What are you currently reading?

[Ken B]

Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood Of 1927
John M Barry

So far a fascinating book. I read Barry's book on Roger Williams, which was also excellent.

The Axeman's Jazz
Ray Celestin
A novel about a real series of murders in New Orleans in 1919

[StarThrower62]

The Mind's I by Daniel Dennett and Douglas Hofstadter

[Ghost of Baron Scarpia]

The Eighth day, Thorton Wilder



I don't know where I found this one. A sort of murder mystery that takes place in an early 20th century mining town in the central U.S. Along the way there are a lot of philosophical and cultural musings. A good book, but more ponderous than I was expecting.

[LKB]

Rereading Ringworld by Larry Niven.

As entertaining as l remember from the first time around, a few decades ago.

" I have a variable sword ",

LKB

[André]

A vacation trip to the US wouldn't be complete without a book. John Grisham's The Whistler will be in my suitcase.

[Ken B]

A very interesting article about one man's religious conversion. https://www.firstthings.com/article/2019/05/why-i-became-muslim
An antidote to Woke.

[aligreto]

Aldous Huxley: Point Counter Point

This is a re-read after many years. I cannot remember how I got on the first time, even tough I read quite a lot of his novels when I was a young man. This time around, however, I found it tough going. Perhaps as one grows older one gets impatient when a plot or character development is slow and tedious?

[Ken B]

Aldous Huxley: Point Counter Point

This is a re-read after many years. I cannot remember how I got on the first time, even tough I read quite a lot of his novels when I was a young man. This time around, however, I found it tough going. Perhaps as one grows older one gets impatient when a plot or character development is slow and tedious?

It is interesting how your reaction changes to some things over time. I can think of several books I really l8ked but could not reread. I can only think of a few I liked more the second time. In general I find the "classics" hold up very well, but more "commercial" stuff like thrillers does not.

[aligreto]

It is interesting how your reaction changes to some things over time. I can think of several books I really l8ked but could not reread. I can only think of a few I liked more the second time. In general I find the "classics" hold up very well, but more "commercial" stuff like thrillers does not.

All true here too.

[Florestan]

My experience is usually the reverse --- on the first reading I struggle with some books but then on the 2nd or 3rd I eventually ask myself: how could I have not like this excellent book? The most striking case in this respect is Stendhal's Le rouge et le noir, which I finished and greatly enjoyed on the 3rd reading only.

[LKB]

The Log from the Sea of Cortez, by John Steinbeck.

[aligreto]

The Log from the Sea of Cortez, by John Steinbeck.

I read that about 40 years ago! I devoured Steinbeck when I was a young man. Based on the relevant comments above I am afraid to re-visit his writing for fear that I will not appreciate them as much as I once did. Perhaps I will find more in them now? It is something of a conundrum for me.

[Ghost of Baron Scarpia]

Aldous Huxley: Point Counter Point

This is a re-read after many years. I cannot remember how I got on the first time, even tough I read quite a lot of his novels when I was a young man. This time around, however, I found it tough going. Perhaps as one grows older one gets impatient when a plot or character development is slow and tedious?

That is a book I read and enjoyed many years ago and which I've been planning to re-read.

[Ken B]

My experience is usually the reverse --- on the first reading I struggle with some books but then on the 2nd or 3rd I eventually ask myself: how could I have not like this excellent book? The most striking case in this respect is Stendhal's Le rouge et le noir, which I finished and greatly enjoyed on the 3rd reading only.

Some are a bit slow, as they put it in the South. 

That has been my favorite novel since I read it. I have read it 3 times, and next time will read it in French.

[Florestan]

Some are a bit slow, as they put it in the South. 

That has been my favorite novel since I read it. I have read it 3 times, and next time will read it in French.

I liked La chartreuse de Parme better, in that I finished and greatly enjoyed it on the first reading. Rumor has it that Lucien Leuwen is even  better than both LRELNR and LCDP --- have you read it? If yes, can you confirm or infirm the rumor?

[Ken B]

I liked La chartreuse de Parme better, in that I finished and greatly enjoyed it on the first reading. Rumor has it that Lucien Leuwen is even  better than both LRELNR and LCDP --- have you read it? If yes, can you confirm or infirm the rumor?

Have not read it. Parma is on the reread list.
Empty your mailbox!

[Florestan]

Empty your mailbox!

Done.

[JBS]

My experience is usually the reverse --- on the first reading I struggle with some books but then on the 2nd or 3rd I eventually ask myself: how could I have not like this excellent book? The most striking case in this respect is Stendhal's Le rouge et le noir, which I finished and greatly enjoyed on the 3rd reading only.

May I point out that you found enough in Rouge et Noir  on the first try to read it a second time, and then a third time?

I admit that I have never read a page of Stendahl.  Any suggestions on which to try first?

[Jo498]

A very interesting article about one man's religious conversion. https://www.firstthings.com/article/2019/05/why-i-became-muslim
An antidote to Woke.

And an indication for the total failure of the churches. If I get it right, this guy was at least as much looking for something like "christendom", i.e. a culture and tradition he could affirm as his own and live in as he was looking for spiritual enlightenment. That's why even as a muslim he stresses some common roots (like classical antiquity) and his fondness for British culture. But this was spoiled for him by the absurd stance towards 2500 years of Classical and Western/Christian culture of some modern academics. And the Christian churches apparently didn't offer much for him either (I don't think the paradoxes of the incarnation and trinitarism were the crucial point, this seems more like a rationalization.)

Now we see how weak cultural christianity (that still worked for atheist Evensong-loving Richard Dawkins) has become.
So finally, it is also a warning that postchristian atheism is probably not going to be stable and attractive. The Eastern bloc de-christianized its official culture but overall was quite affirmative towards many of to the grand cultural traditions, not that dissimilar from Dawkins love for church music. And of course it did have a powerful alternative narrative in communist ideology. The secularized West of today seems to have  seriously weakened the attachment and appreciation of tradition and it's ersatz narrative is less pompous but even hollower than what socialism offered: hedonist consumer culture in practice and vague and shallow ideas of internationalism and social justice in theory (or contrived and irrelevant postmodernist stuff in some niches).

So don't be surprised if vacua get filled by not very desirable options.

[Florestan]

And an indication for the total failure of the churches. If I get it right, this guy was at least as much looking for something like "christendom", i.e. a culture and tradition he could affirm as his own and live in as he was looking for spiritual enlightenment. That's why even as a muslim he stresses some common roots (like classical antiquity) and his fondness for British culture. But this was spoiled for him by the absurd stance towards 2500 years of Classical and Western/Christian culture of some modern academics. And the Christian churches apparently didn't offer much for him either (I don't think the paradoxes of the incarnation and trinitarism were the crucial point, this seems more like a rationalization.)

Now we see how weak cultural christianity (that still worked for atheist Evensong-loving Richard Dawkins) has become.
So finally, it is also a warning that postchristian atheism is probably not going to be stable and attractive. The Eastern bloc de-christianized its official culture but overall was quite affirmative towards many of to the grand cultural traditions, not that dissimilar from Dawkins love for church music. And of course it did have a powerful alternative narrative in communist ideology. The secularized West of today seems to have  seriously weakened the attachment and appreciation of tradition and it's ersatz narrative is less pompous but even hollower than what socialism offered: hedonist consumer culture in practice and vague and shallow ideas of internationalism and social justice in theory (or contrived and irrelevant postmodernist stuff in some niches).

So don't be surprised if vacua get filled by not very desirable options.

Excellent post. And let's nor forget that in Eastern Europe one of the major forces opposed to, and by, the official ideology was precisely the Christian religion. Poland is the prime example, and remains probably the only European Catholic country where the Church is thriving and plays a major social, cultural and even political role.