I read a number of books while on vacation. Some of them I actually read and others I listened to while running on the beach or while putting just over 2400 miles on the mini-van. I refused to read anything with footnotes in it. Some of the books I listened to may have contained footnotes, but I couldn’t see them so I wasn’t tempted to look them up.
Here’s a rundown with a few comments.
Gilead: Beautiful, well-written, deeply spiritual without being corny.
High Places: Written by my friend and co-worker. I loved it. GT tells a great story.
The Traveler: A fun page turner that gives you a lot to think about. It’s made me seriously consider living off of the grid.
Truman: I wouldn’t have wanted his job for all the money in the world. I’m not sure he did either.
Islam: A Short History: This book made me realize that I knew next to nothing about Islam and what I thought I knew was inaccurate.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Self-explanatory.
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons
Im still workig on “Order of the Phoenix.” I read slow. I think I am on the 2nd line… I know its hot on privet drive…
Haven’t read Armstrong’s Islam: A Short History but have read “A Short History of God” by her. In a survey of the development of the conceptualizations of God, she covers Islamic and well as Christian history and gives a somewhat sympathetic intro to the latter. After reading the book, I realized that most atheists disbelieve in a certain kind of God, the Santa-Claus-in-the-Sky type of God. It is this God that they rebel against. On the other hand, too many American Protestant christians have a conception of God no deeper than this. Western christianity is so concerned with establishing the existence of “a” God rather than critically thinking about what God’s characteristics are.
Welcome back, Wade!
I am glad you had a good time. I need to get away soon myself.
How sure are you of what you now know about Islam? Just curious. Karen A is not exactly an objective scholar. I will check out her book, and also look for more stuff on the subject.
Brad
Brad–Is there any such thing as an “objective” scholar? Just kidding. You know what I mean and I know what you mean.
I haven’t read enough stuff about Islam on a broad level to have a truly informed opinion. I’m listening to Feiler’s book on “Abraham” and it has some interesting stuff in it about Islam and how Muslim’s appropriate Abraham into their story.
Armstrong’s book was well written and I found her discussion on Mohammad’s sitz en leben interesting. He sounded far more open-minded than the typcial Christian stereotype of a Muslim. Then again, I wasn’t checking footnotes . . .
Read Islam and the Bible. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0802410170/qid=1125370188/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-2057750-3279351?v=glance&s=books
This gives you the REAL non-waterdowned explination.