Sophie's World

 Sophie's World ~ A novel about the history of philosophy

Author Jostein Gaarder

ISBN: 978-0-374-53071-6

Hi Everyone

I am left amazed with the information this books carries inside.  I was taken on journey through the history of philosophy from the great Myths to the most recent of days.  I was continually amazed at what I was reading.  I have always enjoyed educational philosophy but cannot say that I have delved deeply into all the philosophers that Jostein Gaardern has presented me with now. I read with a notebook beside me, jotting down all that I wanted to look deeper into.  The great minds of the past are interesting, they are people who dared to think!  Even more so they dared to speak and write their philosophical ideas to the rest of the world. 

Here is a list of some of the chapters....

• Myths
• Democritus
• Fate - The fortune-teller
• Socrates
• Athens
• Plato
• Aristotle
• Hellenism
• The Middle Ages
• The renaissance
• The Baroque
• Descartes
• Spinoza
• Locke
• Hume
• Berkeley
• The Enlightenment
• Kant
• Romanticism
• Hegel
• Kierkegaard
• Marx
• Darwin
• Freud
• The Big Bang

See!  A history lesson right inside a 'living book'!

Then to add to the joy of reading about all these philosophies you are given a novel about Sophie, and Hilde comes to the mystery too.  Who is Hilde? When you find out you will be questioning who is Sophie.  Quite a twist, to say the least 💁

I have only one comment to add. I was expecting more from the ending. I had all these great ideas about how the story was going to end but not the one that it ended on.  None the less, I would read it again just for the historical commentary that I journeyed through in reading it.

Description:

A page-turning novel that is also an exploration of the great philosophical concepts of Western thought, Sophie's World has fired the imagination of readers all over the world, with more than twenty million copies in print.

One day fourteen-year-old Sophie Amundsen comes home from school to find in her mailbox two notes, with one question on each: Who are you? and Where does the world come from? From that irresistible beginning, Sophie becomes obsessed with questions that take her far beyond what she knows of her Norwegian village. Through those letters, she enrols in a kind of correspondence course, covering Socrates to Sartre, with a mysterious philosopher, while receiving letters addressed to another girl. Who is Hilde? And why does her mail keep turning up? To unravel this riddle, Sophie must use the philosophy she is learning--but the truth turns out to be far more complicated than she could have imagined.

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Animal Farm

 George Orwell

ISBN: 978-1-78599-623-8

Hi Everyone

In just 96 pages George Orwell packs a punch not only at political influences of his time but at people and human nature. I am going to give you the historical information taken from the Benet's Readers Encyclopedia first, so that I respect the writing of George Orwell. Then I am going to give you some of the things that made me stop and think.  They aren't political findings - I'm here to encourage you to read and think, not give views religiously or politically.  This made me think more about how we as individuals do similar things to each other.

So anyway.... First.... Benet's will inform us:

Orewell, George (Pen name of Eric Arthur Blair, 1903-1950). English Novelist, essayist, and critic. An independent socialist in adult life, Orwell was born in India, where his father was in the civil service. He won a scholarship to Eton but was financially unable to go on to Oxford or Cambridge. Instead he spent five years with the Imperial Police in Burma (1922-27) Much of his early work was at least partly autobiographical. ... After that point, Orwell said that all his writings, both fictional and essays, were directed against totalitarianism in all forms. This commitment is manifested in his two best-known novel, ANIMAL FARM and 1984.   Taken from: "Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia, A Completely Revised and Updated Edition of the Classic Encyclopedia of World Literature. 4th Edition. Harper Collins Publishers. pg762"

Now to my thoughts....

Beyond the historical influences.

We start with a little farm.  I thought it reminded me of the movie 'Barnyard'.  The animals held their meetings and had plenty to say about the farmer. It seemed like a normal sort of farm apart from talking animals.

The animals wanted better.  Sounds like most human beings.  A "the grass is always greener on the other side scenario.

Then we start to see the animals as they truly are. They think they are better, well some do and some are just following the crowd. They actually had a point. 

We all have a point. Our side of the argument. But is it always right? To the individual, most likely yes.

Let's take our ideas now to social media.

Let's make everyone believe our side.  After all we can look pretty good on social media.  We can tell our side of anything.  We can look any way we want.  

Now back to the animals. They managed to drag down animals that weren't even there; that couldn't have done what was accused. But everyone believed what they wanted to believe.

Now back to us. 

Are you getting idea?

We can be as uplifting or as nasty as we like out there.  There are options that were not available in the 1940's, to show what we think and feel about anything. Even things we know nothing about. This story has so many talking points beyond the political. It shows us how one thing leads to the next and how how everything is effecting more than the individual.

Maybe we should all take a minute to little look at our own little world. Maybe even our little 'bubbles' and see just how much we are effecting or influencing each other. Is it for own good or everyone's? Sometimes our intentions are good.  I am sure the animals started off with good intentions. Just ensure that 'power' doesn't over take.... I don't know.... ?  

I hope you can see that this is a classic that has been reading material in many class rooms over the past decades. We can still ask questions and they can be more than political. We can ask questions of ourselves and how we do life in the 21 century and how we are treating those closest to us.

Description:

'All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.'

Revolution is in the air at Manor Farm after of Major, a prize boar, tells the other animals about his dream of freedom and teaches them to sing 'Beasts of England' Mr Jones, the drunken farmer, is deposed and a committee of pigs takes over the running of the farm. The animals are taught to read and write, but the dream turns sour, the puges begin and those in charge come more and more to resemble their oppressors.

Orwell's allegory of the Soviet revolution remains as lucid and compelling as ever. In beautifully clear prose, he gives us a vivid gallery of characters and a fable that conveys the truth about how we are manipulated through language and the impossibility of finding heaven on earth.

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The Great Library Series

Author: Rachel Caine

ISBN: 0749024577

Hi Everyone

The Great Library series, fantastic!

I often avoid trilogies because I get to the third book, find myself side tracked by another 'want to read', and forget to go back to the trilogy. By the time I get back to the third book, I need to re-read the first one, hence I know this about myself and I avoid the problem.  

Not the case with this series! I devoured all five of the books.  I longed for the next book in the series to be returned to the library so I could have it in my hands. I flicked from page to page as though I was one of the characters needing read on just to save  lives and the world. The plot was a climatic page turner and every avenue that could have been turned was turned. Each book continued the plot with ease but remained unique to the previous one, making my need to continue even more necessary.

I could ramble about this series for hours! Honestly! Ask anyone that met me for a coffee or visited while I was taking my journey through these pages. They will tell you the whole story line - without having read a page 😄 

So does this series come with my recommendation?  You guessed it.... of course it does!

If you want to know a little more about these, rachelcaine.com has done a brilliant job of highlighting her series, including trailers.  Well worth taking a look at her site. I will give you the descriptions of each book, and then you can do the rest of the work by exploring the world of The Great Library that lies, awaiting you, in each book.

Ink and Bone

Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library of Alexandria is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly--but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden. Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family. Jess has been sent to be his family's spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library's service. When his friend inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe knowledge is more valuable than any human life--and soon both heretics and books will burn..."

Paper and Fire

In Ink and Bone, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine introduced a world where knowledge is power, and power corrupts absolutely. Now she continues the story of those who dare to defy the Great Library--and rewrite history ... With an iron fist, the Great Library controls the knowledge of the world, ruthlessly stamping out all rebellion and in the name of the greater good forbidding the personal ownership of books. Jess Brightwell has survived his introduction to the sinister, seductive world of the Library, but serving in its army is nothing like what he envisioned. His life and the lives of those he cares for have been altered forever. His best friend is lost, and Morgan, the girl he loves, is locked away in the Iron Tower, doomed to a life apart from everything she knows. Embarking on a mission to save one of their own, Jess and his band of allies make one wrong move and suddenly find themselves hunted by the Library's deadly automata and forced to flee Alexandria, all the way to London. But Jess's home isn't safe anymore. The Welsh army is coming, London is burning, and soon Jess must choose between his friends, his family, and the Library, which is willing to sacrifice anything and anyone in the search for ultimate control

Ash and Quill

Held prisoner by the Burner forces in Philadelphia, Jess and his friends struggle to stay alive in the face of threats from both sides ...but a stunning escape guarantees worse is coming. The Library now means to stop them by any means necessary, and they'll have to make dangerous allies and difficult choices to stay alive. They have only two choices: face the might of the Great Library head on, or be erased from life, and the history of the world, for ever.

Smoke and Iron

 

The opening moves of a deadly game have begun. Jess Brightwell has put himself in direct peril, with only his wits and skill to aid him in a game of cat and mouse with the Archivist Magister of the Great Library. With the world catching fire, and words printed on paper the spark that lights rebellion, it falls to smugglers, thieves, and scholars to save a library thousands of years in the making... if they can stay alive long enough to outwit their enemies.

Sword and Pen

The corrupt leadership of the Great Library has fallen. But with the Archivist plotting his return to power, and the Library under siege from outside empires and kingdoms, its future is uncertain. Jess Brightwell and his friends must come together as never before, to forge a new future for the Great Library...or see everything it stood for crumble.

This was available from: Book Depository

Descriptions taken from: Invercargill City Libraries and Archives (ilibrary.co.nz)

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Girls Made of Snow and Glass

 Author: Melissa Bashardoust

Read by: Jennifer Ikeda

Hi Everyone

I am finally addicted to the world of audio books.  It has taken me long time to learn how to simply listen to the words penetrating my mind via my ears, rather than the busy talk going on in my own mind.  I still love to sit down with a book in my hand, but I now see a place in my world for audio books.  I am constantly surprised at how much I can achieve while listening to one.  I find it a release from the chores needing done; I find it a joy when I go for a walk; I enjoy listening to someone else's voice telling me a story.  I have become a better listener to the people around me because I have learnt to listen rather than think about how to answer or give my point of view.  In the days that we are living right now, I think it is important to listen to each other and it is just as important to be able to quieten our own thoughts for just a little while. Audio books are a great way to do so.

The good thing about audio books is that they are click away and free when you connect to the library via 'Libby' or 'Borrow box'.  You can also access free audio books from 'Librivox'. We have a library of audio books right at fingers so we can learn to listen.  We expect our children to listen to the people around them but as adults I think it easy to lose the art.  I remember clearly, listening to read-alouds at school and now I find the same pleasure in hearing a good story.

Anyway.... to Girls Made of Snow and Glass

Brilliantly read! I was enticed by Jennifer Ikeda's clarity and voice.

The story line was awesome! Definitely different! And the plot evolved at a continual pace which kept me wanting to know what came next. As I write this I find it really hard to explain my thoughts without adding in 'spoilers'. So, I guess you need to take my word for it and read or listen to a copy.  

I have to add in that I enjoyed Nina (step mother) and Lynet. They both carried their own burdens to the degree that I found them quite similar.  I friended both of them as I listened to their stories.  My heart reached out as I discovered their inner needs that aren't that much different to all of ours.  They may have been characters playing their part in a plot, but they had a lot to teach us, especially if you listen to their hearts. Again, if say much more I will need to add in 'spoilers'!

It's like listening to fairy-tales as a child, then listening to one now that I am grown-up.  Young adult books are fabulous for enabling us to continue evolving our imaginations. That's the only way I can explain this book and the experience I got from listening to it while I worked my way though my adult chores.

Description:

At sixteen, Mina's mother is dead, her magician father is vicious, and her silent heart has never beat with love for anyone - has never beat at all, in fact, but she'd always thought that fact normal. She never guessed that her father cut out her heart and replaced it with one of glass. When she moves to Whitespring Castle and sees its king for the first time, Mina forms a plan: win the king's heart with her beauty, become queen, and finally know love. The only catch is that she'll have to become a stepmother.

Fifteen-year-old Lynet looks just like her late mother, and one day she discovers why: a magician created her out of snow in the dead queen's image, at her father's order. But despite being the dead queen made flesh, Lynet would rather be like her fierce and regal stepmother, Mina. She gets her wish when her father makes Lynet queen of the southern territories, displacing Mina. Now Mina is starting to look at Lynet with something like hatred, and Lynet must decide what to do - and who to be - to win back the only mother she's ever known...or else defeat her once and for all.

Entwining the stories of both Lynet and Mina in the past and present, Girls Made of Snow and Glass traces the relationship of two young women doomed to be rivals from the start. Only one can win all, while the other must lose everything-unless both can find a way to reshape themselves and their story.

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