Just finished q book that's been out over 10 years, but I never had a chance to read it. It's Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer. What a fine NF author Krakauer is. Reviewers have compared the book to Capote's In Cold Blood, high praise but I think justified. A good part of the book deals with two fundamentalist Mormon brothers who murder a woman and her infant daughter to fulfill certain commandments from their god. The whole book is riveting and alarming. The main LDS church disavows the fundamentalist Mormon groups that multiplied in response to the mother church's official ban on the practice of polygamy, which Joseph Smith had made the cornerstone of the faith in the 1830s. The main church has "liberalized" under great societal pressure, though it would say that the changes were made only in response to revelations received by the Prophet.

I read, Into the Wild. It was an ok read. I much prefer ocean misadventures such as, In the Heart of the Sea!

Anyway, I'm currently reading Diplomacy by Kissinger. Great read despite my preconceptions of said shithead!

President Camacho wrote:I read, Into the Wild. It was an ok read. I much prefer ocean misadventures such as, In the Heart of the Sea!

Anyway, I'm currently reading Diplomacy by Kissinger. Great read despite my preconceptions of said shithead!

I've had Into The Wild on my shelf for many years, but still haven't read it. DWill's recommendation makes me want to pick up Under the Banner of Heaven.

Camacho mentions In The Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick, which I read some time ago. It's about the whaling ship Essex, which had a tough time against a particularly belligerent whale back in 1820. The story was the inspiration for Moby Dick and I should mention that Ron Howard's movie version of In The Heart of the Sea comes out the same day as The Revenant.

I read "Into The Wild" a few years ago, It was fascinatingly odd in a tragic way, the kid, McCandless, didn't realize how close he was to being able to save his own life.

Just the other week I read "In The Heart Of The Sea", another oddly tragic tale, A few different decisions and there may well have been a much better outcome, excepting the whale tale part, that aspect was unavoidable mostly.

"Diplomacy" I read a number of years ago, I don't recall if Kissinger was an apologist for the times and people, but It was an informative read on the behind the scene aspect of diplomatic activities of the times.

I'm just finishing Paul Davies "The Mind of God" He has covered quite well both sides of the philosophical debate that happens here on booktalk. (cosmological origins/first cause)

I'm only half way through but he's anything but an apologist. He is trying to build a case, elevate certain individuals' actions, and character destroy ways of thinking without harming his own case. The lack of GREED, the lack of money motivation, skipping over American atrocities... he leaves out much because he doesn't want the ideas explored.

Jane Eyre by Jane Austen.

Runaway Jury by John Grisham

The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen. So far, much better than that other one I started.

DWill wrote:Just finished q book that's been out over 10 years, but I never had a chance to read it. It's Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer. What a fine NF author Krakauer is. Reviewers have compared the book to Capote's In Cold Blood, high praise but I think justified. A good part of the book deals with two fundamentalist Mormon brothers who murder a woman and her infant daughter to fulfill certain commandments from their god. The whole book is riveting and alarming. The main LDS church disavows the fundamentalist Mormon groups that multiplied in response to the mother church's official ban on the practice of polygamy, which Joseph Smith had made the cornerstone of the faith in the 1830s. The main church has "liberalized" under great societal pressure, though it would say that the changes were made only in response to revelations received by the Prophet.

I've also been wanting to read this for a long time. Two things:
1. Krakauer just wrote an article about how these religious views are behind the militia standoff in Oregon.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jon-kraka ... 31762.html

2. Krakauer produced a documentary based on this book called Prophet's Prey. Haven't seen it, dunno how to get it...
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/mo ... story.html

BTW his book Into Thin Air is outstanding...

Currently reading The World's Religions by Huston Smith. Very well done - easy reading for better understanding. For one, it cleared up quite a bit of confusion on the various systems of Buddhism.