Karl's Reading List

Published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.: Carol Stream, Illinois, 2007 (1996). Also: New International Version (Anglicised), Audio Edition, published by Biblica, Inc., 2013, narrated by David Suchet. Found online at https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/audio/?recording=nivuk-suchet This may be the longest I have taken to read a book without leaving it for an extended period of time. At the start of the year Elise mentioned a desire to read the Bible chronologically using this version that she had purchased some time in the past. We desired to do this together, pacing ourselves by keeping roughly to the reading plan outlined within. As a Christian, I deeply value the Bible. I try to read at least a few verses most days (although realistically it is sometimes less often than this) and often I find that the different verses I read will either speak into whatever situation I am going through at the time, or come back to mind at a future time. I believe that God speaks through His ...

Published by Puffin Books: Auckland, NZ, 1976 (1973). This is another book that I had never heard of before I picked it up from the English Department library to see if it would work as a Year 9 text. Having now read it, I'm unconvinced that it would be a good novel study, but it definitely would be helpful for a different reason. X Marks the Spot is the story of three siblings, Lou(ise), Peter and Ross, who are stranded in Fiordland when the chopper their uncle, Cop, is piloting crashes, injuring him in the process. Cop is captured by the mysterious villains of the book, but not before he gives his niece and nephews instructions on where to look for the equally mysterious X. Who or what X is remains unrevealed to the kids for the majority of the book, but really the search for X is not what the book is about. Because X Marks the Spot is far more interested in describing New Zealand flora and fauna, along with giving numerous survival tips for someone lost in New Zealand bush. The ...

Published by Hodder and Stoughton: Great Britain: 1970 (1963). This book tells the true story of Elka, a witchdoctor from a 'primitive tribe' in South America, who becomes a Christian following the arrival of missionaries to his region of the Amazon. The unique aspect of the book is that it is told almost entirely from the (third-person) perspective of Elka himself, giving the reader an understanding of the tribal life and beliefs of the Wai Wai people before introducing the missionary element. Following Elka's conversion, we also get insight into the growing Christian understanding of his tribe. There is a fun 'innocence' to the way the Wai Wai people understand their faith, based partially on the newness of their faith, and also the very foreign culture that their understanding takes root in and develops from. The idea of marriage, for example, in the pre-Christian tribal life is very loose - 'sharing' of spouses is common, and a 'wedding' is simpl...

Published by Jonathan Cape: London, 2002. Somehow I've ended up with an 'Uncorrected Book Proof' of this book, the debut novel of Stephen L Carter. I don't think that changes much from the final copy (except maybe that certain typos I noticed have probably been fixed) but I thought it was interesting enough to mention. Stephen L Carter is an author I know very little about, other than that he also wrote The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln , a novel I have previously read and reviewed for this blog. I enjoyed that book, and so when I saw this going cheap in an Op Shop I decided to take a chance on it. I'm glad I did.  Talcott Garland, the youngest son of Judge Oliver Garland, is slowly drawn in to a mystery after his father is found dead with what appears to have been a heart-attack. As early on as the funeral Talcott is approached by various shadowy figures demanding to know what 'the arrangements' are, and refusing to take Talcott at his word when he says he...

Published by Three Rivers Press: New York, 2001. I wasn't quite sure what to expect with this book. Jimmy Carter was the 39th President of the United States, and I knew he was (and is - as of writing he is still alive at age 96) a committed Christian and a peanut farmer. I also knew that this was a book written about his faith. But really, I knew next to nothing about him other than that. I know much more now. The thing I feel is most important to know about this book going in is that it is written by an American  political figure. It is not written to a purely Christian audience, but to anyone who may have a passing interest in politics and/or faith. So, in terms of being a book about Jimmy Carter's faith journey, there are times it does not go as deep as some other Christian biographical works I have read.  But this is ok. Jimmy lightly touches on a number of topics while giving justification for his actions (particularly political ones), both to non-believers who may have b...

Published by Mallinson Rendel Publishers Ltd: Wellington, NZ, 2003. I'm now at the point in the year where I'm reading with an eye towards what I might be teaching next year. As I have a year 9 class in 2021 (I haven't taught one of those yet) I'm looking through some of the books on offer in the English Department for that year level. No Safe Harbour is one of those. It stars Stuart and Sandra, twins who have been in Christchurch for their Grandad's funeral and are now heading home via ferry to Wellington. The only problem is that this is April 1968, and the ferry in question is the Wahine.  Any New Zealander who has some knowledge of our own history will likely have heard of the Wahine, and be aware that it ran aground on Barrett Reef in Wellington Harbour during an unexpectedly severe storm, and then sank. This book tells that story through the eyes of Stuart.  Told in first person, we are limited to understanding what Stuart understands, and although he is highl...

Published by Puffin Books: Australia, 2005. First published 1982. As is the case with some of the books I have read this year, The Halfmen of O is a book I remember reading as a child. However, whereas I remember really enjoying some of the others I have revisited, I remember thinking this book was kinda odd. It is . This is a book by a New Zealand author, and is set relatively locally (near Collingwood), but is also a fantasy novel, taking place mostly on the planet of O, which the nefarious Otis Claw seeks to cover with smoke and take control of. As is the way with many books of this nature, the only hope for O lays in the hands of two youths from our world: Susan Ferris and her cousin Nicholas Quinn. So far so standard.  Nick is the first point of view we are introduced to, and it seems as though the story is going to be told entirely from his perspective. Susan has the 'mark' on her wrist that makes her the 'chosen one' and is the one who has the destiny to save O, ...

Published by Aerie Books Ltd: USA, 1988. Originally published 1883. A true classic, Treasure Island tells the story of Jim Hawkins, a boy living with his parents in a sea-side inn in the 1700s, who becomes caught up in the search for the buried treasure of Captain Flint, a notorious pirate. Along the way he encounters various pirates, a castaway named Ben Gunn, and is befriended by the one-legged cook, Long John Silver.  Treasure Island is an incredibly well-known tale, and the character of Long John Silver is the most well-known part of that story - his name itself is almost a spoiler of sorts, as we come to the story with our preconceived ideas of what sort of individual he will be. Reading the book, the reason for this popularity is discovered. As is the case with King Solomon's Mines , a book that was written in a similar era, Treasure Island takes a while to 'adjust to' when reading, but as the story picks up it becomes more and more gripping. Robert Louis Stevenson ha...

With Richard Schneider. Published by Kingsway Publications: Eastbourne, England, 1982 (1978). This book has been sitting on my shelf for years, waiting to be read. I picked it up half-heartedly two days ago, not really convinced I was going to get very far through it.  I read almost two thirds of the book in a single sitting and have finished it already. It's one of my favourite books this year. Bilquis Sheikh tells her own story of coming to faith while living as a prominent Muslim land-owner in a small village in Pakistan. An encounter with the spiritual world drives her to seek God, initially by reading the Koran, and then (out of curiosity regarding the 'other' texts mentioned in the Koran) reading the Bible. A number of vivid dreams motivate her to seek out answers, and as she continues to act on what she feels is the prompting of God, she befriends some missionaries, learns about the nature of God, and, yes, reaches out to God as her Father. The ongoing excitement tha...

Published by Sure Foundation: Indianapolis, Indiana, 1965. This little book (94 pages long) took quite a while to read, not because it is hard-going, but because it a book you need to chew on a bit. Watchman Nee talks about 'breaking' the hold of our 'outer man' (aka, our soul, or our flesh) and letting the 'inner man' (our spirit, and in a Christian, the Spirit of God) shine out more prominently. " How sad that some still imagine that if they could only absorb more teaching, accumulate more preaching material, and assimilate more Bible exposition, they would be profitable to God. This is absolutely wrong. God's hand is upon you to break you - not according to your will, but His; not according to your thoughts, but His; not according to your decision, but His." (page 36) The challenge, according to Nee, is not to strive for perfection in our own rights, but to truly lay ourselves down before God and allow Him access to every part of our life. He ta...

Published by Fourth Estate: London, 2010 (2009). Book One of the Wolf Hall Trilogy: ' Wolf Hall '; ' Bring Up The Bodies '; 'The Mirror and the Light'. Set during the reign of King Henry VIII, Wolf Hall follows the rise to power of Thomas Cromwell, who goes from son of a blacksmith to adviser to a cardinal, to advisor to Henry himself. The first chapter of the book is set during Cromwell's childhood, but immediately after this the book jumps to Cromwell as an adult, already adroit at political maneuvering. The 'prologue' therefore can seem a bit out of place, but it does serve as a constant reminder of where Cromwell has come from, and provides hints towards his motivations. Because Cromwell himself is fairly closed on this front. The book is written in a very close third-person narrative, with almost any mention of "he" referring to Cromwell. We get his thoughts, his conversations and actions, but at the same time very little about his mot...

Published by Hodder Children's. Originally published 1942.  Audiobook released 01-08-2013 by Audible. Narrated by Jan Francis. Book 1 in 'The Famous Five' series. Followed by ' Five Go Adventuring Again '. This is the first audiobook that Elise and I have listened to together, and the first I have listened to at all in a few years. This is due to us getting one of those McDonalds Monopoly prizes and being absolutely sucked in. That is also why we signed up for Disney+. The story itself is the first in the Famous Five series, which follows siblings Julian, Dick and Ann, and their (girl) cousin George as they go on various adventures. The fifth member of the group is Timmy, George's dog, who in this story is being looked after by a local fisher-boy due to George's father, Quentin, not wanting a dog in the house. I first read the Famous Five series when I was five, and as a result don't really remember them that well. Revisiting them now, I was intrigued by...

Published by Pan Books/Maxmillan: London, England, 2014 (2013). Sequel to Saxon: The Book of Dreams . Like its predecessor, The Emperor's Elephant follows the adventures of Sigwulf, a Saxon serving in the court of King Carolus of the Franks, who would become Charlemagne. This time around, Sigwulf and his former servant Osric are tasked with tracking down a number of exotic creatures and presenting them as gifts to the Caliph of Baghdad. They are helped in this task by Walo, a simple young man who has a gift of caring for animals. This book, by nature of the plot, is far more episodic than the previous one. We get a journey to the north to collect various animals, then the journey south stopping at various locations, an arrival at Baghdad, and then another journey resulting from a meeting with the Caliph. In each of these 'episodes', it feels as though the author is seeking to show what the world was like at this time, and that perhaps the plot is secondary to this task. Onc...

Published by Puffin Books: Great Britain, 1982. First published 1971. I remember reading this book in my later years of primary school and quite enjoying it. I also remember it had a fairly melancholic tone to it for a children's book. Having re-read it now I can confirm that both of those sentiments still hold true. The fact that the author of this book also wrote Z For Zachariah, a classic Young Adult novel that I also remember enjoying as a youth and that also has a melancholic tone, is not a surprise. Mrs Frisby is a mother of four children, one of whom is sick. She is a widow, her husband having died a year earlier. She is also a field-mouse. O'Brien anthropomorphizes all of the animals in this book to some degree and never really explains to what extent this is the case. The animals are all 'normal' animals (with the exception of the rats and some particular mice, as I will explain), yet they also carry things, have homes with (to some degree) furniture, and even ...

Published by Fourth Estate Limited: London, 2000. This non-fiction book follows the lives of some of the early fossil-hunters of England, the first individuals to begin uncovering evidence of the existence of the ancient world. Four of these individuals are highlighted enough to feature on the cover illustration (Richard Owen, Mary Anning, Gideon Mantell and Reverend William Buckland), but two in particular are focussed on in depth: Mantell and Owen.  Mantell is presented as a somewhat tragic figure, devoting his life to the ancient world to the detriment of his own personal and financial security. He is the one who discovers and names two of the three earliest dinosaurs known to the Victorian world ( Iguanadon and Hylaeosaurus ), and he is instrumental in presenting these creatures to the public, yet he continually fails to gain the recognition he deserves, or the financial benefits he needs in order to truly be labelled a success. Misfortune also has its hand in Mantell's life, w...

Published by Pan Books/Macmillan: London, 2013 (2012). Followed by Saxon: The Emperor's Elephant. This book is set in an era I have not often read about, during the rise of Carolus, the king of the Franks who would become Charlemagne. The story follows Sigwulf, the son of a conquered Saxon king, who is sent as 'tribute' to Carolus's court, and befriends Carolus's nephew Hroudland. Sigwulf has eyes that are different colours, and for much of the book hides this fact by wearing an eyepatch. He also is visited on occasion by the fetch (ghost) of his dead twin brother. Yet neither of these facts are really that important to the story, only adding a bit of variety to a character who, otherwise, is a fairly passive figure. He goes from event to event, gaining a lover, growing in influence, becoming an archer and a spy, but most of these things happen to him rather than from his own initiative. I realise that the author is trying to show that Sigwulf must do a lot of these...

Published by Transworld Publishers: London, 2009.  Translated by Tiina Nunnally, 2008. First published in Danish 2007. This occasionally dark novel is set in Denmark, where a lawyer named Jon Campelli is drawn into a secret society of 'Lectors', individuals who have the power to either influence the actions of those they read to (transmitters) or of those who are themselves reading (receivers). Jon's father Luca, himself a powerful Lector, has been found dead, and blame has fallen on the local receivers. Jon must use his relative outsider status to his advantage and investigate the death while protecting himself against the mysterious enemies out to get him.  This novel took me a few chapters to get into, but by the end I was gripped. There are elements of the plot I found a little predictable, figuring out, for example, who the traitor was before they were revealed, but the plot did take a few unexpected turns and the idea of readers having that much power was a fun one. I...

Published by Hodder & Stoughton: Great Britain, 2007.  First published 1885. This well-known novel is the story of Allan Quartermain, a hunter and trader living in Africa, who joins Sir Henry Curtis and Captain John Good on a journey to search for Curtis' missing brother. The three white men and their native servants travel into 'uncharted' Africa and enter the unknown country of Kukuanaland. Here they get caught up in the politics of the nation, face off against the sinister with-doctress Gagoola, and search for the lost diamond mines of King Solomon. As an English novel written in the Victorian era, King Solomon's Mines does contain moments that could be uncomfortable for the modern reader, particularly in the superiority shown by the main white characters to their African allies (one native is complimented as being intelligent 'for his race' and it is meant sincerely) yet Haggard is perhaps less 'arrogant' than many of his contemporary writers, an...

  Publ is hed by Hyperion Books, New York: 2009 (2007). This is quite an odd but relatively humorous book, set in a not-too-distant future where an alien race named the Boov have taken over the planet. Humans are being rounded up and send to "reservations" (Florida in the USA, although this is later transferred to Arizona after the Boov decide they like Florida as well), and our protagonist - an 11 year old girl named Gratuity Tucci - sets out from home, driving, to travel to the reservation with her pet cat, Pig. On the way Gratuity (who goes by the nickname 'Tip') picks up a Boov calling himself "J.Lo", and the two begin to bond in true 'road trip movie' fashion: bickering but growing to value one another. The first part of the book is presented as an essay Gratuity is writing for her school about the "true meaning of Smekday", which we gradually learn is the day the Boov arrived on earth, as well as the day that the Boov eventually leave...

Published by Kregel Publications: Grand Rapids, 1999. I quite like a regular structure to my work, and this book is slightly frustrating because it has upset that structure. I would usually put the translator of a book in bold in the article rather than adding them to the title of the page, but Paul L. Maier has done a little more than the average translator, in that he has edited, reduced, clarified, and also written articles to fit between each of Eusebius' original 'books'. So, well done Paul L. Maier, for pushing above the article line. But also, don't do it again (I believe he has in fact done similar things for other ancient authors). To the book itself: The Church History, by Eusebius of Caesarea, is notable for being the first history written about Christianity, and for quoting various early authors whose works have otherwise been entirely lost to history. Being likely completed around 324-326 AD (page 370), the book gives a fascinating early perspective on the ...