Author: James Hogan

Once Upon a Time Whispers Whispers in the Dark

James HoganLeave a comment

A few books this Monday afternoon!

59. Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson. Still one of the best books Sanderson has written. It stands next to Way of Kings as the best the Stormlight Archive has to offer, and I almost considered placing it first! But I shall not be rash. This book does start out a little bit slow and it’s not perfect by any means, but oh boy the story it tells is a fun one. And once it gets going? It moves. All my favourite characters are at the top of their game here. Dalinar is fantastic, Adolin comes into his own, Kaladin has all his requisite ups and downs and I still love him…and this is probably Shallan’s best book. Which makes sense, since this is her book after all. I love seeing her grow here, even though sometimes she drives me crazy with her recklessness. But she is fantastic. The interludes are fun and worthwhile (always so many good nuggets to unpack!) and though parts of this story confuse me here and there as I don’t always remember all the Stormlight lore, I still love seeing how everything gradually starts to come together. This book is definitely one of the best books Sanderson has ever written and I’ll always be happy to return to it for my fantasy fix.

60. Rejoicing in Christ by Michael Reeves. Sometimes one just must meditate more upon the person and work of Christ, you know? Recently a dear friend recommended this one to me and it has been a joy to read it – slowly! – over the past few months. A book like this is almost devotional in nature, really. Don’t gulp it quickly. Enjoy, savour, meditate upon the truths unpacked about Christ in this really rather small work. At times the prose in this one can be rather purple and I winced a few times at the florid phrasings…but I am almost certainly the last that should accuse others of such. Grateful for those who write such works as aids to necessary and encouraging meditation upon Christ. Reading a book such is this is far more profitable than most things we tend to fill our time with in this day and age.

61. Five Points – Towards a Deeper Experience of God’s Grace by John Piper. A slim volume extolling the truths and virtues of God’s sovereign grace. At first blush, it may appear this book is simply a defense of what is commonly called “Calvinism” – a system of soteriology commonly tied to reformed theology. And perhaps in a way it is, but it is certainly not attempting or trying to mount a comprehensive defense of the doctrines of grace. Instead, Piper here seeks to illuminate and introduce the reformed understanding of salvation to those who may not fully understand it. I would recommend this book heartily to any – Christians or non-Christians alike – who seek to understand more what the Bible teaches about the way of salvation. Piper seeks to increase our devotion to God and joy in our knowledge of Him as we more fully understand what God has done for us and the salvation that He calls us to. Understanding these truths should not result in a dour and combative Christian – oh no! – but rather a deeper understanding of God’s way of salvation should bring overwhelming thanksgiving and joy to those who know themselves to be a child of God! I will not summarize this book – yes it talks about the infamous “Five Points” of Calvinism, and yes, it gets slightly technical at times. Even so, sometimes I wished for a more intense and deeper dive into what the Word says about salvation. That’s not what this book is. This book is an introduction into the beliefs of reformed soteriology and attempts to kindle our love for God afresh as we learn more about Him. This is not merely an academic pamphlet. This is a work written to increase our devotion and faith in the love of our Lord, encouraging us as we walk this path our God has placed before us. Grateful for works such as this, am definitely eager to read this one again at some point soon.

The Few

James HoganLeave a comment

Enjoyed a beautiful evening with Mom and Dad. A delightful dinner of burgers, fries and salad was had, followed by a little bit of reading on the couch time before we all decided it was movie time! Watched a 1942 movie “Spitfire”, which chronicled the design of the British Spitfire by R.J. Mitchell. A fascinating and moving film, not the least because it was actually made in ’42 while the war was still on! Leslie Howard was magnificent as Mitchell and I much enjoyed this movie. A well-acted, old black and white movie that also (with a good deal of dramatic license!) portrays historical events? Can’t go wrong. Me and Dad then decided it was probably too late to stay up watching the second half of the Alamo Bowl (Iowa State vs Washington State – go ISU!) so bedtime it is. And of course I couldn’t resist writing a few words in here. Going to read a few words of The Shadow Rising before bed as well. Oh how I enjoyed this evening with Dad and Mom. I am so thankful for them…for all their love and oddities both!! I love them so.

Now, truly I’m off. Peace and love, dear friends.

Christmas Eve

James HoganLeave a comment

So ten minutes remain until the hour ticks over to midnight and it is Christmas Day. I have been meaning to write in here all day today, but somehow have just not quite found the time or the energy!! And even now I write when my energy flags and I have not the will to write long…but wanted to just offer a prayer of thanksgiving to my Father God for the beautiful last few days He has given me. So many wonderful moments have I been given. From glorious times at church yesterday, hearing the gospel of God preached mightily and powerfully and rejoicing with so many dear brothers and sisters in Christ…to walking around the neighborhood and surrounding areas enjoying the gorgeous sunshine and cool air while talking with my dear friend Marina and having such sweet conversation and fellowship (oh how grateful to God am I for her friendship!!!)…to having a lovely evening service at church singing oh so many Christmas carols and again remembering the glorious wonder that Christ came to this earth – the Word became flesh and dwelt among us! – and hearing music and voices lifted high in praise to God (hearing Mom & Sandra sing “O Holy Night”…beauty and bliss and words of truth!…to then enjoying relaxing with Mom & Dad & Maryanne, watching fun movies like “Shop Around the Corner” (Jimmy Stewart / Margaret Sullavan classic!), getting quality time with Maryanne (eating yummy Thai food and wandering around Target!!), and of course an utterly delicious Christmas dinner tonight – roast chicken and potatoes and stuffing and asparagus…um YES please, I will have seconds!…and then walking around the neighborhood tonight, the moon shining brilliantly down upon us as we walked hand in hand and relished the sweet evening air. Oh how full is my heart this night. I am thankful for oh so many things. Pardon the terrible writing of this post, but I simply had to write these few words now. And would you look at the time? 12:01. Merry Christmas, dear friends. Feliz Natal. Häid Jõule! Boldog Karácsonyt. Happy Christmas, brothers and sisters near and far!

First Christmas

James HoganLeave a comment

Very briefly. A lovely evening is yet progressing. We are all currently watching (well, I’m half-watching!) a Christmas episode of Little House on the Prairie and it is heart-warming and wonderful. And being home with the family…even more wonderful. Sitting around the dinner table today…enjoying steak (cooked by Mom!) and sweet potatoes (cooked by Maryanne!) and salad and little shrimps and cocktail sauce…but better than all the food was just being at the table with Dad & Mom & Maryanne & Laura…and talking and being together. A couple hours of bliss. Oh so good is our God to us. And shall I spend more time writing here at the fiercely glaring computer screen? I think not. I shall return to watching Little House and being with the family…

Peace and love.

The Dragon Reborn

James HoganLeave a comment

It’s a quiet little Thursday morning. And nothing wrong with that! Enjoyed going to a Rockets game last night with James – Rockets stomped all over the Wizards in a good old-fashioned rout (136-118!). You’re still my second team, Wizards, so sorry about that. It was cool seeing the Rockets set an NBA record – 26 3-pointers made! Epic. Also it was definitely sweet catching up with James. Then came home, had a good chat with John…and now one more day of work awaits. Only one meeting today, yay! Then tomorrow – Florida time!! I’ll be home for Christmas.

Alright, nothing more really to say, so suppose I’ll sign off. Peace and love, one and all.

A Day Which Shall Live in Infamy

James HoganLeave a comment

A few random notes that I didn’t have time to write this morning (because I took all my time writing about my book!!)

Firstly – and I’m mostly sharing this so I can link it to Laura later, since she’s the only one who will appreciate! (Hi Laura!!) – last night had a dream about being at a Nightwish concert with Laura. It was a very weird concert apparently since…we were sitting somewhere up high and all the aisles sloped down to the stage at the bottom of the concert hall. Felt more like a concert hall for a symphony and not a metal show! And we were sitting, not rocking out in front. Terrible! As in the way of dreams, it started in the middle…at the point where we realized another singer was walking out for the next song and it turned out to be Tarja! We all started going crazy and chanting her name (or maybe I was the only one?) She sang one song with the band (and it apparently was a song that had been written after her departure, which I remember being slightly disappointed about…since she wasn’t singing a song that I knew with her voice!) and as soon as the song kicked into gear, I remember being simply thrilled. Just her voice made the song even more awesome than it already was. Hearing her sing a Nightwish song (even though I can’t remember which one?! I seem to remember it was one of their harder more recent songs…maybe Shudder Before the Beautiful?) was amazing and it was stunningly beautiful and I’m sad this can’t happen for real. After the song was over, the concert apparently had an intermission, which I didn’t know was a thing for metal shows. But again – dream! I decided I should walk down and say hi to Tarja, because. Laura and me walked down the sloping aisle to where she was chilling next to the stage, sitting on a monitor / speaker / box thing. Somehow no one else had the same idea to see her. It was just Tarja, Laura and I! I sheepishly said hello and she replied, “Hey you! Come here!” in that Tarja voice we all know and love. Gave me a hug and I asked her if I could get a picture with her. She of course said yes and I handed Laura my camera and we got a picture together…and then we went back to our seats to enjoy the rest of the show. Yes, that was literally my dream. It was a really fun dream. Pardon me sharing my dream here…but hey, couldn’t resist.

Secondly…I started reading Isaiah today. So excited!!! Simply love this book. It shall be truly wonderful these next weeks. Here are a few words that encouraged my soul this day:

“Come now, and let us reason together,”
says the Lord,
“Though your sins are as scarlet,
they will be white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they will be like wool.
If you consent and obey,
you will eat the best of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you will be devoured by the sword.”
Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

God speaks. Shall we listen? My heart is bound up in the love of my God.

Now it is lunch time…I shall write no more. Time to chomp down on some chicken and spinach wraps with my favorite Nando’s hot sauce. A wonderful lunch, yes? Yes.

Ghost of a King

James HoganLeave a comment

48. They Were Divided by Miklós Bánffy. The Transylvanian Trilogy is now complete. Last night on the porch of EQ…I sat with about 25 pages remaining in this book and thought to myself that I couldn’t walk home with the book unfinished. And so I came to that bitter melancholy end that I had no doubt was awaiting me. This trilogy has been a beautiful read. Indeed, if I think about the fiction I’ve read this year, this trilogy no doubt ranks at the very top. This book had so many poignant moments in it, so many paragraphs of lush descriptive prose, and so many thrilling accounts of tragic political drama. And that last one there is not intended to be humorous, although the idea of political intrigue can seem dull to some. One thing I’ve loved about this series (which I may have mentioned before?) is how it mixes pretty much all of my favourite things. I love well-crafted literature and I love history and I love the descriptions of beautiful places and I love reading about peoples’ lives (as messy as they can be!) and I love romantic elements (in small enough doses!) and this series contains all of the aforementioned. I love reading about a place and a time that I knew not that well when I began…and delightfully and totally immersing myself in that setting. And thus was I able to do with the Transylvanian Trilogy. I now know early 20th-century Hungary a bit better than I did a few months ago! There are moments of joy and passion…and also moments of pain and sorrow. And of course, how could I expect a standard happy ending when I knew all roads led to the beginning of the Great War? And sure enough, the last book ends in 1914 after that general conflagration in Europe has begun…and Balint Abady – the one we have followed and lived with for three books – is traveling off to war. The mountains loom as large as tombstones in the distance, and the sun sets on Europe. I don’t want to write much more for fear of being unable to capture the true beauty of these books. But, let me end with this sentiment. These books are about a time and place that seems foreign to us now. A time when there was no internet and jets did not ceaselessly cross the skies. A time when politics and news was something you found out about when you read the daily paper, not something you’d read about on your phone. A time when one could cross the countryside on horseback and breathe the clean unpolluted air and see the stars shining bright in the blackest night. Yet also…it was a time when people loved to dance and talk about their loves and joke about political nonsense. Just as now. It was a time when people liked to get dressed up and pursue their loves and roll their eyes at the follies of the world. Just as now. It was a time when one relished the sight of a stag on the outskirts of the forest and the beauties of the sunrise. Just as now. So as many differences as there may be between early 20th-century Transylvania and early 21st-century America…I see so many bonds between myself and the people in the pages of these novels. My heart yearns for beauty and love. And in these books, I saw the same passions expressed. Not always fulfilled, no. But the longing remains.

Starry Eyes

James HoganLeave a comment

A candle on the table. A blanket on my lap. A cup of coffee at hand. A few words. It is oh so nice to rest. It’s been a good weekend all in all…but a bit hectic and busy. Now at last, all that is past. I could go to a party tonight, but I have decided a night of rest is needed. And this afternoon has been lovely, indeed it has. After coming home from church and having a quick lunch, got my workout in and laundry done…then because the day is beautiful(but warmer! t-shirt weather has returned to houston!) walked down to EQ. As I walked, got to talk to Maryanne for first time in a while! Yay! We had a nice long chat…oh it was beautiful to be able to sit at the porch at EQ and talk with Maryanne about various things. Can’t wait to see her in less than a week! After that, read a bit of my book(Hungarian third book in trilogy – “They Were Divided”. Tragically sad. But beautiful. I’ll log it shortly, as I should finish it within the next few days). Finally, time to walk back to the flat. And here I sit, enjoying some decaf coffee and the flickering candle on the table and my warm blanket and randomly typing these words. The Steelers-Patriots game is on TV and I’m mildly paying attention…now though, think these are sufficient words for the now. Back to my book. (Now “Knowing God” by Packer. Deeply encouraging) Very grateful for this afternoon and evening of rest which I have been granted. A good book, a cup of coffee and a night of rest. Does it get any better? So happy. Peace and love.

Six or Seven, Pick a Number, Any Number!

James HoganLeave a comment

I’m about to head out from Starbucks here but figured I better write a couple words. Must confess…my primary reason for doing so is that I’ve noticed that I’ve actually posted every single day this week thus far. So I just could not pass up the chance to finish out the week right!! (…er…by posting on livejournal? Yeah. Sure) This has been a most busy day so far…but it’s been lovely nevertheless. My last weekend in Houston for a bit, so doing all my final Christmas preparatory activities! Had a most fantastic breakfast at Joshua and Sarah’s house…of course it was nice to eat breakfast and drink coffee with them…but the true joy was just talking with them and catching up on oh so many things! They are pretty awesome, I have to say. Then it’s been a mad dash through various Houston locations…and I’m still not done. Time to go to HEB now, then to pick up my dry-cleaning. Then…home?! Going to attempt to get a walk in…as this wintry weather is still just wonderful. Alright, I have been in Starbucks long enough…but I decided I am way far behind in posting my music playlists, so going to record one here this afternoon. (I’ll still be a few behind, but alas – one is enough for now!) I really enjoyed making this mix – it’s such a beautiful…chill indie mix, I guess?? Honestly, I got in an Owl City mood a few months back and felt sad I didn’t really have a good mix with Owl City songs. So attempted to remedy that with this mix. I know Laura’s not a huge fan of it, since she needs to be in a particular mood to enjoy Owl City! What can I say, my heart is weird enough…that something about Owl City / Postal Service / Snow Patrol just resonates with my emotions so beautifully. That middle stretch – bliss. This is a bit of an old-school mix as well. Besides Owl City, I got an Anberlin and a Panic! song squeezed in. Early college nostalgia right there. Right, enough talk. Mixed back in summer of this year…Clarissa:

1. Plimsoll Punks – Alvvays
2. Light of Loving – Faith Healer
3. My Only – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
4. Paperthin Hymn – Anberlin
5. Laid Low – The Naked and Famous
6. Derniere danse – Indila
7. I Constantly Thank God for Esteban – Panic at the Disco
8. I Summon You – Spoon
9. Air Traffic – Owl City
10. Recycled Air – The Postal Service
11. Sky Diver – Owl City
12. The Finish Line – Snow Patrol
13. I’ll Meet You There – Owl City
14. Take Care – Beach House
15. Blue Velvet – Lana Del Rey
16. Exit Night / Juliet’s Theme – Emmy the Great
17. My Least Favorite Life – Lera Lynn
18. Writer in the Dark – Lorde
19. Fuzzy Blue Lights – Owl City

Have a gorgeous day, dear friends.

Sounds of the Harpischord

James HoganLeave a comment

Happy Friday, friends!! A bare minute of writing will I allow myself before I’m off once again. A nice chill morning today and so I felt more than justified in wearing a warm sweater(blue & green striped one that Julie helped me pick out a few months back! Yes, Julie is awesome). And as I drove in to work, was much fortified by my music…for this year I’m once again not going to make it to a performance of Handel’s Messiah but no matter…because I can have a mini concert in my car!! So today got to listen to most of the second half of the Messiah – such gloriously beautiful music. Now – time to work a little as I enjoy my peppermint mocha. Peace and love, dear friends.