can we please start a thread for reading and books
- Thread starter brendon420
- Start date
ElBarto
Well-Known Member
Heh! What a co-inky-dink! I just picked up Journey to Ixtlan again last night (for the third or fourth time).
The Sorcerer's Apprentice: My Life with Carlos Castaneda, by Amy Wallace is interesting reading too.
My Life With The Spirits: The Adventures of a Modern Magician by Lon Milo DuQuette and Of Water and the Spirit: Ritual, Magic and Initiation in the Life of an African Shaman, by Patrice Malidoma Some offer similar stories from different traditions. If you liked Castenada, you'd probably like these too.
diggitydank420
Well-Known Member
Thanks, bro! I spend two hours a day on the bus to and from work and have been looking for something new to read.
I shit you not, I spent two hours at the library last week looking for something remotely close to these themes. Nothing. I guess I'll have to hit up amazon.
Seamaiden
Well-Known Member
For a quickie, search Ted.com for Ramachandran. Sachs may be on there as well.
There's an entomologist fellow whose name is suddenly escaping me, which is annoying and irksome. Brilliant guy, on the level of Dawkins, but his own deal. His first name starts with an E, that's all I can tell you right now.
Seamaiden
Well-Known Member
For a quickie, search Ted.com for Ramachandran. Sachs may be on there as well.
That took a while. Here we go...! E.O. Wilson | Profile on TED.com
Pookiedough
Well-Known Member
Lol you have no idea.
Jointsmith
Well-Known Member
Currently reading 'Modern Man in Search of a soul' by Carl Gustov Jung. Really interesting (though quite old) lectures on Analytical Psychology.
Favorite books of all time have to be Philip Pullman's Dark materials trilogy, a must read for people who haven't.
Favorite books of all time have to be Philip Pullman's Dark materials trilogy, a must read for people who haven't.
Seamaiden
Well-Known Member
If you're reading Jung then you must round it out with Joseph Campbell. Pick a book, a good one is The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
The Hero with a Thousand Faces - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
You might also like to try Black Elk Speaks.
The Hero with a Thousand Faces - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
You might also like to try Black Elk Speaks.
Seamaiden
Well-Known Member
At the moment, none. Actually, I've yet to settle on any one thing. My favorite, and what I could probably spend the rest of my life doing were it possible where we live was working in a large public aquarium (Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific), or for an aquatic wholesaler.. but the P.A. was most fun and best in my opinion.
I am an autodidact.
I am an autodidact.
EarthlyPassions
Well-Known Member
I'm not a fan of Anne Rice, (except for her Taltos books, and her erotica series). Well, I guess I am a fan, but not of her vampire stuff. I tried to get through them but the main character's points of view were so depressing I couldn't stand very much at once.
But, I enjoy reading books about killers as well, Perfume was an good one.
Do you have Hannible Lecter in that collection of cannibal books? If you don't I have to recommend that you change that as soon as possible.
Red Dragon is one of the best 'killer' books I have ever read, it really climbs inside of the crazy's head and lets you see out of his eyes.
Really, I recommend anything by Thomas Harris, except for his Black Sunday book, which is more about spys than killers.
Has anyone else read the Johnny the Homicidal Maniac comic series? It's really great if you like reading about crazy people.
brendon420
Well-Known Member
another book i am enjoying is mini mansions the story of edward cayce, truly amazing, if you are about energetic healing this book is for you
diggitydank420
Well-Known Member
I'll second that motion!
brendon420
Well-Known Member
maybe FDD reads lol
Leilani Garden
Well-Known Member
Hey, I'm so glad that I was bored enough tonight to stumble across this thread! I have such a hard time finding people who read and like the same kind of books that I do.
To the person who asked about Stephen Hawking's book BRIEF ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF TIME? Oh, yes, it is interesting. It's mind blowing stuff. I love reading and I can read huge amounts at a time, but this book forced me to slow down-- a LOT. I read it at night before going to sleep (a great way to tuck in, imo) and I was only able to read about five to ten pages at a time, because it was (1) so challenging, and (2) so profound. At the time I read it, about five years ago, I would say that I was an atheist. After reading it, I'd call myself a true agnostic. **Something** is in control of this. And . . . there is a reason that people with PHD after their names are sometimes so difficult for the rest of us to relate to: they are, literally, philosophers.
I recently picked up a copy of this book at Barnes and Noble, but with the added bonus of his other book THE UNIVERSE IN A NUT SHELL included. What a bargain.
I highly recommend Hawkings. Just be prepared to concentrate deeply and to be blown away. Science is . . . awesome? Sounds too silly to say it like that, but Hawkings makes it interesting and almost emotional. A great read.
Ditto to whoever is also reading Joseph Campbell. What a cool person he was. I am so fortunate that when I was in school, I came across an elective in world mythology that had as one of its texts Campbell's POWER OF MYTH. Great reading that really makes you think hard and will also fill you with so much respect and affection for all the world's people and their beliefs. A beautiful and moving book.
Carlos Castenega was also mentioned here. I also took an anthropology course as an elective while in school, so I read a few of his books. In the end, after finding out that so many of his colleagues are convinced he made up the whole thing, I was left with a sour taste in my mouth. Great fiction, but he presented it as though it were all a true story. Bummer.
Carl Jung. Yes, yes, yes. Read this stuff. It's been so many years since I read any of his work and I can't recall the exact titles, but I very much recall how his work opened my eyes to a different way of looking at life--esp considering how much of our western way of considering the human experience is based upon Freud. Jung had a tremendous falling out with Freud over some heavy duty topics. I really prefer Jung's philosophy to Freud's. Great stuff. And Joseph Campbell refers to Jung often in POWER OF MYTH. Lots of stuff there about the paradigm of living a true and authentic life.
Ken Follet. Someone mentioned him a few pages back, I think, Pillars Of The Earth. I have not read that one, but I've read EYE OF THE NEEDLE and LIE DOWN WITH LIONS, as well as another one that I can't recall at the moment. Follet is a great fiction writer. Real page turners.
Stephen King! I just recently discovered a bunch of his work that I'd never known existed. I never knew that he wrote anything besides sci-fi, which just doesn't do much for me. He's got a book called DIFFERENT SEASONS, which was named that because it's different from his other words in that it's not sci-fi at all. There are four stories in this book, including one I'm sure just about everyone has heard of, simply because of the movie: Shawshank Redemption. If you liked the movie, get this book from your library. It's got three other stories that are just fantastic. I mean, really great. I loved this book. Left me thinking about the stories for weeks and weeks after I read them.
Oh, and King also has a winner with HEARTS IN ATLANTIS. Except for hte first "novelette" in this story, there is no sci-fi, and even in that part of the book, the story was so good that I was able to go along with the small bit of sci-fi. The movie was just so-so; it only covers the first story of four in this book. Read the book if you can. It's also a real page turner that will keep you up way past your bedtime reading, promising yourself that you really will turn off the light and call it an evening . . . in ten more pages. Great stuff.
ANything by John Irving, with the exception of the SON OF THE CIRCUS is a winner to me. If you don't especially like reading, you ought to see the movies THE DOOR IN THE FLOOR or CIDER HOUSE RULES. Both were decent adaptations of his superb storytelling in screenplay form. But do read the books. They're way, way better. Irving is our time's greatest fiction writer. (Apologies in advance to the Harry Potter fans out there!)
Anne Rice is also very good! Fun stuff. Saw some threads on her work back there. I love Interview With The Vampire. And surprisingly enough, the movie was a darned good adaptation.
Thanks for this thread! I'd love to hear what else people are reading.
To the person who asked about Stephen Hawking's book BRIEF ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF TIME? Oh, yes, it is interesting. It's mind blowing stuff. I love reading and I can read huge amounts at a time, but this book forced me to slow down-- a LOT. I read it at night before going to sleep (a great way to tuck in, imo) and I was only able to read about five to ten pages at a time, because it was (1) so challenging, and (2) so profound. At the time I read it, about five years ago, I would say that I was an atheist. After reading it, I'd call myself a true agnostic. **Something** is in control of this. And . . . there is a reason that people with PHD after their names are sometimes so difficult for the rest of us to relate to: they are, literally, philosophers.
I recently picked up a copy of this book at Barnes and Noble, but with the added bonus of his other book THE UNIVERSE IN A NUT SHELL included. What a bargain.
I highly recommend Hawkings. Just be prepared to concentrate deeply and to be blown away. Science is . . . awesome? Sounds too silly to say it like that, but Hawkings makes it interesting and almost emotional. A great read.
Ditto to whoever is also reading Joseph Campbell. What a cool person he was. I am so fortunate that when I was in school, I came across an elective in world mythology that had as one of its texts Campbell's POWER OF MYTH. Great reading that really makes you think hard and will also fill you with so much respect and affection for all the world's people and their beliefs. A beautiful and moving book.
Carlos Castenega was also mentioned here. I also took an anthropology course as an elective while in school, so I read a few of his books. In the end, after finding out that so many of his colleagues are convinced he made up the whole thing, I was left with a sour taste in my mouth. Great fiction, but he presented it as though it were all a true story. Bummer.
Carl Jung. Yes, yes, yes. Read this stuff. It's been so many years since I read any of his work and I can't recall the exact titles, but I very much recall how his work opened my eyes to a different way of looking at life--esp considering how much of our western way of considering the human experience is based upon Freud. Jung had a tremendous falling out with Freud over some heavy duty topics. I really prefer Jung's philosophy to Freud's. Great stuff. And Joseph Campbell refers to Jung often in POWER OF MYTH. Lots of stuff there about the paradigm of living a true and authentic life.
Ken Follet. Someone mentioned him a few pages back, I think, Pillars Of The Earth. I have not read that one, but I've read EYE OF THE NEEDLE and LIE DOWN WITH LIONS, as well as another one that I can't recall at the moment. Follet is a great fiction writer. Real page turners.
Stephen King! I just recently discovered a bunch of his work that I'd never known existed. I never knew that he wrote anything besides sci-fi, which just doesn't do much for me. He's got a book called DIFFERENT SEASONS, which was named that because it's different from his other words in that it's not sci-fi at all. There are four stories in this book, including one I'm sure just about everyone has heard of, simply because of the movie: Shawshank Redemption. If you liked the movie, get this book from your library. It's got three other stories that are just fantastic. I mean, really great. I loved this book. Left me thinking about the stories for weeks and weeks after I read them.
Oh, and King also has a winner with HEARTS IN ATLANTIS. Except for hte first "novelette" in this story, there is no sci-fi, and even in that part of the book, the story was so good that I was able to go along with the small bit of sci-fi. The movie was just so-so; it only covers the first story of four in this book. Read the book if you can. It's also a real page turner that will keep you up way past your bedtime reading, promising yourself that you really will turn off the light and call it an evening . . . in ten more pages. Great stuff.
ANything by John Irving, with the exception of the SON OF THE CIRCUS is a winner to me. If you don't especially like reading, you ought to see the movies THE DOOR IN THE FLOOR or CIDER HOUSE RULES. Both were decent adaptations of his superb storytelling in screenplay form. But do read the books. They're way, way better. Irving is our time's greatest fiction writer. (Apologies in advance to the Harry Potter fans out there!)
Anne Rice is also very good! Fun stuff. Saw some threads on her work back there. I love Interview With The Vampire. And surprisingly enough, the movie was a darned good adaptation.
Thanks for this thread! I'd love to hear what else people are reading.