2006 Books: The Ones I Liked
1) No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies - Naomi Klein. A book that demonstrateds how brands have taken over our lives, and suggests various ways of dealing with it. It was a bit too long (over 600 pages), but I was fascinated by it. It read like a good newspaper in-depth article, and gave me a lot to think about. It also, indirectly, showed me how I can enjoy the activism part of Reclaiming, and incorporate it into much passionate and magical activities.
2) The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath. I must admit that I'm much more intrigued by Sylvia Plath's life than by her poetry. I only like a few of her poems (Daddy, Lady Lazarus, Mad Girl's Love Song). Reading this roman-a-clef, though, was like being given a key to my own heart. From the very first self-aware, sensitive, fragile, ironic sentence - I felt myself opening up like a flower blossom. There's something about Plath's life or personality that just strongly resonates with me, with who I am. Besides that, I also enjoyed reading the story itself. It was engaging.
3) Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding. The adventures of an overweight British singleton. So funny. Could not put it down or stop laughing. Though slightly different from the movie, I kept imagining Renee Zellweger as the protagonist, which was even more funny. It is such books that make the genre of chick lit an actual form of contemporary art. Really.
4) The Edge of Reason - Helen Fielding. Sequel to "Bridget Jones's Diary". Also funny, but not as good as the first book. Too many dialogues, too few diary entires, in that hilarious Bridget Jones style. Also, entirely different from the movie, which confused me somewhat. Must say, though, the plot of the book makes more sense than the Hollywood movie plot.
5) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon. A teenager with autistic-like behavioral problems goes out on an adventure, solves a mystery and brings people together. Admittedly, this is lovely book, with an engaging plot and a great sense of humor. But it was hard for me to read. Too many things in it reminded me of my mentally-retarded sister, and the various adventures and difficulties that we've had and still experience with her.
6) Wiccan Warrior - Kerr Cuhulain. A Wiccan police officer and and a Pagan antidefamation activist talks about the meaning of being a warrior within a context of religious witchcraft. He also connects between craft ideas and martial art ideas. Discusses living a sensible, empowered, focused and responsible life, balancing between stable behavioral patterns and the magical/warrior need for change. Generally, was thought-provoking and interesting, and resonated with much of my Reclaiming work. It was a bit disappointing when around the middle of the book the author started the usual ground-shield-center-meditate-direct-energy for beginners spiel, but still, was nice to find this little gem in the heaps of dull generic 101 guides on the shelves.
7) Full Contact Magick - Kerr Cuhulain. I really like Kerr Cuhulain's books. His "warrior" approach to practicing Wicca is really a lovely and useful way to look into personal responsibility, knowing oneself, and finding one's divinity and power to change. Discusses finding divinity in oneself, the importance of connection to nature, the centrality of personal gnosis, living life responsibly, nurturing knowledge and seeking truth, creating one's own reality, right action, living with honor, etc. Unfortunately, at some point the author stops talking about all these interesting things, and teaches Wicca 101. This was a bit disappointing.
8) The Xenophobe's Guide to the Israelis - Aviv Ben Zeev. After being amused by the guide to the English, I just had to read the one about Israelis. It literally made me roll on the floor laughing. So funny, and so true. I wish I could afford buying a hundred copies to give away to all my non-Israeli friends.
9) Homo Necans - Walter Burkert. Was maybe one of the best books I've read this year, including fiction. Is an analysis of human beings as organized killers: hunting, meat-eating, sacrifising. Discusses how our early history as killers affected ancient Greek religious behavior today, where are the remnants in rituals, etc. Very interesting. Also, included some lovely new evidence *supporting* the theory that the early types of venus figurines from Europe indeed represented a female goddess, probably the same one. (Not the later, more elaborate figurines, though.) That amused me a lot, coming from one of the most well-known scholars about ancient Greek polytheism.
10) Worshipping Aphrodite - Rachel Rosenzweig. An academic overview of Aphrodite's role and worship in Ancient Greece. Was illuminating. *Very* different from what I'd expected. Among the surprises: close ties between Aphrodite and Athena in Athens, Aphrodite's link with virginity in general and the virgin goddess Artemis in particular, and remarkable observations about the nature of the multi-epithet-Greek-gods.
11) The Early History of God - Mark S. Smith. Tracing the history of the Jewish God, from its origin in the desert, through the absorption of Ugaritic deities, all the way to the early stages of monotheism. Thorough, accurate, educational. I love Mark Smith's books.
12) The Origins of Biblical Monotheism - Mark S. Smith. An analysis of the polytheistic origins of Judaism (including worship of "foreign deities", syncretization of said deities with the Jewish god, etc.) Well-researched, interesting and reliable. No sensational (and untrue) statements like: "OMG God had a wife/consort and her name was Asherah!". Instead, a thoughtful presentation of the past. Plus, an attempt to a deeper understanding of polytheism, which is "not monotheism multiplied by the number of deities" but a more complex view on life, divinity, and human relationship to the sacred. Should definitely get my own copy for the home library.
13) The Practice and Science of Drawing - Harold Speed. Drawing for beginners. Great guide.
14) Drawing: A Complete Course - Jenny Rodwell et al. Another useful drawing guide.
15) Art Class: A Complete Guide to Painting - Simon Jennings. Drawing and painting guidebook.
16) Art of Drawing - Maria Constanza Guzman. Useful drawing guidebook.
17) Art of Drawing Landscapes - Inc. Sterling Publishing Co. A guidebook for drawing landscapes.
18) The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation - Hans Dieter Betz. Spells from late antiquity. And don't I just love it when I find out that YES, Hecate IS after all a triple goddess. Of the moon, even. And that Artemis IS invoked for love, despite and maybe because of being a virgin.
19) Minnesota Gothic - Thomas M. Disch (short story). The best short story of them all. About witches, of course, but I liked it not just for the subject, but also for the witty thread of irony.
20) The Flyers of Gy - Ursula K. Le Guin (short story). Another story that I really liked. An alien humanoid race has feathers instead of hair, but only a minority of them can fly.
21) We Have Always Spoken Panglish - Suzette Haden Elgin (short story). This is the first story by ozarque that I read. About languages, of course, what else.
2) The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath. I must admit that I'm much more intrigued by Sylvia Plath's life than by her poetry. I only like a few of her poems (Daddy, Lady Lazarus, Mad Girl's Love Song). Reading this roman-a-clef, though, was like being given a key to my own heart. From the very first self-aware, sensitive, fragile, ironic sentence - I felt myself opening up like a flower blossom. There's something about Plath's life or personality that just strongly resonates with me, with who I am. Besides that, I also enjoyed reading the story itself. It was engaging.
3) Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding. The adventures of an overweight British singleton. So funny. Could not put it down or stop laughing. Though slightly different from the movie, I kept imagining Renee Zellweger as the protagonist, which was even more funny. It is such books that make the genre of chick lit an actual form of contemporary art. Really.
4) The Edge of Reason - Helen Fielding. Sequel to "Bridget Jones's Diary". Also funny, but not as good as the first book. Too many dialogues, too few diary entires, in that hilarious Bridget Jones style. Also, entirely different from the movie, which confused me somewhat. Must say, though, the plot of the book makes more sense than the Hollywood movie plot.
5) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon. A teenager with autistic-like behavioral problems goes out on an adventure, solves a mystery and brings people together. Admittedly, this is lovely book, with an engaging plot and a great sense of humor. But it was hard for me to read. Too many things in it reminded me of my mentally-retarded sister, and the various adventures and difficulties that we've had and still experience with her.
6) Wiccan Warrior - Kerr Cuhulain. A Wiccan police officer and and a Pagan antidefamation activist talks about the meaning of being a warrior within a context of religious witchcraft. He also connects between craft ideas and martial art ideas. Discusses living a sensible, empowered, focused and responsible life, balancing between stable behavioral patterns and the magical/warrior need for change. Generally, was thought-provoking and interesting, and resonated with much of my Reclaiming work. It was a bit disappointing when around the middle of the book the author started the usual ground-shield-center-meditate-direct-energy for beginners spiel, but still, was nice to find this little gem in the heaps of dull generic 101 guides on the shelves.
7) Full Contact Magick - Kerr Cuhulain. I really like Kerr Cuhulain's books. His "warrior" approach to practicing Wicca is really a lovely and useful way to look into personal responsibility, knowing oneself, and finding one's divinity and power to change. Discusses finding divinity in oneself, the importance of connection to nature, the centrality of personal gnosis, living life responsibly, nurturing knowledge and seeking truth, creating one's own reality, right action, living with honor, etc. Unfortunately, at some point the author stops talking about all these interesting things, and teaches Wicca 101. This was a bit disappointing.
8) The Xenophobe's Guide to the Israelis - Aviv Ben Zeev. After being amused by the guide to the English, I just had to read the one about Israelis. It literally made me roll on the floor laughing. So funny, and so true. I wish I could afford buying a hundred copies to give away to all my non-Israeli friends.
9) Homo Necans - Walter Burkert. Was maybe one of the best books I've read this year, including fiction. Is an analysis of human beings as organized killers: hunting, meat-eating, sacrifising. Discusses how our early history as killers affected ancient Greek religious behavior today, where are the remnants in rituals, etc. Very interesting. Also, included some lovely new evidence *supporting* the theory that the early types of venus figurines from Europe indeed represented a female goddess, probably the same one. (Not the later, more elaborate figurines, though.) That amused me a lot, coming from one of the most well-known scholars about ancient Greek polytheism.
10) Worshipping Aphrodite - Rachel Rosenzweig. An academic overview of Aphrodite's role and worship in Ancient Greece. Was illuminating. *Very* different from what I'd expected. Among the surprises: close ties between Aphrodite and Athena in Athens, Aphrodite's link with virginity in general and the virgin goddess Artemis in particular, and remarkable observations about the nature of the multi-epithet-Greek-gods.
11) The Early History of God - Mark S. Smith. Tracing the history of the Jewish God, from its origin in the desert, through the absorption of Ugaritic deities, all the way to the early stages of monotheism. Thorough, accurate, educational. I love Mark Smith's books.
12) The Origins of Biblical Monotheism - Mark S. Smith. An analysis of the polytheistic origins of Judaism (including worship of "foreign deities", syncretization of said deities with the Jewish god, etc.) Well-researched, interesting and reliable. No sensational (and untrue) statements like: "OMG God had a wife/consort and her name was Asherah!". Instead, a thoughtful presentation of the past. Plus, an attempt to a deeper understanding of polytheism, which is "not monotheism multiplied by the number of deities" but a more complex view on life, divinity, and human relationship to the sacred. Should definitely get my own copy for the home library.
13) The Practice and Science of Drawing - Harold Speed. Drawing for beginners. Great guide.
14) Drawing: A Complete Course - Jenny Rodwell et al. Another useful drawing guide.
15) Art Class: A Complete Guide to Painting - Simon Jennings. Drawing and painting guidebook.
16) Art of Drawing - Maria Constanza Guzman. Useful drawing guidebook.
17) Art of Drawing Landscapes - Inc. Sterling Publishing Co. A guidebook for drawing landscapes.
18) The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation - Hans Dieter Betz. Spells from late antiquity. And don't I just love it when I find out that YES, Hecate IS after all a triple goddess. Of the moon, even. And that Artemis IS invoked for love, despite and maybe because of being a virgin.
19) Minnesota Gothic - Thomas M. Disch (short story). The best short story of them all. About witches, of course, but I liked it not just for the subject, but also for the witty thread of irony.
20) The Flyers of Gy - Ursula K. Le Guin (short story). Another story that I really liked. An alien humanoid race has feathers instead of hair, but only a minority of them can fly.
21) We Have Always Spoken Panglish - Suzette Haden Elgin (short story). This is the first story by ozarque that I read. About languages, of course, what else.