What are you currently reading?

[Matto]

I just read an essay by Schopenhauer called "On Women" and thought it was very interesting and makes one think. I don't know anything at all about Schopenhauer. I just saw a youtube video about the essay and decided to read it. I plan on reading some of the other essays in this collection to see how the man thinks. "On Suicide" seems intriguing.

https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/s/schopenhauer/arthur/essays/chapter5.html

[jovan66102]

A day or two ago I finished, 'Liberalism is a Sin' by Don Felix Sarda y Salvany, and now I'm reading 'The Liberal Illusion' by Louis Veuillot, translated by His Lordship, Bishop Richard Williamson.

[Matto]

"On Suicide" seems intriguing.

So I read it. He tried to justify suicide basically so the essay was pretty evil. I don't think I will read the rest of his essays.

[jovan66102]

I've also started reading Msgr Robert Hugh Benson's 'Dawn of All', his 'mirror image' of 'Lord of the World'. It's a fascinating book

[Mono no aware]

I don't think I will read the rest of his essays.

You should at least read "On Noise."  Not that this matters, but it is one of my favorites.  His biography is almost as interesting as his philosophy, and I think he was a remarkable human being, as evidenced by the things that irritated him.  Also, because you remarked on your blog that veganism is something that intrigues you (even though you are not "numbered among the vegans"), you might like this post on a philosophy blog, which actually seems to be the only post on that person's blog, which I guess I can kind of respect.  It's called "Schopenhauer, animal rights, and anti-Semitism."  A fine choice of subject matter.

[Carleendiane]

Pon...off topic, I know. But...look at your forehead. Not knowing quite how to broach this subject, I'm just gonna dive in. It's too big, Pon. That's the thing. Everything about it is stern. Please, reconsider your appearance, I know that there must be a more appropriate avatar for you. Just tellin you cuz.....I care. I like you.

[Carleendiane]

Wait a minute rabbit! Have I already broached this delicate subject with you, Pon. If I repeat myself, please forgive me.

[Mono no aware]

Thank you, Carleen.  I appreciate your concern.  But if there is any person's picture that adequately sums up how I look at the world, it is this one.  Indeed it is stern.  That gaze of the aging Verlaine is an unmitigated gaze of annoyance and disappointment in all things, a scowl at the great let-down of life.  Bald on the top, hirsute on the chin.  He likely hadn't showered for weeks.  That is a picture of a person who looks like he despises the very laughter of children, because it trespasses on his absinthe-soaked daydreams.

[Fleur-de-Lys]

I just finished Michel Houellebecq's Soumission (Submission). I read it in French. It is available in English, but I can't speak to the quality of the translation.

From Wikipedia:

The novel, a political satire, imagines a situation in which a Muslim party upholding traditionalist and patriarchal values is able to win the 2022 presidential election in France with the support of the Socialist Party. The book drew an unusual amount of attention because, by a macabre coincidence, it was released on the day of the Charlie Hebdo shooting.

It was hilarious in its insightfulness. I could have done without the graphic descriptions of some sexual acts, but to be fair, they were not salacious or gratuitous. They were meant to show how jaded the protagonist had become and how ultimately unsatisfying the modern hedonistic lifestyle is. And I'm not sure the author could have made his point so effectively without them. With that one caveat, I highly recommend the book.

[Carleendiane]

Thank you, Carleen.  I appreciate your concern.  But if there is any person's picture that adequately sums up how I look at the world, it is this one.  Indeed it is stern.  That gaze of the aging Verlaine is an unmitigated gaze of annoyance and disappointment in all things, a scowl at the great let-down of life.  Bald on the top, hirsute on the chin.  He likely hadn't showered for weeks.  That is a picture of a person who looks like he despises the very laughter of children, because it trespasses on his absinthe-soaked daydreams.

OH. Yes. Pon.

[jovan66102]

I just finished Michel Houellebecq's Soumission (Submission). I read it in French. It is available in English, but I can't speak to the quality of the translation.

My French is abysmal, but I'd love to read it in English. I just grabbed a free sample chapter on Kindle. I look forward to reading it. When I get a bit of extra $$ I'll buy the book.

[red solo cup]

Thank you, Carleen.  I appreciate your concern.  But if there is any person's picture that adequately sums up how I look at the world, it is this one.  Indeed it is stern.  That gaze of the aging Verlaine is an unmitigated gaze of annoyance and disappointment in all things, a scowl at the great let-down of life.  Bald on the top, hirsute on the chin.  He likely hadn't showered for weeks.  That is a picture of a person who looks like he despises the very laughter of children, because it trespasses on his absinthe-soaked daydreams.

OH. Yes. Pon.

Whatever you do don't mention Sufjan Stevens.

[Prayerful]

Jeremy Armstrong, Early Roman Warfare, also a version of Blaise Pascal's Pensées.

[Matto]

You should at least read "On Noise."  Not that this matters, but it is one of my favorites.
. . .
Also, because you remarked on your blog that veganism is something that intrigues you (even though you are not "numbered among the vegans"),

I read the essay and blog post you recommended. I liked the essay. From the ten pages or so of Schopenhauer I have read I think he is a remarkable man (I liked "On Suicide" also but I just thought it was dangerous). About vegans, I respect vegans, and think Catholics should imitate them somewhat in how they eat. I mean, I think there is a great beauty in eating nothing but potatoes or nothing but bread, and not wanting to be responsible for animal suffering. I have an essay about veganism I am working on which you may like because you told me you enjoyed my musings on food and my strange eating habits (my bowl of rice and lentils).

[Christina_S]

Stroke of Insight by Dr Jill Bolte Taylor. It's a neuroscientist's personal experience of having a stroke and the recovery afterwards.