What is everyone reading?

[J Michael]

 

[Christos3]

Working through three books
"Old Man and the Sea" Hemmingway.
"The Exorcist" Blatty
"The Ultimate Proof of Creation - Resolving the origins debate." Dr. Jason Lisle

 

[Asteriktos]

With the exception of one horrific scene, it hasn't hit quite as hard for me as the HBO mini-series did, especially because of the audio-visual aspect, though I guess I didn't expect it to. It certainly makes up for it with all the extra detail of what 'regular folks' were experiencing though.

 

[copticorthodoxboy]

Some of the books I'm working through or have worked through in the last couple of months:

David Bentley Hart "The New Testament: A Translation"
David Bentley Hart "The Experience of God: Being, Consciousness, and Bliss"
David Bentley Hart "The Story of Christianity: A History of 2000 Years of the Christian Faith"
David Bentley Hart "That All Shall be Saved: Heaven, Hell, and Universal Salvation"
Milton Friedman "Capitalism and Freedom"
Walter E. Williams "All It Takes is Guts: A Minority View"
Steven Rinella "American Buffalo: In Search of a Lost Icon"
Irving Finkel "The Ark Before Noah: Decoding the Story of the Flood"
Dario Fernandez Morera "The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise: Muslims, Christians, and Jews Under Islamic Rule in Medieval Spain"
Richard Fletcher "Moorish Spain"
Mike Tyson "Undisputed Truth: My Autobiography"
Lesley Hazelton "Agnostic: A Spirited Manifesto"
Lesley Hazelton "The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammed"
Lesley Hazelton "After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam"
樊锦诗 “我心归处是敦煌”
余秋雨 “文化苦旅”

 

[Asteriktos]

Is that just the image you grabbed, or are you actually listening to the audiobook? Seems like that one might be a tougher one, given the content. I mean, it's not terribly details, but even as it is mentioned generally.

David Bentley Hart "The New Testament: A Translation"

I've been meaning to check that out...

 

[copticorthodoxboy]

I've been meaning to check that out...

I'll admit, I'm listening to the audiobook (actually most of my English "reading" nowadays is audiobooks; Chinese books I'll actually read to maintain/improve my reading level).

I've only started the New Testament; and as I don't understand Greek it helps me better understand some of the early complaints from pagans/critics/commentators familiar with the text of the writing style.

Also, never really considered whether or not Jesus and his early followers could understand Greek but Hart (if I'm not mistaken; maybe I read/heard it from another source) argues in one of his books that they likely understood and were comfortable with the language; I found that interesting. I'd like to due more research on how well the commoner in the eastern part of the Roman Empire understood Greek.

Should also mention I wish SVS Press would offer versions of their books in audiobook format for the convenience of a lazy bum like myself.

 

[J Michael]

Is that just the image you grabbed, or are you actually listening to the audiobook? Seems like that one might be a tougher one, given the content. I mean, it's not terribly details, but even as it is mentioned generally.



I've been meaning to check that out...

That's just the image I grabbed. I'm reading a real book, not even a "digital" one . I don't like audiobooks and wherever possible much prefer a real book to a Kindle edition. Call me old and old-fashioned!

 

[Ainnir]

I'm mostly not old, and I prefer actual books, too.

 

[Asteriktos]

If anyone gets this in September, can you share a few thoughts on what you think?

Russian Monks on Mount Athos: The Thousand Year History of St Panteleimon's: Fennell PhD, Nicholas: 9781942699309: Amazon.com: Books

Russian Monks on Mount Athos: The Thousand Year History of St Panteleimon's [Fennell PhD, Nicholas] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Russian Monks on Mount Athos: The Thousand Year History of St Panteleimon's

www.amazon.com

I've read the description, but I'm curious about more details before I consider dropping $39.

 

[Luke]

Nicomachean Ethics / Aristotle; translated , with introduction, notes, and glossary by Terence Irwin.
The Mrs. says it looks like a real page turner.

 

[Asteriktos]

Nicomachean Ethics / Aristotle; translated , with introduction, notes, and glossary by Terence Irwin.
The Mrs. says it looks like a real page turner.

 

[Asteriktos]

This is a large, beautiful coffee table book that is sold for $65 on Amazon... and which I got at my local library used book sale for $1. I feel like I've gotten away with a crime or something.

 

[Alpo2]

I don't know if anyone's using Kobo's e-readers but apparently you can now add Google Drive or some other cloud service to your e-reader. Requires a bit of haxing but seems fairly straightforward.

GitHub - fsantini/KoboCloud: A set of scripts to synchronize a kobo reader with popular cloud services

A set of scripts to synchronize a kobo reader with popular cloud services - GitHub - fsantini/KoboCloud: A set of scripts to synchronize a kobo reader with popular cloud services

github.com

 

[Brother Lawrence]

Currently I am reading The Ecclesiastical History of the English People by St. Bede.

It's a great read for someone who wants to connect to some British Saints from a time when the country was Orthodox.

 

[Arachne]

 

[Luke]

Has anybody read the Expanse series? I was looking for some lighter reading. The Wikipedia article about the first book seems like it is interesting.

 

[biro]

Currently I am reading The Ecclesiastical History of the English People by St. Bede.

It's a great read for someone who wants to connect to some British Saints from a time when the country was Orthodox.

That’s a good one! I read it years and years ago.

 

[Asteriktos]

Has anybody read the Expanse series? I was looking for some lighter reading. The Wikipedia article about the first book seems like it is interesting.

I haven't, no. Is that what the tv show The Expanse was based on? I remember a bunch of reaction channels starting to watch that a while back.

 

[Asteriktos]

The last two I read by Ehrman were pretty good: Did Jesus Exist?: The Historical Argument for Jesus of Nazareth, and The Triumph of Christianity: How a Small Band of Outcasts Conquered an Empire. Those two were closer to a traditional orthodox position though, and this one, I think, is more antagonistic

 

[J Michael]

Didn't Ehrman become an atheist a few years ago? Something about not being able to reconcile evil and suffering with a loving God?

 

[Asteriktos]

Didn't Ehrman become an atheist a few years ago? Something about not being able to reconcile evil and suffering with a loving God?

I'm not sure, but I think he did write a book about evil and the Bible/Christianity, so maybe that was about the time he broke off from whatever form of Christianity he was part of...?

 

[copticorthodoxboy]

Didn't Ehrman become an atheist a few years ago? Something about not being able to reconcile evil and suffering with a loving God?

I've made it through a few of his courses offered on the Great Courses:

The New Testament

Discover how historical research can illuminate the New Testament in this riveting course that combines biblical scholarship, archaeology, and literary analysis.

www.wondrium.com

History of the Bible: The Making of the New Testament Canon

Delve into a thorough introduction to key issues in the development of Christianity in this course designed by an award-winning professor.

www.wondrium.com

Some courses I'll get to eventually:

How Jesus Became God

Uncover the extraordinary story behind an idea that has shaped our civilization: the Christian belief that Jesus of Nazareth was none other than God the Almighty.

www.wondrium.com

Lost Christianities: Christian Scriptures and the Battles over Authentication

Discover myriad works of early Christianity that failed to make the official canon and become part of the Bible in this course by best-selling author and Professor Bart D. Ehrman.

www.wondrium.com

The Historical Jesus

Examine historical evidence and discover what we really know about Jesus in this eye-opening course by Professor Bart Ehrman, a New York Times best-selling author.

www.wondrium.com

History of the Bible: The Making of the New Testament Canon

Delve into a thorough introduction to key issues in the development of Christianity in this course designed by an award-winning professor.

www.wondrium.com

Anyways, I seem to retain information from these lecture series more than books.

 

[biro]

God gives us love, and so, we can make it through this physical world.

That is my opinion, with which you are free to disagree.

 

[biro]

Sorry to go off topic.

Anyway, I am making it through "The Silmarillion." Been one of my favorite books since junior high school. Yes, the language is a bit shiny or purple or whatever you want to call it. I still like it.

 

[Stinky]

My daughter reads to me in the evening. We will finish this one tonight.

 

[Ainnir]

Your Concentration Training Program: 11 Exercises That Will Strengthen Your Attention

Having trouble concentrating or focusing? These 11 exercises will boost your attention span and help you focus on the right things.

www.artofmanliness.com

I mean, I probably won't follow the bit about shaving, but overall, pretty useful.

 

[bwallace23350]

I got three doing on right now. The one I am most excited about is On First Principles by Origen

 

[Stinky]

 

[hurrrah]

Irma Sauber - My Fandango
A 19-year-old girl marries a sadist. Her life is in danger, and she decides to poison him.
Based on real events.

 

[J Michael]

View attachment 20687

Have you read Larchet's "The Theology of Illness" or Lewis' "The Problem of Pain"? Those are only 2 of a number of good books dealing with the issues of pain and suffering and death and the Christian response to them.

 

[Stinky]

Have you read Larchet's "The Theology of Illness" or Lewis' "The Problem of Pain"? Those are only 2 of a number of good books dealing with the issues of pain and suffering and death and the Christian response to them.

Thank you so much!

 

[Luke]

I haven't, no. Is that what the tv show The Expanse was based on? I remember a bunch of reaction channels starting to watch that a while back.

Yes. The show is based on the novels written by James S. A. Corey, which is a pen name for two authors. I read the first novel and am currently reading the second one. There are more expletives than I like. Yes, I know. Some people talk that way, but I think one can write a good novel without using them. The first one was interesting, although I thought the authors dragged with the ending. So far, the second one is interesting.

 

[Arachne]

Some seasonal chills and thrills, all for a good cause.

 

[Christos3]

The Church in Babylon by Edwin Lutzer.
"How do we live faithfully in a culture that perceives our light as darkness?"

 

[J Michael]

And Fr. Seraphim Rose's "The Soul After Death"

 

[Stinky]

'Woke Racism': John McWhorter argues against what he calls a religion of anti-racism

Linguistics professor John McWhorter's new book is Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America. He says some in the U.S. cultural left have taken "anti-racism" efforts to extremes.

www.npr.org

 

[Ainnir]

View attachment 20781

'Woke Racism': John McWhorter argues against what he calls a religion of anti-racism

Linguistics professor John McWhorter's new book is Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America. He says some in the U.S. cultural left have taken "anti-racism" efforts to extremes.

www.npr.org

I love him already. I would say that it's one of many cultural idolatries, and because our culture has forgotten God, we are seeing what the new paganism looks like. The god of antiracism, the god of organic food, the god of fitness, the god of veganism, the god of..., on and on, in all directions. Some of us make an idol out of church or the Bible. It's not every person decrying racism, just like not every vegan idolizes their veganism. In any given case, it's a specific, very noisy minority that the media unfortunately latches onto. Ideally, the pushback shouldn't take the form of a broad brush.

 

[Stinky]

Beautiful. Healing.

 

[Brother Michael]

The Republic by Plato: Chapter 1 - The Literature Page

 

[Asteriktos]

Not everyone here would like this--the author attends Catholic services sometimes but is an unbeliever, and he sees capitalism as one of the chief reasons for a lot of the problems these days. But the main point of the book is giving a diagnosis (philosophical, not historical) of our changing culture over recent centuries that I think many Orthodox would largely agree with. He discusses our lack of ability to look for (or even see a reason for) quiet/silence, our increased need to accumulate and produce, our lack of shared customs and rituals, the increased focus on individuality and our own desires at the expense of the community at large, and so on.