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What book r u reading?
- Thread starter JIMMY12345
- Start date
jbg
Active Member
Excerpt:
First, the quibble. The title was this book was a bit misleading until the very end, and even then only mildly accurate. The book, however, was probably the most powerfully written of any book that combines the history of the Jews and the theology of most of the Jews. The excerpt above relates to probably the most important fact about Jews and their monotheistic and far more numerous offshoots the Christians and the Muslims. Thomas Cahill traces the Hebrews' history from their Sumerian roots in modern Iraq, through G-d's command to Avram (eventually Abraham) to go "to a land G-d will show you." He outlines their tempestuous history and development into a mature, monotheistic religion.
At the conclusion he closes the loop convincingly. I highly recommend this book.
I just finished reading The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels by Thomas Cahill. Don't worry, I did not finish this book in a day; I read a novel called Yellowfingers in between, where I was on a long wait at the library. This one was freely available.
First, the quibble. The title was this book was a bit misleading until the very end, and even then only mildly accurate. The book, however, was probably the most powerfully written of any book that combines the history of the Jews and the theology of most of the Jews. The excerpt above relates to probably the most important fact about Jews and their monotheistic and far more numerous offshoots the Christians and the Muslims. Thomas Cahill traces the Hebrews' history from their Sumerian roots in modern Iraq, through G-d's command to Avram (eventually Abraham) to go "to a land G-d will show you." He outlines their tempestuous history and development into a mature, monotheistic religion.
At the conclusion he closes the loop convincingly. I highly recommend this book.
Shadow Wolf
Certified People sTabber & Business Owner
I have finished the Saxon Tales/Last Kingdom series. Those books I did very much and greatly enjoy. Uhtred is definitely among the most realistic fictional characters I have seen, his relationship with Alfred the Great a marvelous tale, filled with suspense and excitement and it has a lot of Medieval Saxon pre-Aenglalamd history to learn. It almost reads like a mini ethnography in that aspect.
But now I'm onto the Man in the High Castle and something I'm really excited for, A Stitch in Time, an "autobiography" written by my top favorite Star Trek character, Elim Garak.
"Of all the stories you told me, which ones were true and which ones weren't?"
"My dear doctor, they're all true."
"Even the lies?"
"Especially the lies."
It's how that one opens, and it had me grinning a cheesy grin thinkin on that scene amd Garaks own smile and charm.
But now I'm onto the Man in the High Castle and something I'm really excited for, A Stitch in Time, an "autobiography" written by my top favorite Star Trek character, Elim Garak.
"Of all the stories you told me, which ones were true and which ones weren't?"
"My dear doctor, they're all true."
"Even the lies?"
"Especially the lies."
It's how that one opens, and it had me grinning a cheesy grin thinkin on that scene amd Garaks own smile and charm.
Drawing Down the Spirits by Kenaz Filan and Raven Kaldera
I'm currently reading Nettle & Bone, by T. Kingfisher.
"From Hugo, Nebula, and Locus award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes an original and subversive fantasy adventure. This isn't the kind of fairytale where the princess marries a prince. It's the one where she kills him."
Quoted from: https://www.amazon.com/Nettle-Bone-T-Kingfisher/dp/1250244005
"From Hugo, Nebula, and Locus award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes an original and subversive fantasy adventure. This isn't the kind of fairytale where the princess marries a prince. It's the one where she kills him."
Quoted from: https://www.amazon.com/Nettle-Bone-T-Kingfisher/dp/1250244005
Shadow Wolf
Certified People sTabber & Business Owner
One I read was the Claiming of Sleeping Beauty. The way my mind work it just doesn't seem right, at all, as I read it because it is entirely non-consensual, but thinking back on it as I go to bed, then the emotional side of my brain takes over the interpretation.
jbg
Active Member
"The human mind is an open canvas of possibilities. We should be free to paint it with our own brushstrokes." This would have been a good epitaph for my High School Yearbook picture in 1975, but it is a quote from the end of a book I just finished, The Trial of the Century by Gregg Jarrett. The quote well expresses the author's philosophy as well as that of the subject of the book, Clarence Darrow. Ostensibly the book was about the so-called "Monkey Trial" conducted amid both the stifling heat and stifling bigotry of Dayton, Tennessee, a small town in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. I say "ostensibly" since the book bordered on a hagiography of Clarence Darrow, the great trial lawyer.
The book proved one thing: that Inherit the Wind: The Powerful Courtroom Drama in which Two Men Wage the Legal War of the Century byJerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, a fictionalized dramatization of the Scopes Trial, was remarkably faithful to the trial scene. I read Inherit the Wind in eighth, ninth or tenth grade.
I heartily recommend it for reading, though I do not give it a Goodreads "Five." My quibbles were its borderline fawning over Clarence Darrow and a politically driven and not well written Epilogue. Those are quibbles, and I thoroughly enjoyed the read.
The book proved one thing: that Inherit the Wind: The Powerful Courtroom Drama in which Two Men Wage the Legal War of the Century byJerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, a fictionalized dramatization of the Scopes Trial, was remarkably faithful to the trial scene. I read Inherit the Wind in eighth, ninth or tenth grade.
I heartily recommend it for reading, though I do not give it a Goodreads "Five." My quibbles were its borderline fawning over Clarence Darrow and a politically driven and not well written Epilogue. Those are quibbles, and I thoroughly enjoyed the read.
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jbg
Active Member
I just got finished reading Day-O!!! The Autobiography of Irving Burgie by Irving Burgie, which I finished reading minutes ago. Day-O, best described by the author as "The Shout Heard 'Round the World" launched both Irving Burgie's (credited on album as Lord Burgess) and Harry Belafante's career. Quite a book, and quite hard to get. The book spends most of its ink on discussing growing up as a working-class black in Brooklyn, which is quite interesting. His writing career is quite impressive, including Day-O, Island in the Sun and Jamaica Farewell. If you can get it, I highly recommend it.
I always have quibbles. There is a bit of repetition here but that does not take if off "five stars."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOFyxtA7qIw (link to Day-O)
I always have quibbles. There is a bit of repetition here but that does not take if off "five stars."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOFyxtA7qIw (link to Day-O)
jbg
Active Member
Mahabharata, Complete translation
Shadow Wolf
Certified People sTabber & Business Owner
I haven't decided. I just finished Man in the High Castle.
Weavers, Scribes, and Kings: A New History of the Ancient Near East
by Amanda H. Podany
anna.
colors your eyes with what's not there
Waiting for my pre-order to ship next month:
From historian and author of the popular daily newsletter LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN, a vital narrative that explains how America, once a beacon of democracy, now teeters on the brink of autocracy -- and how we can turn back.
In the midst of the impeachment crisis of 2019, Heather Cox Richardson launched a daily Facebook essay providing the historical background of the daily torrent of news. It soon turned into a newsletter and its readership ballooned to more than 2 million dedicated readers who rely on her plainspoken and informed take on the present and past in America.
In Democracy Awakening, Richardson crafts a compelling and original narrative, explaining how, over the decades, a small group of wealthy people have made war on American ideals. By weaponizing language and promoting false history they have led us into authoritarianism -- creating a disaffected population and then promising to recreate an imagined past where those people could feel important again. She argues that taking our country back starts by remembering the elements of the nation’s true history that marginalized Americans have always upheld. Their dedication to the principles on which this nation was founded has enabled us to renew and expand our commitment to democracy in the past. Richardson sees this history as a roadmap for the nation’s future.
Richardson’s talent is to wrangle our giant, meandering, and confusing news feed into a coherent story that singles out what we should pay attention to, what the precedents are, and what possible paths lie ahead. In her trademark calm prose, she is realistic and optimistic about the future of democracy. Her command of history allows her to pivot effortlessly from the Founders to the abolitionists to Reconstruction to Goldwater to Mitch McConnell, highlighting the political legacies of the New Deal, the lingering fears of socialism, the death of the liberal consensus and birth of “movement conservatism.”
Many books tell us what has happened over the last five years. Democracy Awakening explains how we got to this perilous point, what our history really tells us about ourselves, and what the future of democracy can be.
--------------
“For the last several turbulent years, millions have looked to Heather Cox Richardson’s daily letters for vital historical perspective, wisdom, and moral clarity. In Democracy Awakening, Richardson goes beyond the news cycle to explain how we got here, placing our current political crisis against the age-old struggle to expand civil rights and economic opportunity. What emerges is a brilliant and honest account of our nation’s past and present. If you care about American democracy—and are engaged in the fight to preserve it—this book is a must-read.”
—Preet Bharara, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York
From historian and author of the popular daily newsletter LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN, a vital narrative that explains how America, once a beacon of democracy, now teeters on the brink of autocracy -- and how we can turn back.
In the midst of the impeachment crisis of 2019, Heather Cox Richardson launched a daily Facebook essay providing the historical background of the daily torrent of news. It soon turned into a newsletter and its readership ballooned to more than 2 million dedicated readers who rely on her plainspoken and informed take on the present and past in America.
In Democracy Awakening, Richardson crafts a compelling and original narrative, explaining how, over the decades, a small group of wealthy people have made war on American ideals. By weaponizing language and promoting false history they have led us into authoritarianism -- creating a disaffected population and then promising to recreate an imagined past where those people could feel important again. She argues that taking our country back starts by remembering the elements of the nation’s true history that marginalized Americans have always upheld. Their dedication to the principles on which this nation was founded has enabled us to renew and expand our commitment to democracy in the past. Richardson sees this history as a roadmap for the nation’s future.
Richardson’s talent is to wrangle our giant, meandering, and confusing news feed into a coherent story that singles out what we should pay attention to, what the precedents are, and what possible paths lie ahead. In her trademark calm prose, she is realistic and optimistic about the future of democracy. Her command of history allows her to pivot effortlessly from the Founders to the abolitionists to Reconstruction to Goldwater to Mitch McConnell, highlighting the political legacies of the New Deal, the lingering fears of socialism, the death of the liberal consensus and birth of “movement conservatism.”
Many books tell us what has happened over the last five years. Democracy Awakening explains how we got to this perilous point, what our history really tells us about ourselves, and what the future of democracy can be.
--------------
“For the last several turbulent years, millions have looked to Heather Cox Richardson’s daily letters for vital historical perspective, wisdom, and moral clarity. In Democracy Awakening, Richardson goes beyond the news cycle to explain how we got here, placing our current political crisis against the age-old struggle to expand civil rights and economic opportunity. What emerges is a brilliant and honest account of our nation’s past and present. If you care about American democracy—and are engaged in the fight to preserve it—this book is a must-read.”
—Preet Bharara, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York
RestlessSoul
Well-Known Member
Just finished Other Minds: The Octopus, The Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness, by Peter Godfrey-Smith. Held my attention, and some passages describing octopus behaviour were spellbinding, but I was hoping for more on theories of consciousness, in cephalopods and humans.
Just embarking on The Way of Zen, by Alan Watts
Just embarking on The Way of Zen, by Alan Watts
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Secret Chief
Veteran Member
I read that book a while ago. Like you I found it interesting but was a little disappointed.
Octopuses are amazing and clearly extremely intelligent.
Secret Chief
Veteran Member
Dear Leader
by
Jang Jin-Sung (a pseudonym).
by
Jang Jin-Sung (a pseudonym).
Scary book.
Secret Chief
Veteran Member
Presumably woke propaganda?
