sculptcha > Recent Status Updates

Yes. Just, yes.

Many bemoan her dense writing style; I think she writes well, and lucidly (if not succinctly), but it's just so MUCH to take in. I'm sticking with it because it's relevant to my interests, but some more paragraph breaks and header or two would be nice.

I don't mind that it's not exactly balanced; I've left it up to myself to seek out alternative viewpoints.

Ms. Armstrong: How about a PRE-History of God? Just sayin.

While most everything in this guide can be found in the annotations of my New Oxford and other sources, there are some insights here that I've not seen anywhere else.

I like his straightforward writing style, and I especially like his humor (and enthusiasm).

Up in Deuteronomy's guts now. Some have an easier time not reading from front to back, but alternating between old and new testament, reading by theme, or other ways.

I flag a bit through some of the prescriptive chapters, like how to worship / sacrifice, the census reports, all The Begats, etc, but just thinking about jumping around while reading gives me anxiety.

Anyway, I'm powering through okay enough.

Still at it. Obsessed, actually. I regret not reading the Bible sooner. Or should I say Bibles: I'm switching between NRSV (4th and 5th eds), the NIV, and KJV. They're all bangers in their own ways.
I just finished Leviticus. It's wild (and a little embarrassing) that these books have captivated, controlled, and constrained entire populations for so many generations. Toxic spirituality. Fun reading, though. Vibes.

Finished the "Does God Exist?" chapter. Interesting stuff. I've been informally asking myself these questions since I was a kid, but it's interesting seeing them framed and argued in such serious formats.

I took an online philosophy class in college years ago: Faith and Reason. We would have covered all this, but I dropped it before getting too far into the reading. I guess I wasn't ready.

Finished Exodus. The endless tabernacle instructions were tedious af, but still enjoying this journey. Even when (or especially because?) it reminds me of the cetology parts of Moby Dick. Delightful, tbh.

William Paley's Watchmaker argument is delightful.

Ok, things are happening now. Doll finally found and absconded with a pistol, but he was stopped as he was leaving the barracks. My son, who apparently likes a cliffhanger, wanted to stop right before we found out what became of Doll (and if the other soldiers who stopped him noticed he had a stolen gun, or if he was able to talk his way out of it, etc). We'll find out tonight.

It's slow going, but we're doing it. Son says he is "entertained by it." Okay. The word fuck figures greatly into these first ten pages, probably a main source of my son's entertainment. Nothing has really happened yet so when things do start happening it's liable to blow his face off. Anyway, still just waiting for debarkation.

Finished Genesis. Reading is taking me longer than I anticipated because I keep going back to reread large chunks. Still suspending disbelief, but allowing the stories to wash over me.

Reading with my 12yo son. I don't know if we'll finish, but we're giving it a go. Despite a slow start, *waiting* for it to get good, I am interested in continuing. I'm reading it out loud, and many of the sentences read awkwardly, but I'm gonna say it's good practice. And builds character.

Slowly inching my way through this to more fully understand all the more advanced philosophy I've pretended to grasp for decades. It's basic stuff, but it does a good job laying it all out. It's easy to digest, and a good primer. Love me some Norton.

Interesting stuff, though not especially enlightening so far. Maybe the annotated NSRV is spoiling me, but it contains most everything in this lit guide. I'm only halway through Gen though, so maybe it will come in clutch as the complex narratives progress.

Suspending my disbelief so hard right now.

Sooo much French

halfway in, i just have to hope it has a fantastic twist. it's holding my interest, but just barely. i'm on the fence between being entertained and wanting it to fucking end already. pessl's writing style is annoying, and...quaint. she wants everyone to know how clever and hip she is by the pop culture references, and instead comes across as a fucking douche.

into it so far, but the unnecessary use of italics is...unnecessary.

can you still count it reading if you DO read the words, but gloss over entire paragraphs? i mean, I pay attention to all the important stuff, but if i can only count it if i have to absorb, like, every word, and soak up every digression, i just don't know if i can pull this off.

really starting to appreciate Benito Cereno at this point. I'm on the Cetology chapter at this point, which has brought it down a star.

a fifth of the way into this monster and the Pequod has finally set sail. ahab is still being melancholy and has not yet made his appearance. still liking it, but struggling a little.

so far it's tedious, but fun. pretty much what i expected, but get to the point already Ishmael, jeez.

read so far: hamlet, othello, Romeo and Juliet, Richard ii, king Lear, macbeth, midsummer night's dream, merchant of Venice, Julius Caesar, and a handful of sonnets. shakespeare is my boyfriend.