what's your favorite book?

[Justin Kissel]

I can definitely now add Reason in Religion by George Santayana to my list(s).

[biro]

The Secret History, by Donna Tartt

What a detailed book. I don't know if they've made the movie yet.

[tweety234]

Some of my faves...

Orthodox books:

"The Way of the Pilgrim"
"Mountain of Silence" - Kyriakos C. Markides
"Father Arseny"
"The Orthodox Way" - Bishop Kallistos

Other non-fiction:

"The Perennial Philosophy" - Aldous Huxley
"The Fullness of God" - Frithjof Schuon on Christianity
"Meditations on the Tarot - an Introduction into Christian Hermeticism" - Anonymous
"The Seven Storey Mountain" - Thomas Merton

Fiction:
"Crime and Punishment" and "The Brothers Karamazov" - Dostoevsky
"Siddhartha" - Hermann Hesse

Thomas merton is one of my favorites too. But what is this book you mentioned about? I don't think I have read it.

[biro]

Some of my faves...

Orthodox books:

"The Way of the Pilgrim"
"Mountain of Silence" - Kyriakos C. Markides
"Father Arseny"
"The Orthodox Way" - Bishop Kallistos

Other non-fiction:

"The Perennial Philosophy" - Aldous Huxley
"The Fullness of God" - Frithjof Schuon on Christianity
"Meditations on the Tarot - an Introduction into Christian Hermeticism" - Anonymous
"The Seven Storey Mountain" - Thomas Merton

Fiction:
"Crime and Punishment" and "The Brothers Karamazov" - Dostoevsky
"Siddhartha" - Hermann Hesse

Thomas merton is one of my favorites too. But what is this book you mentioned about? I don't think I have read it.

You say Merton is one of your favorites, but you've never heard of that one? Come on, are you just playing games?

[JamesR]

Anything by St. John Chrysostom, Confessions by St. Augustine--probably the book that converted me to Orthodoxy. I also enjoy a couple books by C.S. Lewis--his use of Christian allegory and satire is very interesting. History books are very interesting to me, and occassionally I like a good romance novel.

[stavros_388]

Thomas merton is one of my favorites too. But what is this book you mentioned about? I don't think I have read it.

It's an autobiographical account of his conversion to Christianity and his becoming a monk. Classic. Recommended.

[Punch]

Orthodox - The Arena

Secular - The Cross of Iron

[Alpo]

I'm too lazy to pick up any specific book. As of novelists, some of my favourites are Eddings, Poe, Lovecraft, Waltari, Aho and Kivi.

[tweety234]

Some of my faves...

Orthodox books:

"The Way of the Pilgrim"
"Mountain of Silence" - Kyriakos C. Markides
"Father Arseny"
"The Orthodox Way" - Bishop Kallistos

Other non-fiction:

"The Perennial Philosophy" - Aldous Huxley
"The Fullness of God" - Frithjof Schuon on Christianity
"Meditations on the Tarot - an Introduction into Christian Hermeticism" - Anonymous
"The Seven Storey Mountain" - Thomas Merton

Fiction:
"Crime and Punishment" and "The Brothers Karamazov" - Dostoevsky
"Siddhartha" - Hermann Hesse

Thomas merton is one of my favorites too. But what is this book you mentioned about? I don't think I have read it.

You say Merton is one of your favorites, but you've never heard of that one? Come on, are you just playing games?

I never read this book i meant. There are many writers that I love, but haven't read everything they have written.

[Nadege]

I must say that since childhood, my favorite book has remained The Nun by Denis Diderot.  It is a powerful description of a WOMAN OF CHARACTER.

[Cyrillic]

-

[Gebre Menfes Kidus]

I know I will leave something out, so I may chime in later with a few more. But off the top of my head, here are a few of my favorites:


Orthodox Literature

The Way of A Pilgrim

The Ethiopian Tewahedo Church  by Archbishop Yesehaq

The Life of St. Anthony by St. Athanasius

Father Seraphim Rose: His Life and Works by Hiermonk Damascene

The Gurus, The Young Man, and Elder Paisios by Dionysios Farasiotis

Comparative Theology by H.H. Pope Shenouda III

The Mountain of Silence by Kyriacos Markides

Confessions by Blessed Augustine




Nonfiction

The Kingdom of God is Within You by Leo Tolstoy

Why We Can't Wait by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Attack Upon Christendom by Soren Kierkegaard

Hostage to the Devil by Malachi Martin

The Dark Sacrament by David Kiely and Christina Mckenna

Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose

Duende: A Journey in Search of Flamenco by David Webster

Rasta Heart: A Journey into One Love by Robert Roskind

The Motorcycle Diaries by Ernesto "Che" Guevara

Redemption Song: Muhammad Ali and the Spirit of the Sixties by Mike Marqusee

Meditations of the Heart by Howard Thurman




Biography / Autobiography

The Seven Storey Mountain by Thoman Merton

The Long Loneliness by Dorothy Day

Catch a Fire by Timothy White

Radical Son by David Horrowitz

The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X (El Hajj Malik El Shabazz) and Alex Haley

Long Walk To Freedom by Nelson Mandela

Autobiograpy: The Storey of My Experiments With Truth by Mohandas K. Gandhi

Ready for Revolution by Kwame Toure
  
Raven: The Untold Storey of The Rev. Jim Jones and His People's Temple by Tim Reiterman

Soul on Ice by Eldridge Cleaver

Miles: The Autobiography by Miles Davis




Sports

The Courting of Marcus DuPree by Willie Morris

Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times by Thomas Houser

Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger

Season on The Brink by John Feinstein

The Fab Five by Mitch Albom



Fiction

Everything written by Earnest Hemmingway

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck


(I obviously need to read more fiction.  )



Selam

[Dionysii]

Orthodox Psychotherapy by +Met. HIEROTHEOS
...
Functional and Dysfunctional Christianity by Philotheos Faros (recommended by our good friend and former poster, Ozgeorge.)

Metropolitan Hierotheos's books are very nice. 
This other title sounds interesting.

Recent read on the Orthodox Church > Sobornosti by Matthew Raphael Johnson (himself an old calendarist priest) is the both best history of Russia (in english) and the best book about Russian Old Believers that I have read.  In my opinion, it is much more discriminating and rewarding than earlier books by the american historian Robert Crummey - although Crummey's books are good also and were the most informative material in english on that topic for a very long time.

Economics > The Servile State by Hilaire Belloc (circa 1911 A.D.) who was G.K. Chesterton's best friend was in my opinion both Belloc's greatest work and the best introduction to the economic school called "distributism."  It is an approximately 200 page economic history of western europe from Roman times to about 1900 A.D. written so well and simply that I honestly reckon a fourth grade child could read and understand the material. The theme is that capitalism is a transitory economic system that will bring about slavery which is a stable economic system.  The opposite extreme is another stable economic system he calls distributism which dominated the middle ages and was brought about by the spread of the Church - the influence of which gradually reduced the slavery and economic power which paganism had accumulated into the hands of a few. 
Although written by a Papist (Frankist), this book was the first one which I had read which had a negative understanding and portrayal of the protestant reformation and had a lot to do with my conversion to the Orthodox Church. 

I surmise from his books that the anarchist Peter Kropotkin also advocated a kind of distributist or decentralized economic system that places means of production and thus independence in the hands of the common man or local community.

[Phanouria]

Favorite Orthodox: The Abbot and I: as Told by Josie the Cat by Sarah Cowie [favorite animal: cats]  
Favorite secular: Brother Cadfael series by Ellis Peters

Phanouria
www.stjohnmemphis.org

[Blachernae Al Romaani]

The Bible, The Odyssey by Homer and Scritti corsari by Pier Paolo Pasolini.

[Shiny]

Pretty much any classic fairy tale book

Nice.

I might pick this up:
The Golden Book of Fairy Tales (Golden Classics)
http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Book-Fairy-Tales-Classics/dp/030717025X

Used to love having those Golden Books as a kid.

[Shiny]

Whoa I didn't know Norton Critical had a Fairy Tales book either:
http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Fairy-Norton-Critical-Editions/dp/0393972771/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_y

And then there is this one from Opies:
http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Fairy-Tales-Iona-Opie/dp/0195202198

[Papist]

Most important text I read and that I read continually: Being and Time by Martin Heidegger, arguably the most important work of non-fiction in the 20th century. All philosophy begins here. His entire corpus is included in my list, but you must start with B&T. No Heidegger, no Orthodoxy for me.

We briefly read some Heidegger in my Contemporary Philosophy class this last summer, and we will read some again in my Phenomenology class this spring. Maybe at some point I'll read all of Being and Time so that I can understand why this particular philosopher had such a profound impact on you. I look forward to it.

[orthonorm]

Most important text I read and that I read continually: Being and Time by Martin Heidegger, arguably the most important work of non-fiction in the 20th century. All philosophy begins here. His entire corpus is included in my list, but you must start with B&T. No Heidegger, no Orthodoxy for me.

We briefly read some Heidegger in my Contemporary Philosophy class this last summer, and we will read some again in my Phenomenology class this spring. Maybe at some point I'll read all of Being and Time so that I can understand why this particular philosopher had such a profound impact on you. I look forward to it.

It showed me, like every other thing that mattered, was that most the questions I cared about were the wrong ones and how I gotten to those wrong questions in the first place and showed me where to begin trying to think.

Frankly, as much as Heidegger would strangle me, you can get similar results from Freud and perhaps Marx. And if you have a truly sharp mind which can span the so-called analytical to the synthetic, then Goedel can do it as well.

But I've yet to see anyone frame the problematic of metaphysics so eloquently and straightforwardly and concretely as Heidegger.

If you have the right sense of humor, neech can do it as well, but I've met maybe three people ever who did. If you ain't laughing when you read neech, you are doing it wrong. Most of the time with Heidegger as well. Maybe less of a laugh and more of a grin.

Favorites are stupid, but I will say that really in terms of impact nothing probably was more singularly altering my life than the Euclid we did in 9th grade. Just some dumb poor kids working though worn out abridged versions of The Elements. That is what really cast the die for me. It allowed me a clear grasp of my potency for the metaphysical prejudice of our time and then led me to Goedel via mathematics / logic which lead to the dead end which opened with Heidegger.

It was weird that in that stupid school I had a math teacher who was actually a PhD, who for reasons too long to mention, worked in a no-man's land of education. I didn't realize till we had an exchange student from Turkey, who was light years beyond us in terms of education, how accomplished our teacher was and how generously he allowed some us to take from his experience.

If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have had the chance to able blow many awesome opportunities.

[Gebre Menfes Kidus]

Most important text I read and that I read continually: Being and Time by Martin Heidegger, arguably the most important work of non-fiction in the 20th century. All philosophy begins here. His entire corpus is included in my list, but you must start with B&T. No Heidegger, no Orthodoxy for me.

We briefly read some Heidegger in my Contemporary Philosophy class this last summer, and we will read some again in my Phenomenology class this spring. Maybe at some point I'll read all of Being and Time so that I can understand why this particular philosopher had such a profound impact on you. I look forward to it.

It showed me, like every other thing that mattered, was that most the questions I cared about were the wrong ones and how I gotten to those wrong questions in the first place and showed me where to begin trying to think.

Frankly, as much as Heidegger would strangle me, you can get similar results from Freud and perhaps Marx. And if you have a truly sharp mind which can span the so-called analytical to the synthetic, then Goedel can do it as well.

But I've yet to see anyone frame the problematic of metaphysics so eloquently and straightforwardly and concretely as Heidegger.

If you have the right sense of humor, neech can do it as well, but I've met maybe three people ever who did. If you ain't laughing when you read neech, you are doing it wrong. Most of the time with Heidegger as well. Maybe less of a laugh and more of a grin.

Favorites are stupid, but I will say that really in terms of impact nothing probably was more singularly altering my life than the Euclid we did in 9th grade. Just some dumb poor kids working though worn out abridged versions of The Elements. That is what really cast the die for me. It allowed me a clear grasp of my potency for the metaphysical prejudice of our time and then led me to Goedel via mathematics / logic which lead to the dead end which opened with Heidegger.

It was weird that in that stupid school I had a math teacher who was actually a PhD, who for reasons too long to mention, worked in a no-man's land of education. I didn't realize till we had an exchange student from Turkey, who was light years beyond us in terms of education, how accomplished our teacher was and how generously he allowed some us to take from his experience.

If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have had the chance to able blow many awesome opportunities.

The truest and most profound philosophy is able to be comprehended by a child. If it's too complex for the purity of a child's heart, then it ain't worth much.


Selam

[orthonorm]

Most important text I read and that I read continually: Being and Time by Martin Heidegger, arguably the most important work of non-fiction in the 20th century. All philosophy begins here. His entire corpus is included in my list, but you must start with B&T. No Heidegger, no Orthodoxy for me.

We briefly read some Heidegger in my Contemporary Philosophy class this last summer, and we will read some again in my Phenomenology class this spring. Maybe at some point I'll read all of Being and Time so that I can understand why this particular philosopher had such a profound impact on you. I look forward to it.

It showed me, like every other thing that mattered, was that most the questions I cared about were the wrong ones and how I gotten to those wrong questions in the first place and showed me where to begin trying to think.

Frankly, as much as Heidegger would strangle me, you can get similar results from Freud and perhaps Marx. And if you have a truly sharp mind which can span the so-called analytical to the synthetic, then Goedel can do it as well.

But I've yet to see anyone frame the problematic of metaphysics so eloquently and straightforwardly and concretely as Heidegger.

If you have the right sense of humor, neech can do it as well, but I've met maybe three people ever who did. If you ain't laughing when you read neech, you are doing it wrong. Most of the time with Heidegger as well. Maybe less of a laugh and more of a grin.

Favorites are stupid, but I will say that really in terms of impact nothing probably was more singularly altering my life than the Euclid we did in 9th grade. Just some dumb poor kids working though worn out abridged versions of The Elements. That is what really cast the die for me. It allowed me a clear grasp of my potency for the metaphysical prejudice of our time and then led me to Goedel via mathematics / logic which lead to the dead end which opened with Heidegger.

It was weird that in that stupid school I had a math teacher who was actually a PhD, who for reasons too long to mention, worked in a no-man's land of education. I didn't realize till we had an exchange student from Turkey, who was light years beyond us in terms of education, how accomplished our teacher was and how generously he allowed some us to take from his experience.

If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have had the chance to able blow many awesome opportunities.

The truest and most profound philosophy is able to be comprehended by a child. If it's too complex for the purity of a child's heart, then it ain't worth much.


Selam

One day we will talk about why people fetishize children, but for now I'll keep on the side of humanity that doesn't think the height of life is a drinking a juice box and eating a tater tot while defecting in their pants.

[Shiny]

The truest and most profound philosophy is able to be comprehended by a child. If it's too complex for the purity of a child's heart, then it ain't worth much.


Selam

Is that why "Mystery And Meaning: Christian Philosophy & Orthodox Meditations" is under the Children's Bestsellers list?

[Gebre Menfes Kidus]

The truest and most profound philosophy is able to be comprehended by a child. If it's too complex for the purity of a child's heart, then it ain't worth much.


Selam

Is that why "Mystery And Meaning: Christian Philosophy & Orthodox Meditations" is under the Children's Bestsellers list?

No, it didn't make it for some reason. But my children read it and understand much of it. They frequently ask me questions about various things contained in it. So if it's having a positive impact on my own children, then it was worth writing. I value their opinion more than anyone else's. 


Selam

[Gebre Menfes Kidus]

Most important text I read and that I read continually: Being and Time by Martin Heidegger, arguably the most important work of non-fiction in the 20th century. All philosophy begins here. His entire corpus is included in my list, but you must start with B&T. No Heidegger, no Orthodoxy for me.

We briefly read some Heidegger in my Contemporary Philosophy class this last summer, and we will read some again in my Phenomenology class this spring. Maybe at some point I'll read all of Being and Time so that I can understand why this particular philosopher had such a profound impact on you. I look forward to it.

It showed me, like every other thing that mattered, was that most the questions I cared about were the wrong ones and how I gotten to those wrong questions in the first place and showed me where to begin trying to think.

Frankly, as much as Heidegger would strangle me, you can get similar results from Freud and perhaps Marx. And if you have a truly sharp mind which can span the so-called analytical to the synthetic, then Goedel can do it as well.

But I've yet to see anyone frame the problematic of metaphysics so eloquently and straightforwardly and concretely as Heidegger.

If you have the right sense of humor, neech can do it as well, but I've met maybe three people ever who did. If you ain't laughing when you read neech, you are doing it wrong. Most of the time with Heidegger as well. Maybe less of a laugh and more of a grin.

Favorites are stupid, but I will say that really in terms of impact nothing probably was more singularly altering my life than the Euclid we did in 9th grade. Just some dumb poor kids working though worn out abridged versions of The Elements. That is what really cast the die for me. It allowed me a clear grasp of my potency for the metaphysical prejudice of our time and then led me to Goedel via mathematics / logic which lead to the dead end which opened with Heidegger.

It was weird that in that stupid school I had a math teacher who was actually a PhD, who for reasons too long to mention, worked in a no-man's land of education. I didn't realize till we had an exchange student from Turkey, who was light years beyond us in terms of education, how accomplished our teacher was and how generously he allowed some us to take from his experience.

If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have had the chance to able blow many awesome opportunities.

The truest and most profound philosophy is able to be comprehended by a child. If it's too complex for the purity of a child's heart, then it ain't worth much.


Selam

One day we will talk about why people fetishize children, but for now I'll keep on the side of humanity that doesn't think the height of life is a drinking a juice box and eating a tater tot while defecting in their pants.

Our Lord seems to have a higher view of children than you do.

But Jesus called the children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."  [St. Luke 18:16]


Selam

[Shiny]

The truest and most profound philosophy is able to be comprehended by a child. If it's too complex for the purity of a child's heart, then it ain't worth much.


Selam

Is that why "Mystery And Meaning: Christian Philosophy & Orthodox Meditations" is under the Children's Bestsellers list?

No, it didn't make it for some reason. But my children read it and understand much of it. They frequently ask me questions about various things contained in it. So if it's having a positive impact on my own children, then it was worth writing. I value their opinion more than anyone else's. 


Selam

You should really consider giving William Lane Craig a run for his money.

[Santagranddad]

I rumbled about the school holidays and how episodes of vandalism appeared to spiral upwards through the six week community sentence. A neighbour chided me, saying we were all children once, to which I replied, "No one is perfect". No, not even encyclonorm. Q

Treasure Island, Swallows and Amazons, the Railway Children and Lorna Doone still resonate with me. Adult favourites include T E Lawrence's, Revolt In The Desert or J F C Fuller's, The Generalship Of Alexander The Great.

[Tallitot]

so, what are your favorite Orthodox book a/o secular book?

My checkbook.

[Iconodule]

Pretty much any classic fairy tale book

Nice.

I might pick this up:
The Golden Book of Fairy Tales (Golden Classics)
http://www.amazon.com/Golden-Book-Fairy-Tales-Classics/dp/030717025X

Used to love having those Golden Books as a kid.

If you haven't already, Afanasiev's book of Russian Fairy Tales is buckets of fun.

Also, since you plan on reading a bunch of women writers, add Angela Carter to the list, especially her fairy tale versions which are beautiful.

[Cyrillic]

A Dutch translation of Cavafy's poems.

[Orthodox11]

The Conferences of St. John Cassian has to be up there somewhere.

[Papist]

The truest and most profound philosophy is able to be comprehended by a child. If it's too complex for the purity of a child's heart, then it ain't worth much.


Selam

Is that why "Mystery And Meaning: Christian Philosophy & Orthodox Meditations" is under the Children's Bestsellers list?

I have read parts of the book. There are definitely parts that are spiritually edifying. There are parts with which I disagree. Have you read it?

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