguing. The story opens up by the main character, Mateo, burying his parents. Now you're curious. How did they die? Will Mateo survive? Was he left with anything? As the story goes on, Mateo meets Espinosa, a man looking for willing men to set sail under Ferdinand Magellan, the man credited with circumnavigating the world. Mateo has nothing, so he agrees to go. The rest of the story is his journey.

 

I don't think the author missed one detail of the things that actually happened on the sea back then. Major storms, incredible heat, sickness, wars or trade with Natives, starvation, insanity, mutiny were all topics. This is keeps us on edge, all the time. But romance is also entwined in the story for a short period of time. Mateo falls in love with a Native, and for some chapters we are wrapped in their love story. Michele Torrey truly did an amazing job.

 

The book is also sad. Not a tear-jerker - but sad. It's a historical fiction, so the real people she included died how the real person actually died. People who we didn't want to die, die. And other "bad guys" who, to us, it doesn't matter if they die, die. I'm not saying all the characters die, by the way. I'm just saying that there are some people we wish could have  lived.

 

I also enjoyed the way it was written. In other historical fictions that I've read the language was particularly hard to understand and therefore quite boring and monotonous. Not this book. It's written in a modern way, but still gives you he 'feel' of that time period.

 

MAJOR PLOT TWIST NEAR THE END. Totally blown off course. I don't want to spoil anything, but the book takes a sharp left turn, then slowly gets back to the right path. This twist was a nice change, in a way, and it wasn't totally irrelevant, but definitely shocking. It was probably, definitely the most suspenseful moment of the book.

 

The end was very satisfying. I am 100% in love with the ending. The author went back to where the book started, and used almost the exact sentence. Not the parents dying, by the way, but still on the first page of the book. It had an amazing sense of completion. No left-over strings. No what ifs. No confusion. It was perfect!

 

Overall, I am very pleased with this book. If you wanted a comparison, I would say it was as satisfying as cold milk after a yummy cookie. Simply delightful.

 

 



I, Juan de Pareja - Elizabeth Borton de Treviño

This book was okay. Not completely fascinating, but not completely boring either. The kind of book that if there was a movie - the movie would likely be better.

The book was assigned before winter break, so maybe I had a more motivation to read it so I could finish it before then. Honestly, I didn't hate reading it, but it wasn't good enough that I'd  read more than I had to. Like most books, it had it's high peaks and lower aspects. Sometimes I found myself wondering, even just the slightest bit, what would happen next. Then others, it was a "let's just get this done as soon as possible" kind of read.

The story was interesting, but I think the author could've made it more intriguing. However, the book is based on a real person, so the author did her best. It is about a slave who had a loving Master and Mistress, until they died. When they died, he was led to his new home in Spain by a cruel guy. So cruel, that Juan ran away from him to try to find his own way to Spain. His plan failed because his greedy guide wouldn't get paid until he brought him safely to his new master. We are relieved when his new master is nothing like his guide, in fact, the very opposite. He is a wonderful painter and soon the master and the slave, Juan de Pareja, become good friends. But, Juan started to want to learn the art of painting, which was illegal for slaves. So, he taught himself in secret. As the story progresses, it gets more interesting and a little more suspenseful. That's why I would say the ending was the best.

The ending was what you hoped for throughout the story, along with a little love story. It's beautiful, joyful, and satisfying. Then - woah! -  plot twist! It goes downhill then back up to the peak. It's basically the equivalent of a book roller-coaster, however, it's not hectic or insane, it just keeps us on our toes until the very end. Very well written near the end.

All in all, the book was satisfying, but not my favorite. Like other books before it, it had good parts and others that weren't so good. One of the best things about this book, though, is that it is not predictable. Although, I'm still glad I didn't have to read it on winter break.
 

Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson

"Mr. Freeman thinks I need to find my feelings. How can I not find them? They are chewing me alive like an infestation of thoughts, shame, mistakes. I squeeze my eyes shut... I will make myself normal. Forget the rest of it."

-Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson

 

       Wow. Wow. Wow. This book is incredibly moving. I am seriously at a loss for words, but I will do my best to write out my thoughts.

 

The first thing I can tell you is that you're definitely in a high-schooler's mind. You can see and interpret the world precisely like the main character Melinda does, even after reading it. The book talks about a serious, and difficult, subject. Rape. We see the world through a hurting teenagers eyes. We know exactly how she feels and oh my, the depth of sadness we feel for her. She is so real. So relatable. She is like many other hurting teens who just haven't found their voice yet. She speaks for every grieving person, and not only teenagers.

 

This book is full of emotion.  A tear-jerker, with sarcastic humor and a great victory. This is not just a sad story. It's also a very victorious one.

 

It's written in a way that Melinda's life is pretty much average. The whole book isn't some soap opera where we're always quickly flipping through the pages. She goes through her normal life, and there are parts where we feel for her more than others. But also, the damage that's been done to her - the violation she feels - is evident in her everyday life.

 

The ending was the most satisfying to me. It is not entirely expected, however it is far from being cheesy. The ending was natural and very, very, pleasing. It's like a deep breath, or the sunrise after a dark night. Truly wonderful.

 

The way that the story was created is particularly interesting to me. The author, Laurie, literally had a nightmare of a girl crying. After seeing that her own girls were alright, she started to describe what she heard. She said she wasn't even sure what the girl in her dream was crying about, but as the story went on, she found out. We see this naturalness throughout the entire book. Everything Melinda does seems natural to her personality. She is unique. Nothing seems forced at all. The story literally flows, which is another strange thing that makes Melinda seem so life-like.

 

I am absolutely in love with this book. There is nothing more to say than wow. I did my best to write out my thoughts, but to truly know what I'm feeling... you'll just have to read it.

 

 

 

 

 

  



Doomed Queen Anne - Carolyn Meyer

 

"My heart beat faster as I listened, and my anger mounted. Blood pounded in my temples, my mouth was dry as dust, and my hands were shaking. How dare they speak of me like this? I wanted to shout at them. One day I shall be queen above all of you!"

- Doomed Queen Anne, Carolyn Meyer

 

 

 

This book was very enjoyable. Although I had to read it for school, I finished it way before the deadline.

 

Anne was not very attractive compared to the other ladies at court. She was different and certainly had some flaws. Once she learned to accentuate her beautiful features at the French court, however,  and to hide her ugly imperfections, she was still different, but in a very attractive way. Maybe it was her uniqueness and confidence that drew her to Henry.

 

This historical fiction is written from Anne's perspective. The author covers all the stages of her life, which gives us a seemingly greater insight to what Anne was really like. The book starts at when she is an awkward and unattractive girl who hated her sister. From the beginning we see that Anne admired King Henry VIII, and therefore despised her sister, who was his mistress. Then we see her at the court in France, and in England as a lady-in-waiting to her enemy, Henry's wife, Catherine of Aragon.   

 

Anne was quite sneaky, but also kind to certain people. Different people portray her differently. This book, since she is the main character, displays her as favorable and throughout the entire book we're rooting for her.  She was wise and clever, cautious, discerning, and alluring. We see how she feels about Catherine, and Catherine's daughter, Mary. Her vicious anger burns through the pages.

 

This book is, in short, a love story. Maybe that's why I enjoyed it so much. There is, however, not just one love story. Evidently, there's the admiration that was  shared between her and Henry. Before that, though, she had other lovers who she sincerely cared for. We also see the sad fate of a friend whom she used to weave her way to Henry.

 

The ending was sad, but it was factual. Overall, though, the author did a superb job at incorporating facts and making Anne come alive once again.  I would love to read another book by her.

 

  

The Hiding Place - Corrie ten Boom

 

"... How could I imagine this white-haired man, called Opa - Grandfather - by all the children of Harlem, how could I imagine this man thrown by strangers into a grave without a name? And Betsie, with her high lace collar and gift for making beauty all around her, how could I picture this dearest person on earth to me standing naked before a roomful of men? In that room on that day, such thoughts were not even thinkable." 

- The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom

 

 

 

I love to learn about World War II. It is awful, heart wrenching, and moving. And this book describes it perfectly, first hand.

 

Corrie ten Boom is the daughter of a watchmaker, Casper ten Boom. A very peaceful family, and a peaceful life... Until WWII hits Holland. This Christian family worked underground hiding Jews, right under the Gestapo's noses. The book is a big deep breath that you don't let out, you know the danger of the work they're doing. And you cry when they get raided.

 

The book is balanced in that approximately half the book talks about their life before and during the war, and the other half is her life in the concentration camps and afterwards. Although, I did get a little impatient while reading about their life when I wanted to hear about life inside the concentration camps. 

 

The amazing faith that this family displayed, even in the darkest pit, is baffling. There's no word to describe their faith. Especially her sister, Betsie. Betsie was praying for the German soldiers who treated her so horribly, she was leading Bible studies - not out of duty, but out of love. She sincerely thanked God for the fleas that lived in their hay mattresses. I am completely in awe of her faith. She said "their is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still." If you stop and think of the cruel place they were in, that quote speaks - very loud volumes.

 

Near the end of the book, Corrie tells us what happened after she was freed and the war was over. She bought a home that would be a safe haven for Jews and others who survived the horror of the Holocaust. The home was Betsie's vision - literally. While in a concentration camp, Betsie had a vision of the house they would use for that specific purpose.

 

Corrie also went on to preach and teach. After one of her sermons she met a German. The same German soldier who she 'met' in the camp. To hear how she reacted was truthful. She didn't want to forgive him. She couldn't even lift her hand to shake his. But she did, but not alone. With God's help.

 

What is most shocking, is how Corrie survived. She technically wasn't supposed to survive. Through a clerical error, a slip of a pen, she survived. The next week all the women her age were taken to the gas chambers.

 

The whole story is beautiful testimony of love, faith, hope and forgiveness. It's one that will never leave your mind, and will leave you changed... for the better.