Thursday, July 27, 2006

Tagged! "One Book" Meme

I hadn't been going to play the "one book" game, but then Dr. P. tagged me and ... I may be lazy but I'm not a complete spoilsport. By the way Dr. P. has moved from Disert Paths to a new spot, if you see "Dr. Platypus" in my blogroll now, that's still him. I'm adopting a modification to the meme that came to me well recommended: don't answer 'the Bible' for any question since it's too much of a cop-out.

So here goes:
  1. One book that changed your life: The only real answer here is ruled out in the meme ... The distant second: The Icon: Window on the Kingdom by Michel Quenot, translated by "A Carthusian Monk". Why? For the baptism of the imagination, opening doors in my mind.
  2. One book you've read more than once: The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
  3. One book you'd want on a desert island: A blank book and a pen.
  4. One book that made you laugh: A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket, and MAD Magazine: Spy vs. Spy series by Antonio Prohias. (So that's more than one. I like books that make me laugh.)
  5. One book that made you cry: The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
  6. One book you wish had been written: Filling the World by John the Apostle et al.
  7. One book you wish had never been written: What if a major world religion had "authoritative Scriptures" written by a "religious leader" who routinely ordered assassinations, raids, and attacks, who was known to order torture of his enemies? What kind of effect would that book have on any area of the world where that book was widely held as holy? And what would it do to the peoples' souls and their moral compass?
  8. One book you're currently reading: God Here and Now by Karl Barth; but his sentences are like packs of Ramen noodles ... you know there are only two of them in a pack and they just keep going and going ... and you keep coming back for more, half because it's good and half because you can't very well stop in the middle of a long string like that, can you?
  9. One book you've been meaning to read: The Arabian Nights
  10. One book you wish you could write: The History of the Astounding Reconciliations and Renewals of Christ's Followers in the 21st Century
  11. Now tag five people: Aww, I hate to pick and choose. If you've ever commented on my blog, I'd be glad for you to consider yourself tagged.
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4 comments:

  1. Weekend Fisher7:22 AM, July 28, 2006

    I debated whether to compare him to Ramen noodles or the Energizer Bunny (the sentences keep on going and going) ... but the Ramen noodles won. :)

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  2. JHearne9:39 AM, July 28, 2006

    Definitely gotta go with the Ramen metaphor.

    Reading Barth is a commitment. Perhaps there should be a warning label on the first page or cover. Warning: Abandon all Free Time Ye Who Enter Here

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  3. Alex Thompson9:05 AM, August 04, 2006

    nice subtle jibe at the Qu'ran there, but I did enjoy the Barth/Ramen noodles comparison.

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  4. Weekend Fisher12:32 PM, August 04, 2006

    To simply name a book and wish it had never been written leaves many people wondering why in the world that one should be singled out. To name exactly why you wish it hadn't been written -- and leave people to figure out what the book is -- both explains the reasons and hopefully at least awakens the curiosity of people who had not known there was a book that fit those specs ...

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