« humblethorn

the personal blog of paul vernon

Thank you for taking the time to view humblethorn. The purpose of this blog is to have an outlet to share my thoughts, quotes, ramblings and the occasional item of interest as I serve as a missionary to the Akha in Northern Thailand. Mostly, this is an outlet (in English!) for me to feel like someone out there is listening. So, to whoever you are, thank you for being my listening someone.

Many people have asked about the name "humblethorn". I would love to explain it, but I honestly don't fully understand it myself. In very simple terms, it is an identity that I have come to realize in Christ. I do not claim to be humble, rather that I am often humbled by my own weakness.

Feel free to navigate through the links on the top of this site to read more about me or just to view the photo galleries, videos, podcasts and journals about our lives with the Akha. Now... on to the posts!

Currently Reading...

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

It is so easy to find "great quotes" all over the web, but rarely do we see great writing.

It was a blazing hot day in August. Baker Street was like an oven, and the glare of the sunlight upon the yellow brickwork of the house across the road was painful to the eye."
The Adventure of the Cardboard Box by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Inspired by Lori's post, I've been reading some classics lately. It's lines like this that make me want to erase everything I've ever written. Great writers take you into their world in such a way that you squint at such descriptions. Well, if I have not been called to be a great writer, at least I can read the works of those who are.

Right now on the nightstand? A Study in Scarlett by Doyle and, for laughs, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams (admittedly not a 'classic' - yet).

For those of you who would love to read some classics but just can't find the time, Project Gutenberg has released many wonderful books (by Doyle, Shakespeare, Twain, Wells et al) in audio format. Download and enjoy!

Tags:

books

Comments on "Currently Reading..."

I didn't realize this at first but it seems my current reading interests are all detective stories. I have no idea why this is, but while I'm on the subject the USA series MONK is some more great crime-solving entertainment.

8:38 AM

Jim said ::

Hey, if you're on a roll you could try one of my favourites. Some people consider it one of the earliest and greatest detective novels - The Moonstone. Add it to your list! ;-)

5:39 AM

Thanks Jim, they are actually currently proofing The Moonstone for Project Gutenburg - I think I'll help out.

8:03 AM