The Inspiratorium » Books

Book Review: Confessions of a Pagan Nun

David Morton — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 05:49:36 +0000

The cover of Confessions of a Pagan Nun by Kate Horsley is arresting for someone like me — a romantic who is entranced by the mystery and ideals of early monastic life. It shows a clochan, a beehive-shaped rock hut set beside a small stream and barren, rocky hills in the distance. Built of dry [...] Related posts:

Book Review:
The Saint and the Fasting Girl

Discovering Dante’s Inferno

David Morton — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:30:13 +0000

It’s satisfying, isn’t it, when a book you read leads the way to others — where one opens your eyes to another topic, another author or another passion and off you go. I’m happy to report that the joy of discovery is still alive and well in the mind of this 50-plus reader. A few [...] Related posts:

Book Review:The Saint and the Fasting Girl

David Morton — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 22:04:48 +0000

It was a real honour to be asked by Anna Richenda, recently, if I would review her new self-published novel, The Saint and the Fasting Girl. As a fan of HistoryFish.net her expansive website devoted to medieval religious topics, I had been reading progress reports in her blog about the book’s publication for some time. [...] Related posts:

A Fresh Take on the Middle Ages

David Morton — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:30:52 +0000

I’ve been reading a terrific book about the Middle Ages, recently, by an American scholar with a great sweeping view of history about the powerful influence of medievalism on the contemporary world. I’ve always found the imaginative influence of the Middle Ages captivating: Chaucer’s pilgrims, the wild behaviours of feudal lords, the gritty view of [...] Related posts:

New Medieval Fiction: The Saint and the Fasting Girl

David Morton — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:25:39 +0000

I wish I could say my recent hiatus from blog posting had resulted in a prodigious output in pages for my novel. Alas, nothing of the sort. I had taken time off work a few months ago that was a great boon to the novel, but my return to teaching has overwhelmed me. Not only [...] Related posts:

Inspiring Places: Barry Unsworth’s Morality Play

David Morton — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 18:35:03 +0000

Finally, a respite from the rain and the cold. The sun shines today in Vancouver, and it looks like spring, though the cherry blossoms are nowhere to be seen. The blossoms in my front yard are trying, but they are reluctant to invest themselves in this uneven weather. They look like little popcorn kernels ready [...] Related posts:

An Anachronism in the Age of Twitter

David Morton — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 22:02:22 +0000

Everyone has a blog … everyone’s on Twitter … everyone’s feverishly tapping out 140-character wisdoms on their cell phone keypads. The paradigm is shifting towards instantaneous communication: short, sharp one-liners, or one screen at a time. And then there are people like Randy — a no-holds barred, out and out anachronism in this day and [...] No related posts.