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Books I read in June 2015

This month, I read four books:

Till We Have Faces, C.S. Lewis

I really enjoyed this one. It is a re-telling by Lewis of myth of Psyche and Cupid. I was unfamiliar with the original myth, but appreciated this book very much.

I particularly enjoyed the clash in worldviews between a physically-oriented worldview and one which stressed the importance of supernatural beings. The differing advice offered to Orual by the Fox and the captain of the king's guard is intriguing. The relationship between reason and faith is interesting, so I enjoyed watching Orual process her thoughts on the world through the book.

The book also stands out as a well-written story. I enjoyed the pace of it, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys mythology.

A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson

This was a good read. Every once in a while, I would start to get a little bored by the writing about the history or biology of the Appalachian Trail, but then Bryson would say something to the effect of, "Enough science for now, back to the interesting stuff."

I enjoyed the interactions between Bryson, Katz, and others they ran into on the trail.

On an unrelated note, as of writing, Scott Jurek was about to break the FKT for the AT. Jurek is an impressive athlete, and it's awesome to see such a huge accomplishment.

Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck

Quick read -- I think it took me an afternoon. I hadn't been spoiled for it, so I didn't know what was coming. This book was very sad, but in an enjoyable way. In a way, the ending sort of snuck up on me. I was observing the world Steinbeck set before me, and then suddenly the ending came. It felt abrupt, and it felt sad.

Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer

While I wasn't a fan of how much Krakauer seemed to revere McCandless, I enjoyed hearing about McCandless's journey.