Wednesday Reading Meme
Oct. 4th, 2017 10:28 amWhat I’ve Just Finished Reading
...any genuine belief in what we call God should humble us, remind us that, if there really is a god or goddess worthy of the name, He or She or It must surely know more than we do about the things that matter most. This much, at least, is shared across the great religions.
The final quote from Stephen Prothero’s God Is Not One, which I liked in its evocation of humility, although I am not sure that I would hold with the use of the word genuine here, actually. A belief can be genuine even if it’s entirely erroneous. Many people believe quite sincerely that they know exactly what God thinks about the things that matter most.
ALSO ALSO! Ngaio Marsh’s Final Curtain! A colorful family of theater-adjacent eccentrics gather together in their country house - this is, like, a hat trick of all of Marsh’s best themes - to celebrate the family patriarch’s birthday. They are joined by Agatha Troy, who has been commissioned to paint a portrait of said patriarch… and therefore becomes a key witness in his murder! Which is then investigated by her husband, the Handsome Detective Inspector Alleyn, because of course it is.
A++ Troy action in this book. I am always bowled over anew by how much I like Troy whenever I read a Troy-centric book: she’s so awkward and standoffish (“Rory says I shy away from emotion like a nervous mare,” she comments) and prone to shoving her hands in her pockets when she is not busy using them to paint marvelous pictures. And of course extremely observant, and drawn into other people’s personal brangles quite against her will because they keep insisting on confiding in her, and she can’t help awkwardly attempting to sympathize even though she’d really rather be painting.
It’s almost a let-down when Alleyn at last shows up, although it is nice to see their reunion after Alleyn’s long sojourn to New Zealand.
What I’m Reading Now
Sarah Pennypacker’s Summer of the Gypsy Moths, which seems promising so far. It takes place by the seaside, and it’s hard to go wrong with books set by the sea.
What I Plan to Read Next
October is here! Which means it’s time for my next monthly reading challenge: “a book with an unreliable narrator or ambiguous ending.” Fortunately I planned for this one way back in December 2016! I shall be reading Diana Wynne Jones’ Fire and Hemlock.
I am also beginning to gaze speculatively at The Three Musketeers.![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
evelyn_b? Would you be interested in a read-along of this book at some point in the not-too-distant future?
...any genuine belief in what we call God should humble us, remind us that, if there really is a god or goddess worthy of the name, He or She or It must surely know more than we do about the things that matter most. This much, at least, is shared across the great religions.
The final quote from Stephen Prothero’s God Is Not One, which I liked in its evocation of humility, although I am not sure that I would hold with the use of the word genuine here, actually. A belief can be genuine even if it’s entirely erroneous. Many people believe quite sincerely that they know exactly what God thinks about the things that matter most.
ALSO ALSO! Ngaio Marsh’s Final Curtain! A colorful family of theater-adjacent eccentrics gather together in their country house - this is, like, a hat trick of all of Marsh’s best themes - to celebrate the family patriarch’s birthday. They are joined by Agatha Troy, who has been commissioned to paint a portrait of said patriarch… and therefore becomes a key witness in his murder! Which is then investigated by her husband, the Handsome Detective Inspector Alleyn, because of course it is.
A++ Troy action in this book. I am always bowled over anew by how much I like Troy whenever I read a Troy-centric book: she’s so awkward and standoffish (“Rory says I shy away from emotion like a nervous mare,” she comments) and prone to shoving her hands in her pockets when she is not busy using them to paint marvelous pictures. And of course extremely observant, and drawn into other people’s personal brangles quite against her will because they keep insisting on confiding in her, and she can’t help awkwardly attempting to sympathize even though she’d really rather be painting.
It’s almost a let-down when Alleyn at last shows up, although it is nice to see their reunion after Alleyn’s long sojourn to New Zealand.
What I’m Reading Now
Sarah Pennypacker’s Summer of the Gypsy Moths, which seems promising so far. It takes place by the seaside, and it’s hard to go wrong with books set by the sea.
What I Plan to Read Next
October is here! Which means it’s time for my next monthly reading challenge: “a book with an unreliable narrator or ambiguous ending.” Fortunately I planned for this one way back in December 2016! I shall be reading Diana Wynne Jones’ Fire and Hemlock.
I am also beginning to gaze speculatively at The Three Musketeers.
evelyn_b? Would you be interested in a read-along of this book at some point in the not-too-distant future?
