What Good Books Have You Read in 2007? (vanity for those who have gift cards to redeem)

self | 12/24/07 | randita

[socialismisinsidious]

Just because someone enjoys a work of fiction does not mean they emulate or laud the author's private life. Yet that is the assumption you have made. Twice.

[Maynerd]

Justianian’s Flea

[nmh]

Just because someone enjoys a work of fiction does not mean they emulate or laud the author’s private life. Yet that is the assumption you have made. Twice.

Her private life is imitated in her books. Poor Ayn, left a communist country and her god became money. I suppose you’re going to deny that too or call it “rude”. No, Ayn is a sad case. The only thing that mattered to her was $$$$. She exhibited no moral boundaries in her books as well. Perhaps you don’t see this because money is your god too? Either way, there are much better reads out there and most folks outgrow her silly view.

[Huber]

“Orthodoxy” by G.K. Chesterton. One of the great works of the 20th Century.

Unquestionably! I plan to tackle The Everlasting Man this week.

[Huber]

Witness, by Whitaker Chambers. It's the most important book I've read in years; much more of the last half of the 20th century makes sense now.

BUMP!

[Huber]

Most people grow out of Rand, who was more of an entry point for many of us as we first gained an understanding of the tyranny of statism.

[bannie]

A Walk to Remember is amazing.

I cried for the last third of the book. At the time, I didn't realize that there was a movie version. I have since seen the movie; but it didn't even touch the book in excellence.

[Huber]

The entire Aubrey-Maturin series.

Big Bump! For those who are unfamiliar with the series, it is some of the best English language fiction of the 20th century, comprising 20+ volumes. Picture an author of similar talents to Jane Austin writing about the British Navy during the age of Nelson and Napoleon. Don't be put off by the technical Navy jargon which will become familiar with reading. (Also, there is a wonderful companion lexicon entitled A Sea of Words which explains all of the terms.) Readers will be highly rewarded!

[Huber]

My Correct Views On Everything by Leszek Kolakowski. My nominee for the best title of the year. Kolakowski, for those who haven't run into his work yet, is a Polish academic philosopher, anti-Marxist and pro-religion social critic who acts as a witness for one of the main axes the 20th century revolved around.

The End Of Commitment by Paul Hollander. Why do intellectuals turn from a lifelong belief in Marxism? Hollander interviews some, including Eugene Genovese, Doris Lessing, Christopher Hitchens, and David Horowitz, and explores the lives of a host of others.

Postmodernism by Christoher Butler, and Foucault by Gary Gutting, both part of the "Very Short Introduction" series. These describe part of the reason the academy is the way it is these days in the liberal arts. It's helpful if you read a few of the references in the field first, but these are fine compendia.

These are fantastic suggestions for serious readers!

[hinckley buzzard]

America Alone-- Mark Steyn

Albert Einstein: His Life and Universe-- Excellent biography by Walter Isaacson

The First Grace--On natural law by Russell Hittinger

Sea of Thunder--The last great naval battle of WW II(Leyte Gulf) written through the character studies of four great leaders. by Evan Thomas.

Story of the Confederacy--The Civil War from the South's point of view. by Robert Selph Henry.

1776--The rise of General Washington and the first crucial year of independence. by David McCullough

The Cost of Discipleship--theology of the Cross in the shadow of the Third Reich. by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

[socialismisinsidious]

What are you the thought police? Maybe her books should be banned and libraries should be filled with books from authors whose private lives you find acceptable! Heil nmh!

You make all sorts of inaccurate assumptions about me based on nothing other than other than I enjoyed a book. And this vitriol toward me stems from your hatred of an author who is long dead. That is truly odd.

You say nothing of the substance of the literature, the writing style, the word usage, but attack the author. Hemingway was a drunk and womanizer; what do you say about his work? Vonnegut? Mailer? Should we care if Shakespeare was a nice guy or not? Should we throw out the works of Hemingway b/c he was a weak man?

When I critique fiction I think of conflict, plot, characterization, setting etc...not the moral failings of an author. Silly me. /s

[socialismisinsidious]

They outgrow Rand thanks to their growing understating of socialism and the appreciation they gain when they've read works born of good editing. ; )

[Huber]

This year I have really enjoyed diving into the historical works of Christopher Dawson. I in particular liked his Medieval Essays. Also, The Essential Russell Kirk is a great compilation. on a variety of topics. Freya Stark's early 20th century travel journals through the Middle East such as The Valleys of the Assassins: and Other Persian Travels are superb. Pope Benedict's Jesus of Nazareth is well worth the brain cells that will be stretched in reading it. Lastly, we have been covering a work in Christian Education entitled Unseen Warfare:

"This spiritual classic was written by Lorenzo Scupoli, a sixteenth-century Venetian priest. Immensely popular in its own day, it was ranked by Francis de Sales with the Imitation of Christ. In the general rapport between Western and Eastern Christendom, it reached Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain, who first recognized its immense spiritual worth, and later, in the nineteenth century, Theophan the Recluse, both of whom edited and translated the work."

"Rich in its references to the teachings of the saints and Fathers, Unseen Warfare combines the insights of West and East on that spiritual combat which is the road to perfection and the stripping away of all that militates against it. Staretz Theophan wrote in his foreword, "the arena, the field of battle, the site where the fight actually takes place is our own heart and all our inner man. The time of battle is our whole life."" Unseen Warfare is a perfect complement to the Philokalia.

[Huber]

...when they've read works born of good editing. ; )

Precisely!

[lonestar]

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

I'm reading it again after 40+ years.

[socialismisinsidious]

The End Of Commitment by Paul Hollander

I'm going to add that to my list. Another good one along those lines is: Intellectual Morons: how ideology makes smart people fall for stupid ideas. by Daniel Flynn

[LucyJo]

The Reagan Diaries — Edited by Douglas Brinkley

My Grandfather’s Son — Clarence Thomas

Rescuing Sprite — Mark Levin

Blacklisted By History — M. Stanton Evans

read, or reading, recently.

[Pietro]

"The entire Aubrey-Maturin series. Big Bump!"

I agree and recommend starting at the beginning of the genre w/ CS Forester's Horatio Hornblower.

[socal_parrot]

Henry VIII: A King and His Court by Allison Weir

Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick

[lonestar]

If you love dogs, “A Dog’s Life” by Peter Mayle. Hilarious!

I enjoyed reading "How to Live with a Neurotic Dog."--a guide for humans.