Author: Deacon Nick

Convent of the Petit Picpus

Books and Reading / Chapter-a-Day Read-Along

Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along: The Convent

Today is day 127 of the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, which is about a third of the way through the book. For those who are participating, well done. It’s not easy to limit yourself to a few pages a day, especially when you have to leave characters behind for a week or more to read Hugo’s digressions.  If you’re staying with the schedule, then right now you’re in the middle of reading the history of the Convent of the Petit Picpus. Like the chapters on Waterloo, this can be...

maple tree

Homily

A Hulking Monstrosity of a Tree: Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Easter – Year B

This passage in John’s Gospel about the vine and the branches is one of the most beautiful in all the Gospels. Jesus says, “I am the vine, and you are the branches.” It’s a beautiful image of life, growth, and relationship, and it tells us a lot about how much the Father cares for us. Now, I don’t know much about vines or branches or pruning, but Brenda and I do have this huge maple tree in our back yard. It’s a great tree, about thirty years old,...

Books and Reading / Chapter-a-Day Read-Along / Music

Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along: The Les Mis Mix Tape

When I taught Les Misérables to eighth graders, one of my favorite assignments was a final project in which students were to choose contemporary songs to go along with the book. I always loved seeing the connections students made between the novel and popular culture. Inevitably, at least one student would choose Abba’s “Waterloo,” but there were also some very original choices as well. In the early years of the project, students turned their songs in on cassette tapes, but over time they switched to CDs. I wonder, If...

Stars in the Sky

Books and Reading / Chapter-a-Day Read-Along

Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along: No Stars in the Sky

As we enter week 14 of the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, the story moves from the Battle of Waterloo back to the more personal stories of Jean Valjean and Cosette. One of the things I noticed as I read the chapters for this week was Hugo’s continued use of star imagery. Here’s what stood out to me as I was reading: The ship at the center of the action this week is named Orion, not only the hunter of Greek mythology, but also one of the brightest constellations in...

Notes from the Upside Down

Book Review / Books and Reading

Notes from the Upside Down by Guy Adams

If you’re a fan of the Netflix series Stranger Things and you want to know more about what inspired the creators, then you’ll probably like Guy Adams’ Notes from the Upside Down. Adams goes through each episode of the series and discuss the music, TV shows, and movies and that have made their way into the show. While the book does discuss the plot and characters of Stranger Things, it tends to focus more on introducing readers to the late 70s and early 80s sci-fi, fantasy, and horror. I grew up in...

Javert

Books and Reading / Chapter-a-Day Read-Along

Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along: 25 Percent Done

Yesterday, April 1, besides being Easter Sunday, was also the one quarter mark in our Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along, based on the number of chapters read. Congratulations for making it this far, and thanks for staying with the read-along to this point. Here’s what it means to have read the first twenty-five percent of Les Misérables together: Ninety-one chapters read, including: Fourteen chapters on the Bishop of Digne  Nineteen chapters on the Battle of Waterloo Almost one hundred tweets with the #lesmisreadalong hashtag, including: Favorite quotes from each chapter Pictures...

Book Review / Books and Reading

Cries from the Earth by Terry C. Johnston

My wife’s family is from the Camas Prairie, a beautiful region in North Central Idaho that includes communities like Grangeville, Cottonwood, and Winchester. That same area is the setting for Terry C. Johnston’s Cries from the Earth: The Outbreak of the Nez Perce War and the Battle of White Bird Canyon June 17, 1877. I purchased Johnston’s fictionalized account of the beginning of the Nez Perce war mostly because of its setting, and I hoped the history would come alive because of my familiarity with the area. Unfortunately, the...

Waterloo

Books and Reading / Chapter-a-Day Read-Along

Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along: Waterloo and More Waterloo

The rest of the month of March may be the most challenging portion of the entire Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along. After the dramatic end to Volume I, not only does the narrative shift to a completely different scene, but that shift goes on for nineteen chapters. The characters that the reader has become so invested in are seemingly abandoned for a sixty page account of the Battle of Waterloo. And of course, reading only a chapter a day makes this section last even longer. All I can say...

These High Green Hills by Jan Karon

Book Review / Books and Reading

These High, Green Hills by Jan Karon

These High, Green Hills is the third book in Jan Karon’s The Mitford Years series, and I have to admit that I really enjoy these books. I haven’t written about this series before, so rather than review this third book, I will simply say that each of the first three books have the same charm, humor, and uplifting themes. The stories center around Father Tim, pastor of a small Episcopal parish in the fictional village of Mitford, North Carolina. Father Tim is a good man and a good...

Battle of Waterloo

Books and Reading / Chapter-a-Day Read-Along

Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along: Welcome to Volume II – Cosette and Waterloo

If you have been reading one chapter a day in Les Misérables, then congratulations on reaching Volume II today. It’s been over two months since we started, and we have finally finished the first of the book’s five volumes. I hope you have been pleased by what you have read so far of Hugo’s magnum opus. Fantine is behind us, Cosette is before us. But before we get back to our little Lark, Hugo will take us on an extended tour of the battlefield of Waterloo. Prepare yourself to...

Harry Baur as Jean Valjean

Books and Reading / Chapter-a-Day Read-Along / Movies

Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along: Film Comparison

In light of the Academy Awards show last night, this week we take a different look at Les Misérables, comparing several different film versions. Les Misérables has been filmed dozens of times, and rather than give a full review or summary of the difference versions, I am going to simply give you the same scene from six different films and ask you what you think. I’ve chosen arguably the most famous scene in the book, the Bishop’s Candlesticks, and I’ve tried to find as many versions as are available online....