Category: reading

Books that Form Us – #2.

Second in a Series of My Book Reviews.

 Good books do more than entertain; they shape the soul in ways that are subtle yet profound.  Here are the extensive books I read in May and June 2026.

Ancient Poems, Ballads, and Songs of the Peasantry of England transcribed by John W. Parker and Son (1857).

✒️ Each of these 108 ballads, poems, and songs in this collection were written in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and compiled into this 1857 transcription by John W. Parker and Son.  This became a lengthy reading foray for me, not only because of the number of works, but also due to the language style that I needed to adjust my understanding of the writing style especially.  This is a very good book if you enjoy this sort of language arts.

Silent Struggles by Ann S. Stephens (1865).

✒️ Wow . . . what a lengthy novel filled with sea adventure!  Admittedly, this took me a couple of weeks to read, and I am a fast reader.  I somewhat enjoyed it, mostly for the themes of bravery and fate.  Amid a violent Boston storm, a young man and an aging minister, strangers to one another bound by an uncanny sense of fate, wait on a hill for a troubled ship to reach the harbor.  Their connection deepens when they witness a desperate escape at sea: Barbara Stafford, a courageous young woman fleeing mortal danger.  As the storm intensifies, both men show remarkable resolve, and the youth ultimately plunges into the raging waters to save her.  Their collision of among these lives sets the stage for a story shaped by bravery, destiny, and the unexpected ties that form in moments of crisis.

Jingle in the Jungle by Aldo Giunta (1957).

✒️  This is a short story that proves not every written tome had clean language back in the 1950s.  I dumped this story because of the taking of God’s name in vain.  I didn’t get past the second page.  This science fiction shortie was first published in “If Worlds of Science Fiction,” June 1957.

 

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The Gentle Art of Wholesome Reading.

There is a particular enjoyment in reading good, wholesome books— a joy that feels almost old‑fashioned in the best possible way.  These are the books that don’t shout for our attention or compete with the noise of the world because they simply open a door and invite us into a place where I can breathe.

Wholesome books remind us that goodness is not naïve, that beauty is not fragile, good language is a delight, and that truth can be spoken without cynicism.  They offer characters who struggle honestly, worlds that lift rather than darken, and stories that leave us a little more human than they found us.  In a culture that often rewards vulgarity, shock, and spectacle, these books feel like a quiet rebellion.

There is also a deep restfulness in them. When we read something good and clean and true, our minds unclench.  We remember that gentleness is not weakness and that hope is not foolish.  Even a simple story told with sincerity can become a small refuge.

And perhaps that is the greatest joy of wholesome reading: it forms us.  It shapes our imagination toward the good.  It teaches us to look for light, even in ordinary places.  It reminds us that the world is still full of things worth loving.

A good book doesn’t just entertain; it nourishes us, and in a time when so much reading leaves us scattered or weary, finding a book that restores us is its own quiet ways.

So far this year, I have read the following good books.  They are in the order of publication year.

Seeking the Heart of Christ by Saint Claude La Colombière (1680)

Ole Mammy’s Torment by Anne Fellows Johnston (1897)

Light and Peace: Instructions for Devout Souls to Dispel Their Doubts and Allay Their Fears by Carlo Guiseppi Quadrupani (1980)

The Wisdom of Fulton Sheen: 365 Days of Inspiration (2020)

 

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