Favorite Reads for February 11th

Articles

The Saving Power of Story on Memoria Press
One of the things I think is important in life is purpose. We need to understand not just our purpose in life, but the purpose behind what we do everyday, behind even our hobbies and the things we do for fun. This is a good reminder from Memoria Press of what one of the purposes behind stories is.

Derrida vs. the rationalists on The New Humanist
  In my opinion, Derrida and Deconstructionism is to blame not only for the decline in reading which is so often bemoaned but also for a plethora of other ills that plague our attempts to discover, transmit, and build on truth and wisdom. This article does a good job of laying out how Deconstructionism began and how it functions. The author believes that deconstruction has a lot to teach us about the human condition, and lays out some of those points in a clear manner. I disagree with almost all of his conclusions, but the article is well written and lays out the argument very well. I think it is important to read things we disagree with, not only to understand opposing view points, but to understand the things that matter to them, the questions they are asking, and the assumptions they are making. Too often our apologetics answer questions nobody is asking, and assumes things people began questioning decades ago.
I write a little bit on deconstructionism at some point if there is any interest. I think it is incredibly important, especially for writers, to understand and argue against it because of the pivotal role it has played in how reading is approached and taught in the last century.

Posts

What Is Deep POV And Why Is It Important by Tessa Emily Hall
Deep POV is one of the defining aspects of great story tell and something I'm struggling to master myself. This post is a good introduction to it and an explanation of how it works. I think Rosemary Sutcliff is one of the best at utilizing this technique, pulling you into her stories and creating a rich sense of atmosphere.

Also...
My friend Abygaile Claire just published her first book! Martin Hospitality is now available on Amazon. Check out Abi's blog The Left-Handed Typist for more information on her book, and a peek at what she has coming up next. Also, look for an interview I did with Abi to be post here in the next week.

Favorite Reads this Week

Interesting Article

What Should We Do With The Violence In The Iliad On The Circe Institue
This is one that I'm going to have to re-read several times. Bret Saunders looks at the colossal violence in the Iliad and the way that Homer presents it in contrast to the peaceful life that Troy could have enjoyed. It has often been noted situational irony that Homer employs to frame the war, such as Diomedes and Glaucos exchanging armor in an echo of the lopsided trade that Troy has made for Helen, but I am intrigued by Saunder's description of the three types of similes Homer uses to highlight the tragic dichotomy. I may revisit this later on one day (the Iliad is one of my favorite poems), but it is an excellent read. I would be very interested to hear thoughts from you all on Saunder's piece and the Iliad in general.

Favorite Blog Posts

How To Find Time To Read More On Paper Fury
A quick and humorous take on how we can be more intentional about spending time reading. It is easy to get caught up in the fun and ease of social media, movies, and video games. If we want to read, we've got to be intentional about it.

Christ Is Write
So this isn't a blog post, but a blog in it's entirety that I stumbled across this week and have been reading through. Lots of very interesting stuff, especially for those interested in writing. I highly recommend that you look it over. Tessa Hall is currently in the midst of a series on navigating the publishing industry that looks very thorough and helpful.

and finally...
The Martin Hospitality Cover Reveal on The Left-Handed Typist
My friend Abigayle has just released the cover for her upcoming novel Martin Hospitality, which will be available February 4th! I'm really excited about this, as Abigayle has not only been kind enough to let me pick her brain about a cornucopia of subjects and her experiences in writing this novel, but has been willing to let me share some of her insights her. Next week, I'll be doing an author spotlight with Abigayle to talk in depth about her experience getting published and the process that went into her book.


I'm still putting the finishing touches on the next Tolkien article, and will hopefully have it up tomorrow. The more I dig and try to understand Tolkien, the more complexity and nuance I find. Hope you all have had a wonderful week and are ready for a restful/productive weekend. Let me know what you read this week that you enjoyed and found helpful!