The Te of Piglet, by Benjamin Hoff

More discussion of Taoist principles using Winnie-the-Pooh characters. And again, I found it interesting and once again my reading habits seemed to be at odds with how the book "should" be read. But I rather enjoyed it.

Maya, by Jostein Gaarder

Summary: The book focuses on the adventures of a biologist who recently lost his daughter and split up with his wife. A Spanish couple who often spout random aphorisms also features prominantly. I think the philosophy is more important than the story in this book.

Comments: Wow, I'm not sure what's fact and what's fiction in the universe of the story. And the book prompted some ...interesting reflections on the universe and humankind who-knows-what-all. Still, I enjoyed it when I wasn't going "wait, what" or being unable to think at all. And it definately reminds me of the other Gaarder books I've read.

The Tao of Pooh, by Benjamin Hoff

A discourse on Taoism as found in the Winnie the Pooh books. I probably would've gotten more out of this book if I'd been reading it some time other than when I was about to fall asleep. heh. Still, it's a good book, interesting, and a logical world view. I'm not sure what else to say.

Tao Te Ching, translation by Ch'u Ta-kao

Description: A collection of sayings of Lao Tzu. Often puzzling and apprently contradictory.

Comments: I think if I was to read it again, I'd choose a version that has commentary, ie explains what things the various puzzling statements actually mean. Because, oftentimes, the meaning of what he said eluded me.

Claws and Effect, by Rita Mae Brown

Summary: A guy is killed in the basement of a hospital, and Harry and her animals are determined to figure out whodunnit.

Response: Woot, mystery! Yay! Not much to say other than that it's as good as the other books in the series.

Jesus: What He Really Said and Did, by Stephen Mitchell

I think the title of this book pretty much summarizes it. It's a really quick read. And I found it interesting to find a description of Jesus not colored by the usual propoganda sources of New Testament times.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Pirsig

Summary: While on a motorcycle trip across the country with his son, the narrator reflects on the philosohpical musings of his previous self.

Reaction: I can't help but think of that line from a song, "Nobody knows the trouble I've seen." Maybe trouble isn't relevant to my life at the moment, but it does seem to be the case that nobody knows what my experience is. This book is written on a far deeper level than people tend to experience on a day-to-day basis. And that's why it took me so long to read it: I needed to find the time to actually absorb it, to understand what it just said and how that fit with what it said previously so I'd have a foundation for the rest of the book. And I think that's what must be done with this book: one must take the time to reflect on what it says whether this has any applications in ones own life. This isn't a book that one reads simply for the sake of reading it. Overall, I really enjoyed this book but I wish I'd been able to finish it over a shorter period of time.

Why I read this book: We read an excerpt of it in philosophy class ~4 years ago now, and it intrigued me and I was interested in reading the rest of the book and then for whatever reason I didn't (didn't have time, forgot about it, etc.), and then last summer one of my friends happened to mention it and I was like "Oh yeah, I was planning to read that, wasn't I?" and then I didn't (did I ever mention how bloody many other books I collected to read last summer?) and then a conversation finals week with the same friend about a different book reminded me and after that I finally found a copy (mostly because I went to the library within about an hour of recalling an interest in reading this book)