50 Book Challenge Update
Crossposted to
50bookchallenge .
Well, I haven't been as busy as some, but here are the latest completed books:
3) Serenity: Those Left Behind (Joss Whedon, Brett Matthews, and Will Conrad) [Dark Horse Comics]- This trade paperback collects all the issues, including the wonderful covers of the comic mini-series that led up to the movie. If you are a fan of the series, as I am, this is essential reading...just because it is so much fun. Short and sweet with dead on characterization and dialogue. The art really captures the feel of the series as well.
4) RahXephon v. 1 (Created by Yutaka Izubuchi & Bones. Art by Takeaki Momose) [VIZ Media]-This is volume one of the three volume manga collection that adapts the highly watchable 26 part anime series. I found the book to be fun, but I was nowhere nearly as enthralled by it as I was the anime. It is a bit more light-hearted, and some of the essentials are changed slightly. I am interested in seeing how the series progresses in the next two volumes. So far, I'd rate it as just okay, and not at all necessary for fans of the anime.
5) A Princess of Mars (Edgar Rice Burroughs)- This is the seminal book in the interplanetary adventure genre, and one of my favorite science fiction stories of all time. A hero in a strange environment, a damsel in distress, and one adventure after another...what more could could I ask for? It had been forever since I read this one, and I was happy to return to it. It is easily and legally available for free online, if anyone is interested in reading the book.
6) Siddhartha (Hermann Hesse)- This book is the most well known work of the Nobel Prize winning author. Basically, the book is a tale of one individual's spiritual journey. The interesting element for me in the story is that , while set in the traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism, the journey of Siddhartha is a very Western one. The protagonist decides in the Western tradition, to follow his own path, rather than that of a guru, which is a more Eastern spiritual journey. I had not read this book since I was a teenager, and it amazed me how much more I got out of it now, even thought I was quite blown away by it even then. This is one of my top ten books ever.
7) The Bhagavad Gita (translated by Isherwood and Prahavananda)- I could never do this book (the most widely read Hindu sacred text) justice in a review, no matter how hard I might try. Suffice it to say that I found this book to contain some of the most profound spiritual wisdom that I've ever read. It takes a bit of effort to dig under the metaphors and symbols in the book, but it is worth it. I have no doubt that the more I read this book, the more I will get out of it.
50bookchallenge .
Well, I haven't been as busy as some, but here are the latest completed books:
3) Serenity: Those Left Behind (Joss Whedon, Brett Matthews, and Will Conrad) [Dark Horse Comics]- This trade paperback collects all the issues, including the wonderful covers of the comic mini-series that led up to the movie. If you are a fan of the series, as I am, this is essential reading...just because it is so much fun. Short and sweet with dead on characterization and dialogue. The art really captures the feel of the series as well.
4) RahXephon v. 1 (Created by Yutaka Izubuchi & Bones. Art by Takeaki Momose) [VIZ Media]-This is volume one of the three volume manga collection that adapts the highly watchable 26 part anime series. I found the book to be fun, but I was nowhere nearly as enthralled by it as I was the anime. It is a bit more light-hearted, and some of the essentials are changed slightly. I am interested in seeing how the series progresses in the next two volumes. So far, I'd rate it as just okay, and not at all necessary for fans of the anime.
5) A Princess of Mars (Edgar Rice Burroughs)- This is the seminal book in the interplanetary adventure genre, and one of my favorite science fiction stories of all time. A hero in a strange environment, a damsel in distress, and one adventure after another...what more could could I ask for? It had been forever since I read this one, and I was happy to return to it. It is easily and legally available for free online, if anyone is interested in reading the book.
6) Siddhartha (Hermann Hesse)- This book is the most well known work of the Nobel Prize winning author. Basically, the book is a tale of one individual's spiritual journey. The interesting element for me in the story is that , while set in the traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism, the journey of Siddhartha is a very Western one. The protagonist decides in the Western tradition, to follow his own path, rather than that of a guru, which is a more Eastern spiritual journey. I had not read this book since I was a teenager, and it amazed me how much more I got out of it now, even thought I was quite blown away by it even then. This is one of my top ten books ever.
7) The Bhagavad Gita (translated by Isherwood and Prahavananda)- I could never do this book (the most widely read Hindu sacred text) justice in a review, no matter how hard I might try. Suffice it to say that I found this book to contain some of the most profound spiritual wisdom that I've ever read. It takes a bit of effort to dig under the metaphors and symbols in the book, but it is worth it. I have no doubt that the more I read this book, the more I will get out of it.