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The Shadow of Ararat.

 

Interest in this is waning, but I am in the last quarter and am pushing through it. What is weird is that I don't have much drive to pick it up, but when i do read it i can have my nose in it for quite a while. Must be general apathy competing with my interests.

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A Study in Scarlet, by sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

 

Read at the behest of a friend, I paused my previous book and managed to read through this in the span of less than two days. Great book, loved the characters and their development, the plot and details, vocabulary, and the backstory of the killer is worthy of being its own movie. It is easy to see why Sherlock Holmes caught on like wildfire throughout the Anglosphere.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Finally finished Shadow of Ararat.

 

Thomas Harlan excels at description, though I think he over estimates reader's eagerness to know exact clothing and makeup. The characters could have used more development, one in particular I was confused on how she became a centurion in such a sexist society and how a 15 year old girl bests veterans and acts like a martial arts master and is able to rally hardy (and probably pretty lonely) men before her (Mary Sue much?). I could have gone with out her but some of her companions were interesting; also what is "signs"? Am I ignorant and a comprehensive sign language has existed for over 14 hundred years? This book cannot be read by itself, it ends waiting to be directly continued by the next book with only a very broad goal having been achieved (though the means makes one wonder how one such empire was considered a superpower for over three centuries) and so there is little satisfaction in finishing it other than having a glimpse into a deep world that has not been explained thoroughly (such as a lack of christianity or other things I have previously detailed), and for that the following books will probably go into. The battles were fantastic in detail, tapping into my love of sweeping epicness, but those only happen in the second half so the first half has a lot of choring reading.

 

If it means anything: I spotted a typo and some things could have been edited to not take forever to get back to the plot. There were times when I honestly thought I could have written or worded scenes better.

Edited by Hyethut (Iaredios)

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Read a bunch of short stories (some from the aforementioned anthology, some not), most recently The Metamorphosis by Kafka. Fantastic story, with a good level of ambiguity that lends itself to multiple different (yet equally interesting) interpretations.

 

edit: Read a bunch of "genre fiction" short stories, my favorites being Red Wind by Raymond Chandler and Under the Pitons by Robert Stone. Then I read Bartleby, The Scrivener by Herman Melville and I'm starting to read a collection of Anton Chekhov's stories.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Blood Feud, by Rosemary Sutcliff

 

Historical fiction about a purposelessness Breton/Angle boy who gets kidnapped by vikings, bought and freed by another viking, and his adventures that result in his employment in Roman Emperor Basil II Makedon's employment of 6000 viking-rus for war and the founding of the Emperor's Varangian (Barbarian) Guard made out of Hellenized vikings and saxons thereafter. Deals with matters of trying to find purpose in life, fate, and being torn between religion and friendship.  As for education, as i already knew much of the background for this book's setting, main thing i learned here was some background on Basil II, insight on early Kiev, and that cheetahs (before being isolated to only Africa and a pocket in Iran) were once domesticated by nobles and used for hunting. Pretty violent and descriptive for allegedly being a children's book, I would recommend this book.

 

 

 

Speaking of being mature for being children's literature, I have just begun reading John R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. I started reading this book years ago, but i was unable to finish for I left in a class and someone stole it. I know what will happen (at leas the highlights), but the man's prose is simply energetic and delightful. The description of the feast in the beginning actually made me hungry and I had to pause my reading to get some food. :lol:

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Read a bunch of stories by Anton Chekhov, from A Doctor's Visit (which is edited and with an introduction by Tobias Wolff, who wrote Bullet in the Brain, another great short story). I've thoroughly enjoyed reading Chekhov's stories, my favorite of which is A Doctor's Visit (which the collection is named after). Fantastic story, I'd highly recommend it to anyone (it's also quite short).

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The Chronicles of Prydain: The High King

 

Not gonna lie, wasn't expecting all the sad.

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The Chronicles of Prydain: The High King

 

Not gonna lie, wasn't expecting all the sad.

 

That's a great series. It's been many years since I read it, but I remember loving them, especially The High King.

 

If you haven't read it before, I'd highly recommend the Dark is Rising series. I'm not really sure why, but I sort of link that series and the Prydain series. The Dark is Rising is a bit darker/more serious in tone, and it has a really cool kind of "contemporary fantasy" setting.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have read many things lately.

 

The Road by: Cormac McCarthy

 

I liked the message that it is a warning to the modern era not to destroy the planet for we are still too dependent to the world. The themes of the disintegration of human nature to primal instinct and religious concepts were interesting but the story was just depressing. My Mata Nui, it was just horrible to read. Great writing but only read if you are absolutely sure you don't suffer from depression. I'm still kind feeling down after reading it.

 

Now for short stories.

 

The Yellow Wallpaper by: Charlotte Perkins Gilman

 

A horror story about a woman entering madness but has a secret message of describing marriage and domestic life as a cage for the humanity that exist in woman and how it show be free and creative just like an other.

 

Young Goodman Brown by: Nathaniel Hawthorne

 

Cool concept but wow Hawthorne made the devil boring. I tried to stay engaged but wow that was dull.

I'm kinda impress that he made satanic ritual and talking to the devil that bland. I was expecting such more tension or conflict but nope I get a overly wordy story that losses it's meaning because of diction choice.

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Hey I got a Flickr because I like making LEGO stuff.

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The Yellow Wallpaper by: Charlotte Perkins Gilman

 

Young Goodman Brown by: Nathaniel Hawthorne

 

The Yellow Wallpaper is probably my favorite short story of all time. Fantastically written and horrifically accurate. I hated him because of The Scarlet Letter, but I recently read Young Goodman Brown and that improved my opinion of Nathaniel Hawthorne. A great pre-gothic American horror story.

 

I read The Dead by James Joyce. I'd recommend it (especially around this time of year, it's a Christmas story), not much "happens" for a lot of the story (most of it just takes place at a Christmas party) but the ending is really dense.

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Finished John R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, and have since read and finished The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Arthur Conan Doyle. Both great.

 

For The Hobbit, I can say that I greatly look forward to the more epic Lord of the Rings; I was initially going to read the latter first but thought best to get the progenitor out of the way first, and I am glad to have finally finished it.

 

As for Baskervilles, while I enjoyed the previous Sherlock Holmes books, this one was so much superior to the previous ones. Give this a read, I reccomend it.

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Finished John R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, and have since read and finished The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Arthur Conan Doyle. Both great.

 

For The Hobbit, I can say that I greatly look forward to the more epic Lord of the Rings; I was initially going to read the latter first but thought best to get the progenitor out of the way first, and I am glad to have finally finished it.

 

As for Baskervilles, while I enjoyed the previous Sherlock Holmes books, this one was so much superior to the previous ones. Give this a read, I reccomend it.

 

I need to reread the LotR books. I read them all once a long time ago, but don't remember them (particularly The Return of the King) very well. I have read The Hobbit at least once, though, and really enjoy that one. It's definitely targeted more at kids than the later books, but that gives it a somewhat more lighthearted, fun feel.

 

Have you read The Father Christmas Letters by J.R.R. Tolkien? If you haven't, I'd highly recommend reading it, especially given the season we're in right now. It's a quite short book consisting of letters that Tolkien wrote (acting as Father Christmas) to his children each year, and the illustrations they contained (lots of illustrations). It starts out simply enough, but by the end it has created this whole world, caves with ancient drawings that Father Christmas discovers and, if I remember correctly, even some sort of runic language. It's a very fun read.

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Sir Arthur Conan Boyle's Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. A collection of short stories about the titular character. Half way through it already. Learned about it after finding out about the story The Final Problem so I already know somewhat of how this book ends but I still look forward to reading it.
 

 

Finished John R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, and have since read and finished The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Arthur Conan Doyle. Both great.

For The Hobbit, I can say that I greatly look forward to the more epic Lord of the Rings; I was initially going to read the latter first but thought best to get the progenitor out of the way first, and I am glad to have finally finished it.

As for Baskervilles, while I enjoyed the previous Sherlock Holmes books, this one was so much superior to the previous ones. Give this a read, I reccomend it.


I need to reread the LotR books. I read them all once a long time ago, but don't remember them (particularly The Return of the King) very well. I have read The Hobbit at least once, though, and really enjoy that one. It's definitely targeted more at kids than the later books, but that gives it a somewhat more lighthearted, fun feel.

Have you read The Father Christmas Letters by J.R.R. Tolkien? If you haven't, I'd highly recommend reading it, especially given the season we're in right now. It's a quite short book consisting of letters that Tolkien wrote (acting as Father Christmas) to his children each year, and the illustrations they contained (lots of illustrations). It starts out simply enough, but by the end it has created this whole world, caves with ancient drawings that Father Christmas discovers and, if I remember correctly, even some sort of runic language. It's a very fun read.

No, I actually have not heard of Father Christmas. The way you describe it reminds me of his Roverandom, which is also a fun childish read. Thank you for telling me about it, I will be sure to buy it with the paycheck I got today!

 

EDIT: Upon looking at reviews, I think I will skip this one and save it for when I read it to my children in the future. Many thanks for the find.

Edited by The Hip Historian Iaredios

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  • 4 weeks later...

Finished reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I have a lot of criticisms of Harry Potter as a whole, including this book, but I'd say this is my second-favorite book, after Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone. A lot of exposition, but I think the exposition was pretty well done. "Sectumsempra" was by far my favorite chapter, and my favorite chapter in all of Harry Potter. Served to excellently flesh out Snape, Draco, and even Harry without much exposition.

 

Wrapped that up just in time to start my World Literature class. A lot of good books to read there, but we're starting with Exit West. Started that today and it seems pretty good so far, actually reminds me a bit of my writing style. A lot of run-on sentences, though.

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Finished The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

 

Many great short stories are in here, including the sweet adventure of the yellow face, a certain royal riddle, meeting Mycroft Holmes, and the introduction of the villain Professor Moriarty and the tragedy it carried, as well as others in-between.

 

Excellent usage of my time, though unless strayed once more by dear companionship, this should cease my pause of beginning the reading of the Lord of the Rings volumes; hopefully afterwards I can finish the Silmarillion (of which I have only read a quarter of), then eventually get around to starting the Wheel of Time series.

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... then eventually get around to starting the Wheel of Time series.

 

That's a great series. I'm not really into fantasy as much nowadays, but I read a couple of those (and owned all of them) back when I was. I mean, those books are good enough to have a dictionary at the back of each of them.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship of the Ring - Book 1, by John RR Tolkien.

 

Love how it starts out with the same atmosphere as The Hobbit, but gradually develops into the epic fantasy that it is known for, and I know it only escalates from here on out. I am so far enjoying this much more than the movie, and i love that one. Now to start Book 2 and see the Fellowship founded.

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The Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship of the Ring - Book 1, by John RR Tolkien.

 

Love how it starts out with the same atmosphere as The Hobbit, but gradually develops into the epic fantasy that it is known for, and I know it only escalates from here on out. I am so far enjoying this much more than the movie, and i love that one. Now to start Book 2 and see the Fellowship founded.

 

Have you seen the movies yet? I'd be curious to hear what you think of the movie version of Fellowship compared with the book. I'm not a huge fan of the movies, but especially dislike the Fellowship of the Ring movie because it left out almost all of the best parts of the book. Fellowship is almost entirely just travel, and that's what makes it so good. The Mines of Moria was by far my favorite part of the book (and probably the series as a whole) for how it showed just how long they were in there, how bleak and terrifying and mazelike it was, with the threat of enemies always in the back of their minds. In the movie it was pretty much just reduced to an action sequence, which was a huge letdown. And it didn't include Tom Bombadil!

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The Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship of the Ring - Book 1, by John RR Tolkien.

 

Love how it starts out with the same atmosphere as The Hobbit, but gradually develops into the epic fantasy that it is known for, and I know it only escalates from here on out. I am so far enjoying this much more than the movie, and i love that one. Now to start Book 2 and see the Fellowship founded.

Have you seen the movies yet? I'd be curious to hear what you think of the movie version of Fellowship compared with the book. I'm not a huge fan of the movies, but especially dislike the Fellowship of the Ring movie because it left out almost all of the best parts of the book. Fellowship is almost entirely just travel, and that's what makes it so good. The Mines of Moria was by far my favorite part of the book (and probably the series as a whole) for how it showed just how long they were in there, how bleak and terrifying and mazelike it was, with the threat of enemies always in the back of their minds. In the movie it was pretty much just reduced to an action sequence, which was a huge letdown. And it didn't include Tom Bombadil!

First off, though I would have enjoyed Tom Bombadil, all his songs were a bit much and if made into visual media those would need to be cut down (though not entirely removed, they are a part of his character!). Just at least keep his sing-song voice towards "Old-man Willow", for I love saying that. "Oh Old-man Wilooowww~!"

 

Yes I have seen the movies, its how I first got exposed to Tolkien. So far I am enjoying the book much, much more than the movie (I am on the chapter Lothlorien), the main good thing from the movies for me is some character appearances (like Gollum and Sam and Elrond; I find all others look different mentally) and the music. Music was especially fitting for the Black Riders, Caradhras, and Khazad-Dum.

 

The main thing I prefer in the book is the amount of detail that cannot be captured in a movie, and the majesty, and whimsy and drama captured by Tolkien's writing that makes it feel like this is an age old tale that has always been there and was never penned in recent memory; the addition of native linguistic and the world's historical references, and even the songs, makes it all the more atmospheric and immersive. We have songs in our daily lives, some we like others just so well known that we passively reference them, so why shouldn't a fictional universe? Peter Jackson could have cut down on some songs, but a couple should have been present to show how the travelers kept there spirits high when on a perilous suicide mission before electronics came about.

 

 

 

I wish I started this years ago when my friends in Middle School and I dismissed participation because I had yet to fully appreciate fiction as an art. Yet I feel as if I was meant to read it after I read Tolkien's mythopeia letter and after my faith reformed after my confusing teenage years. Even though I am not done with the Lord of the Rings, I feel inspired to continue in my own fantasy lore, using the philosophy of the Mythopeia Letter as a guide (rather than others who blatantly rip-off Middle-Earth), which is good because my prior inspiration was fueled by distant-optimism during depression.

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Today, I began reading a book called A Whole New Ballgame with an elementary school girl I take care of. It's better than I expected it to be. I don't see the girl every day, so I just might purchase my own copy.

"You are an absolute in these uncertain times. Your past is forgotten, and your
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-snip-

-snip

I find all others look different mentally

 

That's actually one major - albeit subjective and personal and pretty minor overall - reason I disliked the movies. I had a specific mental image about how every character looked and acted and spoke and all, and the movies ruined that for me. Especially for Aragorn, the actor for that did a great job with it in the movie but it was completely different from how I imagined him in the books and it kind of ruined his character for me.

 

Anyway, I just finished (as in, five minutes ago) Exit West by Mohsin Hamid. It was a very good book, not really my kind of book, but a good book regardless. It's about emigration, basically. There's this weird scifi element to it that didn't really seem to fit into it (admittedly, it's debatable whether or not it's literal or just metaphor, but it seems like it's literal), but I think I understand why he used it.

 

edit: Oh yeah, about the music of LotR: if you haven't seen them before, you might want to check out the animated movies. The Hobbit is amazing visually (except for the character designs for hobbits and dwarves), and it has a lot of music. It was long ago that I read the books, so I can't remember if they're the same songs or not, but they're pretty fun. The second and third animated movies aren't very good (made by a different company and the visuals are way worse), but they still feature a lot of music.

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Edit: The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

 

Fantastic volume and a great epic so-far. Ending feels a bit rushed, and that 'seeing-throne' felt out of the blue, but otherwise i look forward to continuing on with The Two Towers.

 

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-snip-


-snip

 

I find all others look different mentally

 

 
That's actually one major - albeit subjective and personal and pretty minor overall - reason I disliked the movies. I had a specific mental image about how every character looked and acted and spoke and all, and the movies ruined that for me. Especially for Aragorn, the actor for that did a great job with it in the movie but it was completely different from how I imagined him in the books and it kind of ruined his character for me.
 
Anyway, I just finished (as in, five minutes ago) Exit West by Mohsin Hamid. It was a very good book, not really my kind of book, but a good book regardless. It's about emigration, basically. There's this weird scifi element to it that didn't really seem to fit into it (admittedly, it's debatable whether or not it's literal or just metaphor, but it seems like it's literal), but I think I understand why he used it.
 
edit: Oh yeah, about the music of LotR: if you haven't seen them before, you might want to check out the animated movies. The Hobbit is amazing visually (except for the character designs for hobbits and dwarves), and it has a lot of music. It was long ago that I read the books, so I can't remember if they're the same songs or not, but they're pretty fun. The second and third animated movies aren't very good (made by a different company and the visuals are way worse), but they still feature a lot of music.

 

I take that back. The animated The Hobbit movie was my first exposure to Tolkien, but at the time of 3rd-4th Grade, i didn't know it. Later in elementary school I saw the animated Return of the King, watching at the time I got excited because the annoying bard said that it was connected to a "nameless" movie I saw years prior and adored. Then, soon later I saw the animated Lord of the Rings movie on Toonami. It wasn't until years later when, after I saw the P.J. Lord of the Rings trilogy and looked up stuff related to it's universe, that I found out that these movies were all set in Middle-Earth; I previously thought them all to be time-old fairy tales.
I love the orc songs in the first and third movies. :P
 
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For a small correction, the guys that made the animated The Hobbit and The Return of the King did not make the animated Lord of the Rings movie. The latter-most was originally envisioned as a two-part movie, but the second part was not able to be made due to bankruptcy, so the folks that made the Hobbit movie took up the reigns and made an animated conclusion (which did not fit the tone of the Fellowship and Towers adaptation, but anything is better than that film's atrocious  Samwise and experimental Enemy).

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For a small correction, the guys that made the animated The Hobbit and The Return of the King did not make the animated Lord of the Rings movie. The latter-most was originally envisioned as a two-part movie, but the second part was not able to be made due to bankruptcy, so the folks that made the Hobbit movie took up the reigns and made an animated conclusion (which did not fit the tone of the Fellowship and Towers adaptation, but anything is better than that film's atrocious  Samwise and experimental Enemy).

 

Oh yeah, I forgot that Return of the King was done by Rankin/Bass as well, my mistake. I think it was overshadowed by the bizarre choice of rotoscoping in the animated LotR.

 

edit: Just finished Agamemnon, translated by Robert Fagles. Nice, brutal little revenge story.

 

edit 2: And I finished Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney. I had read Beowulf before, a long time ago, and remembered enjoying it a lot. This translation is great.

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  • 1 month later...

Life of Pi. Good book, hadn't realised how many metaphorical levels it worked on until I read it. I am even more impressed by the film now as well, for the way it adapts the book without holding the viewer's hand.

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  • 4 weeks later...

John RR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Part II: The Two Towers. Great book (or pair?). Quite epic, all traces of The Hobbit's fairy-tale feel are gone, and the series feels as if it is on it's own standing now. Loved the end regarding Samwise and Shelob, as well as Orthanc and the Palantir. As the movies incorporated that in RotK, I wonder now just how much disregarded scenes will be shown in the book in comparison to the films.

 

Also read the Holy Bible's Book of Job, in a single day. Needed as a prerequisite for an interesting theological book, written by Hugh Ross, that I am going to return to now that I have refreshed myself on what it is based on. Dang this specific scriptural book is old, even in comparison to the rest of the scriptural collection. I'll reserve any further thoughts to myself.

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A RUDE AWAKENING - A Spherus Magna redo | Tzais-Kuluu  |  Pushing Back The Tide  |  Last Words  |  Black Coronation  | Blue Man Bound | Visions of Thasos   ن

We are all but grey specks in a dark complex before a single white light

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John RR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Part II: The Two Towers. Great book (or pair?). Quite epic, all traces of The Hobbit's fairy-tale feel are gone, and the series feels as if it is on it's own standing now. Loved the end regarding Samwise and Shelob, as well as Orthanc and the Palantir. As the movies incorporated that in RotK, I wonder now just how much disregarded scenes will be shown in the book in comparison to the films.

 

Also read the Holy Bible's Book of Job, in a single day. Needed as a prerequisite for an interesting theological book, written by Hugh Ross, that I am going to return to now that I have refreshed myself on what it is based on. Dang this specific scriptural book is old, even in comparison to the rest of the scriptural collection. I'll reserve any further thoughts to myself.

What's the Hugh Ross book called, if I may ask? (Also, I tried to ask in a PM, but a box said you couldn't receive messages right now.)

"You are an absolute in these uncertain times. Your past is forgotten, and your
future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer.
"
-- Turaga Nokama

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John RR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Part II: The Two Towers. Great book (or pair?). Quite epic, all traces of The Hobbit's fairy-tale feel are gone, and the series feels as if it is on it's own standing now. Loved the end regarding Samwise and Shelob, as well as Orthanc and the Palantir. As the movies incorporated that in RotK, I wonder now just how much disregarded scenes will be shown in the book in comparison to the films.

 

Also read the Holy Bible's Book of Job, in a single day. Needed as a prerequisite for an interesting theological book, written by Hugh Ross, that I am going to return to now that I have refreshed myself on what it is based on. Dang this specific scriptural book is old, even in comparison to the rest of the scriptural collection. I'll reserve any further thoughts to myself.

What's the Hugh Ross book called, if I may ask? (Also, I tried to ask in a PM, but a box said you couldn't receive messages right now.)

 

Hidden Treasures in the Book of Job, by Dr. Hugh Ross. I have cleared room in my PM inbox, so we can divulge further there if you would like. It is quite interesting.

 

While in the middle of Two Towers, I forgot to mention that I actually read 95% of another book while taking an epic fantasy break. It is Who Was Adam? by Fazale Raman (with Hugh Ross being co-credited since it builds upon a lot of his past works). It delved into the subject of reconciling anthropology and paleoanthropology with Christianity, which is often seen as taboo to have the two topics in mutual presence (as I noted at my work place, the book is like a human-repellent :lol: ). But ignorance is not a good thing. I learned a lot about hominids and post-paleozoic Earth from it (growing up learning about the paleozoic and now knowing about human history, this bridged it a bit for me), as well as educating me on the very existence of fields like molecular clockwork. Extremely fascinating, both the subject and these varied deceased creatures.

 

EDIT: 95% because the last major chapter dealt with things I felt like it already explained scattered throughout the book (DNA and "Junk DNA"), just the chapter had it all in one collected place. I should probably read it just to make sure there isn't anything I actually missed ...when is another matter.

Edited by The Hip Historian Iaredios

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A RUDE AWAKENING - A Spherus Magna redo | Tzais-Kuluu  |  Pushing Back The Tide  |  Last Words  |  Black Coronation  | Blue Man Bound | Visions of Thasos   ن

We are all but grey specks in a dark complex before a single white light

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  • 2 weeks later...

Oh geez, I forgot to post here for a while. Since my last post, I've read:

 

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

 

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

 

Skylark by Dezső Kosztolányi

 

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

 

Candide by Voltaire

 

Hamlet by Shakespeare

 

Durarara!! Vol. 2 by Ryohgo Narita

 

I enjoyed all of them, but some more than others. Candide is absolutely hilarious and twisted, The Left Hand of Darkness is beautiful and closer to a holy text than a simple novel, and the Durarara!! series is fantastic as always. Skylark is an amusing (and surprisingly deep) little semi-comedic, semi-depressing book, which I chose mostly because I have a bit of an obsession with Hungary. Things Fall Apart and Persepolis are both great stories that offer views into worlds that not many people would get, but they rank a bit lower because both of their protagonists are rather intolerable (to varying degrees, Okonkwo is an alcoholic wifebeater, whereas Marjane is just an obnoxious and incredibly egocentric kid) which takes away from the experience. And Shakespeare is, well, Shakespeare. Hilarious, insightful, and poetic.

 

I also read a bunch of short stories (as part of the World Literature course, which was why I read a number of these). The Lady With the Pet Dog by Anton Chekhov (one of my favorite short story writers), Nice and Mild by Gunnhild Øyehaug, The Sun, the Moon, the Stars by Junot Díaz, After Cowboy Chicken Came to Town by Ha Jin (my favorite of the lot, an absolutely amazing look into the clash between eastern and western business practices, among many other things, I could rave about it for hours), and Interpreter of Maladies and A Real Durwan by Jhumpa Lahiri. Not sure why some of the text is weird here, but I can't fix it so whatever.

Edited by Kopekemaster
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