realityinabox

Watchmen

Watchmen - Dave Gibbons, John Higgins, Alan Moore A mostly enjoyable read. There were some very good aspects, but I feel like this one fell a little short of all the hype for me. I feel like in its attempt to not give simple answers on the issue of good vs. evil, it in turn just gave simple examples of ambiguity.

Prosperity without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet

Prosperity without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet - Tim Jackson This book speaks mostly in broad strokes about the current economic and ecological woes that humanity faces. I was hoping for more specific prescriptions for how to fix these problems, rather than mostly generalized arguments calling for change. If you already agree with the premise that indefinite economic growth is untenable, then there a ton of substance here. Some good points are made, but I have heard more convincing arguments about the economic and ecological side of the issues ([b:Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update|705418|Limits to Growth The 30-Year Update|Donella H. Meadows|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348889873s/705418.jpg|691700]) and have read better introductions to the social side as well ([b:The Gardens of Democracy: A New American Story of Citizenship, the Economy, and the Role of Government|13054162|The Gardens of Democracy A New American Story of Citizenship, the Economy, and the Role of Government|Eric Liu|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1333580579s/13054162.jpg|18219189]).

The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church

The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church - Gregory A. Boyd This probably would have worked better as a 100 page book, tops. I agreed with most of what he said, but I feel like a good 50% of the book him repeating (and not even rephrasing) his central thesis over and over again. Much of his argument, and most of the stuff that I found interesting, was based on either [b:Myths America Lives By|168411|Myths America Lives By|Richard T. Hughes|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347690964s/168411.jpg|162633] or [b:The Politics of Jesus|19133|The Politics of Jesus|John Howard Yoder|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1386923367s/19133.jpg|20430], as the footnotes will tell you. I have read better treatises of the kingdom of God, and his development and argument on the idea that America wasn't founded on Christian ideals was severely lacking.

Perhaps this would work as an introduction to the topic for a thoroughly engrained evangelical (but I have read better, more accessible, and more interesting books on the topic, such as [b:Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals|1109255|Jesus for President Politics for Ordinary Radicals|Shane Claiborne|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348840695s/1109255.jpg|1096213]), but for somebody already familiar with the matter, I'd recommend skipping to the footnotes and reading some of his sources (like the two mentioned above, or [b:Jesus and Nonviolence: A Third Way|121850|Jesus and Nonviolence A Third Way|Walter Wink|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348457867s/121850.jpg|117300]).

11/22/63

11/22/63 - Stephen King Entertaining and mostly satisfying. Worth the read, and didn't feel like 850 pages.

The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are

The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are - Brené Brown A lot of good stuff, a lot of obvious stuff. One of those books that is easier to read than to implement into your life.

In Defense of Divorce: Why A Marriage Should Never Be Saved At The Expense of a Life

In Defense of Divorce: Why A Marriage Should Never Be Saved At The Expense of a Life - Ennis Pepper A few interesting points, but not the most biblically sound arguments I have heard.

The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must

The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must - Robert Zubrin, Richard Wagner A quite compelling case, and it got me very excited about the prospect of manned missions to Mars. Probably would have been better to read the updated version from 2012, but I only heard of it after finishing. Good to see that SpaceX is using this as a playbook of sorts (whether or not they'd admit it). The book itself err'd on the technical side, but seeing as I'm an engineer, that was alright. Definitely not for the faint of heart in that regard though.

How Bad Are Bananas?: The Carbon Footprint Of Everything

How Bad Are Bananas?: The Carbon Footprint Of Everything - Mike Berners-Lee A quick read. Learned a few things, but not much beyond what general common sense would tell you. Bananas aren't that bad because they are shipped on boats and not planes, and conversely, out of season lettuce is bad since it will go bad if shipped via boat. You can easily wipe out all of the small steps you take throughout your life with a single flight per year. Plastic bags aren't the devil, and food waste is bad.

Stumbling on Happiness

Stumbling on Happiness - Daniel Gilbert Essentially, humans are bad at knowing what will make them happy in the future, and bad at remembering what made them happy in the past. We have 'flawed' memories and 'flawed' imaginations. The only real advice he gave was to only ask for advice from people currently in the situation you are considering that you think would make you happy, but even that presupposes the ability to accurately assess and relay ones current emotional state, and given that he sheds doubt on humans' abilities to do even that in the early chapters, I don't see how this book was terribly inspiring. Perhaps the knowledge that our brains don't see all ends when imagining the future is helpful, but not a very profound observation.

Jesus Legend, The: A Case for the Historical Reliability of the Synoptic Jesus Tradition

Jesus Legend, The: A Case for the Historical Reliability of the Synoptic Jesus Tradition - Paul Rhodes Eddy, Gregory A. Boyd Interesting read. Not entirely what I expected, but I think that is a good thing. They focus on the bigger picture of how modern scholars tend to do history rather than nitpicking over specific passages in detail, which is both good and bed. It got a bit repetitive at times as they continually explain and re-explain the idea of the oral tradition. It is a good and powerful point, but it didn't need to be reiterated as often as it was.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke Should have listened to the wife...

How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist

How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist - Andrew B. Newberg, Mark Robert Waldman I think that the title is a bit misleading. It really should be called something like "The Neurological Benefits of Meditation" or something similar. Part of the point of the book is that God can't be proven neurologically/scientifically, but they use this as an excuse to only treat the concept of God in the broadest of strokes. When they do talk about the specific "gods" of different religions, it is typically based on people's opinions from survey data. So, the chapters pertaining to God specifically were underwhelming from both an intellectual and spiritual standpoint.

That said, the chapters on meditation and brain exercises were quite interesting and helpful. All of the stuff on meditation was purposefully secularized, in order to appeal to the greatest common denominator, which is fine, but I wonder about the implications of striping all of the spiritual meaning out of the exercises.

From Eternity to Here: Rediscovering the Ageless Purpose of God

From Eternity to Here: Rediscovering the Ageless Purpose of God - Frank Viola The message was good, but the delivery seemed rather tedious. It is hard not to fall into the "I've head this before, give me something new" trap.

The Sisters Brothers

The Sisters Brothers - Patrick deWitt An interesting, rather quick read. The author's voice was interesting, and there were some atypical elements that made it unique. I enjoyed it.

The Book Thief

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak A beautiful, tear-stomped book, shaking the dead.

Ready Player One

Ready Player One - Ernest Cline I liked this a lot more than I was expecting to. I was worried it would be nothing but 80's references with no story and dull characters. And true be told, it kind of was exactly that, but for whatever reason, I feel like it worked. I could barely put it down. Many of the references were lost on me (I was only around for 2 years of the 80's, and those I don't remember), so at times it felt like he was making up this intricate mythology, when really he was probably just making obscure pop-culture references. Either way, I was pleasantly surprised. Recommended to anybody who would consider themselves a geek.

Currently reading

Mere Christianity
C.S. Lewis