[bookshare-discuss] Re: five books you wish you hadn't read
- From: "Kim Friedman" <kimfri11@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 03 Sep 2011 12:10:32 -0700
Hi, Lori, there's a book by a member of the James family I did like. I
read it as part of a research paper for college. The class was about
religious experience, but I subtitled it "Everything you always wanted
to know about shamanism but didn't particularly want to ask". The
teacher was a nice guy, but I think he was concentrating on his
interest, namely shamanism. I gave myself a humdinger of a topic for
research: holiness. As a Christian, you are told "be holy, as I am
holy." What precisely does this mean. There were four books I used for
the paper plus my own thoughts on the subject. They were: "Amazonian
Cosmos" by Gerardo Reichel-Dolmatoff (a study of the world view,
specifically, the religious view of the Tukano Indians of Colombia; The
Idea of the Holy by Rudolf Otto (translated from the German into English
by someone I forget with prose that purportedly was supposed to say
something but which I couldn't quite figure out. I gather holiness to
the author meant something that was non-rational, mysterious and
terrifying at the same time, ergo, making one feel a sense of awe. There
was another book I forget, probably a book about various peoples and
there sense of worship, or something of that nature. The book by James
was The Variety of Religious Experience by William James. I understand
he was a founder of the study of psychology and his prose was clear and
rather easy for me to grasp. I can't remember what I got on the paper,
but I felt holiness was something one lived out because of one's
awareness of being connected to God and having a life and relationship
with Him (or if you prefer inclusive language, since God isn't tied to
one sex or the other but has created both, use a pronoun that conveys
that [if only there was one in English].) I read the introduction to
Portrait of a Lady by Henry James, but that was as far as I got. I don't
think Alice James wrote any novels, did she? Regards, Kim Friedman.
-----Original Message-----
From: Lori Castner [mailto:loralee.castner@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Saturday, September 03, 2011 11:30 AM
To: bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bookshare-discuss] Re: five books you wish you hadn't read
You make good points. Maybe the question should have been phrased "What
are
five books you did not enjoy" as opposed to "wish you had not read".
Unfortunately, I need to add Henry James to the list of authors I do not
enjoy. I was required to read "Portrait of a Lady" for an exam when
working
on my Masters in English, and I really did not understand the point of
the
novel. To understand Henry James I would need to take a course or read
a
book of criticism about his novels and I would struggle through his
work.
Yet he is considered to be a great novelist, so clearly I have a limited
view.
Lori C.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Karen Lewellen" <klewellen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, September 02, 2011 4:52 PM
Subject: [bookshare-discuss] Re: five books you wish you hadn't read
> You know what is making me smile at these lists?
> with the one exception of an item the poster could not remember the
> title
> of, and I admit I have not read everyone list all of those noted I
have
> read and enjoyed. In fact some of them I sought even if not required,
and
> enjoyed every page. frankly I cannot think of a book I ever read that
I
> wish I had not...ever and I started reading at 4 or so, speeding up
big
> time at 7 when I learned of nls. for many years i could read regular
> print with magnification or good light, then I got a reading edge
which
> meant I could and can read anything I like. I have print books all
over
> my house, and never met a book, like a person that lacked the power to
> teach me something, even if that something was that I would not want
to
> have the character over for dinner.
> I miss reading two books, literary at the same time, but who knows I
may
> enjoy that rich pleasure again.
> Mercy I got an award in school once for the number of books I read, I
even
> loved textbooks,...and the encyclopedia!
> I stopped short of cereal boxes though lol.
> I did laugh out loud at the Thomas Covenant series, I enjoyed that one
> too, although I got a feeling the writer was pushed to produce more
books
> than needful to tell the story.
> I cannot generate such a list. the only book I ever started and did
not
> finish was the dispossessed, and I really will find it again. I think
I
> was just reading too many things at the time to appreciate it. same
for
> Henry Jame's "the ambassadors." I read it all the way, did not like
it,
> but will read it again as I find I love other things he has done.
> Perhaps the required aspect is the key to wishing you never read
> something, but that seems such a strong condemnation of another
persons
> creative gift.
> No books to ad to this list.
> Karen
>
> On Fri, 2 Sep 2011, Sue Stevens wrote:
>
>> I just reread Gone with the Wind, too, Patti. It is one of my
>> favorites.
>>
>> Sue S.
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message----- From: Patti Johnson
>> Sent: Friday, September 02, 2011 4:00 PM
>> To: bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> Subject: [bookshare-discuss] Re: five books you wish you hadn't read
>>
>> Oh no. In fact I just re read that one, I sure had forgot a lot of
>> it, read it many years ago. That may be on your list, but it's not on
>> mine, grin. Patti
>>
>> On 9/2/2011 4:59 PM, Curtis Delzer wrote:
>>> You forgot one,
>>> Gone with the Wind.
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Patti Johnson"<pat1206@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>> To:<bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>> Sent: Friday, September 02, 2011 11:30 AM
>>> Subject: [bookshare-discuss] five books you wish you hadn't read
>>>
>>> well for me most of this stuff came from required reading. 1. the
>>> Great Gatsby, though I really should try this again. also,
>>> 2. The Scarlett Letter,
>>> 3. anything of Shakespeare's.
>>> 4. Wuthering Heights though I may like it now;
>>> and last but so much not least and maybe I should have this on the
top
>>> of the list, but, Catcher in the Rye. I despised that book thought
it
>>> smutty and trashy.
>>> Sorry, but I do no I have no desire to try and re read that. It
made
>>> that much of a negative impression on me.
>>> and yes it was required reading too. In college and in high
school.
>>> why, I have no idea.
>>> oh and as a bonus, The House of Seven
>>> Gables. However I just saw the film recently, maybe I should try
the
>>> book again.
>>> Patti
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