August 2023 Recommended Reading and Viewing

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

Now comes August - only four more months left to go in the year! I've tried to work on getting more reading done lately, as well as enjoying the outside more. That said, I definitely have something that didn't take too much thought, and I hope you find it just as enjoyable.


Reading: The Pilgrim's Progress (1678/1684) by John Bunyan

The classic allegory by a simple Bedford pastor and tinkerer is an important book in its own right, because, aside from being one of the best known works of Christian fiction, it's a precursor to - if not an actual candidate for - the first English novel, has never been out of print, and has been cited as an influence by several noted authors. While rather didactic and perhaps not entirely theologically accurate (being of a narrow English Puritan persuasion), it's still a delight to read especially in its original diction, being a travel narrative that has captured the attention of both adults and children for generations.

Trade: https://www.amazon.com/Pilgrims-Progress-Penguin-Classics/dp/0141439718/
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Pilgrims-Progress-Penguin-Classics-ebook/dp/B002ZJSV64/



Viewing: Dead Poets Society (Peter Weir, 1989)

Beginning in his native Australia, Peter Weir broke into American cinema in the mid-80's, and this is a highlight of that effort. Set thirty years before the screen date in a Vermont boarding school, the film is an inspirational piece concerning how the students of the English class are encouraged to "seize the day" by their unorthodox teacher, John Keating (Robin Williams), whose sometimes madcap methods clash with both the board of educators and some of the parents; one student in particular (Robert Sean Leonard) is driven to take up acting instead of medicine, which will later lead to both triumph and tragedy. It's been a favorite of mine since I first saw it in high school, and I hope that you get the same enjoyment out of it.

DVD: https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Poets-Society-Robin-Williams/dp/6305144168/
Blu-Ray: https://www.amazon.com/Poets-Society-Blu-ray-Robin-Williams/dp/B005TBQS3I/
Amazon Video: https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Poets-Society-Robin-Williams/dp/B0BZL887B5/


So there's your August itinerary. I hope you find yourself with plenty to do!