There is no Frigate like a Book
To take us Lands away
Nor any Coursers like a Page
Of prancing Poetry--
This Traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of Toll--
How frugal is the Chariot
That bears the Human Soul--

-Emily Dickinson


November, 2010. This is when I had an epiphany that I knew nothing about literature. What exactly prompted this revelation, I don't remember. But what I did after that was print off "BBC's Top 100 Books" list in order to expand my horizons. (Although I'm aware that there are plenty of books omitted from the list, as well as new books constantly being published, this is intended simply to help me be acquainted with literature.) I challenged myself to read all of the books on the list. One year later, I've realized it will take much longer than expected. With only 7 of the 100 books read, this task seems daunting and unrealistic. While some may think it's somewhat masochistic, some may think it's an admirable goal. I guess it depends on the book I'm reading. Frequently I'll read a book that is not on this long list. I used to apologize for it, but I'm assuming hardly anyone reads it anyways.

I started by critiquing the books and authors, but the purpose for writing has changed over the years. The purpose of this blog isn't necessarily to write reviews for the benefit of high school procrastinators or for eagerly researching book-readers or for really anyone besides me. It's a documentation of my own progress as a learner and a reader, as well as being wonderfully cathartic. Books elicit an emotional response, which allows me to explore my own beliefs about life and spirituality.

As of Sunday, June 21st, 2015, I have read twenty-six books on the list. This is hopefully subject to change, and will be updated regularly...or more accurately, as regularly as I finish a book, which isn't always regular.


Saturday, May 9, 2015

The Bible

Read Twenty-Third in 2013-14.

I've been a way for a while. There's a reason for that. It's also the reason why the next book I read on the list was the Bible. 

I've spent the past two years on a mission for my church in Long Beach, California. It may sound cruel at first, but my reading selection was very limited and was only allowed to read certain religious books. I've tried not to express my religious views, deeming it irrelevant to the subject matter. However, I find that I can't dodge the topic here. You know, because I'm writing a review about the Bible.

I really do believe in the Bible. It took quite a while to get through it. It's a large book! And sometimes archaic. And sometimes boring. But the teachings of Jesus Christ truly guide my life. Even though I fall short of the expectations that God and my church has for me (more accurately, the expectations I have for myself), I always feel guided or directed to practice repentance and embrace once again the Christian lifestyle. It can be so hard to live up to the way you think you should, but I find myself always confident that returning to these teachings is the right path for me. 

I will not critique the Bible as if fiction, because I do not believe it is such. I am aware that the list does not specify that the books on it are fictitious. It might be because the other ninety-nine books are fictitious that I still feel the impulse to clarify that I believe it is true. On my two-year mission in California, I've grown to love the scriptures. Holy writ has a way of bringing peace into my life. I remember reading the very end, the last chapters in the Book of Revelation, and having a distinct impression that what I was reading will indeed happen as written.
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