Tag Archives: Harry Potter

The Sloo/Slow/Sluff of Despond: Today’s Word of the Day and a Spiritual Truth in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Brenton Dickieson

Today’s word of the day arrives as I am rereading John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress: I do not always find the Word of the Day terribly enlightening, in part because Merriam-Webster only gives a brief etymology. And it is the stories … Continue reading →

Posted in Fictional Worlds, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

2021: My Year in Books: The Infographic

Posted on December 31, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

Happy New Year Eve everyone! I will have some fun putting together the “nerd data” in an upcoming post–including more charts! Gotta have charts. And behind every chart is a great spreadsheet! Stay tuned for 01/10/22. Meanwhile, I wanted to … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Thing about Riding Centaurs: A Note on Narnia, Harry Potter, Madeline Miller’s Song of Achilles, and the Black Stallion

Posted on July 27, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

As a child reading in a bed surrounded by acres of horse-less fields, I was completely taken up by the Black Stallion series by Walter Farley. Marooned survivors of a shipwreck, city kid Alec Ramsay befriends an untameable stallion, whom he … Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughtful Essays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 38 Comments

A Conversation about Mary Doria Russell’s The Sparrow with Michael Boyce (Geek4 Podcast) and Emily Strand (Potterversity Podcast)

Posted on June 11, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

I recently had a chance to sit down with a couple of thoughtful and funny folks to talk about a book that was entirely absent from my bookshelf. Emily Strand is an artist, Roman Catholic liturgist, and American educator, well … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Thieves of Time and Waking Wonder: Writing as Discovery and the Stone-Carver’s Art

Posted on March 13, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

After weeks of too little sleep, I have had two terrible half-nights awake. These torturous midnight hours of hazy, half-insomniac puzzles and quandaries and obsessions, the darkness that infuses weariness into the bone-soul of life… I would purchase a single … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Share with Me a Woman’s Voice on Shakespeare, with Thoughts on The Merchant of Venice

Posted on February 9, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

Yes, I know, it is kind of a strange request: Share with Me a Woman’s Voice on Shakespeare. Moreover, it is one that I cannot necessarily follow up on fully. But let me explain. The other day, I finished up … Continue reading →

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Texmoot 2021 Call for Papers and Conversations (Feb 13th, 2021)

Posted on January 15, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

One advantage of our online environment is that we now have some options for attending conferences that we would otherwise miss. On Feb 6th, for example, is the free Urbana Theological Seminary online Tolkien conference, with guest speakers Carlie W. … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

2020: A Year of Reading: The Nerd Bit, with Charts

Posted on January 13, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

“No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond.”~ C.S. Lewis “On Stories” 2020 was my first full year … Continue reading →

Posted in Original Research, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

2020: My Year in Books: The Infographic

Posted on January 7, 2021 by Brenton Dickieson

Happy New Year everyone! I will have some fun putting together the data in an upcoming post, including some new charts. I love charts. Meanwhile, I wanted to share the Goodreads “My Year in Books” infographic. I’m pleased to say … Continue reading →

Posted in News & Links | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Tolkien’s “I am in fact a Hobbit (in all but size)” in Context: A Note on Books and Their Authors (#hobbitday)

Posted on September 22, 2020 by Brenton Dickieson

I don’t know that there is any more famous J.R.R. Tolkien quote than his claim to, in fact, be a hobbit. It’s really quite a delightful statement and worth quoting more fully: I am in fact a Hobbit (in all … Continue reading →

Posted in Memorable Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 25 Comments