Tag Archives: J.K. Rowling

The Other Reasons I Became a C.S. Lewis Scholar

An intriguing, fun, and occasionally perverse part of being a scholar in areas where there is a lively fandom is that I am often asked to tell my “encounter” story. This can be a bit strange in that in the … Continue reading

Posted in Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

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

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

Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi, Owen Barfield, Language, Childlike Faith, Joy, and the Inklings

I have just begun reading Susanna Clarke’s weighty novel, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. I mean “weighty” in the literal, physical sense: I am finding this 1,000-page wonder, a book I did not believe could be written in this century, … Continue reading

Posted in News & Links, Reflections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 43 Comments

2020: My Year in Books: The Infographic

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)

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 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 27 Comments