Happy Thursday, friends!! It is a nice evening thus far…and soon I shall proceed onto the dinner portion of the night. But now, let me write just very few words. Mostly I’m writing because I’ve gotten a bit behind on my book logging and thus…here are a few I’ve read lately(honestly I’ve finished all four of these in the past week, so I’m not that far behind!!):
14. Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life by Nick Lane. Alright, so a brief preamble. That title(and the shockingly pink cover!) are extremely attention-grabbing and lurid…but the contents of the book are a bit more dry. (And fantastic!) I’d been in a science-y mood lately for some reason…and I’ve always been fascinated by cell biology and energy generation in the cell, ever since AP Bio back in the day I guess? I’ve been meaning to find a educational work on this subject for a while now and finally a few months ago, found this on Amazon and thought – why not? It’s probably a bit too technical and dry for a casual read, but I much enjoyed it. Yes – once again proving I’m a nerd. *takes a bow* It gave a fascinating overview of mitochondria and then delved into its (speculated) origins and (perceived) functions in the eukaryotic cell and thus in the majority of life on earth. While this book is coming from a very obviously secular perspective, I was awed again and again by the rich and gorgeous complexity of the inner workings of the mitochondria. And I was a bit surprised – but maybe I shouldn’t have been? – to see how much of the research cited in this book was relatively recent…we are still learning so much about life!! And again and again the author made disclaimers to say that what he was discussing wasn’t known for a certainty, but something that he strongly believed was likely. Sometimes we laymen think that all in the scientific realm has been rigorously proven and defined, sure without a shadow of a doubt. But nay – there is surely much uncertainty and much that is unknown. The origin of the eukaryotic cell is something we can’t with confidence deduce! I say all these words just to underline the fact that this world in which we live is swimming with wonderfully complex and intricate forms…and these endless forms most beautiful are not fully known by any of us who live on this gorgeous earth. But they are known by their Creator. And that – the fact that there is a Creator – is something that was most definitely not stated in this book, but it was something which I was richly reminded of as I was stunned anew on almost every page by the utterly fascinating facts contained in this book.
15. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. Mm, this book. Well a few weeks ago, I was in a reading mood. And I wanted to read something (fairly) light and also warm and encouraging. The problem is…my current books at that time were my mitochondria book and Owen. So…yeah. I perused my shelf and as my eyes passed across Narnia…I couldn’t resist. I don’t want to talk too much about the Narnia series now (because I could go on far too long!), and while there are certain pitfalls contained in this series – which I will most certainly not go into now! – the beauty and truth in this series are profound. There are few authors who can express as much in as few words as Lewis. This first book I shall not give a full review of, except to say it is a wondrous introduction into a wonderful world. Read and weep.
16. Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis. Sensing a theme here? Caspian is a wonderful book and reading it reminded me of when I read it long ago as a child. I enjoyed it just as much now as then…if not more so. The mark of a truly great book, I think. The introduction of some great characters in this one…namely…Reepicheep the Mouse! And I guess Caspian himself is ok too. Peter, Susan, Edmund & Lucy all return and once again…some profound truths in this book. I have tried to type out some of those truths several times in this paragraph and have failed miserably, so I will not continue as I am not Lewis. But will mention the section when Lucy meets up with the Lion and discovers what she must do regardless of the cost…beautiful. If only we all were so conscious of the great worth and joy of obedience.
17. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis. I sometimes hesitate to say it as the first four Narnia books are all spectacular…but if I had to pick, this is my very favourite. Eustace Scrubb, my favorite character in Narnia. The dragon sequence. The voyage on the sea, in beauty and peril both. The random and spectacular various islands discovered in their adventure. The interactions between Eustace, Edmund, Lucy, Caspian, Reepicheep, et. al…and then the reaching of the End of the World and the glimpse into Aslan’s country…I cannot properly describe this book and I shall not try for fear that I will spoil it for the rest of you. It is beautiful. In the darkest shadows and absence of all light, there is yet Hope. As I texted my friend last night as I finished this book, “…it’s a simply lovely book, with truth that reflects a greater Truth and beauty that reflects a truer Beauty.”
You will notice I have of purpose kept my summation of these books fairly brief as you really need to read these yourself to understand why they are marvelous. Lewis’s work is most definitely not for everyone, as his intermixing of myth and legend and very Truth is something that may be off-putting to some. And when reading, we must be very careful to beware the sin of idolatry…for truly, Aslan is not Christ and his words are not God’s Words. But there is something here that warms my heart as I think on the true far country for which my heart longs. There is something in these pages that spurs me on to love and great deeds as I ponder my duty to the God whose son I am. There is something in these books that reminds me of the great love which fills my heart – through the work of the Holy Spirit – because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ Himself for us. Remind yourself of these truths and meditate on the love of Christ. Abide in Him and all shall be well. Thus sings my soul.
