LAMB: The Gospel According To Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
By Christopher Moore

One of the funniest books of all-time. If Carl Hiaasen and Dave Barry got together to do a religious satire, it might be half as good as this. Never offensive or blasphemous, the book just has a lot of heart.

Highly recommended.

I'm reading the Camus for a module called "Trauma, Psyche and Modern Literature". Looking at the depiction and recording of trauma in a lot of post-Holocaust lit, using key theories from Freud and the trauma theorists. It's good. I took the module for the Camus alone, and I haven't been let down.

Haven't read Finnegan's Wake, but it seems a logical progression after I'm done with Ulysses; I tried to read it years ago but found the waters too deep and cold, having jumped in youthful haste.

Infection by Scott Sigler.

This was a rip-roaring fun read. It's sci-fi horror that is based largely in Michigan , where the author is from. It's a twist on the alien invasion novel with very hard science. There's nothing supernatural here.

What if something from beyond invaded our bodies and starting using our own fascinating collection of bacteria, mites and cellular organisms against us?

It has an obvious debt to The Andromeda Strain, Stephen King's I am The Doorway, and the David Cronenberg movie They Came From Within (Shivers).

Sigler obviously had a lot of fun writing this book, which he originally delivered as a podcast. Highly recommended-gory but offers legitimate surprises and strong characters. I finished it in 4 days; it was a real page turner.

ON THE RUN by Gregg and Gina Hill.

The offspring of the famous Henry Hill recall a shattered youth,spent running from place to place in the Witness Protection Scheme,always in fear of their lives!

A sad story but a good read. No holds barred,especially from Gregg.

That does sound very good, Yogi. I have to add it to my must-read list.

I read "The Associate" by John Grisham this weekend. Typical Grisham formula book. If you like his work you'll like the book, if you dont, you wont.

My must-read list is currently 4 miles long and growing daily

Mine, too. The worst is when I go to the library. I end up finding so many books that I want to read that I take them ALL out. Then I can't possibly finish them in the four weeks that I have them, and end up paying all sorts of late fees! I may singlehandedly keep our library in new books, with all the fees I pay.

I have the same problems SB

I will take the kids to the library in the holidays and they come back with 2 or 3 books and i stagger back with a dozen

I always read them though!

THERE ARE NO CHILDREN HERE by Alex Kotlowitz.

A grim yet fascinating true life story of 2 young boys growing up in the drug and crime ridden projects of Chicago in the 1980's.

Their story of trying to stay on the straight and narrow through all the distractions in their life is truly humbling!

I learned a lot about Dominican Republic reading that book. I love books that do that, like Kite Runner and The White Tiger.

I grab a Christopher Moore book when I'm in a sour mood. He is so funny and offbeat. The Gospel one is probably his best.

I have this problem too. Living in a college town where most people are prolific readers from childhood on up, the libraries just can't keep up with the demand.

I've been using paperbackswap more and more.

I think I've read everything by Bill Bryson so far.

I'm a big fan of Dawkins. What do you think about it so far? I've purchased the book but haven't gotten to it yet.

I think Grisham has officially run out of ideas. I must admit, when I saw that some of the action took place in New York City, I was excited. I'd long wondered when Grisham would get around to setting a book here. But the formulaic idealistic-young-lawyer-being-blackmailed has been done to death by Grisham. And he's done it much better, I might add (The Firm, anyone?). The denouement was so anti-climactic, I thought the book was missing pages. If you're a fan and you must read it, do yourself a favor and wait for the paperback. It's cheaper.

I just finished "Tricks of the mind" by Derren Brown. Beautiful thoughts on hypnosis, memory, scepticism.

Just finished DELIZIA by john Dickie.

An epic history of Italian food since the Middle Ages, right through to the modern era. Absolutely fascinating stuff.

The food at some of the medieval banquets have to be seen to be believed.

Mr. Dickie has previously written a best selling book about the mafia called,funnily enough,COSA NOSTRA,also well worth a read!

It's hella good. His exposé is brutal and hilarious. Convincing, if you're already on your way to atheism.

Not so convincing if you're of the camp he sets out to fluster, since serious theists are by nature blindly narrow-minded.

Right now I'm reading Claude Lanzmann's Shoah: Key Essays, in preparation for an essay.

Wow. At least YOU aren't narrow-minded and don't stereotype people.

Wouldn't the author by nature be taken more credibly if he set out to illucidate or educate, than fluster? Your post certainly suggests he has more of an agenda than a message.

I've read only one book from Richard Dawkins, called Selfish Gene. It is slightly technical, but it is a huge influence on me. Or at least a serious reaffirmation of my thoughts on human nature, animal nature, god etc.

Dawkins is an upstart to the extent that he's a rationalist, a materialist, an unashamed atheist. His mission is consciousness-raising among other closeted atheists.

But yes, you're right: Dawkins is educated and educates; he doesn't seem flustered, but probably flusters, again, because of said nature of serious theists.

Anyway, it's a fascinatingly concise read. Definitely seek it out if you can. I'd be interested in what peeps on here would make of it.

The book in which he coined the term "meme".

I'd like to read it sometime.

What is a "serious" theist vs. a "non-serious" theist? Is it simply someone who believes that God has no sense of humor, because I personally look around me and I truly believe that God has one HECK of a sense of humor!! And believers of which God or gods would Dawkins fluster? Buddhists? Jews? Christians? Muslims? Druids?? And why are they all so narrow-minded? Are their heads not quit as wide as the average human head? Do they have trouble buying hats because of this??

A way of measuring the width of one's head is by way of measuring the speed it takes to hit one's nerve.

I'm being silly, of course (though no more silly than your last two questions).

I'd call a serious theist one who, because of the inherent requisites of their beliefs, cannot allow for an evolutionist view of life. If they're serious about their beliefs, they cannot entertain the notion of evolution; that is a very narrow-minded outlook. (If they do entertain evolution, they're merely confused. They're eating cake and having it too.)

I'm not sure how many "non-serious" theists there are. I'd call children born into religious families non-serious (I would not call them theists; nor would Dawkins).

It's not necessarily narrow-minded, but equally confused is the reduction of nature to a design theory; applying the notion of a Designer to every little thing, just because on the surface there appears to be no apparent reason for such complexity.

(To the latter tribe, I'd recommend some Darwin.)

I think that people often confuse faith and organized religion, and I don't necessarily think that the two have to be related. Belief in a higher power doesn't necessitate praying to Mecca or not eating bread at Passover or not eating meat on Fridays. I don't disparage those that do, because one's beliefs should be one's own. I think that one's faith is quite personal, and that this debate is obviously not for this thread.

Is your post above from this book? If so, he seems to be a good writer, and I think I would like to read this book if this is a sample.

I wouldn't include Buddhists in that list.

I have the paperback sitting on my pile next to my bed. I'm not on my way to atheism, I've been pretty much there for years, and I've never been in the closet either. I think people 'round here know that.

And oh how I love evolutionary biologists.