Bucket list reading

[Richard Turner]

If you feel you are standing on (or within sight of) the metaphorical bucket, you begin to wonder what you ought to read before kicking it away. On the hoary old BBC radio programme "Desert Island Discs" the castaway was always provided with a copy of the bible and a complete Shakespeare. I realised that, like most people, I had a very limited knowledge of both, so last year decided I would set myself the task of reading them from start to finish. As an atheist, the bible was a particular challenge, but the King James bible in particular had a huge effect on the sensibilities of our ancestors so I began at verse one of Genesis. I got far enough into the old testament to become totally confused about who begat whom and who smote whom. That project has been shelved, but I have now read most of Shakespeare's history plays in the order in which he wrote them. The early ones are hard work, but now I'm at Henry V it's become a pleasure.

I will probably need to live a fair few years more to even contemplate more books I ought to read, but would be interested to hear any suggestions!

 

[Patricia D]

If you feel you are standing on (or within sight of) the metaphorical bucket, you begin to wonder what you ought to read before kicking it away. On the hoary old BBC radio programme "Desert Island Discs" the castaway was always provided with a copy of the bible and a complete Shakespeare. I realised that, like most people, I had a very limited knowledge of both, so last year decided I would set myself the task of reading them from start to finish. As an atheist, the bible was a particular challenge, but the King James bible in particular had a huge effect on the sensibilities of our ancestors so I began at verse one of Genesis. I got far enough into the old testament to become totally confused about who begat whom and who smote whom. That project has been shelved, but I have now read most of Shakespeare's history plays in the order in which he wrote them. The early ones are hard work, but now I'm at Henry V it's become a pleasure.

I will probably need to live a fair few years more to even contemplate more books I ought to read, but would be interested to hear any suggestions!

Your begatting and smoting confusion brings back memories. I was required to take a religion course in college. A study of the bible seemed like a good idea for someone who'd never read it. The professor had a southern accent, and I was from the north. I understood maybe one name in three. Elijah? Elisha? Alicia?

 

[Madeleine Conway]

I think the book(s) that I would press into your hands would be Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles. She was a terrific writer, although arguably a little too ornate and messing with the readers' heads in her approach. But once you are hooked, it is a life-long passion. I enjoyed her Niccolo series too, but I haven't re-read it over and over as I have done the Lymond books. Game of Kings, Queen's Play, Disorderly Knights, Pawn in Frankincense, Ringed Castle, Checkmate...there is a motif...but if you don't like/get chess, it doesn't matter. Amazing levels of knowledge and wit and excitement.

 

[Marc Joan]

The Revolt of Aphrodite [Tunc/Nunquam] by Laurence Durrell is worth perusing.

 

[AgentPete]

Hmm, works on par with the Bible and Shakespeare... no easy matter, and inevitably highly arbitrary. There are plenty of “great books” lists on the net, but they often seem dry and obligatory, not fresh and inspirational.

I would probably look to an entirely different culture. Stephen Bachelor has translated some interesting Buddhist texts, and has the advantage of being a Buddhist atheist. He’s very accessible.

 

[Bluma Bezbroda]

I managed to read the whole Bible thanks to my childish stubbornness (I was an early teen). Years later I discovered that it was basically wasted effort- these kind of thing gain a completely different dimension when accompanied by a commentary from a specialist. Nowadays there are Yale lecture series on Youtube, one of them about the historic reading of the Bible- a real eye-opener for me. Books by Simon Shama are invaluable in that respect as well (they deal mostly with Old Testament).

I would recommend Dante's Divine Comedy. One of the most beautiful spiritual books I have ever read. Again, proper commentary is indispensable- some of the medieval concepts are hard to grasp for us today.