Favorite Books & Movies

Mrs. Jan Siegfried

BOOKS: I prefer young adult adventure or historical novels for a number of reasons. I like the short time it takes to read them, plus I keep them to add to a personal library tailored for kids and young adults. I find that many times these books will communicate important life lessons and innovative problem-solving strategies.

MOVIES: I make an effort to watch and support ones that prioritize traditional values. One of my favorites is I Heard The Bells that chronicles the faith journey of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow...and our very own junior Roy Wulf is the featured fife player!

Dr. David Oetjen

BOOKS: If manga count as books, One Piece by Eiichiro Oda is my favorite by far. The worldbuilding is very welldone and on a thematic level, the portrayal of the world is so accurate to real life despite the fact that on a surface level, it is entirely fantastical and ridiculous. For nonfiction, my favorite book is Democracy: The God That Failed by HansHerman Hoppe Viewing things from the angle of time preference as he does is so insightful for analyzing the decline of society. The book is full of philosophical insights that as far as I know were pretty much unknown before this was written. My favorite book for fiction is The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. What I find interesting about it is the way the characters talk to each other; they very often say things that no one would ever have the courage to say in real life. Everything is so exaggerated despite the fact that, on the surface, the book is about something as seemingly mundane as architecture.

MOVIE: I don't really watch very many movies, but if I had to pick one it would probably be Batman: The Dark Knight. I like how it portrays the idea of corruption and how people who have good intentions can turn evil.

Dr. Patrick Rozmajzl

BOOKS: TheonebookthatIhavereadthemostoften(4timesorso) isGreatExpectations byCharlesDickens.IamatalossastowhyI havesuchanaffinityforthenovel.Itisratherdarkandfilledwith themesofforceddestiny,uncomfortablebridgingofclasses, unrequitedlove,alienationofaffection.Nonetheless,Ifindit intriguing.

I enjoyed the complete works of Ellis Peters relative to the The Cadfael Chronicles. These were fascinating in that, despite being contemporary novels, they employ medieval English phrasing and sensitivities that make the stories initially difficult to follow. However, once embraced, you are truly transported to 1170 and the period of the Crusades. Brother Cadfaelis such a sympathetic character given he took the cow later in life after having lived rather adventurously as a knight and nobleman. His worldliness allows us, frees us, enables us, with our own worldliness to seamlessly and safely enter the monastery and dwell there. And his recognized knowledge of the "outside" world gives him(and us)liberties that his fellow monks do not share. We are privileged to return and operate in the secular world as we choose and return to the cloister as we need.

OneofmycurrentpassionsisthecompleteworksofPatrickO'Brian relativetotheAubrey/MaturinSeries.Itisa5-volumehardcover compendiumofall20novels,seriallypaginatedbeyond7,000pages. Similarlyphrasedinlate18thcenturyandearly19thcenturyEnglish withattendantreferences,thesenauticalnovelssatisfymypassionfor sailing,serveasabridgetomynavalcareer,andtransportmeto anothertime.Idoseemtoenjoyperiodpieces.LiketheBrother Cadfaelseries,theyareaninitiallydifficultread,repletewithobscure periodandnavalreferences IdoalotofsideresearchingasIam goingthroughthechapters However,onceembraced,thenovelsjust flowandaretrulytransformative.

MOVIES: My favorite movies include The King's Speech, Life is Beautiful(in the original Italian), Joyeux Noel(similarly subtitled), and Passion of the Christ.

Paige Gartner

BOOK: Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by journalist Barbara Demick. The book entails the true stories of people who managed to escape North Korea and the loved ones they left behind. It’s a very eye-opening window into the struggles of North Koreans.

MOVIE: Raising Arizona. It’s clever absurdity with numerous quotable lines and a bonus of cute babies!