What are you currently reading?

Started by facehugger, April 07, 2007, 12:36:10 AM

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Lethevich

Pollock (Alberto Busignani) ISBN 0600369145

So old that the photos are black and white, but they are large and numerous. The book also only cost £2.50, yay!
Peanut butter, flour and sugar do not make cookies. They make FIRE.

Lilas Pastia

Just started Harry Potter's Last Dragon to Hogwarts. After that, I have a novel by Jose Saramago waiting for me. All told, I'm not finished till a couple of months.

Haffner

The Gospel of John, New Testament.

I continue to be devastated by this Gospel. The characterization of Christ as the Logos makes for a deeply moving, affirming reading experience.

Harry

Quote from: Haffner on September 27, 2007, 02:34:56 AM
The Gospel of John, New Testament.

I continue to be devastated by this Gospel. The characterization of Christ as the Logos makes for a deeply moving, affirming reading experience.

My favourite too Andy.

Haffner

Quote from: Harry on September 27, 2007, 02:37:03 AM
My favourite too Andy.




Hey the movie wasn't too bad either! I guess the only thing I find missing in that Gospel is the virgin birth. For obvious Andy-reasons.

longears

Quote from: Haffner on September 27, 2007, 02:34:56 AM
The Gospel of John, New Testament.

I continue to be devastated by this Gospel. The characterization of Christ as the Logos makes for a deeply moving, affirming reading experience.

Yes, I love the beginning, one of the loveliest and most poetic passages I know in all literature:  "In the beginning was logos, and logos was with God, and logos was God."

The statement a few paragraphs later that Jesus "gave exousia to become children of God" is difficult.  Exousia is usually translated as "power," "authority," or "the right," and the mystery cult deifying Jesus as God incarnate--something other than human--conveys this as meaning something like, "If you believe that Jesus is YHWH incarnate, then he will reward you by giving you special power."

However, a reading of the words ascribed to Jesus himself, say, in Matthew 6:9, clearly suggest that the exousia or "power" described here is the power of choice, that power not granted as a reward for obedience to some divine desert patriarch's petty desire to be "worshipped," but rather recognized when we grasp the truth of our condition and our heritage.

Haffner

Quote from: longears on September 27, 2007, 05:53:32 AM
Yes, I love the beginning, one of the loveliest and most poetic passages I know in all literature:  "In the beginning was logos, and logos was with God, and logos was God."

The statement a few paragraphs later that Jesus "gave exousia to become children of God" is difficult.  Exousia is usually translated as "power," "authority," or "the right," and the mystery cult deifying as God incarnate--something other than human--conveys this as meaning something like, "If you believe that Jesus is YHWH incarnate, then he will reward you by giving you special power."

However, a reading of the words ascribed to Jesus himself, say, in Matthew 6:9, clearly suggest that the exousia or "power" described here is the power of choice, that power not granted as a reward for obedience to some divine desert patriarch's petty desire to be "worshipped," but rather recognized when we grasp the truth of our condition and our heritage.






The beginning is awe-inspiring to me as well.

As for the theology, you already know how tricky that is!

dtwilbanks

Mr. Longears,

You are the sh*t, as the kids used to say.  8)

dtwilbanks

Translated from Russian. The first book of a trilogy. Like Dostoevsky wrote a novel about vampires, witches and magic in Moscow! Okay, maybe not as good as Dostoevsky, but still a damn fun read.


Harry

Dutch Organs by Okke Dijkhuizen.

Fascinating journey, beutifully written and illustrated.

DavidW

Quote from: dtw on September 28, 2007, 07:38:08 AM
Translated from Russian. The first book of a trilogy. Like Dostoevsky wrote a novel about vampires, witches and magic in Moscow! Okay, maybe not as good as Dostoevsky, but still a damn fun read.



Is this what the movie was based on?

dtwilbanks

Quote from: DavidW on September 28, 2007, 01:21:14 PM
Is this what the movie was based on?

I guess, but I heard the movie really sucked.

DavidW

Quote from: dtw on September 28, 2007, 01:26:34 PM
I guess, but I heard the movie really sucked.

Yeah it did.  What is the book better?  And not in a superficial "books are always better way", I mean for real is the book decent?

dtwilbanks

Quote from: DavidW on September 28, 2007, 01:28:17 PM
Yeah it did.  What is the book better?  And not in a superficial "books are always better way", I mean for real is the book decent?

Yes, the book is good stuff. I did not see the movie.

DavidW

Quote from: dtw on September 28, 2007, 01:40:07 PM
Yes, the book is good stuff. I did not see the movie.

The movie's major fault was trying to cram in complicated magic mechanics and a myriad of characters into a short time.  As a tv miniseries it would have been cool, but as a standalone movie it was like blarg.  You know I think that I could see the novel being enjoyable.

dtwilbanks

Quote from: DavidW on September 28, 2007, 02:10:05 PM
The movie's major fault was trying to cram in complicated magic mechanics and a myriad of characters into a short time.  As a tv miniseries it would have been cool, but as a standalone movie it was like blarg.  You know I think that I could see the novel being enjoyable.

Well, the novel is around 450 pages long; try to cram that into a movie.  ::)

Bogey



To Kill A Mockingbird-Harper Lee

It was chosen as our next "book club" read.  I read it in high school over 20 years ago as our lit teacher did a whole unit on it along with the movie.....by far the best teacher I ever had. 
There will never be another era like the Golden Age of Hollywood.  We didn't know how to blow up buildings then so we had no choice but to tell great stories with great characters.-Ben Mankiewicz

sonic1

I am reading a bunch of books of course (being in school full time again), but some non-school books I am enjoying at the moment:

Richard Felger: The Flora of the Gran Desierto
Richard is my old mentor. It is a gorgeous flora. I ordered in his Trees of Sonora as well which should come arrive in a few days (and a pretty penny at that).



Also have enjoyed this one:



and this, full of strange old stories:
Pu Songling: Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio



and finally this wonderful modern Greek poet:

Yannis Ritsos: Selected Poems


Maciek

While away, I was reading Witold Rudzinski's Moniuszko biography. Eminently enjoyable, though in a quite unexpected way. The main objective of the author seems to have been to convince readers that Moniuszko would have been the greatest communist ever. Was Moniuszko religious? No, that was just a pose - what he valued was morality, he did not care for dogma. Was he a good musician? Who cares, he cared for his country, for his people! His music was anti-bourgeois (?), he loved all things proletarian. Was he a great composer? Perhaps but that's not important: he took the side of the people, against the ruling classes, and that's what counts. A composer cannot be truly great unless he does that.

Etc., etc., etc. - stretching for 250 pages. I wonder if there is a good, up to date Moniuszko monograph out the there somewhere? So far it seems the best book about him was written before WWII (by Jachimecki)...