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Fabourg du Temple Barricade

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

Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along: The Home Stretch

Welcome to the fifth and final Volume of Les Misérables: “Jean Valjean.” Incredibly, this is day 299 of the 365-day Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along. Even though my new job has prevented me from doing much blogging these days, I still plan on doing a wrap-up of the read-along, including some sort of live broadcast of the last chapter, or something similar. If you have an idea for that, leave it in the comments section below or on Twitter with the #lesmisreadalong hashtag. Thank you for keeping up with the...

Jesus and the Rich Young Man by Mironov

Homily

One of the Saddest Stories – Homily for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B

The gospel reading today has got to be one of the saddest stories in the gospels. This is the only story in Mark’s gospel in which a person called by Jesus responds not by following but by going away, by leaving Jesus. And of all the people Jesus calls, this young man seems so promising. First of all, he seeks out Jesus. And he doesn’t just walk up to Jesus, he runs up to Jesus as Jesus is about go on a journey. Jesus is leaving town, and...

Magic Lamp in Sand

Homily

Foolish Wishes – Homily for the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B

There was once a fool who rubbed a magic lamp. The genie materialized and said, “And your third wish?” The fool, who had never seen a genie before, said “Why are you offering me a third wish when I haven’t had a first wish yet?” The genie said, “Oh, but you have. You don’t remember it, of course. Your second wish was to have everything restored exactly as it was before I offered you three wishes.” “In other words, I only get one wish,” said the fool, feeling...

Jesus the Good Shepherd

Homily

The Work of the Shepherd – Homily for the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

Brenda and Sarah and I just got back from a short trip to Leavenworth to visit an old friend of Brenda’s. Just to be clear, that was Leavenworth, the quaint Bavarian village near Wenatchee in Western Washington, not Leavenworth the prison in Kansas. Anyway, while we were there, of course we walked around visiting the different shops, because that’s what you do in Leavenworth. In one of the shops we came across this little plaque that made us laugh. If you have adult children you might relate. It...

excellence of misfortune

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

Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along: The Halfway Point

Congratulations to everyone participating in the Les Misérables Chapter-a-Day Read-along! You’re halfway done! Yesterday marked chapter 183, just over halfway through the 365 chapters of Les Misérables. If you’re on schedule, then you’re in the middle of Volume 3, Book 5, Virtue in Adversity. This is one of my favorite books in the novel because of the way Marius learns from his poverty, and because I think it embodies the core of Hugo’s message. I think if Hugo were to subtitle the book, then Virtue in Adversity would make...

Chandelier Tree 2005

Homily

Are We There Yet? – Homily for the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

First I want to wish a happy Father’s Day to all of my fellow fathers and grandfathers, those here present, and those who can’t be with us today. I wish you a blessed and peaceful weekend. With summer here, I imagine many of you are preparing for one of fatherhood’s greatest responsibilities, the family vacation. One of my favorite fatherly duties is driving the family down the road to some exciting and new vacation spot. Whether it’s a quick trip to Seattle to see the Mariners play, or...

She by H. Rider Haggard

Book Review / Books and Reading

Classics Club #20: She by H. Rider Haggard

She is the landmark fantasy/adventure novel by H. Rider Haggard that has influenced authors like J.R.R. Tolkien, Rudyard Kipling, and George R.R. Martin. It has appeared on lists like Fantasy: The 100 Best Books, Horror: The 100 Best Books, and Classics of Science Fiction. Serialized from 1886 to 1887, She was one of the first “lost world” stories, and laid the foundation for stories featuring characters like Doc Savage and Indiana Jones. In She, Horace Holly narrates the tale of his journey with his adoptive son Leo Vincey to the heart...

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...