Reading, Polar Bears, and playing in the snow
October 25th, 2007 by Mollie
One of the things Kendall and I love doing is reading out loud to each other. Most nights we crawl into bed and read our book. Actually, Kendall reads and I listen and each of us enjoys every minute of it, until, the moment comes when we can resist the deep pull of sleep no more and go to rest in the world of dreams.
We talk about the characters, discuss what we think is going to happen, get sad when our book is coming to an end, knowing we have to say good-bye, and figure out what book will be just right to read next. If things go well we have a new book lined up so we don’t have to suffer withdrawal from our beloved story time. Perfectly enough, this time around, with a great recommendation from a friend, we were able to have a seamless transition.
After deciding on a book, we start leisurely stopping into used bookstores to see if they have it in stock. This is how we found The Golden Compass at Twice Sold Tales. It is a great story about a strong, little girl named Lyra, her friend Roger, the alluring and evil Mrs. Coulter, the mysterious explorer Lord Asriel, and Iorek Byrnison the intensely loyal, armored Polar Bear and their great adventure in the Wild North.
Now I tell you all this because this morning I saw this on No Impact Man’s blog and it touched what has become an increasingly special spot.
Photographer Norbert Rosing planned to take some sunset photos of a group of sled dogs near Churchill, Manitoba, in northern Canada on the Hudson Bay, when from stage left comes a 1200 pound polar bear.
Images from Tuco
**We are almost done with The Golden Compass and currently have our eye out for a used copy of The Subtle Knife, the second book in the series.
October 25th, 2007 at 6:12 pm
I’ve been reading outloud a lot, but it’s mostly the board books (as in cardboard thick pages) variety.
October 29th, 2007 at 7:53 am
Hey Mols, in the same morning I got your One-Change post and then this email warning about the same book! A lot of times I dismiss the “Christian” protective rants (I really enjoyed Harry Potter, you know?) and I had already been looking forward to picking up a copy of The Golden Compass. Since you’ve already read the book, would you take a look at this http://snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp and let me know what you think?
Looooooove you, Mere
October 29th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
I just finished the first book of the trilogy so I haven’t gotten to a part where they kill God. It definitely has anti-religious parts to it, but it is good story. I wouldn’t let kids read this book, but that isn’t just because of the anti-religious stuff in it. Actually, the main reasons would be because of how gory part of it is and because it is pretty scary at points. (Gobblers who snatch up little kids and then perform experiments on them.–yeah I would never let my kid read that.) But I think it is fine for adults who are able to use their brains and sift through the heavier content of it. It is a fantasy book similar in style to C.S. Lewis and after hearing that Pullman is an atheist it makes sense that the content is what it is. However, I definitely don’t think that it will “shake” my faith.
So, my dear Mere that is what I think of it. It is a fun book that I don’t take too seriously and has done nothing to shape my own Christian views as an adult.
I hope that helps.
much love,
mols
November 13th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
Thanks to your post, Aaron and I started The Giver, by Lois Lowry, a couple nights ago. What a great way to spend time together! We are already fighting about who gets to choose the next one..
November 15th, 2007 at 10:01 am
Izzie!
Oh I am so glad. How is the book? What is it about? It is really one of our favorite things to do together.
mols
December 5th, 2007 at 6:56 am
I LOVE the golden compass trilogy. I think book one and two are better than any of the Harry Potters, but book three (Amber Spyglass?) really gets convoluted, and it’s hard to follow.
Have you read Garth Nix? He’s australian, and his big trilogy is the one that starts with Sabriel. That series is really good also.
March 12th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Good for you for reading the golden compass! I’m eleven and I didn’t think they were confusing at all. I promise, both the books and movie are fantastic… but be prepared for a sad ending!