Book review: Wartime pilgrimage by H.L. Gee

I love reading, always have, and always will, but I fear that reading physical books is becoming more and more obsolete! We swipe, scroll, and skim content. We listen to audio books, and podcasts, and go with the minimalist ideal that we should not own too many books. After all, they just collect dust, their production is not eco-friendly and you can listen to the audio version as many times as you want.

All these are valid arguments, but we must not forget the benefits of holding a book in your hands. The most obvious being the hand-eye-brain coordination that happens when you hold and read a book, not only do you concentrate better on the content, but it also supports the upkeep of your language skills. And although I do regularly listen to audio books, especially when I am taking my dog on her daily walks, in all honesty I still prefer reading from physical books.

For a while now I have considered sharing my own book ratings on the blog, it would be my personal way to honor paper editions, and maybe it will encourage others to also make time for more reading in their own lives. 

So here is my first review:

Wartime pilgrimage         ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️                                                                 

By H.L. Gee

The Epworth press – 1943

 

The author takes a small vacation/pilgrimage in the English countryside during the second world war, there he meets and interacts with a variety of people.

A short, simple narrative, but with a healthy dose of good, old fashion positivity and a Godly attitude during a difficult time.

Here is a small excerpt from the book.

The author is talking to an old man outside the bombed ruins of his childhood church.

“….His fine old face, lined with care, showed something of the hard struggle he had had, but the steady eyes were those of a man who in good times and bad had tried to run the straight race…… ‘I’m an old man,’ he said at last. ‘I’ve seen all sorts of winters in my time, some hard, some mild. But whatever the weather had been, I’ve never known a springtime without snowdrops.’

…..’And perhaps, after all, God is using Hitler to shake us into a new realization of the truth; and it may be that by smashing some of the secondary things which perhaps we have come to value too highly, Hitler is helping to put first things first.’

 

 

My 5 criteria for rating books 

1. Did I read it from cover to cover?

2. Would I recommend it, or give a copy to others?

3. Will it become a part of my permanent library? (Buy my own copy, a hardback version, or would read again?)

4. Is it well written?  

5. Did I personally enjoy it?