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TragicMonkey said:
Unfortunately, thanks to all the hype about it, the ending is no surprise. The murderer turns out to be Evolution, and the motive was godlessness and secular humanism. Evolution then went over the falls, locked in a death struggle with Religion.
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Besides, I've seen the movie version already.
 
TragicMonkey said:
Unfortunately, thanks to all the hype about it, the ending is no surprise. The murderer turns out to be Evolution, and the motive was godlessness and secular humanism. Evolution then went over the falls, locked in a death struggle with Religion.
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It's still better than the older book "The Bible". Some people swear by it but I found it horribly confused, the central character, God, who seems to be the single thread that much of the "narrative" (such as it is) is linked by comes across like a right-wing gym teacher on bad acid. The morality of the stories is reprehensible where it is not confused or downright contradictory. The second half introduces a "son" character, possibly as an attempt to start the narrarive afresh but frankly he just confuses things even more. The "Gospels" chapters tries to do a Rashomon-style trick of telling the same story from different characters viewpoints but it's handled badly and, again, just comes across as confused.
And if you think trekkies take their crap too seriously you should go to a Bible group sometime. Sheesh.
 
Wudang said:
It's still better than the older book "The Bible". Some people swear by it but I found it horribly confused, the central character, God, who seems to be the single thread that much of the "narrative" (such as it is) is linked by comes across like a right-wing gym teacher on bad acid. The morality of the stories is reprehensible where it is not confused or downright contradictory. The second half introduces a "son" character, possibly as an attempt to start the narrarive afresh but frankly he just confuses things even more. The "Gospels" chapters tries to do a Rashomon-style trick of telling the same story from different characters viewpoints but it's handled badly and, again, just comes across as confused.
And if you think trekkies take their crap too seriously you should go to a Bible group sometime. Sheesh.
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I liked the Bible. I was really surprised when God turned out to be Jesus's father.

"Jesus, I am your father!"
"No! That's not true! That's impossible!"
"Search your feelings. You know it to be true."
"Noooooo!"
 
TragicMonkey said:
I liked the Bible. I was really surprised when God turned out to be Jesus's father.

"Jesus, I am your father!"
"No! That's not true! That's impossible!"
"Search your feelings. You know it to be true."
"Noooooo!"
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And Mary- the First Jewish Mother. She had her own series later, I believe.
 
Burton's translation of 1001 Nights is worth a shot. Something like 13 volumes and lots of feelthy parts.
 
TragicMonkey said:
I liked the Bible. I was really surprised when God turned out to be Jesus's father.

I gave up reading anything but the Bible for lent and I am still on the 1st testament. I haven't got to that bit yet. I guess now I don't have to. It's good though. Hard work, but enlightening. I could do with a revision guide though. My pastor jumps around a bit and confuses me with Hebrew.
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Van said:
TragicMonkey said:
I liked the Bible. I was really surprised when God turned out to be Jesus's father.

I gave up reading anything but the Bible for lent and I am still on the 1st testament. I haven't got to that bit yet. I guess now I don't have to. It's good though. Hard work, but enlightening. I could do with a revision guide though. My pastor jumps around a bit and confuses me with Hebrew.
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In 1206 the pope issued a bull to the effect that it is perfectly reasonable to skip the "begats" section, on the grounds that nobody could be expected to make it all the way through, even on pain of hellfire.
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Thanks, useful to know that now. Do i also need to memorise all of the measurements of the temple etc.? Have you read the 100 minute Bible? Is it good? Does it end the same?
 
Van said:
Thanks, useful to know that now. Do i also need to memorise all of the measurements of the temple etc.? Have you read the 100 minute Bible? Is it good? Does it end the same?
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I abandoned reading the Bible in favor of instructive religious works like Monkey Apocalypse Beach Party.

As for the temple measurements, I'm reminded of a PG Wodehouse anecdote. Apparently it is possible, in some editions of the Bible, to glue two pages together so that when reading about Noah you'd turn the page from "and he took unto himself a wife" straight into "which was fifty cubits wide by a hundred cubits long by fifty cubits high" or something.
 
I am going to a Church Conference next week. Any suggestions on how I could really cause a riot? Not that I am planning to, but it's always fun to have a plan in reserve!
 
Van said:
I am going to a Church Conference next week. Any suggestions on how I could really cause a riot? Not that I am planning to, but it's always fun to have a plan in reserve!
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Easy. Say something completely ordinary and noncontroversial and mainstream about God...but casually slip in the pronoun "she".
 
Van said:
I am going to a Church Conference next week. Any suggestions on how I could really cause a riot? Not that I am planning to, but it's always fun to have a plan in reserve!
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Ask if atheists get half price at the collection plate.
 
TragicMonkey said:
Unfortunately, thanks to all the hype about it, the ending is no surprise. The murderer turns out to be Evolution, and the motive was godlessness and secular humanism. Evolution then went over the falls, locked in a death struggle with Religion.
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How do you nominate for the "language award" again?
 
I have to say that my all-time favorite book is Of Human Bondage but it was written in 1915 so that's out.

Okay, my second favorite is Pride and Prejudice. Too girly, you say? Well, why don't you come here and say it to my face? Seriously, I could use the company.
 
A good post-1900 book, one that is available in the "Literature" section of most bookstores, is "Black Boy" by Richard Wright. When you read Wright's work, it's like entering a time machine, and the experience is not all that pleasant.

Pre-1900, I recommend Shakespeare, particularly "King Lear." The best way to read Shakespeare is aloud, giving each character a distinctive voice.

Also good is "The Odyssey," but I understand that there are good translations and poor ones. A bad translation can ruin the story for the reader.

Another good story--but the enjoyment of this one is also dependent upon whether the translation is good or bad--is "Cyrano be Bergerac" by Rostand.

For science fiction, consider "War of the Worlds" by HG Wells. For chills, consider the collected short stories of Edgar Allan Poe.

For sheer laughs, I recommend the second-funniest book ever written: "The Innocents Abroad" by Mark Twain.

I don't recommend (or perhaps more accurately, don't "get") anything by Jane Austen or Charles Dickens.
 
Wow, broad question. I might delve into the Russians or Dickens but for vacation reading I am partial to American fiction. Off the cuff suggestions:

Pre 1900: any good Poe collection
Turn of the Century: Any collection of short stories by O. Henry
20th Century: The Grapes Of Wrath

ETA: Oh yeah - Melville! If you haven't read Moby Dick you are really depriving yourself of something.
 
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