Jonatan’s Comments (group member since Feb 04, 2025)

Jonatan’s comments from the Pewdiepie Book Review 2025 group.

Just one more month, might as well post this one too :)

Happy December! For this final month I choose to read The Stranger by Albert Camus. I've read two other of Camus' books and and none of them stood out, but maybe this one will (because I keep seeing it in people's bookshelves all the time).

Happy November!

For what it's worth, I found Siddhartha to be a way easier read than most - if not all - of the previous books. It's short and the storyline is simple to follow. It seems to be able to reach deep into philosophical topics without using unnecessarily complicated language. I quite like it.

Well, I really liked the chapter with the worshipping of the donkey at the end!

Happy October! I don't know how many of us there are still left, but I'm starting to read Thus Spoke Zarathustra today. My goal is, well, to finish it.

Happy September! I'm gonna read The Road by Cormac McCarthy this month.

Forgot to confirm here that I finished SoA. It was a good read, though I have a feeling that the dramatization took the upper hand, rather than staying true to the original material. Still, a really nice book.

Going out on a limb here, but I'm gonna read The Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller, which was recommended to me, this month. It's a modern retelling of the Iliad. Let me know if anyone else reads it too.

Finished it! Found some thought-provoking parts here and there, but it wasn't my most enjoyable read this far. Fingers crossed you guys enjoyed it more! And if you did, it'd be nice to hear you specify what you liked.

Ended up reading Educated for June. What a read. It's an incredible story, highly recommend it.

Happy June! I haven't yet decided, but for this month my options are: The Social Construction of What? by Ian Hacking; A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking; or maybe Educated by Tara Westover. It'll be fun regardless!

Finished it yesterday night. I hesitate to say I found it a bit tedious. This is quite embarrassing since I tend to like what I've learned about stoicism thus far. But maybe I was unlucky with the format - I ended up dealing with scanned pages split into four separate pdf files, which was a hassle.

That being said, like Juna, I picked up on the way divinity is described. It's quite interesting. I had my timeline offset by quite a bit and didn't realize this until I saw that Mr Epictetus died in the year 135 (not B.C.). But I do feel like when the stoic philosopher uses, let's call it, the language of Christianity, it is not done so in a preachy way. Rather as a cultural backdrop of sorts. Actually, this fascinates me further!

I just finished my book for March. "The War of the Worlds" by H. G. Wells. Admittedly something of an easier (and shorter) read. But it was cool. Some of the stuff was dated, but that's understandable - it was written in 1897. All in all, the first half or so was entertaining. Then it got a tiny bit slow. Wells writes in a particular way, preferring long explanations of landscapes and thought patterns rather than blazing high-paced action. I'm still fascinated by the fact that the doorway to the alien space vessel opens up like unscrewing the lid to a jam jar... I ain't ever gonna forget that!

A very good idea! I'm curious to hear what books people choose, and I imagine a high potential for active discussions. (Gosh darnit, April already? Time sure flies!) As for my choice for March, I'll read "The War of the Worlds" by H. G. Wells. It's been on my to-read for too long. Should be fun.

Lumi wrote: "Having reached the chapter “Deepening One’s Perspective on the World” I can’t help but wonder about the core teaching in Buddhism. The cessation of suffering. Why is this the goal? Though I am awar..."

Lumi, thanks for sharing. Your point is quite interesting.

When I consider your words, my mind goes like this: 1) All living beings will suffer. 2) Buddhism wants people to suffer less. 3) Buddhism doesn't want people to not live, but at least to not focus too much on the senses and pleasure, since that will tie their well-being to constant positive input, which isn't sustainable in the long run. 4) By honing that skill, people will suffer less BUT 5) this also means that the ones who follow buddhism in a way has let their aversion for/fear of suffering dictate the way they live their lives. Is that really total freedom? Wouldn't it be better to work with acceptance?

Well, that seemed smarter in my mind then it did when I wrote it down! I don't really think I managed to poke a logical hole into the teachings, and that was not my intention either. But whatever, it was fun to think about.

Alfie wrote: "Jonatan wrote: "I would like to hear other's opinions on 1,2(1) "The Dart of Painful Feeling". My own reading of it would be something like... As you avoid pain, also avoid pleasure. What do you th..."

Thanks for the video recomendation Alfie. And also thanks Joseph Goodman for the explanation.

William wrote: "I’m finding the book a bit difficult to follow. Or at least, I am not getting the messages so far. I am currently in Chapter 2, Part 3, and it appears that the same thing (which I am struggling to ..."

I have similar feelings! This is definitely a harder read overall as compared to Tao Te Ching. I want to take the time to stay and analyze every single part (for example I was curious about putting together a chat group on another platform to discuss more), but since I have to finish it before the end of February I can't really allow myself to do so. A challenge for sure.

I would like to hear other's opinions on 1,2(1) "The Dart of Painful Feeling". My own reading of it would be something like... As you avoid pain, also avoid pleasure. What do you think?

Finished reading Tao Te Ching on January 30th.

A bit hard to approach in general. It made me wonder right from the start, well, how do I read this? Ended up doing it semi-systematically, reading one page, scribbling down what came to mind on a post-it note and placed it on the page, then went on to the next one.

My opinion is that the most important stuff could be summarized into: (1) Be humble. (2) Don't underestimate small and weak things. (3) Act in harmony with the world, rather than trying to change it. Something like that. But it's my first experience with taoist thoughts and I'm sure I am still missing out on a lot. I could definitely see myself returning to this book in the future though. Surely it becomes more relevant the more you age, I think.