Last book you read and what you can share about it

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A

Abing

Guest
#61
#61
So, I started listening to audiobooks. I found out that reading doesn't really work for me lol. I end up falling asleep all the time. Lol. I love listening to podcasts though, whenever I'm in the bus, or the train, or biking, or doing my groceries. And that worked so much better for me.

Anyway, I'm saying this cause I found Audible and I started using it and the member benefits are really good. So I started listening to Back and the High Baroque, narrated by Prof. Robert Greenberg. It's a 25+ hour read/listen, and I just recently started (only 3 hours so far). It's a lecture on the life of JS Bach, his works and music style. What makes it rather interesting is that the narrator goes on to dissect Bach's famous works and educate the listeners on how Bach's style of music was done, its influences and how it can be re-created. It's amazing actually.

This other book I just finished today is called The Artist's Guide to Success in the Music Business. I loved it! It has many practical tips on how to start out in the music industry. Well, I like how it focused on people's misconception of what the music industry is like. There were many many things I never knew: from having a clear definition of success in the music world, how to handle it, to the untold truths about record deals and music publishing, which reminds me I should go and watch this movie called Begin Again (with Adam Levine and Kiera Knightley).
 
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Tintin

Guest
#62
#62
51Mjqu284pL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

Just finished this little gem - A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, and a Great War

A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, and a Great War: How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-1918 by Joseph Loconte is an eye-opening book. The title says it all. Here, for the first time (in many ways), I saw the absolute horrific cyclical nature of humanity and its propensity for evil, not good. But it all began well before World War 1, through a long series of compromises from the world at large (since the Fall) and unfortunately from the Church eg. they were the first to embrace Charles Darwin's evolutionary theories.

Darwin's evolutionary theories gave Herbert Spencer, a British social theorist, licence to reinterpret and apply Darwin's theory to society at large. Every realm of human endeavour, from politics to economics to ethics, fell under its refining influence. In short, humanity believed they could reason an answer to anything, without having to appeal to anything outside themselves eg. God. And the fruits of those evil labours are manifest today, more than ever.

Despite experiencing Hell on Earth in World War 1, Tolkien looked not to the world around him and its hopelessness, but to Jesus, the Author and giver of Life. And Lewis, some years later, came to believe. These men and their writings spoke to generations that needed to hear the truth and love of Christ in a world where mankind had propped themselves up as God and had brought the world to ruin. This book speaks to the great friendship Tolkien and Lewis shared. Because it's framed by the experiences and tragedy of war, it makes for a rather difficult read at times. Still, it's very worthwhile. Recommended.

8/10
 
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Siberian_Khatru

Guest
#63
#63
Misquoting Jesus, by Bart D. Ehrman (finished about 2 - 3 weeks ago, but couldn't find this thread then).


Ehrman - the professor of religious studies at the university of North Carolina - expounds upon the historicity of the New Testament, prefacing with his educational background and his religious position prior to entering into his studies and writing the book. While the book almost seems to present itself as Atheist ammunition (at first glance), Ehrman leaves quite a bit open to the reader's reasoning, with only brief stints of affirming some of the textual criticism he and his peers largely agree upon. This helped to make the read feel less like Ehrman was on a mission to destroy anyone's faith, and more so endeavoring to educate those (in layman's terms) lacking the resources and linguistic knowledge to dig as deep as he has.

My only gripe with Misquoting Jesus was that it really did not need to be 200+ pages long. It's informative and modestly thought provoking, though one can reap the book's tenor through the introduction and conclusion. The body gives a lot of specifics to back these up, though it begins to feel redundant and tedious very quickly.

Christian or not, I recommend it. Although Ehrman - to my knowledge - has defaulted to Agnosticism since his discoveries, Misquoting Jesus makes a sound effort to educate, not eradicate; to develop, not dismantle, one's understanding of the New Testament.
 
W

wwjd_kilden

Guest
#64
#64
I am currently reading Glencoe, by John Prebble.

It's about the Glencoe massacre, so it's the kind of book that makes you want to cry and snarl.

'You are hereby ordered to fall upon the rebels, the MacDonalds of Glencoe, and to put all to the sword under seventy.' This was the treacherous and cold-blooded order ruthlessly carried out on 13 February 1692, when the Campbells slaughtered their hosts the MacDonalds at the Massacre of Glencoe. It was a bloody incident which had deep repercussions and was the beginning of the destruction of the Highlanders.
 
p_rehbein

p_rehbein

Senior Member
#65
Sep 4, 2013
30,209
6,548
113
#65



Uncle Sam’s Plantation is an incisive look at how government manipulates, controls, and ultimately devastates the lives of the poor—and what Americans must do to stop it. Once a hustler and welfare addict who was chewed up and spit out by the ruthless welfare system, Star Parker sheds much needed light on the bungled bureaucratic attempts to end poverty and reveals the insidious deceptions perpetrated by self-serving politicians.


“Star Parker rocks the world. She is an iconoclast that must be listened to and reckoned with.” ?Sean Hannity
 
A

Abing

Guest
#66
#66
I recently finished "The Making of Music" Series 1 by James Naughtie (a 6hr audio book). It was, well, I'm a bad reviewer lol so for a lack of a better word, it was very informative. Lel. It was basically music history; the development of music from monk chants of the 3-4th century to renaissance music (and the church's major influence on music) then to the age of the troubadours (the start of secular music), then the reformation came. I like the highlights on Luther's (often overlooked) influence on music. Then there was Bach, then Mozart and Beethoven (there was Opera somewhere). It didn't go as far as pop music of the 21st century (that's for series 2). What made this so interesting to me was that in between breaks from listening to this, I finished BBC's documentary of the "Story of Music" by Howard Goodall (6 episodes) and a PBS documentary on the life of Martin Luther, both of them went well with music history so it was cool. Oh for the life of me, I still haven't finished Bach and the High Baroque (I got 17hrs left to complete it lol).

Currently reading:

Seeking Allah: Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi (kindle)
The Mark of A Giant: 7 People Who Changed The World by Ted Steward (audiobook) - Oh this was one's cool too. It's like a short glimpse at the lives of 7 people who changed history: Abraham of Ur, Pericles the Greek, Apostle Paul, Sir Isaac Newton, Marie Curie, Martin Luther King Jr. and Mother Teresa.
Bach and the High Baroque (still)
 
J

James4redemption

Guest
#67
#67
I think it was The Giver. I was supposed to read it in middle school, I think. But then again, there was a lot I was "supposed" to do in middle school. That didn't really stop me from not doing it. Can't tell me what to do, not my real mom etc etc

Anyways, I found it in box of my old junk. Read it, finally, like a year ago I think? I read a lot of stuff online though, so don't judge me for my lack of book reading. But yeah, as for the book- It was pretty morbid. Interesting though, it just puts into perspective how our superiors think they know what's best for us, those types of people who want to make the rules and parameters in which we live by because they feel like their perspective is the most logical and the best perspective there could possibly be.

Moral of the story: People who want power, they really don't know ####.
 
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MsKy

Guest
#68
#68
I challenged myself to read all of the books on my bookshelves before purchasing any new books.

All Is Grace by Brennan Manning is the last book that I completed reading.

It left me feeling angry. I realize that I don't have a right to be angry (I'm not married to him) but I was let down. I appreciated his honestly but it was still a difficult read.

I'm in process of reading …
* God's Long Summer, Stories of Faith and Civil Rights by Charles Marsh
* Thomas Becket, Warrior, Priest, Rebel by John Guy





 
Willie-T

Willie-T

Banned
#69
Feb 7, 2015
22,418
413
0
#69
MsKy said:
I challenged myself to read all of the books on my bookshelves before purchasing any new books.

All Is Grace by Brennan Manning is the last book that I completed reading.

It left me feeling angry. I realize that I don't have a right to be angry (I'm not married to him) but I was let down. I appreciated his honestly but it was still a difficult read.

I'm in process of reading …
* God's Long Summer, Stories of Faith and Civil Rights by Charles Marsh
* Thomas Becket, Warrior, Priest, Rebel by John Guy





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Why? Because of the mess he made of his life?
 
M

MsKy

Guest
#70
#70
Wilie: As a woman, ummmm, it struck a nerve. It seems that there is no accountability or respect for the position of spiritual leadership anymore. I understand that transparency is needed in Christian circles, but as a fan of his work, I was let down. I was more disappointed than angry. One of the reasons that I liked his writing in the first place was that he was flawed and admitted it. At one point I had to put the book down and come back to it after a few weeks. It felt like he was taking advantage of God's grace. I realize that I sound horrible for saying that; I'm not a self-righteous person. It was a difficult read but a good for me because it made me look at myself and what I expect from others. Maybe I want too much… maybe I put a limit to grace… Have you read it? What did you think of it?
 
A

Abing

Guest
#71
#71
I finally finished reading Nabeel Qureshi's "Seeking Allah: Finding Jesus" and boy how blessed I am to have my entire family saved. The guy went through a lot emotionally. T_T If this book was food, it'd be like beek steak with mac n' cheese... my favorite.

I'm almost done with The Making of Music Series 2 and yesterday I started reading Audio Engineering 101: A Beginner's Guide to Music Production. :D
 
C

crosstweed

Guest
#72
#72
To the best of my recollection, the last story I read was Silver Blaze by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I say story rather than book because it's one of the 60 Sherlock Holmes stories contained in my couple thousand page volume of canon Holmes (complete with notes, cliff notes, observations, guesstimated dates and locations, and snippets of articles written hardcore Holmes-nurd). Only another 1000 pages to go...
It's just so hard to sneak off where no one will interrupt you.

Silver Blaze was a really good short story... although, admittedly, when you really think about it... Holmes rigged that race, didn't he?

(It's funny, but I think reading the Holmes canon has been a lesson in self-improvement. I always want to go out and read something highly educational or learn a nifty, bizarre skill after reading one. Or just watch humans, unobserved, with their funny little ways.)
 
S

Siberian_Khatru

Guest
#73
#73
Finishing the last few pages of Inferno today (part 1 of The Divine Comedy). It's heavy, but good.
 
S

SparkleEyes

Senior Member
#74
Mar 23, 2013
771
21
18
#74
Most recent read: Loving the Way Jesus Loves by Phil Ryken (president of Wheaton College, IL, former pastor) Naturally it is about 1 Cor 13. This book has been positively reviewed by Tim Keller, John MacArthur, R. Albert Mohler, Jr, so it should have wide appeal.

Current: How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon D Fee and Douglas Stuart, 2 very respected commentary scholars (apostrophe left off on purpose according to the authors) Even if you have read the Bible in it's entirety and are a long time reader, you can still learn something about how to read and understand. I bet most long time readers of the Bible have NEVER read a book of this kind. (Hope I am wrong, but just because you have read the Bible doesn't mean you really understand it and are applying it correctly!!)

Happy reading, my friends! :cool:
 
T

Tintin

Guest
#75
#75
Siberian_Khatru said:
Finishing the last few pages of Inferno today (part 1 of The Divine Comedy). It's heavy, but good.
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Which version did you read, brother? The one by Dorothy Sayers or another translation? I've heard hers is really good. I'm keen to read it.
 
S

Siberian_Khatru

Guest
#76
#76
Tintin said:
Which version did you read, brother? The one by Dorothy Sayers or another translation? I've heard hers is really good. I'm keen to read it.
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I went with the new prose translation with H.R. Ruse. There are a lot of breaks with him outlining what's going on; I skip over some of it to get straight to the text, but he does well.
 
T

Tintin

Guest
#77
#77
Siberian_Khatru said:
I went with the new prose translation with H.R. Ruse. There are a lot of breaks with him outlining what's going on; I skip over some of it to get straight to the text, but he does well.
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Ah, cool. Thanks, I haven't heard of his. Edit: Weird. I couldn't find any results for his translation with Google.
 
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C

crosstweed

Guest
#78
#78
Tintin said:
View attachment 141907

Just finished this little gem - A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, and a Great War

A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, and a Great War: How J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Rediscovered Faith, Friendship, and Heroism in the Cataclysm of 1914-1918 by Joseph Loconte is an eye-opening book. The title says it all. Here, for the first time (in many ways), I saw the absolute horrific cyclical nature of humanity and its propensity for evil, not good. But it all began well before World War 1, through a long series of compromises from the world at large (since the Fall) and unfortunately from the Church eg. they were the first to embrace Charles Darwin's evolutionary theories.

Darwin's evolutionary theories gave Herbert Spencer, a British social theorist, licence to reinterpret and apply Darwin's theory to society at large. Every realm of human endeavour, from politics to economics to ethics, fell under its refining influence. In short, humanity believed they could reason an answer to anything, without having to appeal to anything outside themselves eg. God. And the fruits of those evil labours are manifest today, more than ever.

Despite experiencing Hell on Earth in World War 1, Tolkien looked not to the world around him and its hopelessness, but to Jesus, the Author and giver of Life. And Lewis, some years later, came to believe. These men and their writings spoke to generations that needed to hear the truth and love of Christ in a world where mankind had propped themselves up as God and had brought the world to ruin. This book speaks to the great friendship Tolkien and Lewis shared. Because it's framed by the experiences and tragedy of war, it makes for a rather difficult read at times. Still, it's very worthwhile. Recommended.

8/10
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That sounds REALLY good! I'm going to have to find that one...
 
S

Siberian_Khatru

Guest
#80
#80
Tintin said:
Ah, cool. Thanks, I haven't heard of his. Edit: Weird. I couldn't find any results for his translation with Google.
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Oh wow. I ordered it through Green_Earth_Books on Amazon (used). This is the cover:



But whichever version you go with, it's a heavy read. I think you'd like it, though. :) I'm taking a break before moving onto Purgatorio and going to finish up The World's Religions, by Huston Smith.
 
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