Books Lately, March 2023

March was a most interesting month. Sometime soon I will tell you all about it! But for now, let's talk a few minutes about teenagers. 

Ahem.

Parenting teenagers has been a most intriguing experience, and I won't say I've done a stellar job so far. It's been more like "muddling." We have experienced far more - both good and bad - than I ever expected, and it's been an adventure in prayer. It's also been an adventure in intense marital conversation, as my husband and I meet time after time to discuss, "Okay, what should we do about such-and-such?"

One challenging area (out of many!) has been dealing with the coming spectre of what-to-do-after-high-school. 

For my parents and me - and, I think, my generation as a whole - it was easy. In fact, it was a conversation that didn't happen, because the question wasn't asked. The answer was college. There was never a question of IF I was attending college; it was simply a matter of choosing which college to attend. While I no longer accept that as the sacred cow that it once was, it did present a very simple pathway for the future. 

Nowadays, it's not so easy. There are many more options, and college no longer has the rosy promises that it once had anyway - being that the market is saturated with college graduates, and many colleges (most?) have now turned into indoctrination camps. (Which is what my college was, too, though I was too naïve to realize it until years later.)

All that being the case, our current eldest teen has no interest in college anyway, so that question of "what next?" is a daunting one.

Have any of you out there dealt with this issue? 

Parenting teens is not for the faint-of-heart. (Or rather, it will turn the faint-of-heart into warriors, because that's the only option for not dying in the process.) I am already waiting for the day when our teen is grown and married with teenage children of his own, so that I can sit back and say, "HA!" (Is planning retribution that far in advance wrong?)

And with that, let's move on to the books from this past month!

 

After the Natural Law: How the Classical Worldview Supports Our Modern Moral and Political Values (John Lawrence Hill) - Oh, boy - this was GOOD. Short summary: Beginning with Thomistic philosophy from Medieval ages, the author works through worldview philosophy (materialism, determinism, etc.) to the present day. This is a great primer for those looking to study historical philosophy, and also a great work to begin understanding our present chaotic position in the post-Christian West. Challenging reading, but extremely well-written and highly rewarding. 

If you're interested in more "how did we get into this mess?" books, try one of my favorites - Carl Trueman's "The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution."

Lord of the World (Benson) - This book blew me away. Written in 1907, it is a fictional vision of the end of the world according to the Christian vision of the rise of the antichrist and world totalitarian government. The two main character sets are (1) a Catholic priest, and (2) the family of a man who eventually becomes a member of the antichrist's inner circle. 

Being that the book was written well over a hundred years ago, it was interesting firstly to see what prophetic elements the author got right and wrong. For example, he rightly foresaw the decline of the Christian religion and the rise of both government control and secular humanism, as well as the widespread use of euthanasia, but did not foresee the breakdown of the family and the rise of the sexual revolution and critical theory. (In 1907, only the most prescient thinkers saw anything along those lines coming.) But this fellow was very clear-thinking, and he got a lot of things right.

This book was incredibly, incredibly dark - another surprise from a vintage book. I actually took the technique of speed-reading through parts of it to make it to the end of the book, as I was determined to finish it and find out the ending. Part of that is that is from my having spent considerable time stressing over is-this-the-end-of-the-world issues stemming from the COVID shut-downs over the past three years (government overreach and totalitarian control, population tracking, closed borders, vaccine passports, etc.), and so some of the material felt uncomfortably close to home. 

My own introduction to end-times literature came in college, when I heard a mention of a certain popular rapture-based end-times book series. Having been raised in a liberal church that did not preach any end-times theology, I had never heard of eschatology in any form, and I devoured the series. While I appreciate that series, and the role it played in my spiritual growth, "Lord of the World" is much, much better. If you can take dark literature, I highly recommend this book. It's a winner. 

Back to Virtue (Peter Kreeft) – I have heard Peter Kreeft called "this generation's C.S. Lewis," and I thoroughly concur in this view. Every one of his books that I have read has been a gem - and this book is no exception. In "Back to Virtue," Peter Kreeft writes in detail Christian virtue - both virtue as an ethical system in itself, and about particular virtues (and their respective vices). Highly recommended.

Symbol or Substance? A Dialogue on the Eucharist with C. S. Lewis, Billy Graham, and J.R.R. Tolkien (Peter Kreeft) - I have been doing a lot of reading on the Eucharist lately, and this book is a gem. Written as a fictional dialogue between three famous theological characters of the twentieth century, the book debates the three major views of the Eucharist, including J. R. R. Tolkien (Roman Catholic = transubstantiation), C. S. Lewis (Anglican = Real Presence), and Billy Graham (Baptist = memorialist). Many other related topics are also debated and discussed. Masterfully drawn, and a very enjoyable read. 

And a few recipes...

Easy Fluffy Homemade Waffles - We enjoyed these very much! As a side note, I love Lindsay's videos, which are top-notch (most are about cakes and cake decorating), and her frosting tutorial is my go-to review video almost every time I make a birthday cake (which, with ten people around here, is pretty often). 

Roasted White Sweet Potatoes - I was wondering what on earth to do with these queer-looking sweet potatoes, but after trying this recipe, I am in love. Try it - you'll love it. 

Roasted Broccoli and Mushrooms - Farewell, steamed broccoli! It's been fun! (But not that fun.) Broccoli is sooo much better roasted, and the combination with mushrooms was delicious. I'm pretty much finding out that any vegetable is better off roasted than steamed. There were no leftovers. 

Dairy-Free Cream Puff Filling - I used the filling part of the recipe from this site (not the puffs themselves, as I didn't have rice flour on hand). Oddly enough, it turned out well (I was expecting the cream to smell/taste nauseatingly of coconut, as most coconut-milk recipe products do, but it didn't. It was delicious!) This would make a lovely dairy-free vanilla pudding. (I reduced the sugar to 1/3 cup.)

As for the pies this month...

Um, they didn't happen. I think I've fallen off the bandwagon. 

But anyway....

Happy Holy Week and Happy Easter, dear friends! I'll see you next month!