A Christian Guide to the Classics by Leland Ryken

Dana says: This is a great little intro to reading the classics as a Christian. I am extremely grateful for Leland Ryken who has authored a number of books on the topic of literature from a professional (he was a Professor of English for more than 45 years) and Christian perspective. This book addresses a number of fundamental questions and ideas such as misconceptions about classics, what is a classic, why should we read the classics, how not read a classic, how to read a classic, what is a Christian classic, what is a secular classic, and speaks about the greatest classic of them all: the Bible. Ryken's passion for the classics and the importance of reading them is contagious. My only complaint is I wish the book would have been longer!

The Well Educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer

Dana says: This is the first book I have ever read from Susan Wise Bauer who seems to be a very accomplished super woman of sorts. This book is about applying the methods of classical education to reading, in particular ways in particular genres. This book had me at page one and held me throughout. Wise Bauer is an excellent writer and teacher and I devoured and enjoyed all that she teaches about reading in this book. In part one she talks about classical education, the art of reading, and keeping a reading journal. Part two is dedicated specifically to the reading of novels, autobiography, history, drama, and poetry with an appropriate annotated reading list in each chapter. I learned so much in this book and especially enjoyed the short histories she gave on each genre. I also came away feeling confident to try some works I have previously assumed too hard for me to read. If you love to read, love to read about reading, and want to become a better reader overall this book is a must!

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (1937)

Dana says: First book of the year for Ladies Book Club in 2016! This particular Steinbeck book was thrown in the suggestion box which is how I came to choose it. 

I find myself with similar feelings as I had about about East of Eden (which we started the book club last year with- maybe starting each year with Steinbeck will be a tradition?). I didn't hate Of Mice and Men as much I hated East of Eden but it is not an enjoyable story either. That being said I do have to admit that though I had a hunch last year I have now become convinced that Steinbeck is a must read author for me. Even though I do not enjoy most of his content, I am blown away by his form. Steinbeck is a masterful writer. His characters are some of the most realistic characters I have ever read in fiction and his descriptions of the settings where the stories take place are also very well done, placing the reader right in the setting- I swear I can feel the air of the Salinas Valley on my skin when I read him! But his content is hard because it is dark and without hope. There is no redemption. This is his weakness or at least it is in my eyes. One last thing to say is that I was surprised to find that the strengths of Steinbeck's writing are just as evident in a little novella such as Mice and Men as they are in the sprawling epic of East of Eden. Impressive.

The Gambler - Fyodor Dostoevsky

A friend of mine said that as Dickens has mastery over describing a scene, so Dostoevsky can describe the human soul. It seems that is no more self-evident than in The Gambler. It is a tale of addiction told through the lens of an addict.

Alexey is an intelligent man with good employment and a passionate love for Polina, yet a trip to the local casino overwhelms it all. He identifies 2 types of gamblers, those who gamble as a form of entertainment and those driven by unabashed covetousness. He of course misses the 3rd type, the "gambler" who is addicted to the dizzying effect of adrenaline, the rush of winning. Though the stacks of gold on the table add all the more to the excitement of the event he could just as well walk out the door and cast it all to the wind. The real drive is a sort of hypnotism created by the spinning roulette wheel in which all other passion fades away.

In true Russian fashion, Dostoevsky leaves the story and the character with a choice, but it seems if there isn't really a choice at all, that the outcome is "something fated, inevitable, predestined - as something bound to be, and bound to happen." Alexey isn't someone we want him to be, he is someone we identify with and that's what devastates the reader.