Into the Archives: Orphans of the Storm

After a morning of great anxieties and uncertainty about flooding I was very pleased to find one ray of sunshine. I knew I was expecting a delivery today but feared it would be delayed by the foul weather. But at 2 PM I found it delivered high and dry and safe; in fact, a little earlier than usual. Besides a birthday present for my brother John, it included two purchases for myself.

Thomas Aquinas: Selected Writings (Penguin Classics) Paperback

In his reflections on Christianity, Saint Thomas Aquinas forged a unique synthesis of ancient philosophy and medieval theology. Preoccupied with the relationship between faith and reason, he was influenced both by Aristotle's rational world view and by the powerful belief that wisdom and truth can ultimately only be reached through divine revelation. Thomas's writings, which contain highly influential statements of fundamental Christian doctrine, as well as observations on topics as diverse as political science, anti-Semitism and heresy, demonstrate the great range of his intellect and place him firmly among the greatest medieval philosophers. - Amazon

I’ve toyed around with various volumes of Thomas Aquinas before, but I think at 841 pages I’ve now got what I need. I chose St. Thomas Aquinas as my patron saint (one who is very popular with teachers and apologists) at my baptism, but that was more by reputation than for anything I’d read by him. This volume might be one of the fattest Penguin books I own, only outdone by Don Quixote at 1023 pages. And only selections from Aquinas vast body of work, at that.

The Invisible Woman [Trade Paperback] Paperback

by James P. Blaylock (Author), Pedro Marques (Illustrator); PSPublishing, an imprint of Drugstore Indian Press, 307 pages (it claims 314 pages, but the extra pages are blank)

The bright spring weather in Old Orange is deceptive, with dark undercurrents shifting beneath the surface of the busy lives of Jane and Jerry Larkin. Jerry is restoring an old boarding house, exposing its dark history, and Jane's busy Co-op is victimized by malicious mischief that grows more mailicious by the day. Their troubles roil together, sinister forces rising from the cheerful, root-cracked sidewalks of Old Orange, engulfing them in mystery and murder and the threatened collapse of long-held dreams.- Amazon

A sequel to Pennies from Heaven. Though it’s been out since December 2024, I only learned of its existence on the last day of June 2025. And here it is, just in time to distract me from troubles and cares, and the disasters that surround me. I know what I’ll be reading most of this evening. If the lights stay on.

And this is the 2,222 post on Niche of Time.