What are you reading?

A place to discuss your favorite authors and poets, Christian and secular

Postby Kaori » Sat Apr 02, 2005 12:27 am

So What's the Difference? by Fritz Ridenour, a comparative overview of 19 worldviews including Christianity. I can't say I would reccomend this book; even given the fact that the space the author was working with was rather limited (barely over 200 pages), I felt that the treatment of some of the religions he discusses was overly simplistic. Also, several unsupported generalizations, like a passing equation of Pokemon with occultism, shed a negative light on the writer's credibility.

The Death of Woman Wang
, by Jonathan D. Spence. The author has conducted thorough reserach, although I am not sure whether the book would be classified as a historical work with literary leanings or a heavily historical literary text. Either way, the author's scholarship is evident, and it is moderately interesting so far.
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Postby Hephzibah » Sat Apr 02, 2005 1:33 am

I'm reading 'Drawing Near' by John Bevere. A very good book that :grin:
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Postby Jasdero » Sat Apr 02, 2005 1:40 am

Angels and Demons by Dan Brown.. again.. :3
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Postby Technomancer » Sat Apr 02, 2005 5:26 am

'Before the Flood' by Ian Wilson. Basically it examines the Black Sea flood as a possible origin for the Noah myth and also examines its possible role in the history of civilization.
The scientific method," Thomas Henry Huxley once wrote, "is nothing but the normal working of the human mind." That is to say, when the mind is working; that is to say further, when it is engaged in corrrecting its mistakes. Taking this point of view, we may conclude that science is not physics, biology, or chemistry—is not even a "subject"—but a moral imperative drawn from a larger narrative whose purpose is to give perspective, balance, and humility to learning.

Neil Postman
(The End of Education)

Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge

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Postby mitsuki lover » Sat Apr 02, 2005 3:36 pm

Kaori wrote:So What's the Difference? by Fritz Ridenour, a comparative overview of 19 worldviews including Christianity. I can't say I would reccomend this book]
The Death of Woman Wang[/I], by Jonathan D. Spence. The author has conducted thorough reserach, although I am not sure whether the book would be classified as a historical work with literary leanings or a heavily historical literary text. Either way, the author's scholarship is evident, and it is moderately interesting so far.


That must be the updated version of So What's The Difference? The original was written some time in the '70s which would be before Pokemon was created.And why do some people equate Pokemon with occultism? :(

What's The Death of Woman Wang about?
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Postby Kaori » Sat Apr 02, 2005 11:53 pm

mitsuki lover wrote:That must be the updated version of So What's The Difference?

You are correct. The copy I read is a 2001 edition.

mitsuki lover wrote:And why do some people equate Pokemon with occultism? :(

I wouldn't know, since the author didn't make an argument for this claim, just an assertion. The passage in question is as follows:

"Even more popular has been Pokemon . . . cute little toy figures, which actually can entice children and youth to become fascinated with occult powers as they 'summon' the forces displayed on their Pokemon cards" (158).

I hope this doesn't spark a general outcry]What's The Death of Woman Wang about?[/QUOTE]
Another good question. The subject matter of the book is the lives of ordinary people in a small provence of norhteastern China, T'an-ch'eng, during the seventeenth century. The author draws heavily on a few main sources that include the memoirs of one of the county's magistrates and the writing of P'u Sung-Ling, who seems to be a venerated Chinese literary figure. The book contains a great deal of actual historical data, but the author also includes stories by P'u Sung-Ling which, despite being fictional, still illustrate what life was like during that time and place. The final section contains the story for which the book is named: a woman named Wang runs away from her husband and is killed by him when she returns.
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Postby bigsleepj » Mon Apr 04, 2005 9:37 pm

I'm still reading "The Shadow of the Torturer" by Gene Wolfe. When oh when will I get the time to finish it?
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Postby Ingemar » Mon Apr 04, 2005 9:53 pm

On the Origin of Species: A Facsimilie of the First Edition by Charles Darwin.
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Postby Ingemar » Mon Apr 04, 2005 10:04 pm

Technomancer wrote:'From Sound to Synapse: Physiology of the Mammalian Ear' by C. Geisler.

If I may venture a guess:

Sound waves travel through the ear canal and cause the tympanic membrane to vibrate, which causes the ossicles (incus, malleus and stapes) to amplify the soundwaves twentythousand fold in the cochlea. In the cochlea is the Organ of Corti, which is made up of three [canals?] There are also hair cells sandwiched between two membranes, which sense vibrations in the cochlea. Vibrations cause perturbation in the 'hairs' (stereocillia) of the cells, which move tip links that open or close [sodium?] channels, generating an action potential that goes to the brain.


I don't have last term's notes on hand, so that could be a little inaccurate.
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Postby Namelessknight » Sat Apr 09, 2005 6:10 am

In the Forest of Serre by Patricia McKillip.

I love her stuff. I am usually not big on descriptions[E Gouge is an example], but McKillip just draws me in. Probably helps that it is fantasy, but still...
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Postby Technomancer » Sun Apr 10, 2005 8:03 pm

Ingemar wrote:If I may venture a guess:

Sound waves travel through the ear canal and cause the tympanic membrane to vibrate, which causes the ossicles (incus, malleus and stapes) to amplify the soundwaves twentythousand fold in the cochlea. In the cochlea is the Organ of Corti, which is made up of three [canals?] There are also hair cells sandwiched between two membranes, which sense vibrations in the cochlea. Vibrations cause perturbation in the 'hairs' (stereocillia) of the cells, which move tip links that open or close [sodium?] channels, generating an action potential that goes to the brain.


I don't have last term's notes on hand, so that could be a little inaccurate.


Substantially correct. My main interest is really in latter stages (hair cell tuning and neural coding), but it helped to go over the larger picture as well.

Anyways, I just finished "The Athenian Murders" by Jose Carlos Samosa
The scientific method," Thomas Henry Huxley once wrote, "is nothing but the normal working of the human mind." That is to say, when the mind is working; that is to say further, when it is engaged in corrrecting its mistakes. Taking this point of view, we may conclude that science is not physics, biology, or chemistry—is not even a "subject"—but a moral imperative drawn from a larger narrative whose purpose is to give perspective, balance, and humility to learning.

Neil Postman
(The End of Education)

Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge

Isaac Aasimov
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Postby JoyfulSongs » Mon Apr 11, 2005 1:39 pm

Authentic Beauty ~~ Leslie Ludy
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Postby Yumie » Mon Apr 11, 2005 7:24 pm

I just finished re-reading about 10 or 11 different books over the past couple of months, my favorites of all those being two of Ted Dekkers books, "Blink" and "Obsessed". (Actually, it was my first time reading "Obsessed" now that I think about it.) Good books.
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Postby mitsuki lover » Tue Apr 12, 2005 6:15 pm

Robotech #7 Southern Cross.Like what I have read so far and also of #6 as well.
I think I will read all of the Robotech books in our library eventually and hope to one day get to watch the anime.
Favorite character overall is Minmei.Reminds me of both Flay and Lacus.
Dana is my second favorite character now.
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Postby Technomancer » Wed Apr 13, 2005 5:12 am

"Creationism's Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design" by Barbara Forrest and Paul R. Gross.

I'm also reading through, "Spike, Decisions and Actions: Dynamical Foundations of Neuroscience" by Hugh R. Wilson. And I came across a really neat paper on liquid state machines
The scientific method," Thomas Henry Huxley once wrote, "is nothing but the normal working of the human mind." That is to say, when the mind is working; that is to say further, when it is engaged in corrrecting its mistakes. Taking this point of view, we may conclude that science is not physics, biology, or chemistry—is not even a "subject"—but a moral imperative drawn from a larger narrative whose purpose is to give perspective, balance, and humility to learning.

Neil Postman
(The End of Education)

Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge

Isaac Aasimov
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Postby Ingemar » Wed Apr 13, 2005 8:53 pm

Interesting title. Antony Flew, long-time atheist philosopher-turned theist (who, mind you, STILL is not a Christian, nor acknowledges the God of Judaism/Christianity/Islam) has opened up to a theory of ID, which he believes is compatible with secularist cosmology as it is today.
Job 7:16

I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone, for my days are but a breath.
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Postby Technomancer » Thu Apr 14, 2005 5:53 am

Ingemar wrote:Interesting title. Antony Flew, long-time atheist philosopher-turned theist (who, mind you, STILL is not a Christian, nor acknowledges the God of Judaism/Christianity/Islam) has opened up to a theory of ID, which he believes is compatible with secularist cosmology as it is today.


Well, it might work in a philosophical sense but what matters is whether the scientific claims can hold up to scrutiny, which is where ID has consistenly fallen down. As far as the book goes, it's interesting but being a discussion of other people's scientific errors it's not exactly enthralling.
The scientific method," Thomas Henry Huxley once wrote, "is nothing but the normal working of the human mind." That is to say, when the mind is working; that is to say further, when it is engaged in corrrecting its mistakes. Taking this point of view, we may conclude that science is not physics, biology, or chemistry—is not even a "subject"—but a moral imperative drawn from a larger narrative whose purpose is to give perspective, balance, and humility to learning.

Neil Postman
(The End of Education)

Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge

Isaac Aasimov
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Postby Scribs » Thu Apr 14, 2005 2:53 pm

I just finished Fathers and Sons, but unfortunatly I will now have to read the essay Fathers and Children *weeps*
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Postby Namelessknight » Thu Apr 14, 2005 5:07 pm

Just finished Michael Stackpole's latest A Secret Atlas

This one i found very enjoyable. Instead of his usual medieval europe setting, its more based on Japanese culture-lots of bowing and caste system going on. some south american stuff thrown in too. I loved it.

and for the best part-it's hardback from the sfbc. i hate these massmarket paperbacks that you read once, then the spine is gone and you're afraid to open again. plus, mmp's are so stinkin' expensive for what you get. Hardback is the way to go!! I want my grandkids[here's to hoping God gives me a wife so i can eventually have grandkids ;-)] to be able to read my book collection.
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Postby mitsuki lover » Thu Apr 14, 2005 5:53 pm

Started on Stepping Stones:The Pilgrims In Their Own Words.A must for those interested in American history.
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Postby Ingemar » Thu Apr 14, 2005 7:30 pm

Civilization and its Discontents by Sigmund Freud, just after finishing The Communist Manifesto by Marx/Engels.
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Postby Lady Arianrod » Thu Apr 14, 2005 8:19 pm

"The Neverending Story" by Michael Ende. It's an excellent book about imagination and fantasy... very imaginative and colorful. I recommend it to all fantasy fans.
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Postby Mr. SmartyPants » Fri Apr 15, 2005 4:35 am

Romeo and Juliet...

gosh i hate this book...

piloswine... you read the wrong book??? o_O
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Postby Kaori » Sat Apr 16, 2005 11:04 pm

The Sorrow of War, by Bao Ninh. This book has been compared to All Quiet on the Western Front, but its fragmented storyline reminds me far more of Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried. It is interesting that Bao's writing is fairly similar to O'Brien's, since they are writing on opposite sides of the conflict.
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Postby Ducky » Sun Apr 17, 2005 8:56 am

I just read Flyboys by James Bradely for western civ, reading war books always seems to give me a whole new perspective on war and how much it truly isn't a thing. I'm also reading Candide and i've found that Voltaire makes me laugh at the sheer audacity of his characters.
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Postby uc pseudonym » Sun Apr 17, 2005 1:48 pm

Last night I read the entirity of Animal Farm. While I found it interesting and quickly paced, I was disappointed in that it felt somewhat redundant after reading 1984. There was new material, certainly, but not quite enough to carry a seperate book, in my opinion. Still, an enjoyable read.
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Postby Ingemar » Tue Apr 19, 2005 10:08 am

I would like to comment on Civilization and its Discontents.

I found it more interesting than Commumanifesto (OK, they're about two different topics, but still!). I like some of Freud's insights, and others I really don't like. This is probably an unfair assessment, but Freud appears very sex-obssessed. Libidinal drive, and all that. I have more to say, but there are other things I want to attend to at the moment.
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Postby Lady Arianrod » Thu Apr 21, 2005 9:05 pm

I just finished The Neverending Story and I've started Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It certainly seems like an interesting book...
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Hello there! I'm back after a long break! I started watching anime again in 2016. I still check the forum too!

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33
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Postby Kaori » Fri Apr 22, 2005 12:35 am

Tonight I read a handful of short stories by twentieth century British authors (James Joyce, Virginia Wolf, D. H. Lawrence) and reread Heart of Darkness. My admiration for the book has not diminished.
Let others believe in the God who brings men to trial and judges them. I shall cling to the God who resurrects the dead.
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Postby Indigo_Eyes » Fri Apr 22, 2005 5:56 am

I have just started on Dragonflight by Anne McCAffrey. It took a while for it to be checked back into the library, but I finally got it :) I've heard a lot of good things about the Dragonriders of Pern series.
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