What Book Have You Read Recently?

Alex P said:
Chuck norris once killed a man by just looking at him..... A legened indeed.. But I couldn't endure reading his self gloryifing crap... Then again I can't endure reading any book lol.... I think there should be a warning message though on any works written by chuck norris "Warning... This book may cause you to drop freaking dead from the norris's shear awesomeness...." Did you know Chuck Norris also once saved a three year old girl from HIV positive, radioactive sharks.... Seven of them... One surivived fatally wounded... He died three days later... Did you also know that Chuck norris created the world in four days?
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That might be, because you've been there, done that, own thd tee shirt, and got holes in it...in reality, eh soldier? ;-)
 
Finished "Who moved my cheese?," one of those Coveyesque self-improvement tomes by Dr. Spencer Johnson. Interesting, but on the surface what seems an overstatement of the obvious. Just the same, I think I understand where he is coming from, people *do* get into ruts, and once in those ruts have a time realizing and breaking back out of them.

Still working on the engineering materials book, at this rate (3-4 pages a day)probably another month or so.
 
greymare said:
just a little light reading eh, juantoo3. LOL
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Yeah, well...many and varied interests...that, and trying to catch up on a 20 year backlog. You ever see those people with a huge library, and you wonder if they actually read their books? I don't want my books to be purely for show, (most are horribly ugly anyway). Other than my reference books, I am proud to say that the vast majority of my books I have read, but there are a few I've managed to put off...like the aforementioned materials book.
 
greymare said:
dont dis the chuck, or ill do a norris on your arse. LOL
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That would be fun to watch...sic 'em Grey! Sic 'em.

Alex could use a little norris on his arse. As long as he doesn't sit down...that might be a bit uncomfortable, sitting on a little norris.
 
i met chuck norris once... in a bar...in Leeds... he was great- really nice guy, we bought him a drink, and he bought us one... Then I went to the toilet, and when I came back he'd stolen my stonewashed denim jacket...
 
I am re-reading Seek My Face: A Jewish Mystical Theology by Rabbi Arthur Green. I picked it up once a number of years ago and got a lot out of it while at the same time being bothered by some of the suggestions, for example how strongly he pushes vegetarianism in one chapter as a Jewish imperative and how, on some level, it didn't seem rooted enough. This time through I'm finding myself much more receptive to what he has to say. I will have to read his follow-up book, Ehyeh: A Kabbalah for Tomorrow. I'm coincidentally reading his translation with commentary of the Sfat Emet along with the weekly parsha and one thing I like about R' Art Green is that he's able to do more scholarly work and do radical theology but at the same time keep the two separate. I read an interview with him once where he said that in class -- he's a professor -- a student could give a really modern theological interpretation of a classical text and it wouldn't fly because the class is on the historical text and the views expressed in it, not on the individual's views as a modern person. That's not exactly what he said but it was something like that. I really like that type of compartmentalization that recognizes both the mythical voice that speaks to the individual and the voice of the text as having their place without stepping on each other's toes.

-- Dauer
 
Currently going through the bible.... Again.... Tend to catch things when you read them again.

Oh almost forgot and side by side it I am reading "All Scripture is inspired of god and beneficial." Which basically lists the dates of each book the writer of each book, history of the writer, location of where written and how long it took to complete and a time line.... And brings out highlights of each book, (example gen or rom or deut or kings and so on...) And just explains each book in detail like that... But alas it is is a watchtower publication!!! *hisses*
 
Alex P said:
But alas it is is a watchtower publication!!!
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As long as you keep it in context and don't limit yourself to that source alone you will be alright...

Hey, some of my best early Christian church history studies came from a series done years ago by the Worldwide Church of G-d. They were big on using the name Yahweh for G-d, but I got a rather lame excuse when I asked why they didn't use Jesus' real name...they tried to brush it off as unimportant. Son of G-d, G-d manifest in flesh, G-d's name important, but Jesus' name not...I gave up on them pretty quick. But it was still an excellent introductory Christian history series that I haven't seen matched anywhere else.
 
Alex P said:
Currently going through the bible.... Again.... Tend to catch things when you read them again.

Oh almost forgot and side by side it I am reading "All Scripture is inspired of god and beneficial." Which basically lists the dates of each book the writer of each book, history of the writer, location of where written and how long it took to complete and a time line.... And brings out highlights of each book, (example gen or rom or deut or kings and so on...) And just explains each book in detail like that... But alas it is is a watchtower publication!!! *hisses*
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What part of the Bible are you reading? Starting from the beginning? It's amazing that the vast majority of Christians have never read the Bible in any contextually meaningful way. Oh sure, they hop, skip, and jump around connecting the obligatory dots, but they've never read even one of it's books from start to finish. Why read it if you've already decided to just accept it, I suppose.

Chris
 
China Cat Sunflower said:
What part of the Bible are you reading? Starting from the beginning? It's amazing that the vast majority of Christians have never read the Bible in any contextually meaningful way. Oh sure, they hop, skip, and jump around connecting the obligatory dots, but they've never read even one of it's books from start to finish. Why read it if you've already decided to just accept it, I suppose.

Chris
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Good point, and I agree. The first book I read was Revelations. Later I started at Genesis, got as far as Job and by then was so burnt I just couldn't get through that book (still haven't). Same trouble with Psalms and Song of Solomon, yet Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are two of my favorite books (along with James). Got through all the rest OK, not that I can claim any full understanding (and I certainly didn't catch all the "contradictions" on the first go round). It took me until way into the letters of Paul to finally figure out what "divers" meant (without a Strong's Concordance), Olde English is not for the faint of heart.

But I agree, the typical pew warmer probably hasn't read more than the equivalent of a couple of books over the course of decades, because they tend to keep to a preferred collection of snippets (frequently out of context).

The most valuable lesson I took away from Sunday school: if someone quotes a verse, read at least ten verses in front and ten verses behind to get a gist of what is going on and a context to place what is being said in.
 
China Cat Sunflower said:
What part of the Bible are you reading? Starting from the beginning? It's amazing that the vast majority of Christians have never read the Bible in any contextually meaningful way. Oh sure, they hop, skip, and jump around connecting the obligatory dots, but they've never read even one of it's books from start to finish. Why read it if you've already decided to just accept it, I suppose.

Chris
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Yeah I've also found that.. that many have not actually read the book but as you say skip around to parts here and there... To be honest I skipped parts of Gen... As The blood line part goes on... And on... lol but apart from that I am reading all books.
 
Alex P said:
Yeah I've also found that.. that many have not actually read the book but as you say skip around to parts here and there... To be honest I skipped parts of Gen... As The blood line part goes on... And on... lol but apart from that I am reading all books.
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That's because the bible is not designed to be read like a novel...

Each "chapter" of the bible is a book in its own right. Hence the term "bible" (biblia), or "library".
 
I just finished reading Finite and Infinite Games, by James P. Carse. It's a small paperback of a hundred pages I found perusing the philosophy section at B and N. I've developed a liking for short essays, or collections of very short essays. I don't want to have to absorb someone's Grand Theory on things. Don't have time for magnum opuseses. And I like accessible language of the sort Mr. Carse creates, and I like the dime store novel price of $6.99 US. Anyway, I'd recommend this book to the intelligentsia here at CR. You know who you are.

I have on my reading stack another short essay book. This one, by Ernst Cassirer, is titled Language and Myth, copyright 1946. It's 99 pages long. And I have The 48 Laws of Power, by Robert Greene, which just came out in paperback. That one's regular size at 430 pages. It's kind of a Machiavellian grimoire on classic amoral strategies of sheer power seeking.

Chris
 
Update: Still reading the bible.... 'Enjoying it' I guess would be the apropriate expression... Feeling like I am also appreciating it, taking it in as best I can that is why I haven't made much "depth" into it... I feel like it is going to take me months to read... Also now stopped using the guides, they are interesting to see who wrote them and where in which period of time. But I am trying to just take it as a personal story to myself, and take what I am supposed to find from it for myself within it.... lol.. Also now have an excellent audio version of it which I am listening to on my walks back and forth from work and sleeping....
 
Alex P said:
Update: Still reading the bible.... 'Enjoying it' I guess would be the apropriate expression... Feeling like I am also appreciating it, taking it in as best I can that is why I haven't made much "depth" into it... I feel like it is going to take me months to read... Also now stopped using the guides, they are interesting to see who wrote them and where in which period of time. But I am trying to just take it as a personal story to myself, and take what I am supposed to find from it for myself within it.... lol.. Also now have an excellent audio version of it which I am listening to on my walks back and forth from work and sleeping....
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I like the new avatar Alex. It should take you about a year to read it. One thing I would suggest is that you attempt to look at things from the writers' perspectives. Then it becomes a drama in history, with many good lessons to be learned. Each book is a seperate story, but the "saga" eventually ties all together in the end.

The most significant thing about the Bible is the message of hope, and that all will turn out right, for us...all of us, not just a select few.

Try reading the book of Joshua, from a soldier's point of view (for example). The brilliance of the General, and "science" he used to win un-winable battles. The absolute faith he had for his God, and how God blessed him and his people for that faith, and obedience.

v/r

Q
 
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