Books you are reading

[Scarlett Wampus]

Right now I'm reading 'Job and the Mystery of Suffering' by Richard Rohr. Its a really interesting book and he seems like a great writer. Its helping me build a bridge between the typically Buddhist/Taoist/Atheist perspectives I'm familiar with and Monotheistic perspectives. I'm also slowly getting through a few books by Ken Wilber, who is very clever and insightful, but a little academic and dry sometimes for my tastes. I have a small mountain of books next to my bed and reading chair to get through at the moment, but I'm looking for more!

What books are you reading? And why? Would you recommend them?

 

[ChrisP]

There's one of these under the entertainment section but seeing as I'm here

The Essays of Francis Bacon.

Chuang Tzu

The Tao te Ching

An Overview of Greek Literature

The Way Farer Redemption trilogy - Sara Douglass (for about the 10th time)

 

[Scarlett Wampus]

There's one of these under the entertainment section but seeing as I'm here

Whoops! Sorry. Consider this the mainly non-fiction thread or summink.

 

[Quoth The Raven]

Currently I'm back and forth between The Hot Zone by Richard Preston - which is a heartwarming tale about the Ebola outbreak in the monkey quarantine facility in Reston. There's also a lot of background information about the initial outbreaks of Marburg virus and the other - nastier - strains of Ebola - and The Queen of Sinister, which is the second book of Mark Chadbourn's Dark Age trilogy. Oddly enough, there's a plague in that as well.
I've also got another fine book of pestilence waiting in the wings...and one about biowarfare on reserve at the library.

It's 'Things Wot Kill You Month', right here, in my lounge room.:jiggy:

Edit: If you like fantasy - especially in a modern context - I highly recommend ANYTHING by Mark Chadbourn. I can't speak highly enough of him.
If you find tiny things that kill people in a fast and bloody fashion fascinating, Hot Zone is informative without being overly scary.
I'll let you know about the next one when I get there.

 

[Mister Emu]

Bible(forever)
C++ for dummies

 

[lilithu]

Right now I'm reading 'Job and the Mystery of Suffering' by Richard Rohr. Its a really interesting book and he seems like a great writer. Its helping me build a bridge between the typically Buddhist/Taoist/Atheist perspectives I'm familiar with and Monotheistic perspectives. I'm also slowly getting through a few books by Ken Wilber, who is very clever and insightful, but a little academic and dry sometimes for my tastes. I have a small mountain of books next to my bed and reading chair to get through at the moment, but I'm looking for more!

Sounds interesting! Job is tied with Genesis as my favorite book in the Hebrew bible. I have often thought of developing a class for my church on suffering centering around the study of Job. I wrote a term paper talking about how the theology in Job spans the gap between the Eastern wisdom traditions and Western prophetic traditions. My prof didn't really buy my argument but gave me an A for creativity. :sarcastic

What books are you reading? And why? Would you recommend them?

Sorry SW, this list is going to be extremely "Americentric," because right now all I'm reading are books about religion and politics in the U.S. Because I feel like one narrow interpretation of Christianity has gained too much power within the Republican party and within our goverment in general. So, from now until the Conference on Spiritual Activism in May, I am reading the following:

The Left Hand of God: Taking Back our Country from the Religious Right, by Rabbi Michael Lerner

Don't Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate, by George Lakoff

Gods Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It, by Jim Wallis

Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism, by Cornel West

(Yes, I got in a shameless plug for the conference but I really am reading/have recently read these books. )

 

[Ori]

Currently I am reading...

"The Prophet Muhammed : A biography" by Barnaby Rogerson

"The Gormenghast trilogy" by Mervyn Peake

And " No God but God, the origins, evolution and future of Islam" by Reza Aslan

 

[evearael]

Six Not So Easy Pieces - Richard Feynman
This is the follow up to Six Easy Pieces by one of the most beloved and lucid physics professors of all time. I think it's easy, but I've taken alot of high level physics classes and was just looking for a light refresher before I start playing around with my quantum or nuclear books again. I'm having a hard time getting through it, though it's terrribly short because my daughter is eternally interupting me. If you are interested in physics, these are really fantastic books that do not require you to have a background in the subject to understand what on earth he's talking about. I would also advise you read Schrodinger's Cat and the Search for Reality, followed by Schrodinger's Kittens which is more basic physics augmented by the historical background.
I'm also reading World Scripture: A Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts, The Everyman's Talmud (thanks Jewscout!) and the Stone Edition Tanach, all of which are wonderful and worth your time.

 

[Green Gaia]

Outing Yourself: How to Come Out as Lesbian or Gay to Your Family, Friends, and Coworkers, by Michelangelo Signorile (yes, I'm still reading it)

The spiritual activist : practices to transform your life, your work, and your world, by Claudia Horwitz

Coaching kids to play soccer, by Jim San Marco

Liberty Square, by Katherine Forrest

The first 2 I'm reading for personal reasons. The 3rd because I'm coaching my daughter's soccer team and thought some different ideas would help. The last one because it's one of the lesbian cop mystery series I enjoy and those are always fun.

 

[Buttercup]

Currently I'm back and forth between The Hot Zone by Richard Preston - which is a heartwarming tale about the Ebola outbreak in the monkey quarantine facility in Reston. There's also a lot of background information about the initial outbreaks of Marburg virus and the other - nastier - strains of Ebola -

Ah yes......a very unputdownable (is that a word? ) book. May have to give that one a go again.

I'm still reading through all the books I got on ancient Egyptian religions after reading Revasser's thread.
Various stops thru the Bible
Love Stories from WW2 By Larry King
And hopefully What Dreams May Come for our book club reading selection.

 

[Scarlett Wampus]

Sounds interesting! Job is tied with Genesis as my favorite book in the Hebrew bible. I have often thought of developing a class for my church on suffering centering around the study of Job. I wrote a term paper talking about how the theology in Job spans the gap between the Eastern wisdom traditions and Western prophetic traditions. My prof didn't really buy my argument but gave me an A for creativity. :sarcastic

Well you might definately find that book by Rohr useful then. I've met Richard Rohr and another Jesuit priest called Gerard Hughes who also writes excellent books (but pale in comparison to the retreats he runs). If these two represented the Catholic Church in general, I would be Catholic.

That conference looks fascinating. I can't imagine something like that over here because politics and religion try not to associate with each other.

Evearael, I liked the sound of those books by Feynman. I read 'Surely you're joking Mr Feynman' not so long ago and loved that.

 

[Hope]

Currently I'm back and forth between The Hot Zone by Richard Preston - which is a heartwarming tale about the Ebola outbreak in the monkey quarantine facility in Reston.

I read that book several years ago.....freaky.

I am currently working my way through Le Morte d' Arthur, by Sir Thomas Mallory. I only read bits and pieces of the King Arthur legends in high school, so I wanted to get the full scope of the tale(s). I think it's quite hilarious, actually. Incredibly over-the-top and melodramatic. :biglaugh:

I'm also a regular reader of the Bible. Currently perusing the minor prophets in the Old Testament. I never realized they were such beautiful, poetic books. I loved Hosea and Micah in particular.

 

[finalfrogo]

I'm currently reading Seven Years In Tibet, though I would not recommend it. It has a few interesting tidbits, but typically it is a moderately dull book.

I have recently purchased "The Jesus Papers", another controversial book along the lines of the Davinci Code. These types of books are popping up everywhere these days; it seems like a war between authors--like a major, professional, cash-producing Religious Forums.

 

[Yerda]

Language, Truth, and Logic - Ayer

Our Word is Our Weapon- Marcos

The first one reads like a textbook. I'm only a few pages in. The second is passionate and inspiring.

I finished The First Circle by Solzhenitsyn the other day. I recommend it.