His latest, The City and Its Uncertain Walls, seems to be a retelling of the end of the world portions of Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World.
1 Like
I’ve been wanting to reread The Master and Margarita for awhile now.
Though I normally don’t the story of how the book was written should be important to enjoying the book, this could be one of the few exceptions to that rule.
If you don’t already know the background of the book it’s worth doing a quick read about it. There’s probably a preface in the copy that you have. I hope you enjoy it!
Excuse me for being late to the scrimmage, but what’d you think about this book with regard to its relevancy 30 years later?
It has been a while since I read the book, but if I recall correctly, it outlines the philosophical underpinnings of political theories within their historical context. To the extent to which Hallowell’s analysis is accurate, it provides an intellectual framework for understanding the philosophical roots of current political thought and policy. Though in a postmodern world, there is an undermining or outright rejection of objective truth (except that there is no objective truth–a contradiction, of course), making consistent adherence and application of political theory nearly impossible or, more likely, not valued.
As one of my professor’s once noted: “We may think wrongly upon right principles, but forever do so upon wrong ones for how can the stream flow pure when the source of truth is polluted?”
In short, I find myself upon rereading excerpts in DEVONthink, reaffirming my initial reaction–I think he is by and large spot on, and his analysis gives keen insight into our current moral and political malaise, chaos, and confusion.
I hope that makes sense!
2 Likes
Thanks. I believe they are linked but guess I will soon find out. His books are always infused with the element of the spirit world but similar to Kazuo Ishiguro, I find reading them is a relaxing experience
Good tip! I will look into the context more deeply… Thanks
His books are always insightful. Will put that on my list. Thanks
1 Like
Do you mean the N T Wright book of that title? I enjoyed reading it myself several years ago. Indeed enjoy all of his books that I have read.
As to War & Peace. Nah, I tried reading that many years ago and could not get beyond the first ten pages.
Do you mean the N T Wright book of that title?
Yes
30 characters
My next three in the queue are:
- Aflame: Learning from Silence by Pico Iyer
- Julia by Sandra Newman-
- The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt
May decide to splurge on a reprint version of Ted Nelson’s iconic Computer Lib/Dream Machines. A bit pricey, but all the cash goes directly to the author.
I’m not one for planning plus I am still reading one book from last year (Collision Low Crossers by Nicholas Dawidoff). Serendipty is my watchword and will settle on a book because it catchs my eye on either my bookshelves or a book pile in my study. Though I am thinking maybe it is time read some Saul Bellow or Chain Potok again. But there will be a re-read of at least one Jane Austen novel.
Come on, its not that bad. When the war part starts, it picks up.
That was a compelling summary. I hope to check it out soon. I’m currently in the middle of Reality Isn’t What It Used to Be by Walter Truett Anderson. He’s got a chapter that compliments some of the points you’ve made. Thank you.
1 Like
I don’t know how you guys do it. I’ve got a “must read” list as long as my arm, and many of those I’ve actually purchased, and I am barely putting a dent in the list. If any of you have kids on a swim (or track) team, you know there is a lot of down time between your kid’s events. And this year, that is where I’ve been sneaking in my reading time. Unfortunately, we just got eliminated in sectionals, so I will go back to normal business without all the forced downtime.
1 Like
Year - you mean month right?
In Progress:
- Co-Intelligence - Ethan Mollick
- Simple Steps to Foot Pain Relief - Katy Bookman
- The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay - Michael Chabon
- The Bible Unearthed - Israel Finklestien
On Deck
- Simple Marketing for Smart People - Billy Broas (re-read and take notes for actions)
- A book on Test Driven JavaScript
- The next random book that catches my attention
I promised not buy more books, before finishing my current batch at the start of the quarter. This has worked so well, I may select more books to read.
1 Like
I just finished my annual dash through the Tournament of Books shortlist. Whew. This year I managed to get through all 18 titles before the Tournament starts. On to the TBR (To Be Read) heap!
I usually work my way through both a fiction and a non-fiction title at the same time. In the current queue:
Non-fiction:
- How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell (A re-read that I really do need to re-read right now.)
- The Light Eaters by Zoë Schlanger
Fiction:
- We Do Not Part by Han Kang
- The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera
The war parts of War and Peace are the best parts, but I’m the kind of person who likes to tour battlefields, so your mileage may vary.
1 Like
On Freedom - Timothy Snyder
On Tyranny (Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century) Graphic Edition - Timothy Snyder
Saint of The Narrows Street - William Boyle
2 Likes
It reminds of a cartoon where you see a military general reading a book intitled « war and war » 
1 Like
In the mad rush to get ebooks of some things that were on my list or were due to be replaced because the original paper books have disintegrated before we couldn’t download and convert to epub kindle books I bought an electronic copy of one of the books from my childhood that got me into computers… “Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine” A quick fun and enjoyable read even now, 6mumble years later. In the last few days I managed to get over 400 books into my reading queue. Just sorting them out now into groups. I try to have 1 mystery or thriller, 1 cozy mystery or fun novel, 1 science book, 1 farming book, 1 self help book, 1 general novel and 1 technical book in work at a time with the occasional extra as I see fit.
2 Likes