Theos-Talk Archives (December 2002 Message tt00245)

I have only recently rediscovered the joy of books. When I was a child I
had special permission from school library to check out more than one book.
Back then, I hid out between the covers of books.

In the marines, I had little time for anything other than official documents
and publications.

Now I am reading again. I like to snoop around old book shops. The feel
and smell of well-worn books takes me back. These days, rather than hiding
out in books, I am reading to take on new ideas and challenge old ones.

Currently reading: Philosopher's Quest by Irwin Edman, Way to Wisdom by
Karl Jaspers, & The Wheel of Time by Carlos Castenadas.
I am thinking about Jaspers a good bit. He was the subject of my college
philosophy professor's thesis. Dr. Walters means a great deal to me and I
still keep in touch with him even after 25 years. I did a directed study
way back then, and it is surprising to me how at home I feel with Jasper's
material. I have looked on line for a discussion group. Found only 1 and
it is quite dead. I am considering starting one.

Bill
----- Original Message -----
From: "kpauljohnson" <kpauljohnson@yahoo.com>
To: <theos-talk@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, December 06, 2002 4:08 PM
Subject: Theos-World What do you read and why?


> Hello,
>
> Stranded without power yesterday, I did a lot of reading but also
> thinking about books read recently. It used to bother me when I read
> only a couple of books in a month, rather than 3 or 4, but on
> reflection I realized that I average about 800 pages per month and
> how many books is mostly a function of how long they are. Moreover,
> I realized that there is a pretty consistent pattern to what I read,
> a pattern that was not consciously chosen. Still, reading whatever I
> feel like reading next tends to break down consistently:
> one book on North Carolina, usually history, sometimes environmental
> or travel books, sometimes fiction, but always with the intention of
> deepening my understanding and appreciation of the immediate world
> around me. (Currently reading a history of the Civil War in coastal
> NC.) One book with a specifically American focus, often social
> science, biography, current events, history. (Just finished The
> Emerging Democratic Majority, an analysis of voting patterns over the
> last four decades.) One that is international or abstract, either
> travel, religion, philosophy, science, but something that transcends
> national or local interest.
>
> The book of international interest this month was one that readers of
> HPB might find of value. It's called Travels with a Tangerine by Tim
> Mackintosh-Smith. The author, a Briton transplanted to Yemen for
> many years, follows the route of Ibn Battutah, a 14th-century world
> traveler whose exploits far exceeded Marco Polo's. He was from
> Tangier, hence the title. The author starts there, and follows his
> historical mentor to Egypt, Syria, Oman, Turkey, and the Crimea.
> Since many of the places visited were also in HPB's travel itinerary,
> anyone who has wondered what those places are like now will find it
> of interest.
>
> Sometimes I get the impression that no one here is interested in
> reading anything other than Theosophy books over and over, but that
> can't be right. I'm curious as to what other reading interests
> anyone may care to reveal.
>
> Paul
>
>
>
>
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>
>