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JSchaaf
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I've never read any C.S. Lewis. Not even the Narnia books.
With the movie now out, I thought about starting with The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Two questions:
Is this the book to start the series with?
Would it be a good read aloud for my family? My girls are 6, 5, and 3 and are interested, now that Happy Meal toys are figures from the movie.
Ok-one more question-what other C.S.Lewis books should I read?
Jennifer
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MacBeth
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Yes, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is the book to begin with.
For you...How about The Screwtape Letters for fiction, and Mere Christianity for non-fiction?
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MacBeth in NY
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Leonie
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My 14 year old ( Alexander) just finished Mere Christianity for his Advent reading. Our discussion reminded me of why I like this book - clear and well written and interesting to boot!
My all time favourite Lewis books are the Perelandra/Out of the Silent Planet trilogy - fantasy/science fiction for adults and older kids.
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Leonie in Sydney
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MacBeth
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Leonie wrote:
| My all time favourite Lewis books are the Perelandra/Out of the Silent Planet trilogy - fantasy/science fiction for adults and older kids. |
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Mine too. I wonder what one would think if these were the first exposure to Lewis?
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MacBeth in NY
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Elizabeth
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JSchaaf wrote:
| I've never read any C.S. Lewis. Not even the Narnia books. |
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Lucky you! What an absolute feast you have ahead of you!
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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JSchaaf
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Just wait till you hear the next one..
No Jane Austen or G.K. Chesterton, either. Or Wodehouse. And no Bronte, unless you count a forced march through Wuthering Heights in high school. Ok, now that I'm ready to fully disclose things-no Dickens. No Hawthorne, just the really bad Demi Moore movie. Really, not much classic literature at all. Lest you think I'm a complete idiot-I did graduate 4th in my high school class (not a ringing endorsement of a public school education, eh?) and have a master's degree.
I'm so ashamed...  Do I even deserve to be homeschooling my children?? (Don't answer that...)
Jennifer
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JSchaaf
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What I wanted to say-anyone want to put together a reading list for me using all the authors above (and ones of your own choosing?) I would appreciate it.
Jennifer
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MacBeth
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Oh, Jennifer! You have such a wonderful opportunity to visit these authors for the first time, without any forced march, and you'll have all the best discussions with your kids. The family is the best place to discover great literature.
True confessions from me--I had never read E. Nesbit as a child, and only happened upon Five Children and It in the library, thanks to the good folks at Blackstone Audio. I have now read everything she wrote, and my kids get all the private Nesbit jokes between us.
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MacBeth in NY
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Cheryl
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Jennifer,
I haven't read any Lewis or Austin either. And who are Chesterton and Wodehouse? I suggested a few weeks ago(to my ds 7) that we read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe after Christmas. Today he actually asked me when we were going to start reading it and I said next week. I wasn't sure if it was appropriate for his age, but after reading these posts, it sounds like it will be.
My husband and I have given up fast food. (3 1/2 weeks so far!!!!) I guess we'll have to miss out on those Happy Meal toys.
I recently started doing my planning for the year (Franklin Covey style) and one of my goals is to read classic literature. I bought Pride and Prejudice to kick off the new year with. I read far too many organization/parenting/homeschooling books and I feel it's time to just relax and enjoy some great literature.
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Cheryl
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Natalia
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Jennifer,
Maybe you should check out The Well Educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer. She is the author of The Well Trained Mind. The book is writen with Classical Education in mind but it has wonderful reading lists and questions.
the well educated mind
There is a lot of English and American Classical literature that I have never read. I am looking foward to the time when I would be able to do that.
Natalia
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momwise
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JSchaaf wrote:
Just wait till you hear the next one..
No Jane Austen or G.K. Chesterton, either. Or Wodehouse. And no Bronte, unless you count a forced march through Wuthering Heights in high school. Ok, now that I'm ready to fully disclose things-no Dickens. No Hawthorne, just the really bad Demi Moore movie. |
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Jennifer,
I haven't read most of these authors either. I read a Hawthorne story with dd for school and I didn't care for him. I have read Dickens and I love him, so a timely suggestion would be to read a Christmas Carol for your own enjoyment. I agree with the suggestion above to read The Well Educated Mind. There is a great book called Honey for a Woman's Heart by Gladys Hunt, the author of Honey for a Child's Heart. Just skip over most of the Spirituality section because it's all protestant authors (there may have been a Catholic or two but it's been to long to remember) and you'll find great book recommendations throughout the rest of the book.
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Gwen...wife for 30 years, mom of 7, grandma of 3.....
"If you want equal justice for all and true freedom and lasting peace, then America, defend life." JPII
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Jen L.
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I definitely second this great book (and the children's one too.) There is also a good reading list for all ages in A Landscape With Dragons.
I too have not read all the books that I should or that I want to, but I will say that it is always much more pleasurable than when being forced to back in school.
Have fun!
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Jen
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"...the best state in which to glorify God is our actual state; the best grace is that of the moment..." St. Peter Eymard
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Jen L.
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P.S. When you see the Narnia books, newer printings will list the Magicians Nephew as Book 1. I believe this has been discussed before, but I strongly recommend reading The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe first!
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Jen
dh Klete,ds (8/95),dd (12/97), dd (11/00), and ^2^ in heaven
"...the best state in which to glorify God is our actual state; the best grace is that of the moment..." St. Peter Eymard
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kingvozzo
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MacBeth wrote:
| Yes, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe is the book to begin with. |
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Unless you want to be a rebel and go with the "new" (chronological) order starting with Magician's Nephew 
MacBeth wrote:
| For you...How about The Screwtape Letters for fiction, and Mere Christianity for non-fiction? |
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Yes! and Yes!
Also, John Cleese had done a wonderful audio book of the Screwtape Letters which I thought was just perfect. I can never read the book without hearing his voice!
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Noreen
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Courtney
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Was the Magician's Nephew written after LW&W?
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Courtney
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Was the Magician's Nephew written after LW&W?
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Courtney in Texas
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MacBeth
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Courtney wrote:
| Was the Magician's Nephew written after LW&W? |
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Well after. And I highly recommend that you read them in the original (written) order to get a view inside the author's head (an amazing place). There is that "Aha!" factor that is totally lost if you read them in the "new" order. Don't deny yourself that privilege.
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MacBeth in NY
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Courtney
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Oh, I wish I'd known that! We're on Prince Caspian. Are there any others that are in a "new" order?
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Courtney in Texas
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Jen L.
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MacBeth wrote:
| There is that "Aha!" factor that is totally lost if you read them in the "new" order. Don't deny yourself that privilege. |
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I can't help chiming in again -- I heartily agree. I'm sure that AHA factor was the reason that Magician's Nephew was my favorite when I read them oh so long ago. (I haven't read them for over 20 years and am looking forward to starting them again with my kids.)
BTW, the audio books that Macbeth recommends are at Costco right now for about $42.00 for the complete set -- a great deal!
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Jen
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"...the best state in which to glorify God is our actual state; the best grace is that of the moment..." St. Peter Eymard
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kingvozzo
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MacBeth wrote:
| There is that "Aha!" factor that is totally lost if you read them in the "new" order. Don't deny yourself that privilege. |
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I wouldn't say it's "totally" lost. While I would have preferred that my ds's recent inaugural read be in the original order, I didn't start the read-aloud. He was still enthralled, and enjoyed the magic fully.
The "new" order is
Magician's Nephew
Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe
The Horse and His Boy
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Last Battle
I understand that the decision to re-order the books was based on a letter that Lewis wrote to a young fan who was debating the proper reading order with his mother. The boy felt chronological order was best, the mother thought they should be read in the order in which they were written. She suggested writing to Lewis, who apparently responded that chronological was fine.
Douglas Gresham (Lewis's stepson) is the one who authorized the change which is VERY controversial. I believe there is quite a bit of info online about the debate. Although I think its quite interesting (and telling, perhaps?) that the movies are apparently following the original order.
My brother feels quite passionately about reading them in the original order first. I'll see if I can get some links from him.
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Noreen
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4Real Forums : Living Literature
Topic: I need to admit that...
