The Poisonwood Bible

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is an amazing story that takes my breath away as I finish its final pages. I'm awestruck by the last 2 chapters. Wonderfully written, this story shares a wide range of depth and perspectives of life of an American missionary family in Africa (specifically the Congo circa 1960). The story is told, with creativity and thoughtfulness, from the respective viewpoints of all the main, female characters. This approach yields many perspectives on the events recorded. I loved this book. It is not perfect, but is darned close. I recommend it to all, a wonderful tale, laden with real Truth.

"When I want to take God at his word exactly, I take a peek out of the window at His Creation. Because that, darling, He makes fresh for us every day, without a lot of dubious middle managers."

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excellent book!

The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings by Bart D. Ehrman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Finally! After starting this book over two years ago, and after several pauses in the reading, i've finished it!

This is an extremely well written and researched book that I recommend to anyone interested in the history of what is considered to be the Christian New Testament. The historical and literary methods used by Dr. Ehrman are fascinating. I am left amazed by the vast number and significance of facts and history related to the Early Christian writings that are never discussed in the dominant "Christian" culture. It is baffling to me that these topics are seemingly never considered by people who claim to base their life upon the Christian scriptures. At any rate, this is an excellent introduction to the topic for anyone with the intellectual integrity and courage to deal with it.

I highly recommend this book with 6 out of 5 stars!

ps. this is an academic book which deals with the history of the early Christian literature in an objective, scholarly manner. It does not express opinions of the author, other than related to historical and textual criticism methods, etc. It is NOT to be put in the same category of some of Dr. Ehrman's other more "popular" books in which he clearly offers his opinions about matters of theology, faith, and philosophy.

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East of Eden by John Steinbeck

East of Eden by John Steinbeck
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have wanted to read this book ever since seeing the movie years ago, and especially after a dear friend's book club read it last year as one of their selections. I recently saw the movie again on TMC and decided it was time to pick up the book and go for it. It was a well rewarded venture.

The first two thirds of the book are back-story for the characters and the families involved. Steinbeck's writing style is not the best I've read, and the early part of the book was somewhat tedious. But my efforts were richly paid off as I entered the last third of the story. The richness of the characters and the dynamics of their interactions with each other, the events around them, and even with themselves, drew me into the story such that I found it difficult to put the book down for the last 150 pages. The characters are real and complex, and I felt more human, finding parts of myself in many of them, whether protagonist, or antagonist, or secondary. The ending was very moving, and there are many unexpected twists and turns along the way that make this tale so much richer than a simple parable of good and evil, black and white. Compared to the more simplistic biblical story from which this story is based, I found East of Eden to contain more Truth and Reality than the biblical version. Really good stuff! I highly recommend this book, and encourage staying with it to the end. An excellent story.

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great quote from "East of Eden"

I'm on page 413 of "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck and found the following passage:

“In uncertainty I am certain that underneath their topmost layers of frailty men want to be good and want to be loved. Indeed, most of their vices are attempted shortcuts to love. When a man comes to die, no matter what his talents and influence and genius, if he dies unloved his life must be a failure to him and his dying a cold horror. It seems to me that if you or I must choose between two courses of thought or action, we should remember our dying and try so to live that our death brings no pleasure to the world."

"We have only one story. All novels, all poetry, are built on the neverending contest in ourselves of good and evil. And it occurs to me that evil must constantly respawn, while good, while virtue is immortal. Vice has always a new fresh young face, while virtue is venerable as nothing else in the world is.”

enjoying this story :) Kate creeps me out tho!

A Brief History of Time

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a fascinating book. Hardcore scientists will not be satisfied by the level at which Hawking presents the information, but for someone like me who loves technical things, but has not followed the last 25 years of discoveries in these areas of research and study, it was fascinating. I'd like to re-read it to get a bit more familiar with the subjects covered! I recommend this book to folks who appreciate and enjoy science but are not looking for details only comprehendible by specialists in the field. Hawking has a endearing sense of humor, and is not afraid to throw in some philosophical comments as well. An enjoyable read!

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Virtual light

Virtual Light by William Gibson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow, another excellent tale from William Gibson! I love his story telling, his writing style, and his brilliant imagination. I can't wait to start the next book in this trilogy!

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The Last Book by Kay I Want to Read

The Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I freakin' give up on this one. There are too many other books that I want to read for me to waste any more time on this one. Following the plot and the characters is like some sort of twisted puzzle or whodunnit mystery. As a result, after 232 pages, i couldn't care less about any of the characters nor about how this convoluted story will end. The first book that i read by this author was "Under Heaven" and it was excellent in every way that this book is found wanting. It was excellent! Unfortunately, other books i've read by Kay are not as compelling. This is the third i've read and I'm done with him.

Additionally, as a result of this book, i've implemented an overdue personal policy of NOT finishing a book unless it has won me in the first 25%. If i am not completely into the story by 1/4 of the way through, I'll spend the remaining 75% on another book that I want to read. Life is to freaking short.

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To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This story is a reminder to be mindful of our past mistakes, lest we be doomed to repeat them.
It is a great story, and i'm glad i finally took the time to read it!
Now i want to see the movie!

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Pale Blue Dot

Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space by Carl Sagan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a brilliant volume by Dr. Sagan, full of facts, wisdom, and foresight. The subtitle "A Vision of the Human Future in Space" is perfect. It is filled with hope, cautions, challenges, and inspiration. In just one sample of the multitude of wisdom contained in this book, speaking of our descendants who will make their homes elsewhere in our solar system, he writes:

"I do not imagine that it is precisely we, with our present customs and social conventions, who will be out there. If we continue to accumulate only power and not wisdom, we will surely destroy ourselves. Our very existence in that distant time requires that we will have changed our institutions and ourselves. How can I dare to guess about humans in the far future? It is, I think, only a matter of natural selection. If we become even slightly more violent, shortsighted, ignorant, and selfish than we are now, almost certainly we will have no future."

I highly recommend this treasure as required reading for all who are able to read it.  Loved it. Six stars!

ps. inspired to read it by this quote: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_Blue_Dot#Reflections_by_Sagan

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questions that demand a response from "religion"

God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the first book I've read by any of the famed "Four Horsemen of New Atheism". I would like to read at least one selection by each, but this is my first. I heard Hitchens interviewed a while back on NPR, prior to his death, and found (not surprisingly) that I was in agreement with most of his criticisms of religion. I read this book hoping to get an accurate picture of his views. I was initially disappointed as I started into it, because while the author points out valid issues, he does so in a ranting way. But as I finish (perhaps gaining the ability to "filter out" the ranting), I find in the book an excellent summary of the case against religion, as well as a good (certainly not complete) collection of the questions that should be asked of religion. And a response should be demanded by thinking people of reason. Aside from the ranting style of this book, i see it as a good starting place for people who are genuinely seeking Truth, rather than staying satisfied with dogma and delusion. In ending, a nested quote from the book:

"The true value of a man is not determined by his possession, supposed or real, of Truth, but rather by his sincere exertion to get to the Truth. It is not possession of the Truth, but rather the pursuit of Truth by which he extends his powers and in which his ever-growing perfectibility is to be found. Possession makes one passive, indolent, and proud. If God were to hold all Truth concealed in his right hand, and in his left only the steady and diligent drive for Truth, albeit with the proviso that I would always and forever err in the process, and to offer me the choice, I would with all humility take the left hand." - Gotthold Lessing, Anti-Goeze (1778)

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Pattern Recognition

Pattern Recognition by William Gibson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this story, and loved the way it was told. William Gibson is a brilliant writer and becoming one of my favorite authors. I had a hard time putting this one down. Excellent story, recommend highly. Great writing!

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Tigana

Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tigana is a really good book. it is a great imaginative story with interesting characters and themes, and unexpected plot twists and turns. The ending was delightful (not all happy, but a delight), as well as the last ~100 pages building toward it. I was left somewhat disappointed overall, however, with the quality of the writing. To me, this felt like an excellent story that the author was not quite ready to write. Given that this was one of his earlier works, and that I've also read a truly excellent and epic example of his later works ("Under Heaven" - 5+ stars, fantastic) my assumption is that his style and expertise in story telling was still growing and evolving at the time Tigana was penned. That aside, it's a great story and well worth the time to read.

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Delta Rae: One Take Live

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book has been on my to-read shelf for years, and I finally got around to it, prompted by a quote from the author posted on a college friend's Twitter feed. Some books, perhaps most books, I have learned to read at a faster pace, reading for concepts, ideas, plot sequences, etc. When reading in this way, sentences are read at a glance as opposed to word for word. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is different. All the way through, I found myself reading every word. The higher altitude method would not do for me, I wanted to savor every word. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is a beautifully and intelligently written meditation and memoir about life, death, nature, the world and physical universe; how to experience and understand them and how we relate to the world in which we live. Nothing is sugar coated or kept behind the curtain. Our natural world is portrayed in all its wonder and horror, and we are invited to consider what it all means, and where we fit in. After I started reading the book, I looked up Annie Dillard on the Internet and was astounded to find that she was in her late 20's when she wrote this masterpiece. I loved it, and I recommend it to all. This is my first book by this author, but I'm now anxious to read and savor more.


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saying hello to ourselves

Annie Dillard writes about watching an elusive muskrat on Tinker Creek...

"... he never knew I was there. I never knew I was there, either. For that forty minutes last night I was purely sensitive and mute as a photographic plate; I received impressions, but I did not print out captions. My own self awareness had disappeared; it seems now almost as though, had I been wired with electrodes, my EEG would have been flat."

"... I have often noticed that even a few minutes of this self-forgetfulness is tremendously invigorating. I wonder if we do not waste most of our energy just by spending every waking minute saying hello to ourselves."

cool.

photo credit: Alan D. Wilson, www.naturespicsonline.com via Wikimedia Commons

pick up a penny

"It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he won't stoop to pick up a penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted in pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. What you see is what you get."

 - Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

great ending to a great trilogy!

Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

what a great ending to a great trilogy! Loved it. Gibson's writing is fast moving and intriguing. The story is fantastic, characters are amazingly real considering their futuristic context. Loved this trilogy, hope to re-read someday.

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great writing

excellent!

"Kumiko would remember the alley always: dark brick slick with damp, hooded ventilators trailing black streamers of congealed dust, a yellow bulb in a cage of corroded alloy, the low growth of empty bottles that sprouted at the base of either wall, the man-sized nests of crumpled fax and white foam packing segments, and the sound of Sally's bootheels."

p.163 Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson

Count Zero

Count Zero by William Gibson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Count Zero" grabbed me from the first chapter and it was hard to put down. This second of William Gibson's "Sprawl Trilogy" (first book is "Neuromancer") is fast moving, intelligent, fascinating, and very well written. The three plot lines in this story are each interesting and compelling in their own way, and converge near the end in an exciting conclusion. I loved this book, and am excited to read the third in the trilogy "Mona Lisa Overdrive"! (and then to re-read all three again) I highly recommend this book!

Falling Upward

Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life by Richard Rohr
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After reading Father Richard's e-mail meditations for several years, this is the first book of his I've read. This is an amazing book. It is both challenging and encouraging at the same time! It gives a glimpse into where we have been, and who we are to become as we move into the second half of our lives. It is helping me make sense out of the course my life has taken, and shed light into where my life is headed. It is encouraging to see that changes in life that seem crazy from the first half point of view make so much sense moving into second half living. I am looking forward to re-reading this book with a group of close friends, sharing reflections on how each of our lives have moved as is described so well in this book. I heartily recommend this book to aspiring and newbie second halfers (myself included!) A must read and re-read.

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