Reading log

[Vlad!]

Mad props to worldofcm for reading the Narnia books in published order. Feel free to share your thoughts on both the books and the order you are reading them in.

I just finished The Best Cat Ever which, though neither deep nor universal, was at times touching and at times hilarious. Minor pet allergies (and living in an apartment which charges increased rent to pet owners) keep me from obtaining a cat myself, but I love reading about them.

[Vlad!]

I went to a used book store and grabbed three books, one of which I have read. The Ghost of the Grand Banks, by Arthur C. Clarke, is not a ghost story (as the title might lead one to believe), but it is most excellent. It is complete proof that his storytelling ability has not diminished with age. It is written in a similar style to Hammer of God, though it is slightly less disjointed.

I also read From Coder to Developer, but I highly doubt it would appeal to anyone else here except possibly the MIA Dv and thus I shall say no more about it.

[Josh]

Finished Chopin's "The Awakening," a novella that's generally placed squarely in the feminist tradition. This is, perhaps, an unfair classification-- most feminist lit (including many of Chopin's own short stories) are guilty of oversimplification and didacticism. The Awakening, however, is a rich, surprisingly complex novel that juggles many differing viewpoints and digs much deeper than mere social commentary-- it asks some provocative questions about love, lust, passion, and responsibility. The characterization is rich, even though the prose itself is a bit dry and lacking in musicality.

Recommended-- I didn't think I'd care for it, but it far exceeds the quality one would expect given the genre and its conventions.

[ajyouthguy]

i'm confused...what's the difference in this and the other topic,  the what are you reading now one?

[Josh]

i'm confused...what's the difference in this and the other topic,  the what are you reading now one?

This thread is for sharing responses and reflections on what you've just finished reading; the other is simply to list whatever books you may be in the process of digesting.

[Vlad!]

I finished three J.D. Salinger books over the break:
Catcher in the Rye: Not bad, but not all that good either. The ending was tolerable but brought little resolution, and the plot itself really lacked a climax. I think Salinger is great at telling his target audience what they want to hear, but I wasn't too impressed.

Franny: Really a short story, or at most a novella. Not bad, but again it offered little resolution.

Zooey: This story more than makes up for the other two. It is a direct continuation of "Franny" above, and perhaps a spiritual successor to CitR. It raises a number of the same points that Catcher raises, but it then goes on to explore these points more fully and offer a well-developed conclusion. The humanity and openness of Salinger's writing is carried over from CitR, but I think Zooey is much better-written. By far the best of the three.

[Josh]

Just finished Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, a collection of essays by David Sedaris. Sedaris is a sharp, witty humorist and an astute observer of human nature, but, at their core, these essays are all rather sad, reflecting on broken families, personal neuroses and phobias (Sedaris is OCD), cultural issues (he's also gay), and some of the darker regions of human relationships. It's a bittersweet book, but each essay is filled with humor and compassion, and there are some beautiful, unforgettable moments along the way. Highly recommended.

[Tom]

just finished "The Great Divorce" by C S Lewis for the first time.

a truly inspired work. his George MacDonald character is fantastic.

[Brenden]

I read House by Frank Peretti/Ted Dekker. It was pretty good, Peretti was the weak link, as the usual weaknesses of his books were present (weak characters, unsatisfying ending), Ted probably came up with the idea, which isn't a bad one, a house where the hearts of those inside it are reflected, but the idea wasn't fleshed out well and that frustrated me. Plus the ending sucked big time, all the build-up of tension and then you get a Peretti finish, a moral that's all too obvious and on top of that, Ted's done similar endings TWICE already (someone dies to save the day making a Christ parallel) in Showdown and White, both of which did a better job of it. Here it seemed very forced, as opposed to being the perfectly natural conclusion.

Also read a book that collected the journals of Kurt Cobain. After this, I must conclude that the dude was pretty messed up.

[Josh]

A few comments regarding James White's book, The Roman Catholic Controversy, which I finished up on Saturday: White is, simply put, the sharpest, most eloquent and concise Christian apologist working today. His theology is always strong, his logic clear, and his love for God's Word obvious. This particular volume is an eye-opening, even shocking look at just what Roman Catholic doctrine teaches... and how far it parts from the Gospel. It's likely to be unsettling to some folks-- particularly, um, Roman Catholics-- but, if you are interested in apologetics or frequently find yourself discussing theology with Roman Catholics, you really need to read White's book. His exegesis is profound and insightful, and his arguments quite convincing.

[Vlad!]

Finished Chesterton's The Ball and the Cross. I liked it a lot; much better than The Man Who Was Thursday. Chesterton fans should add this one to their to-read list, despite lamentable grammatical issues.

[enemy anemone]

hm! I hadn't heard of it before, or if I had, I hadn't taken notice of it. I looked it up on amazon and added it to my list.

I've been reading here and there in Philosophy Through Fiction and Film by Burton F. Porter.

[Josh]

Just finished up James White and Jeffrey Niell's The Same Sex Controversy. As with all of White's works, this is a sound, clear argument, based in scholarly biblical exegesis and straightforward logic. White discusses the biblical passages that approach homosexuality, offering sound interpretations of them and also summarizing and refuting some of the alternate interpretations and arguments raised by gay revisionist theologians. This is an excellent, thoroughly scholarly and deeply compassionate look at the difficult topic of homosexuality-- wish I'd read it back when we were discussing homosexuality here a month or so back!

[Vlad!]

[Aaron]

Just finished a couple of books.

John C. Maxwell's The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership is one of his most famous writings.  Maxwell provided excellent insight into being a leader, influencing others, and developing many positive traits to benefit your personal and professional lives.  Even though Maxwell is a Christian and former minister, he writes the book in a way that even non-Christians can get the basic tenets out of the book without feeling like they are reading something a preacher is saying.  I really enjoyed this book and am currently reading a few more Maxwell books.

Brian D. McLaren - A New Kind of Christian

This book was very intriguing.  McLaren uses a fictional story to explain and express his ideas of postmodern Christian thought.  It's really hard to give more of a description without reading it for yourself.  All I can say is that it really challenged me to re-examine everything I've learned about my faith. 

[ajyouthguy]

Finally finished re-reading The Signature of Jesus, by Brennan Manning.  It is a pretty amazing book, although parts of it are difficult to get through and/or to follow completely.  But it is a very challenging read and a pretty incredible book.

[Vlad!]

Finished Scaramouche the King-Maker. It was every bit as good as its forebear. Actually, I liked it that this one had a much more pronounced historical fiction bent, because although I am normally lukewarm towards the genre, Sabatini is a master.

[RedcoatJones]

Recently finished The World is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st Century by Thomas Friedman.

Excellent look at the shifting world economy and what it means to America and developing countries. Not only does he outline what he sees as the 10 influences that "flattened" the world (i.e. business can be done by companies all around the world of any size). The best part is that instead of just outlining the changes, he also offers his opinion on what individuals, American politicians and developing countries can do to make sure they are not left behind in the changing power shifts.

Excellent read for anyone interested in, or concerned about, outsourcing, world economics, the rise of China and India, etc.

[Josh]

Just finished James White's Scripture Alone.

It weighs in at just over 200 pages, and yet I'm having a hard time thinking of many Christian books that are richer in wisdom and insights into God's Word. It is immediately one of the most profound and inspiring theological works I've read, ranking right up there with my favorite works fom John Calvin and John Flavel. White incorporates sound, biblical theology as well as a seemingly infinite knowledge of church history to defend the precious doctrine of sola scriptura; included in this work are discussions of the canon, inspiration, and much more, as well as some dialogues with those who don't love God's Word and wish to attack it-- ie, Mormons, Muslims, Roman Catholics, etc.

Truly excellent!

[Josh]

Just finished James Sire's book The Universe Next Door, which I heartily commend to everyone here, particularly those interested in religion or philosophy. It's a terrific overview of a number of different worldviews-- everything from naturalism, deism, and nihlism to pantheism, New Age, and postmodernism-- that is informative and honest about the comparative strengths of each worldview, as well as their weaknesses-- indeed, there are sound criticisms of each school of thought, showing how they are ultimately all inferior to Christian theism (insofar as Christian theism is practical, logical, and true, and the others are not).

[Tom]

just finished "Slaughterhouse 5" for the first time. it is a very good book. but it is extremely dark, honest and cynical, yet uproariously funny too. people like myself who in weaker moments tend towards fatalism will find much to validate the ideology here. needless to say, i need something totally different for my next read.

[Josh]

just finished "Slaughterhouse 5" for the first time. it is a very good book. but it is extremely dark, honest and cynical, yet uproariously funny too. people like myself who in weaker moments tend towards fatalism will find much to validate the ideology here. needless to say, i need something totally different for my next read.

A professor I had once defined postmodernism as "nihlism with a happy face." That's as good a description of Vonnegut's fiction as one could hope for, I think.

[Tom]

i haven't read any other Vonnegut, but nihilism doesn't seem like a totally apt description for S5. nowhere in S5 did i get the feeling that Vonnegut was offering a solution of any sort to the corruption in the world. it felt more like passive fatalism with a big dash of moral relativity; which could be called a form of nihilism, but i think that's a stretch.

his other books may be more representative of nihilism though; but i have a feeling i won't be reading any more Vonnegut for a while. i gotta read something to cheer me up now.

[Josh]

nowhere in S5 did i get the feeling that Vonnegut was offering a solution of any sort to the corruption in the world. it felt more like passive fatalism with a big dash of moral relativity; which could be called a form of nihilism, but i think that's a stretch.

Actually, that sounds like a pretty good definition of nihlism to me. Nihlism is simply the feeling that everything is utterly meaningless-- thus, there can be no solution to corruption, no moral absolutes, no metanarrative, no nothing.

[Vlad!]

After having read the entirety of the Foundation series (I thought I was done with it two times before, but now I'm pretty sure I actually am done with it, since Asimov, sadly, is dead), I have to say that I am incredibly impressed with the series as a whole. The original trilogy was quite good. When he added a sequel, I was hesitant--sequels that come out years after the beloved originals do not have good track records. But Asimov managed to update the milieu--taking into account modern advances in scientific knowledge--while still retaining much of the charm his world created. Although he went a bit further (and worked perhaps a bit TOO hard to incorporate some of his other writings) than the originals, I still enjoyed the addition.

Then came the prequels. The prequels were released--I'm fairly certain--about a decade after the sequel. The prequels also worked the hardest of any of them to encorporate Asimov's entire "future history" into the Foundation universe. But they were still quite good. Much like the new Star Wars prequel trilogy, you knew that they were going to end on a sad note. But unlike the new Star Wars trilogy, the glimmer of hope embodied in the original trilogy was emphasized more heavily, and there were fewer attempts to retrofit the originals into the new story.

Asimov has written too much for all of his works--or even most of them--to be truly excellent. But this does not change the fact that his science fiction is, at its worst, better than the average.

[Silvah]

Finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time last night. I really enjoyed the book overall, but felt the ending was unsatisfying.

[Vlad!]

My mom really liked that book, but I haven't read it. Maybe I should.

[Silvah]

I would definitely recommend it. It is very well written and there's some good discussion material in it as well.

[Vlad!]

Finally finished up The Samurai, by Endo. Very, very good book.

[dgp11776]

As in yule...yule log.  Not a log!  I mean, not in the sense you thought I said I had a log.

Anyone?

[enemy anemone]

As in yule...yule log.  Not a log!  I mean, not in the sense you thought I said I had a log.

Anyone?

I am so confused. could you clarify?

[dgp11776]

I am so confused. could you clarify?

Dang.  I hoped someone would get it.  It's a quote from National Lam(youknowtheword)'s Christmas Vacation."

[Aaron]

lampoon.



worked for me

[Vlad!]

The filter only hits spoon, not any subwords thereof.

[enemy anemone]

Dang.  I hoped someone would get it.  It's a quote from National Lam(youknowtheword)'s Christmas Vacation."

I think that's the second time you've completely confounded me with a quote from that movie. 

[Rough Draft]

Finally finished up The Samurai, by Endo. Very, very good book.

I read this last year. It is a good book, though I remember being somewhat miffed with the writing. While by no means bad, it seemed different from Silence, less fluent maybe. I assume it was the translators that did it.

[Vlad!]

That is one problem with reading a book in a language other than the one it was written in (I felt similarly towards the works of Gabriel Garcia-Marquez). To be honest, I thought that Van Gessel's translation was pretty good. To be fair, translating from Japanese to English is very hard--and Gessel is an academic, so he tends to be more wordy (and attempts to be more precise) than someone who is a professional translator for a publishing company.

I have a copy of Silence here which I will read over the break once I finish my other book. I did notice that the translator was someone else--I hadn't heard of the guy, so I don't remember the name--and once I do read it I'll compare for myself and get back to you.

[Vlad!]

I started reading Silence today. I am truly shocked at the poor quality of the translation. After what Rough Draft said I was expecting it to be at least as good as that of The Samurai, but I was disappointed. Punctuation is arbitrary and often inappropriate; errors such as sentence fragments and run-on sentences are disturbingly common, and overall the translation seems very rough. As I say, translating from Japanese is hard--there are so many differences that a literal translation is simply not possible for a work of that magnitude. Instead, one has to truly understand both languages and achieve a full localization. I believe that the Gessel translation acheived this, and the translation of Silence has not. While I suppose it may be symptomatic of the original text, Japanese grammar rules are such that a number of the errors (comma errors, article errors, subject/verb number agreement errors) simply are not possible in the original language and thus must have been introduced by the translator.

I find this puzzling, as I read the translator's preface and was not disturbed by the grammar. While the preface is only a few pages, it didn't take me very long to be disgusted by the poor writing in the actual text itself. I also find it highly disturbing that something of this low caliber could possibly be published in the US. Was it not read over at all? A high school student could have caught at least the more glaring errors.

While the story itself appears to be standard Endo--by which I mean excellent--I find myself having to get over the shocking lack of regard to English grammar, which admittedly distracts me somewhat from the tale it's supposed to be telling.

That said, the story is set during the Tokugawa shogunate, a period in Japanese history I would really like to know more about. I am looking forward to completing this novel, and I sincerely hope that the translation gets better as it goes along (or at least that I get more numb to it...).

[Celldweller7]

I've read the intro, chapter 0, and chapter 1 of Brian McLaren's "a Generous Orthodoxy." I am enjoying where he is coming from but my mind is already drifting into "How can you bring those people to a table together?"

I am interested to see where he does go with these thoughts of uniting, in some manner, conserative Protestant, Chrasimatic, Anabaptist, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Liberal Prostestant, and something he calls "Jesus of the Oppressed" views of Christ.

I can see how several of them can work together to create a fuller vision of Christ. But I am very uncertain how he'll merge liberal prostestants into that fold, many of them believing that Christ is not divine and denying the very basis for which all or at least most the other views stand upon.

[Aaron]

Correction: I haven't read Generous Orthodoxy.  I've read A New Kind of Christian and parts of The Secret Message of Jesus. I do need to read Generous Orthodoxy