What are you reading?

[ich1990]

Originally posted by Atria35 (post: 1411911): Decided to go for something simpler), and pick up Taliesin, book 1 of the Pendragon series. You know, I was going along with all of it until they decided to put it after Jesus' birth. You see, I'm a history buff. I am very familiar with these myths and legends. And it ticks me off when they don't even bother to try and preserve a semblance of RL- or mythological- timelines. Timelines that diverge? Fine. I'm all for it. But just screwing with it really gets my goat. Especially since this really didn't have a good reason to do it. I'm going to keep reading it, but I've been disenchanted (so to speak! XD ).

Could you elaborate on this? I was under the impression (and wikipedia, at least, agrees) that Taliesin lived around 550 A.D.

[Atria35]

^ The character Taliesin does. However, what they do is put Atlantis as being around during this time. And there's some sort of love thing going on between him and a princess from Atlantis.

Weird thing to get annoyed over, but I'm okay with treating Atlantis as existing thousands of years ago, not with it existing so close to modern day.

[ich1990]

Originally posted by Atria35 (post: 1412198): ^ The character Taliesin does. However, what they do is put Atlantis as being around during this time. And there's some sort of love thing going on between him and a princess from Atlantis. Weird thing to get annoyed over, but I'm okay with treating Atlantis as existing thousands of years ago, not with it existing so close to modern day.

Ah, I see. You might be interested in his justifications then, which are given on this page:

http://www.stephenlawhead.com/reader...rchive10.shtml

Quote: How do you explain having Atlantis sink around AD500 when it was mentioned by Plato? Many learned readers have pointed out that Atlantis is generally accepted to have sunk two thousand years or so before Taliesin was born. In my story, do you remember that Atlantis, once a great continent, is described as having been ravaged by earthquakes for more than two thousand years? The cataclysm in the book is the last in a long line of catastrophes to engulph the remnants of the once-mighty Atlanteans, and send them fleeing to other shores—one of which is Britain, where they live in obscurity for untold generations until the time of Taliesin.

Quote: The theory of Atlantis is a very different approach from other Arthurian novels I have read. How did you receive the idea to link the two worlds together? As I was just getting ready to explain above, in the late 1800's the intrepid Prof. Rhys traveled around Britain and her islands for many years gathering legends and tales from the last of the Celtic speakers who were dying out. He collected, organized, and analyzed these stories and the results were presented in Celtic Folklore, a two-volume edition published by Oxford University Press 1901. Prof. Rhys was the first person I ever encountered who suggested that Llyonesse (an old name for the extreme southwest portion of Britain) and Atlantis shared a connection, and that many of the legends involving Fair Folk derived from this connection. Enchanted with this notion, I wove it into the Pendragon Cycle in order to explain some of the puzzles and questions surrounding the myths of Taliesin, Merlin, and Arthur. Thus, although it is not widely known, the Atlantis/Britain connection is well documented, at least in terms of folklore.

I hope that helps put your mind at ease. In the same linked page there are other answers to common questions, such as how Charis and Taliesin can have a relationship with such massive age discrepancies. It is worth checking out if you are interested in the historical side of things. I am quite fond of the books (although it has been a great while since I last read them). I hope you able to enjoy them as well.

[Atria35]

^ Most of these I'm already familiar with- again, history buff. I study it in my spare time. It's just that I'm so familiar with the traditional Atlantis stories (and theories and etc.- I've also read a few archeological tracts on possibilities of where/when it actually was), that I don't care for where he particularly places it. Or when. It just doesn't jive for me, since British history is my forte.

It's an interesting take, but one that I'm just not fond of.

[Mr. Hat'n'Clogs]

The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan.

My biggest problem with Jordan's writing is that sometimes the plot moves at such a snail's pace I question why the book had to be so large where portions of it have nothing accomplished. That's why it took me 3+ months to get through The Dragon Reborn, it spent way too much time focusing on my (then) least favorite character in the series, who accomplished very little besides telling us what the Soulless are. This book is always moving forward and might be my favorite in the series. It's always moving forward, something is always happening, the characters it adds are likeable and has minimal focus on the unlikeable(coughEgwenecough). The Aiel and their backstory is both awesome and fascinating. Faile gets some character devlopment and switches from annoying to pretty cool(though I hear this won't last). Mat gets cool new stuff and Rand actually gets to be in the book. All around, a fantastic read.

I also hope Gawyn gets tortured brutally and ends up getting stabbed by everyone he cares about. That character went from mildly likable to evil Karma Houdini. Ughhh.

[rocklobster]

Naked Empire, another Sword of Truth book. This is your last chance, Goodkind. If this book is as soapbox driven as The Pillars of Creation and Faith of the Fallen, I'm quitting! I mean it! If I want political philosophy, I'll read political philosophy.

[Cadence]

I read a lot of children's literature, and just finished a beautiful little novel that made me remember how good children's books can be and fall in love with them all over again. It was recently published and is called The Healing Spell by Kimberley Griffiths Little. It is a well-written and touching story about forgiveness, faith, love, and healing. It has been a while since a children's book has brought me to tears, but I cried several times while reading this one. Recommended to everyone out there!

[rocklobster]

Started Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card.

[Radical Dreamer]

Finished Shutter Island and picked up The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath!

[Wyntre Rose]

Reading the Haruhi Suzumiya light novels.

[rocklobster]

Reading book 3 of Warriors: The New Prophecy

[bigsleepj]

Originally posted by Radical Dreamer (post: 1413069): Finished Shutter Island and picked up The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath!

Woaw. Talk about going from one piece of despair to another.

I'm currently reading The Serpent and the Rainbow, which is a study of voodoo culture within Haiti (pre-earthquake) and the role zombi-lore play in their culture. I wonder if anyone managed to read that description with a straight face.

[Radical Dreamer]

Originally posted by bigsleepj (post: 1413193): Woaw. Talk about going from one piece of despair to another.

I know, right? XD I started it thinking "hey, I bet it would be really interesting to compare and contrast how these different authors portray insanity!" and then I was like "it might be a good idea to read this intermittently with the rest of The Princess Bride sprinkled in for good measure." XDD

[ich1990]

“How to Stay Christian in College” by J. Budziszewski

I have slightly non-traditional views about the church and how it is supposed to function. This, of course, seems to worry everyone around me. The direct result of all of this good-natured yet ill-founded worry is that I get sent a lot of these kinds of books. I don't particularly mind receiving these things –if nothing else they prove that someone cares about me-- but I do have to say that the majority of them are quite insipid, shallow, and unhelpful. Surprisingly, this one bucked the trend.

As is standard in this genre, the author (who hasn't been a student for many years) tries to imagine what it might be like to be a college student in this day and age, and then goes about attempting to help them work through these difficulties and moral crises in a fashion that would be considered acceptable given the current standards of Christian culture. Where this book sets itself apart, however, is by actually talking with students of the day, actually discussing relevant issues, and actually acknowledging that Christian culture is a complex thing with many varying levels of belief. In other words, it is a much more applicable and credible guide to college life than any others of its type that I have read.

The content itself isn't bad either. It goes over all of the big issues; how the world began, how to deal with drugs, romantic relationships, philosophical pitfalls, etc., and offers fairly typical and solid answers to each --even quoting a few of my favorite authors in the process. Where “How to Stay Christian in College” eventually runs into issues is with its shallowness. Since it attempts to cover so many topics, it can only barely discusses each issue. It offers many pat answers, but rarely any responses to the obvious rebuttals to those pat answers. In short, a not unhelpful guide that hopefully makes the reader curious enough to start deeper studies. 7/10.

Originally posted by Atria35: ^ Most of these I'm already familiar with- again, history buff. I study it in my spare time. It's just that I'm so familiar with the traditional Atlantis stories (and theories and etc.- I've also read a few archeological tracts on possibilities of where/when it actually was), that I don't care for where he particularly places it. Or when. It just doesn't jive for me, since British history is my forte. It's an interesting take, but one that I'm just not fond of.

Fair enough. Personally I prefer the unique take on the story, as opposed to it being just another Malory derivation, but to each his (or her) own, I suppose.

[the_wolfs_howl]

Originally posted by Radical Dreamer (post: 1413069): The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath!

Oh, I checked out the audiobook of that a couple years ago! (Only got the audiobook because all the print versions were checked out of the library at the time.) Maggie Gyllenhaal read it, and brought out the feel of the book very well, I thought. Some parts of the book I found rather disturbing, a lot of it I didn't really understand beyond an abstract instinctive kind of understanding, but I rather liked it. She has a smooth writing style.

Originally posted by ich1990 (post: 1413223): “How to Stay Christian in College” by J. Budziszewski

Ha! I read that. Don't remember anything it said, though.... >_>

I'm now reading The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Haven't been able to get past the long-winded introduction yet, though @_@ "Disinclined to talk overmuch of myself," my foot. And my history buff dad immediately started rattling off the historical context of the book as soon as he saw the cover in my hands, so now I'm really interested in what the story will be like.

[Atria35]

Originally posted by the_wolfs_howl (post: 1413327): I'm now reading The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Haven't been able to get past the long-winded introduction yet, though @_@ "Disinclined to talk overmuch of myself," my foot. And my history buff dad immediately started rattling off the historical context of the book as soon as he saw the cover in my hands, so now I'm really interested in what the story will be like.

One sentence at a time. Seriously. If you read each sentence, try to understand what's being said, and then connect it to the previous, you'll be through it in a breeze- that's how I had to do it! And then you can move into the rest of the story.

[Kaori]

The theme for this post is “things I haven’t read completely.”

Originally posted by the_wolfs_howl: I'm now reading The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Haven't been able to get past the long-winded introduction yet, though @_@

“The Custom House”? I don’t think I’ve ever read that all the way through, actually.

Nature into Myth: Medieval and Renaissance Moral Symbols by John M. Steadman. This is a scholarly book about symbolism in medieval and Renaissance writers, very thoroughly researched and cogently argued. I didn’t actually read this book—just skimmed the introduction and chapters relevant to my topic.

I’ve also been skimming (not perusing) some articles like these—literary criticism:

“[Remarks on The Faerie Queene and The Shepheardes Calender],” by John Hughes; “The Faery Queen,” by Virginia Woolf; “[The Elizabethan Idea of Allegory],” by Thomas P. Roche, Jr.; “The Structure of Imagery in The Faerie Queene,” by Northop Frye; “Spenser and the History of Allegory, ” by Walter Davis; “Christian Allegory and Spenser’s ‘General Intention,’” by John S. Pendergast; “The Nature of Spenser’s Imagery,” by Lyle Glazier

. . . and a handful of other articles along the same lines that I haven’t looked over yet but will soon.

For completely different reasons, I’ve also read some selected essays from Twelve Baskets of Crumbs by Elizabeth Elliot (better known for Passion and Purity, which I have not read). That the widow of a martyred missionary would turn out to have a wonderful sense of humor was not my primary expectation—but nevertheless, “Confessions of a Teacher” is hilarious. On a more serious note, “Flesh Becomes Word” had some good insight into the nature of, and our need for, words. Some essays in this book are better than others, but I find Elliot’s combination of spirituality with her focus on literary things to be a pleasing mix.

Works of Love by Soren Kierkegaard. Basically, Kierkegaard sets up a contrast between the normal human conception of love (in contexts like friendship and erotic love), which arises spontaneously, is based on preference, and is essentially self-seeking; and love Christianly defined, which is something commanded to us (“love your neighbour”) and is essentially self-sacrificing. He then describes how the former become transformed by the latter. I can’t really say much in analysis of this book, since I am currently less than halfway through, but I find it deeply insightful. Here are some quotes, because this book is amazing and wonderful:

“The command consumes and burns out what is unsound in your love, but through the command you shall be able to kindle it again when humanly considered it would cease.”

“Christianity, however, teaches a man immediately the shortest way to find the highest good: shut your door and pray to God—for God is still the highest. And when a man will go out into the world, he can go a long way—and go in vain—he can wander the world around—and in vain—all in order to find the beloved or the friend. But Christianity never suffers a man to go in vain, not even a single step, for when you open the door which you shut in order to pray to God, the first person you meet as you go out is your neighbour whom you shall love. Wonderful!”

“Men think that it is impossible for a human being to love his enemies, for enemies are hardly able to endure the sight of one another. Well, then, shut your eyes—and your enemy looks just like your neighbour. [. . .] And when your mind is not disturbed and confused by looking at the object of your love and the distinction of your object, then you become all ears for the words of the command, which speak one thing and one thing only to you, that you ought to love your neighbour. Now, when your eyes are closed and you have become all ears for the command, you are on the way of perfection in loving your neighbour.”

[rocklobster]

Wolf's Howl, you can completely skip the intro to The Scarlett Letter and you won't miss a thing. Really. I never understood why Hawthorne included it. It has nothing to do with the story itself.
Anyway, started The Eternity Code.

[Davidizer13]

Still picking my way through Oil! by Upton Sinclair, after some delays. Sinclair is amazing with words, and I agree with many of his points about democracy, US involvement in post-Tsarist Russia, free speech (especially during the speech restriction that went on during and after WWI) and workers' rights, but I disagree with his conclusions, and find it more than a little funny that he uses the Soviet Union as an example of what socialism can do, especially considering what happened to it later.

Still, it's an excellent book, and highly recommended. It delves into issues of politics, corruption, religion, and life in the neo-Gilded Age that was the '20s. I sympathize strongly with Bunny, because I'm in his situation right now (a college kid with little worries in life, trying to decide where he stands on things, but having trouble because he can see all sides of the issue), and I know a couple people who act like the people Bunny meets - rich pleasure-seekers who simply don't care about anything besides themselves.

Also, I'm about halfway through SuperFreakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. It's an entertaining, but it's not nearly as great as the first, in terms of the content or what's being exposed - this book seems to focus on more salacious/sensational subject matter, such as prostitution and terrorism rather than the subtle shifts and trends that the first focused on, which it gets back to later. It delves into geoengineering, such as a cheap and simple solution to both hurricanes and oceanic "dead zones," which I do agree with, and more proactive solutions to stopping global warming (such as ocean seeding, which boosts the growth of CO2-consuming algae, or adding sulfur oxides to the atmosphere), which I'm not so keen about. Once again, it's still good stuff.

[rocklobster]

Starting another Neil Gaiman book: American Gods

[Atria35]

Originally posted by rocklobster (post: 1413747): Starting another Neil Gaiman book: American Gods

Oh, man. I picked that one up for my trip to Cali, and I have to say, it's wierd. Interesting take on what happens to old beliefs/religions on what happens when they're brought to a new country, but it's literalized. And.... kind of creepy. Highly sexualized, fairly violent. I'm halfway through, but unsure of whether I should finish (and thinking Neverwhere might have been a abetter choice of reading material- it's by the same author, but different content).

[Hohenheim]

I am going to read one more book before returning to finish Faith of a Physicist, but only because I have one more week at summer school, I have to return the book back to the library on my last day, and the book in question is out of print and thus hard to come by in most places.

I am now starting Everyman Revived: The Common Sense of Michael Polanyi, by Drusilla Scott. The book is essentially a condensed introduction to the lesser-known but incredibly gifted philosopher of science, Michael Polanyi. From what I have heard of him in John Polkinghorne's works, he developed quite the view of epistemology, one that Polkinghorne himself now espouses. Seeing as how I agree with Polkinghorne's view of epistemology, I immediately sought out this book when I found he recommends it as a great way to learn of Polanyi. Luckily for me, my university's library had a copy of it (though I bet I'll end up buying it later). I can only hope I finish it in time before I have to give it up.

[bigsleepj]

Originally posted by rocklobster (post: 1413747): Starting another Neil Gaiman book: American Gods

American Gods was a very good, interesting read, but is really dark with a lot of sexuality, some of it fairly disturbing. Very little of it could be considered "casual".

[rocklobster]

I kind of expected it to be weird, folks. Gaiman looves to be weird. (I suspect he likes the mushrooms, if you know what I mean)
anyway, Starting The Overton Window soon. Yes, that new Glenn Beck book.

[shade of dae]

And I'm back. I've been reading a ton lately, so I'll just mention the highlights.

Read The Incredulity of Father Brown and The Secret of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton.
I have now read all of the Father Brown stories, and am feeling more satisfied about this than I should be. But, hey, I at least finished one goal that I had for this summer, so it's something to be happy about. Reading the entire collection of stories has really helped me get a feel for the kind of person G.K.Chesterton is. And, overall, I think he is a great writer, a fascinating person, and he has some things I don't agree with. The most irritating thing that can be found interspersed throughout the Father Brown stories is the main character's conviction that all other nationalities, denominations, and religions are inherently wrong. True, it's amusing when Chesterton pokes fun at Protestants or Scots, but it's only amusing because it's written so well, and with a dry sort of humor that I can appreciate. Really, though, mocking others simply because they come from a different country or a different branch of Christianity is, in my opinion, wrong. Also, if you are looking for a mystery story that you can follow the clues to solve the mystery yourself, the Father Brown stories aren't often like that. While there are some that allow the reader to play detective, but often the ending left me wondering how on earth anyone could have guessed that on their own.
Overall, however, they are excellently written, solid mystery stories that are worth your time.

I also finished Oedipus at Colonus which finishes the Oedipus trilogy for me. I read them out of order because I read Antigone first for one of my classes last semester and read the other two after. I love plays, and haven't read much Greek drama other than this trilogy, so it was quite entertaining to read. It took a little while to get used to the writing style and the large amounts of melodramatic monologues, but it was fascinating to see what theater was like around 430 B.C. Also, I'm not sure if he continues this, but Sophocles seems rather taken with the concept of "Pride goeth before the fall".

I read Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra, and am currently reading That Hideous Strength. Will post more when I finish the trilogy.

A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis was quite possibly the most... human book I have ever read. Knowing Lewis as a renowned Christian apologist, it was both startling and comforting to read his struggles with his faith, and his anger at God. Startling because it seems difficult to imagine someone who I have admired be so very honest about his doubts concerning the belief that he had defended for so long. Comforting that even some of the most intelligent and solid (seeming, at least) in his faith can doubt and be angry at God as well. Things come full circle, though, and it is fascinating to see Lewis come to terms with the questions that plagued him and find peace again.

Anyways, as I said, I read quite a bit more than that, but won't bore you with all of it. I'm also reading about a half-dozen books at the moment, including Bulfinch's Age of Fable which I think I'll go catch up on.

[the_wolfs_howl]

Well, nanny-nanny-boo-boo, I finished The Scarlet Letter despite the introduction I agree; there was little point in him jabbering on about the different people he met who have no bearing on the story, but I had to read the whole thing, so oh well. I liked it; it was pretty good, though I'm not too fond of the way Hawthorne tends to deride the Puritans in his writing :/

Still reading Crime and Punishment; I've been rather busy and haven't been able to get much read.

[rocklobster]

Re-reading The Dragon Reborn.

[ich1990]

“The Waste Land and Other Poems” by T.S. Eliot

I don't read much short form poetry, so when I review the seminal works of the genre, please understand that my comments come from the dilettante perspective of someone who reads poetry for the heck of it. I can't tell you why Eliot is popular, why his poetry made a contribution to the genre, or even why “The Waste Land” is called “The Waste Land”. I can tell you my basic, visceral reaction to the twenty-five poems contained within this little book (“The Waste Land”, “Prufrock and Other Observations”, and “Poems 1920”).

All other poetry I have read has tried to tell a story or describe a scene, from Paradise Lost to “The Raven”. Eliot doesn't. Instead, he gives the reader scraps of a scene and a few lines of a story, then moves on to the next mood and feeling. The result is an almost perpetual disorientation and, most of the time, little in the way of a common theme to tie it all together. I can't say I care for such a writing style.

When Eliot was writing about a discernible theme, say in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” or “Rhapsody on a Windy Night” or “Death by Water” (the latter from “The Wasteland”), however, my experience was much different. All of those scatterings and random whisperings drew together and orbited around a unifying topic. It wasn't easy reading, but when one read the poetry the meaning came together slowly, yet in a deliberate fashion. I found reading these poems very rewarding and engaging. Unfortunately, not all of his poems had a unifying topic, theme, or idea, at least as far as I could tell, so the experience was hit-and-miss. 7/10

[That Dude]

The two major ones that I am reading through are...

The City Of God -by- St. Augustine, and The Institutes Of Christian Religion -by- John Calvin.

Oh and I'm also making my way through Wings Of Dawn a.k.a. Magnus -by- Sigmund Brouwer

[Tamachan319]

Brave Story by Miyuki Miyabe. It's fantasy-looooooong fantasy at that. It's around 850 pages! I'm normally a very fast reader, but this one's extremely slow. Let's just say this bookwoorm is now a inchworm; I'm inching my way through this book.