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Quality cover art - we all create our own monsters - don't we? Reminded me of the darker moments of 'The Mighty Boosh.' A MacFarlane trip gone horribly wrong? Cabin fever - reminiscent of sections in 'Train Dreams' by Denis Johnson - as sent to me by @Barry Giddens - a one sitting book - a novella almost - compelling - none the less. I.I've maybe been approaching this wrong. I've merely been nominating one book a day for seven days. Not read one each day. Anyhoo, can I start off? I got this earlier on in the year. It takes Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as a reference point, but speaks more about solitude and cabin fever. Atmospheric and well written. Actually, I have a couple of creepy suggestions, since ‘the nights are fair drawin' in'. I'll offer them as the week progresses.
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Thank you Pat, I have this on my list to buy, I like the way he tells a storyThat book has been on my 'to get list' for quite some time now,Paul.
This is another
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Seven days - seven book recommendations - day one.
'Anatomy of a Soldier' by Harry Parker.
I was put onto this by a colleague of my partner - whose husband - a red cap - military police - was serving in Afghanistan at the time. A remarkable book. The - only slightly - fictionalised account of the author's experience of having most of his legs blown off by an IUD - and his recovery. The genius conceit - every chapter is written from the point of view of an inanimate object - his kit - boots, radio, rucksack - the tourniquet that keeps him alive - his chair - crutches - non-linear in narrative. It sounds quite depressing - but it isn't - a triumph of the human spirit - ultimately an uplifting book. I don't mind admitting - I cried - in places reading this. I've sent this book to several people - not one has failed to be moved. Recommended.
For the avoidance of doubt - this enterprise - is just for anyone - to recommend a book - and why they like it. Please join in.
Yours - I.
@Scotshave @Barry Giddens @patw @Ferry-shave @Blademonkey @Missoni @RussellR5555
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Seven days - seven book recommendations - day one.
'Anatomy of a Soldier' by Harry Parker.
I was put onto this by a colleague of my partner - whose husband - a red cap - military police - was serving in Afghanistan at the time. A remarkable book. The - only slightly - fictionalised account of the author's experience of having most of his legs blown off by an IUD - and his recovery. The genius conceit - every chapter is written from the point of view of an inanimate object - his kit - boots, radio, rucksack - the tourniquet that keeps him alive - his chair - crutches - non-linear in narrative. It sounds quite depressing - but it isn't - a triumph of the human spirit - ultimately an uplifting book. I don't mind admitting - I cried - in places reading this. I've sent this book to several people - not one has failed to be moved. Recommended.
For the avoidance of doubt - this enterprise - is just for anyone - to recommend a book - and why they like it. Please join in.
Yours - I.
@Scotshave @Barry Giddens @patw @Ferry-shave @Blademonkey @Missoni @RussellR5555
I've always loved Steineck's writing; whether it's the sweeping vistas of East of Eden or The Grapes of Wrath, he has an economy of style that seems much more than the sum of its parts. Travels with Charley in Search of America vied with Cannery Row and its companion piece Sweet Thursday for tonight's recommendation.
For @Digimonkey, @patw, @Missoni, @RussellR5555, @Blademonkey, @Barry Giddens and @Ferry-shave
As the title suggests, it's a tour around America in the early 1960s with his poodle Charley. With a nod to Cervantes, Steinbeck fashioned a camper van for travel and sleep; naming it ‘Rocinante' after Don Quixote's nag.
The characters he meets are painted beautifully; as is the zeitgeist of America that time - civil rights and tolerance, notably.
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My pleasureSteinbeck stayed with me from my school days "Grapes of Wrath", I never explored any further but am tempted on this one thanks for the review.
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Seven days - seven books - day two
"He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man." Dr. Johnson.
Compelling - in places - laugh out loud funny - influenced by the 'Fisher King' medieval myth - but most importantly - 'Heart of Darkness' by Joseph Conrad - I always find something new in it. The death of the sixties idealism. 'A savage journey to the heart of the American dream.' - I.
@Scotshave @Ferry-shave @patw @Blademonkey @Missoni @RussellR5555 @Barry Giddens
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Seven days - seven book recommendations - day one.
'Anatomy of a Soldier' by Harry Parker.
I was put onto this by a colleague of my partner - whose husband - a red cap - military police - was serving in Afghanistan at the time. A remarkable book. The - only slightly - fictionalised account of the author's experience of having most of his legs blown off by an IUD - and his recovery. The genius conceit - every chapter is written from the point of view of an inanimate object - his kit - boots, radio, rucksack - the tourniquet that keeps him alive - his chair - crutches - non-linear in narrative. It sounds quite depressing - but it isn't - a triumph of the human spirit - ultimately an uplifting book. I don't mind admitting - I cried - in places reading this. I've sent this book to several people - not one has failed to be moved. Recommended.
For the avoidance of doubt - this enterprise - is just for anyone - to recommend a book - and why they like it. Please join in.
Yours - I.
@Scotshave @Barry Giddens @patw @Ferry-shave @Blademonkey @Missoni @RussellR5555
[/QUOTE]...I can commit to seven book reviews but perhaps over a slightly longer time period than seven days. I hope this mostly keeps in spirit with the challenge. In any event I applaud Ian's @Digimonkey initiative. Here goes with review 1:
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Karen Armstrong is a former Catholic nun and studied at Oxford (she left organised religion but not her search for spirituality). Her book, The Spiral Staircase, is a good description of the struggles that led to her leaving the convent. - “Compassion has been advocated by all the great faiths because it has been found to be the safest and surest means of attaining enlightenment because it dethrones the ego from the centre of our lives and puts others there, breaking down the carapace of selfishness that holds us back from the experience of the sacred.†Which reminds me of Huxley's observation “It is a bit embarrassing to have been concerned with the human problem all one's life and find at the end that one has no more to offer by way of advice than 'try to be a little kinder.â€
“A History of God†details the evolution and concept of God over 4,000 years; a history of how humanity has perceived and experienced God focusing primarily on the three Abrahamic or monotheistic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The book appeals to both believers and atheists.
All three faiths trace their claims of Truth back to a single man, Abraham, who believed in a god named El - while Abraham did worship a single god, he also believed in other gods. It details how, at different times in history people perceived God in different ways and attempts at times to bridge the gap between a metaphorical and philosophical understanding of religious texts (Torah, New Testament, Koran) and a literal one. She appears to suggest that the former is often embraced by societies elites and the latter by societies grass roots.
It goes on to analyse the reaction to the emphasis on logos (rational, scientific thinking related exactly to facts and external realities) of the Enlightenment as opposed to mythos (that which is timeless and constant) that had been essential to people's view of the world. Armstrong uses the word “mythos†as it relates to mystery and mysticism, rooted ultimately in traditional biblical and Islamic history “which gives meaning to life, but cannot be explained in rational terms.â€
The Bible says God created man in His own image. Karen states as fact the exact opposite: Man created God in his own image, then re-created him a lot of times in response to changing historical and cultural conditions.
I think Armstrong asserts that faith is at its best when it is mystical and transcendental and she worries about the inherent intolerance in monotheism (I believe in one true God; your God must be wrong).
The book is engaging though repetitive and dense at times but a great read none the less. It will definitely keep your cogs whirling long after you put the book down.
@Scotshave @Barry Giddens @patw @Ferry-shave @Blademonkey @Missoni @RussellR5555
'We're right in the middle of a fucking reptile zoo! And somebody's giving booze to these goddamn things!' - ha ha - I.Laugh out aloud indeed. I drew strange looks on the train earlier this year; owing to a misplaced guffaw. It was page twenty four, paragraph three. Blood, lizards and golf shoes...
[/QUOTE]...I can commit to seven book reviews but perhaps over a slightly longer time period than seven days. I hope this mostly keeps in spirit with the challenge. In any event I applaud Ian's @Digimonkey initiative. Here goes with review 1:
View attachment 48156
Karen Armstrong is a former Catholic nun and studied at Oxford (she left organised religion but not her search for spirituality). Her book, The Spiral Staircase, is a good description of the struggles that led to her leaving the convent. - “Compassion has been advocated by all the great faiths because it has been found to be the safest and surest means of attaining enlightenment because it dethrones the ego from the centre of our lives and puts others there, breaking down the carapace of selfishness that holds us back from the experience of the sacred.†Which reminds me of Huxley's observation “It is a bit embarrassing to have been concerned with the human problem all one's life and find at the end that one has no more to offer by way of advice than 'try to be a little kinder.â€
“A History of God†details the evolution and concept of God over 4,000 years; a history of how humanity has perceived and experienced God focusing primarily on the three Abrahamic or monotheistic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The book appeals to both believers and atheists.
All three faiths trace their claims of Truth back to a single man, Abraham, who believed in a god named El - while Abraham did worship a single god, he also believed in other gods. It details how, at different times in history people perceived God in different ways and attempts at times to bridge the gap between a metaphorical and philosophical understanding of religious texts (Torah, New Testament, Koran) and a literal one. She appears to suggest that the former is often embraced by societies elites and the latter by societies grass roots.
It goes on to analyse the reaction to the emphasis on logos (rational, scientific thinking related exactly to facts and external realities) of the Enlightenment as opposed to mythos (that which is timeless and constant) that had been essential to people's view of the world. Armstrong uses the word “mythos†as it relates to mystery and mysticism, rooted ultimately in traditional biblical and Islamic history “which gives meaning to life, but cannot be explained in rational terms.â€
The Bible says God created man in His own image. Karen states as fact the exact opposite: Man created God in his own image, then re-created him a lot of times in response to changing historical and cultural conditions.
I think Armstrong asserts that faith is at its best when it is mystical and transcendental and she worries about the inherent intolerance in monotheism (I believe in one true God; your God must be wrong).
The book is engaging though repetitive and dense at times but a great read none the less. It will definitely keep your cogs whirling long after you put the book down.
@Scotshave @Barry Giddens @patw @Ferry-shave @Blademonkey @Missoni @RussellR5555
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