When you get a library book you are under a deadline to read it. Oh, sure, sometimes you can renew it, but you can’t count on that. In early August we went to the Bella Vista Library, mainly to get some novels in a certain series. I browsed (after taking a look through the large, recent expansion that seems to have doubled the library’s size). Nothing struck my fancy, as I have many books at the house I’ve yet to read

But I found this C.S. Lewis book, The joyful Christian: 127 Readings. I’m a sucker for anything by C.S. Lewis, and it’s a shame to go to a library and not bring something home, so I checked this one out. Three weeks to read it and get it back.

C.S. Lewis, however, is best read when you have plenty of time and no distractions. I wouldn’t say I had plenty of time to read this, but I had enough time. The readings were pulled from many of Lewis’s writings. At the place in the book where the writings were, the publisher/editor didn’t provide from which of Lewis’s writings the reading came. You had to go to an index of writings and look under the title given to the reading. I did that for a while, but found it unfruitful and quit before I got 1/3 through the book.

The book was a little weird, what with the readings coming from so many works. I didn’t think they all fit the theme of “joyful Christian”. But it was good. I don’t think I’ll read it again, but it was good.

It’s now back at the library. I wasn’t prepared to spend time there, so I just left it in the outside book drop. Now, back to my own library.