You find that you're nowhere near the friends and share your literature tastes. It's been a Stone Age since you've been in school and you don’t have access to a hip librarian or brick-and-mortar bookstore or informative publications like the New York Times Book Review. But it dined the oldest of quality literature. So what do you do?
A really great way to find excellent books to read is to look at book club recommendations. Of course, you might want to nose around a little too get an idea as to which book club profile fits your tastes first, so the following are a few descriptions of the clubs and the kinds of recommendations they put forth, whether direct suggestions or indirect tips:
MAIL ORDER BOOK CLUB RECOMMENDATIONS
When I was a kid, Mom—a voracious reader—belonged to a mail-order book club. Later, when I was old enough to have my own account, I joined with her. I don't remember exactly which club that initial one was, but these are the most popular:
Book-of-the-Month-Club
Quality Paperback Books
The Literary Guild
Each mail-order set up is unique, but does have a common, tedious trend: they send you a notification of the recommended title (based on the information you signed up with about your reading habits) and or whichever bookends the hat at the time. If you get the card first and do not refuse the offer, you get the book…and have to pay for it. If the books are automatically sent to you, you have to return it within a relatively short period of time after getting it or you will be charged. This is the main complaint of these clubs, though a close second complaint is the title listings aren’t all that inspiring. These aren't always the current bestsellers and they're obviously inventory that they want to clear out.
TV BOOK CLUB RECOMMENDATIONS
On TV there to television shows that discuss books that I can think of. Charlie Rose’s author interviews and Oprah’s Book Club. Both are, in my case, American offerings, the former showing only on public broadcasting, but 214 of them throughout the country.
Charlie Rose runs the gamut by covering just about any kind of literature. The authors that he usually speaks are contemporary fiction and nonfiction writers. A few of the authors that I've seen on these very shows include such literary luminaries as the embarrassingly liberal Maureen Dowd, action man Tom Clancy, James Risen, Toni Morrison, and Seamus Heany.
Oprah is a horse of a different color. She generally interviews authors, too, but her book club goes a bit further, she is an avid reader and because of that she finds the authors of books she loves, which is of course completely understandable. She first introduces the book and then panels a book discussion session on the book. If you find, as I did, that Oprah's recommendations mirror the kinds of work that you enjoy reading, or what you once read and agree is a must-read, then it only makes sense to follow her recommendations in the future. She has been dead-on about such titles as Wally Lamb’s She’s Come Undone; Kaye Gibson’s Ellen Foster; and, of course, all (or most) of Toni Morrison’s works—books that you must read, as Morrison is one of the most prolific authors of our century.
INTERNET BOOK CLUB RECOMMENDATIONS
The Internet is a great place to find niche books sites. That is, if you are an adolescent seeking highly recommended books, you will find TeenInk.com to be a wonderful destination for locating the best books for your age group. If you are Christian who enjoys reading fiction, you will find like-minded individuals on FocusonFiction.net to be most helpful in listing and detailing the best books for Christian fiction lovers.
And single genre sites and top 100 book list sites serve do pretty much the same thing. These include the following:
Nextbook.org – a gateway to Jewish literature (comprehensive archive)
Storycode.com – book recommendations made by way of a unique search tool
Random House’s List of 100 Best novels [of all time] – at http://www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/100bestnovels.html
These are more than a half to keep you happily reading for many, many years to come.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Mark Twain books
As an undergraduate and then a graduate student majoring in contemporary literature, I had the opportunity to read a number of Mark Twain books and short stories, including The Tragedy of Puddin’head Wilson and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. Next, as a college English instructor, I would include a lengthy classroom discussion of banned books, among them the work often removed from school library shelves and omitted from the lower grade curricula—The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and/or Huckleberry Finn. Then, just recently, I was called to help a student read one of the lesser known or less often academically included Mark Twain books: The Mysterious Stranger.
What a literary delight! The Mysterious Stranger was evidently the last of the Mark Twain books and is supposedly unfinished. Granted, the ending does not give readers closure, per se, other than to offer the “cop-out” dues ex machine solution of all of the events and the visit by Satan having been a DREAM. But the subtext, the underlying themes, and the traditional and classic Twain humor are irrefutably wonderful. There is an implication of doubling—a device Twain perfects in numerous books—and concepts regarding power, hypocrisy, and the most metaphysical of all, free will and choosing.
Other Mark Twain books are equally involved and involving, are engaging narratives with subtle morality lessons, and still other Mark Twain books, which are STILL misunderstood, point the basest of human qualities and goals…such as friendship, love, justice, and fate.
I would be, however, hard pressed to recommend just one or two Mark Twain books, and will instead give you a short reading list so you and/or yours can decide for yourselves. While my list is incomplete, though, keep in mind you can go to a number of sites online where you can not only get a summary and/or a brief critiques but where you can find the full online text of many if not most of Mark Twain’s books.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The American Claimant
A Burlesque Autobiography
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Carnival of Crime in CT
Curious Republic of Gondour
A Dog's Tale
A Double-Barreled Detective
Extracts from Adam's Diary
Following the Equator
The Gilded Age
How to Tell a Story and Others
The Innocents Abroad
Life on the Mississippi
The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg and other Stories
The Mysterious Stranger
The Prince and the Pauper
Roughing It
The Stolen White Elephant
The $30,000 Bequest
Tom Sawyer Abroad
Tom Sawyer, Detective
A Tramp Abroad
The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson
What a literary delight! The Mysterious Stranger was evidently the last of the Mark Twain books and is supposedly unfinished. Granted, the ending does not give readers closure, per se, other than to offer the “cop-out” dues ex machine solution of all of the events and the visit by Satan having been a DREAM. But the subtext, the underlying themes, and the traditional and classic Twain humor are irrefutably wonderful. There is an implication of doubling—a device Twain perfects in numerous books—and concepts regarding power, hypocrisy, and the most metaphysical of all, free will and choosing.
Other Mark Twain books are equally involved and involving, are engaging narratives with subtle morality lessons, and still other Mark Twain books, which are STILL misunderstood, point the basest of human qualities and goals…such as friendship, love, justice, and fate.
I would be, however, hard pressed to recommend just one or two Mark Twain books, and will instead give you a short reading list so you and/or yours can decide for yourselves. While my list is incomplete, though, keep in mind you can go to a number of sites online where you can not only get a summary and/or a brief critiques but where you can find the full online text of many if not most of Mark Twain’s books.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The American Claimant
A Burlesque Autobiography
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Carnival of Crime in CT
Curious Republic of Gondour
A Dog's Tale
A Double-Barreled Detective
Extracts from Adam's Diary
Following the Equator
The Gilded Age
How to Tell a Story and Others
The Innocents Abroad
Life on the Mississippi
The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg and other Stories
The Mysterious Stranger
The Prince and the Pauper
Roughing It
The Stolen White Elephant
The $30,000 Bequest
Tom Sawyer Abroad
Tom Sawyer, Detective
A Tramp Abroad
The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Literature On The Law Of Attraction
The Law of Attraction is not a newly revealed secret, it was taught by a very humble man of God more than 2000 years ago. "Jesus Taught It, Too: The Early Roots of the Law of Attraction," by Philip Harris presents a compelling argument that the Law of Attraction is not a modern paradigm shift. Harris portrays the teachings of Jesus and his followers as a mindset that requires knowing one's inner meaning that comes from the heart. Jesus, referenced in multiple scriptural references, espoused the firm belief that faith is based on knowing...not hoping.
Harris' in-depth research of Biblical scripture and history offers unique perspectives and well-founded premises to support his discussion of Jesus' simple message. According to Harris, Jesus taught that we live in a unified universe, free of judgment, in which we are seeking our individual spirituality.
Organized religion is a man-made institution that teaches the faithful about the dogma of good, evil, sin and a punitive God. The New Age movement is not truly new, according to Harris. Since the early 1800's the movement has taught the power of positive thinking and positive affirmations and has included such followers as Alcott, Emerson and Thoreau. Man has sought to analyze spiritual thought and seek their inner Christ through visualization since the Apostles first sat at the foot of their Master.
"Jesus Taught It, Too..." explores the concept that a true meditative state is found only when you are free of emotional, spiritual, and physical baggage. Through the recognition that God is not exclusionary you can reap physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional wealth. Doubt will ensure failure.
"Jesus Taught It, Too..." presents complex theocratic beliefs in simple, straight-forward language. The Law of Attraction addresses the powerful influence of positive thinking in the acquisition of physical and material needs. Jesus taught that by applying these same principals to one's spiritual life, one's physical and material needs will be met as a natural result of their application. Harris challenges the reader to "believe in the best with an inner conviction...and it will manifest in your life." This book's intriguing but down-to-earth message will appeal to any reader seeking to broaden their spiritual horizon.
Harris' in-depth research of Biblical scripture and history offers unique perspectives and well-founded premises to support his discussion of Jesus' simple message. According to Harris, Jesus taught that we live in a unified universe, free of judgment, in which we are seeking our individual spirituality.
Organized religion is a man-made institution that teaches the faithful about the dogma of good, evil, sin and a punitive God. The New Age movement is not truly new, according to Harris. Since the early 1800's the movement has taught the power of positive thinking and positive affirmations and has included such followers as Alcott, Emerson and Thoreau. Man has sought to analyze spiritual thought and seek their inner Christ through visualization since the Apostles first sat at the foot of their Master.
"Jesus Taught It, Too..." explores the concept that a true meditative state is found only when you are free of emotional, spiritual, and physical baggage. Through the recognition that God is not exclusionary you can reap physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional wealth. Doubt will ensure failure.
"Jesus Taught It, Too..." presents complex theocratic beliefs in simple, straight-forward language. The Law of Attraction addresses the powerful influence of positive thinking in the acquisition of physical and material needs. Jesus taught that by applying these same principals to one's spiritual life, one's physical and material needs will be met as a natural result of their application. Harris challenges the reader to "believe in the best with an inner conviction...and it will manifest in your life." This book's intriguing but down-to-earth message will appeal to any reader seeking to broaden their spiritual horizon.
Recommending The Right Book Reviews And Litearture
There seems to be a lot of competition for advanced fighter aircraft in the world, as the military arms business is alive and well. Most modernized nations can attribute a significant part of the GDP to the selling of weapons, aircraft, warships, etc. The Russians are in partnership with a few nations to help with the logistics of building fighter aircraft. The Russians then sell these aircraft to anyone who will buy them. The Chinese are selling long-range guided missiles, capable of delivering nuclear weapons across continents.
In the European Union, they sell the modern Euro Fighters amongst several popular late model aircraft. The USA sells F-15s, F-18s, F-16s and now has a available the JSF stealth fighter, which is available to our close allies. Now comes the question, are nation-states who are serious about military defense buying these new aircraft to appease trading partners and form alliances or are they buying them because they are the best available piece of hardware?
This is an interesting question as some nations are buying modernized Su-37 aircraft, which by all accounts is much inferior to the JSF aircraft made in the USA. Many countries without significant funds buy the inferior aircraft to save money, yet in reality, they are no match for the JSF. In fact, the stealth aircraft is almost impossible to detect and most likely would have already launched its payload prior to being seen, therefore killing its multiple inferior targets, before they even knew what hit them.
One question which was recently raised by the Online Think Tank is; why would any nation want to buy aircraft that makes them a sitting duck? Is it out of ego, that their military leadership or politicians can say look - we have the most number of fighter aircraft? Is it out of the need to buy weapons to stay on a nation's good list or are they buying the aircraft to defend their people? Only one answer would satisfy a true military strategist, the answer is buy the most advanced aircraft so you can win in battle if that time arises - we chose the JSF. Sincerely, Lance.
In the European Union, they sell the modern Euro Fighters amongst several popular late model aircraft. The USA sells F-15s, F-18s, F-16s and now has a available the JSF stealth fighter, which is available to our close allies. Now comes the question, are nation-states who are serious about military defense buying these new aircraft to appease trading partners and form alliances or are they buying them because they are the best available piece of hardware?
This is an interesting question as some nations are buying modernized Su-37 aircraft, which by all accounts is much inferior to the JSF aircraft made in the USA. Many countries without significant funds buy the inferior aircraft to save money, yet in reality, they are no match for the JSF. In fact, the stealth aircraft is almost impossible to detect and most likely would have already launched its payload prior to being seen, therefore killing its multiple inferior targets, before they even knew what hit them.
One question which was recently raised by the Online Think Tank is; why would any nation want to buy aircraft that makes them a sitting duck? Is it out of ego, that their military leadership or politicians can say look - we have the most number of fighter aircraft? Is it out of the need to buy weapons to stay on a nation's good list or are they buying the aircraft to defend their people? Only one answer would satisfy a true military strategist, the answer is buy the most advanced aircraft so you can win in battle if that time arises - we chose the JSF. Sincerely, Lance.
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