Just updating a list of books I’ve been reading since the holidays started (about a month and a half now) and a possible description following:
The Brother Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky – commented on this blog already
Kant: A very short introduction – More accessible than the original The Critique of Pure Reason, but I had a hard time with it, both in terms of understanding and also in keeping up with the reading itself
Who moved the Stone? by Frank Morison – if you’re into apologetics for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, you would probably like this.
The Story of Art by E.H. Gombrich – oh my gad I just love this book. Art history for dummies, with really beautiful glossy pictures to go with.
DK’s History of the World – because I couldn’t find a good one-volume on history I resorted to this picture book from the library’s juvenile section. It’s a pretty good starter that helped me with general world history knowledge, and a useful timeline-table at the beginning of each chapter (It goes chronologically) listing out what happened in that period in all five continents of the world, so it’s also like a comparison. But it can be haphazard, and sometimes the historical flow of events for one country between different time periods can be confusing.
Christianity for Dummies – Reversed my initial assumption that it was going to be sketchy and incomplete. Read the chapters on the Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox churches in detail for sunday school lesson planning and found it comprehensive, and written in a simple to follow and rather entertaining manner.
Rick Steiner’s Scandinavia 2006 and Rough Guides’ Norway – for information on Norway. Rough Guides is more comprehensive. I recommend internet searches for more info on this elusive country, the national tourism websites are replete with pictures.
Now reading: Harold Bloom’s The Western Canon – interesting read, but attempt only if you’ve read some works by the authors he discusses. Argues for the canonical writers, strongly against all attempts to de-centralise western literature from the canon. Can be annoying at times because of his obviously biased stance, but if you understand where he’s coming from and take it with a pinch of salt, you will appreciate some of his arguments for the brilliance of some of these authors’ works.
Would like to read: A more comprehensive one-volume history. I’ve been recommended Straviano’s A Global History, would probably check that up. Also, a one-volume Chinese history, in chinese. A web search recommended a good zhong guo tong shi. Some theological works dealing with issues of predestination, the Trinity and Christology, and perhaps a commentary on Revelations. The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis and Where is God when it hurts? by Philip Yancey.
