Books

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J

Jenny23

Guest
#1
What are you currently reading? Christian or secular books welcome. 😊

I am currently reading The House of the Dead and Poor Folk by Dostoevsky, the Bible in a year, and Keep Your Love On by Silk.
 
M

morefaithrequired

Guest
#2
What are you currently reading? Christian or secular books welcome. 😊

I am currently reading The House of the Dead and Poor Folk by Dostoevsky, the Bible in a year, and Keep Your Love On by Silk.
The snob in me will congratulate you for choosing Dostoyevsky. In my opinion the greatest writer and the greatest Christian writer there ever was. Brothers Karamazov contains a very important debate between atheism and Christianity. About free will. Maybe you know this anyway.
 
J

Jenny23

Guest
#3
The snob in me will congratulate you for choosing Dostoyevsky. In my opinion the greatest writer and the greatest Christian writer there ever was. Brothers Karamazov contains a very important debate between atheism and Christianity. About free will. Maybe you know this anyway.
I absolutely love Dostoyevsky, and I’m growing more and more fond of Russian literature.

You didn’t mention which books you are currently reading or maybe a book you would recommend?
 
M

morefaithrequired

Guest
#4
I absolutely love Dostoyevsky, and I’m growing more and more fond of Russian literature.

You didn’t mention which books you are currently reading or maybe a book you would recommend?
i was reading theology books and Augustines Confessions.
Oh and Christmas Carol again by Dickens.
I recommend Crime and Punishment by D
To Kill a Mockingbird
All Quiet in the Western Front

last one i read recently. its top 10 for sure
 
M

morefaithrequired

Guest
#5
Tolstoys Confessions too. He talks about his doubts of the Church in Russia at the time. To my knowledge his ideas of non violence influenced Gandhi.
 

Desdichado

Senior Member
Feb 9, 2014
8,768
837
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#6
I'm so happy to see all this Dostoevsky love in here. He is one of my top 10 favorite writers. Never read The House of the Dead and Poor Folk though. You'll have to tell us how it is.

Right now I'm reading Stalin: Paradoxes of Power by Stephen Kotkin. It's the first of a three volume biography on him. Really good.

I'm also reading the Hobbit again on those nights where I need a break from political intrigue and mass murder.
 

Desdichado

Senior Member
Feb 9, 2014
8,768
837
113
#7
Confessions is brilliant. A real turning point in Western lit. I'll have to pick it up again.

After I commit to City of God.

i was reading theology books and Augustines Confessions.
Oh and Christmas Carol again by Dickens.
I recommend Crime and Punishment by D
To Kill a Mockingbird
All Quiet in the Western Front

last one i read recently. its top 10 for sure[/QUOTE
 
T

tasha66

Guest
#8
I'm so happy to see all this Dostoevsky love in here. He is one of my top 10 favorite writers. Never read The House of the Dead and Poor Folk though. You'll have to tell us how it is. Right now I'm reading Stalin: Paradoxes of Power by Stephen Kotkin. It's the first of a three volume biography on him. Really good. I'm also reading the Hobbit again on those nights where I need a break from political intrigue and mass murder.
I read The Hobbit not long ago before I moved. What a funny, wee, delightful book.
I love history, and have just finished a book on he Tudor dynasty by Leanda de Lisle. She puts many years of research into her novels, and they are written in a non-lecturing, more chatty style, though they are always factually accurate.
I studied both English Literature & Psychology when I was very young, and loved all of it. Our lecturer was truly inspirational. I decided not to pursue it as a career, as I didn't think at the time I'd make a living out of it - a choice I regret to some extent now.
I picked up Stephen King's new novel 'The Institute' from the libary, and am going to start on that later.
His novels are like looking forward to a chocolate mousse, or your favourite dessert - can't wait to read it!!
Novels and reading are such a treat for me, and something we should be encouraging not just the younger generation to do more of, but everyone.
Thank the Lord for libraries and library services!
 
M

morefaithrequired

Guest
#9
Right now I'm reading Stalin: Paradoxes of Power by Stephen Kotkin. It's the first of a three volume biography on him. Really good.
That sounds interesting. Stalin's evil was part genius I imagine, from the perspective of control and fear he had over Russians. But when you read real life stories in gulags (example Solzenhytzen), you discover the depths of Hell he created. Was he more evil than Hitler for instance?
 

Desdichado

Senior Member
Feb 9, 2014
8,768
837
113
#10
That all sounds wonderful!

King is so underrated. Sure, he swings and misses at times and some of his books are primarily written to be sold.
But when he hits? Man does he ever knock it out of the park.

I read The Hobbit not long ago before I moved. What a funny, wee, delightful book.
I love history, and have just finished a book on he Tudor dynasty by Leanda de Lisle. She puts many years of research into her novels, and they are written in a non-lecturing, more chatty style, though they are always factually accurate.
I studied both English Literature & Psychology when I was very young, and loved all of it. Our lecturer was truly inspirational. I decided not to pursue it as a career, as I didn't think at the time I'd make a living out of it - a choice I regret to some extent now.
I picked up Stephen King's new novel 'The Institute' from the libary, and am going to start on that later.
His novels are like looking forward to a chocolate mousse, or your favourite dessert - can't wait to read it!!
Novels and reading are such a treat for me, and something we should be encouraging not just the younger generation to do more of, but everyone.
Thank the Lord for libraries and library services!
 

Desdichado

Senior Member
Feb 9, 2014
8,768
837
113
#11
Drifting off-topic here, but I think they were about equally evil. They were just different kinds of evil due to circumstance and temperament.

Stalin accomplished more evil because he was a more successful dictator with a more durable and appealing ideology. If Hitler got what he wanted, he may well have killed and enslaved just as many if not more.

A good counter question would be which ideology is worse- Nazism or Marxist-Leninism?

That sounds interesting. Stalin's evil was part genius I imagine, from the perspective of control and fear he had over Russians. But when you read real life stories in gulags (example Solzenhytzen), you discover the depths of Hell he created. Was he more evil than Hitler for instance?
 
T

tasha66

Guest
#13
Yes Stephen King is not a very Christian thing to read, but I've read him from ever since I was young. He has great insights into the human character methinks, and he discusses our flaws and weaknesses in a very frank style. His literary descriptions seem to always hit the mark, and his subject matters are always different and curious.
I like the fact that he isn't afraid to explore our darker side, which of course, we all have inside of us.
 

Desdichado

Senior Member
Feb 9, 2014
8,768
837
113
#14
That's the cool part about King- he may not be a Christian, but the Lord has given him such a keen insight that a Christian can benefit greatly from reading him.

I'll add too that while he's great with the darker aspects of humanity, he also has a great handle on heroism. I loved that Pop Star in The Stand (forget his name).

Yes Stephen King is not a very Christian thing to read, but I've read him from ever since I was young. He has great insights into the human character methinks, and he discusses our flaws and weaknesses in a very frank style. His literary descriptions seem to always hit the mark, and his subject matters are always different and curious.
I like the fact that he isn't afraid to explore our darker side, which of course, we all have inside of us.
 
J

Jenny23

Guest
#15
Yes Stephen King is not a very Christian thing to read, but I've read him from ever since I was young. He has great insights into the human character methinks, and he discusses our flaws and weaknesses in a very frank style. His literary descriptions seem to always hit the mark, and his subject matters are always different and curious.
I like the fact that he isn't afraid to explore our darker side, which of course, we all have inside of us.
I don’t read King, but I use a few quotes of his work to show my students how he is a master at writer’s craft especially description as you said.
 
J

Jenny23

Guest
#16
Drifting off-topic here, but I think they were about equally evil. They were just different kinds of evil due to circumstance and temperament.

Stalin accomplished more evil because he was a more successful dictator with a more durable and appealing ideology. If Hitler got what he wanted, he may well have killed and enslaved just as many if not more.

A good counter question would be which ideology is worse- Nazism or Marxist-Leninism?
I believer one reason Stalin killed more people was due to his ideology being under the guise of practicality and economic equality for all citizens while Hitler’s, over time, targeted one specific people group.
 
J

Jenny23

Guest
#17
I believer one reason Stalin killed more people was due to his ideology being under the guise of civility, practicality, and equality for all citizens while Hitler’s, over time, targeted one specific people group.
Both leaders were dictators and totalitarian in nature.
 
T

tasha66

Guest
#18
I don’t read King, but I use a few quotes of his work to show my students how he is a master at writer’s craft especially description as you said.
What do you teach Jen and what age groups?
 
J

Jenny23

Guest
#20
i was reading theology books and Augustines Confessions.
Oh and Christmas Carol again by Dickens.
I recommend Crime and Punishment by D
To Kill a Mockingbird
All Quiet in the Western Front

last one i read recently. its top 10 for sure
Awesome. I’ll add it to my list. I teach TKAMB, and I really enjoy it. Great Expectations is another one of my favorites.