A History of God: The 4,000-year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam

I have wanted to read A History of God: The 4,000 Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam by Karen Armstrong for several years now. I have several friends who entered the seminary (in different denominations) and they had it as part of their reading list. With my interest in religion, it seemed like something I would enjoy. In fact, I have owned it for a bit of time and have never gotten around to reading it. A few weeks ago, I noticed it on my pile of books that make up my queue and decided it was time to read it.

For the most part, I enjoyed the book. Karen Armstrong is a nun of the Roman Catholic tradition and has written a number of book on various religious traditions. I have read some of her works on Islam and have found her to be a fairly accessible author on religious topics. She may not be someone whom religious scholars would turn to, but I believe she presents these topics in a way that is understandable to lay people. This book is no exception. As the title indicates, this book is a look at the history of God through the lens of the three monotheistic prophetic traditions. It does not focus so much on the argument of whether or not God exists, but rather explores mankind's relationship with "Him" through the ages.

The book starts approximately 4,000 years ago, providing a glimpse of the social context of polytheism and pagan beliefs before the revelation of God to the early Jews. The next chapter gives a look at the way in which God was revealed to the early Jewish prophets and it's impact on planting the seeds for Judaism. Following this is a look at the role of Jesus of Nazareth and the advent of Christianity. A discussion of the Prophet Muhammed and Islam follows. After looking with some depth at the three prophetic traditions, Armstrong next provides a survey of God as understood by philosophers, mystics, and reformers. She then looks at the understanding of God during the Enlightenment and beyond.

I found the early chapters to be very interesting. I have long been interested in the relationship between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and these chapters provided some interesting context, history, and at times, clarity. I also found the latter chapters to be intriguing, especially as Armstrong focused on history closer to the modern era. It seemed more accessible because I knew many of the figures about whom she spoke.

All in all, it was a very interesting book. There are a number of pages on which I bent down the corner because I found a particular passage to be interesting and thought provoking. While this is no light read, I would certainly recommend it for anyone who may be interested in the topic of religion or philosophical discussions about God.

A History of God: The 4,000-year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Murder in Three Acts

I chose to read Murder in Three Acts by Agatha Christie on the suggestion of another author of crime fiction. However, much to my dismay, I am unable to recall the author that suggested this book. I do recall reading, however, that the author said Murder in Three Acts was one of his (or her) favorites and that it defines the genre. I could hardly pass up such a recommendation. As someone who enjoys detective stories, it seemed like the perfect novel to add to my reading queue.

I rather enjoyed Murder in Three Acts, having only read one Christie novel before this. That, of course, was Murder on the Orient Express. This book also features her famous detective Hercule Poirot, who is pulled into the investigation rather late into the story. In fact, he almost plays a supporting role in the book, until the very end. The story is well written, with rather intriguing characters, and a plot that will keep the reader engaged in the story. It centers around two murders that feature the same witness, and consequently suspects. I had my suspicions about who the murderer would turn out to be, but must say it was only that. A hunch.

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who enjoys crime novels, especially those set in the past.

Murder in Three Acts

My Life on the Run: The Wit, Wisdom, and Insights of a Road Racing Icon

I picked up My Life on the Run: The Wit, Wisdom, and Insights of a Road Racing Icon, by Bart Yasso on a bit of a whim. I had just finished Again to Carthage and was finding books on running to be rather inspirational. So, while perusing Amazon, I saw this book and decided to purchase a copy. As an avid reader of Runner's World, I am familiar with Bart Yasso and decided to give it a shot. Soon after receiving it, however, I pulled a muscle in my right leg rather badly and had to take some time off running. I found the idea of reading books about running while being unable to run rather depressing, so this book sat on the shelf for a while.

I picked it up maybe four days ago and have managed to read it fairly quickly, despite being in professional staff training for approximately 12 hours a day. However, I have recently started running ago (no more than 3 miles, and at dreadfully slow paces), so I thought the book might prove to be somewhat inspirational as I make my return to running. I really enjoyed Bart's conversational writing style and the stories he chose to tell. He talks about being unathletic and wanting his father's approval (something to which I can loosely relate), his addition with drugs and alcohol (and how running saved him), as well as memorable trips around the globe to run races. The back of the book also has recommended training plans from Bart and a list of suggested races to run, both domestically and abroad.

All in all, it was a good book to ease me back into running and provide some inspiration. It even fueled my wanderlust and desire to find interesting races to run in unique parts of the world.

My Life on the Run: The Wit, Wisdom, and Insight of a Road Racing Icon 

The Emporer's Assassin: Memoirs of a Bow Street Runner

Having read T. S. Banks' first novel, The Thief Taker: Memoirs of a Bow Street Runner, and enjoying it, I was looking forward to reading the second novel featuring the protagonist Henry Morton. As a fan of Victorian-era crime novels, these stories are particularly enjoyable to me (although these books are actually Regency-era). I am fond of Banks' depictions of Regency-era London and the was in which the various classes interact. The books tend to provide interesting social commentary and compelling stories simultaneously.

This book focuses around Morton's attempt to solve the murder of a young French widow who was found to have been tortured via thumbscrews. The plot thickens as Morton becomes entangled with French expatriates of various factions and follows an attempt to kill the recently exiled Napolean. For anyone who enjoys crime novels and/historical fiction, this is worth a read.

It is important to note that while the books are called memoirs, they are in fact not written as such and the narrative is portrayed in the third person.

The Emporer's Assassin: Memoirs of a Bow Street Runner

A Study in Sherlock: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon

Having recently watched Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and the BBC's Sherlock Seasons 1 and 2 (which is a brilliant television show), I developed a renewed interest in the Great Detective. As such, I ordered A Study in Sherlock: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon, edited by Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger, from Amazon. The book had received a fair number of positive reviews and I thought it might merit a read.

Now, I have a read the entire Sherlock Holmes canon by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as a number of short stories and pastiches, so I would say I am a considerable fan of the Great Detective. I am also a fan of the recent adaptions of Holmes, such as the aforementioned movie and TV series, not to mention  House M.D. and the soon-to-air  Elementary. However, as a whole, I was rather disappointed in this collection. Allegedly, the editors had collected these works for today's best mystery and suspense writers, indeed most of their biographies boasted awards they had won. However, I was not taken in by very many of the stories. To be fair, a few captured my attention (and imagination) and caused me to continue reading. But, most of them did not full capture the spirit of the Holmes stories. Some had Holmes as a character, while others merely mentioned his name at some point in the story.

A Study in Sherlock: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

When I lived in Qatar, it was fairly common for me to fly through either Heathrow or Manchester on my way to and from the US. I remember browsing a bookstore during a layover in one of those airports and seeing a book titled Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith. At the time, I thought the book was probably ridiculous and soon forgot about it. However, after seeing the preview for the movie, I remembered the book and thought the premise might actually be interesting. I ordered it from a discount book warehouse and set about reading it. For those who have seen the movie, the book is worth a read. While the stories have some similarities, the screenplay is rather different.

The book was a fun read. I enjoyed Mr. Grahame-Smith's use of fact as a framework around which to drape a work of fiction. The book was interesting, clever, and witty. It focuses on Mr. Lincoln's personal journal as the vehicle through which to tell the story of how our 16th president battled the nosferatu in America. As a native of Illinois, it was fun to read about Honest Abe's exploits in New Salem, Springfield, and Decatur (home to my alma mater, Millikin University). The book was well-paced and well-written. It's definitely a great read for anyone who enjoys history and/or vampire stories.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Tigana

I read Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay at the suggestion of Carl Krieger, my supervisor here at Virginia Tech. He gave me the audiobook because he knew I liked to listen to them on my drives to and from Illinois. I listened to it this past weekend when I went back to Illinois to attend my cousin's wedding. I will admit that fantasy is not typically my preferred genre (although I love George R. R. Martin's books). This book, however, was fairly interesting.

Tigana is set on The Palm, a fictitious peninsula reminiscent of medieval Italy. The story focuses on a group of freedom fighters and their quest to liberate the Palm from two sorcerer tyrants, who have divided the palm between them. This group of freedom fighters are mostly comprised of citizens from the state of Tigana, a region renamed to Lower Corte by the tyrant ruler Brandon. Brandon has cast a spell to make the name Tigana unable to be heard or memorized by anyone not from that region. As such, the group of freedom fighters struggle to make meaning of their lost cultural heritage. While a little long in some parts of the book, overall the story was entertaining and worth a listen on a 20+ hour round trip.

Tigana