Spells, witches, wizards and castles are all the telltale signs of a fantasy novel.
Diana Wynne Jones has all of these in “Howl’s Moving Castle.”
This was the Literati’s book of the month and it was a relaxing read. The Literati is Brophy’s book club and about every month a book is chosen to read and discuss.
“Watership Down” is a book that is a bit unorthodox in subject matter but one everyone should read.
The novel by Richard Adams is written from the eyes of rabbits.
It is a story of adventure and suspense and it keeps you on your feet and wanting to read more. “Watership Down” was the November selection for Literati, Brophy’s student book club.
I’m not going to pretend I was greatly enthused at the prospect of reading “The Shack.”
I’d heard of it before it was assigned as summer reading for all seniors as a precursor to their Senior Synthesis class, and it seemed like the sort of hokey self-help book I despise.
Before I started reading, I found myself scoffing at the seemingly contrived plot and the rather blunt religious message.
In William P. Young’s “The Shack,” a man, Mack, struggling with his faith in the aftermath of a tragic personal loss meets God in a deserted mountain shack.
The book is billed as potentially having the same effect on our generation John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress” had on his, and is a New York Times best seller, with over 2 million copies in print.
The Brophy Religious Studies Department chose to use the book in Senior Synthesis classes because “it raises themes and questions about suffering and forgiveness, and relationships with God and between human beings,” said department Chairman Mr. Jimmy Tricco ’99. “The number one reason we picked ‘The Shack’ was to provide an opportunity to reflect on experiences of God.”