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How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news. Isaiah 52:7
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Essay: Art Is The Process of Destruction
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Book: A Reader's Treasury
The spires of the St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest cathedral in this country, soars over the centuries old French Quarter and Jackson Square in my hometown, New Orleans. Like Rome, if one would understand New Orleans history, one must take a journey to New Orleans someday. But if one would like to understand New Orleans culture, one must set down roots and live there for the rest of their lives. That is one of my ongoing “Journeys into Understanding” as the subtitle of “A Reader's Journey” says, so I have designed this webpage to give you some visual hints of this journey of mine.
Why another webpage for “A Reader's Journal, Vol. 2”? one might ask. There is already a full chronological list of the reviews that I wrote after I published ARJ Vol. 1 in book form. The reason is to give new readers of ARJ2 a chance to read the reviews by Category. The categories are the Chapter Headings listed at the top of this page.
It is not always practical to acquire books of every author that one is interested in, so I offer these reviews to you, dear Reader, for your reading enjoyment and edification. Through reading these reviews you will be able to accompany me on my journey into understanding — only know this: that your journey will be different than mine because it will be your unique journey into understanding or at least a journey that you and I have taken together. As Orson Scott Card says in his book, Ender's Game in the Introduction:
[page xxv] The story of Ender's Game is not this book, though it has that title emblazoned on it. The story is one that you and I will construct together in your memory. If the story means anything to you at all, then when you remember it afterward, think of it, not as something I created, but rather as something that we made together.Readers in countries around the world have acquired bound copies of ARJ 1. The reviews that followed the publication of ARJ 1 were posted immediately to the Internet and will remain available in chronological order [newest to oldest] there, with new reviews being added each month. In addition, reviews are being written and posted to A Reader's Treasury, which when completed will contain over 860 reviews of books that I have previously read some 15 to 30 years ago. These books stem from a time before I began writing reviews of books directly I completed them. And, of course, there are the approximately 400 reviews of ARJ 1 that are now posted for reading on-line.
Readers Comments
To Keep Up-to-date on Latest ARJ2 and ART Reviews, Click Here. (Send pre-filled email.) Not sure you want to subscribe without reading it first? No problem — we've accommodated you by placing the archived Digests on-line. Click Here.
Volume 2
A Reader's Journal — Journeys into Understanding
One of the joys being a writer is receiving praise from readers, especially praise that describes one's writing pointedly such as that which filled this email from Sandy Sellers from Ontario, Canada. For his perspicacious critique of my work, we made him an Honored Reader for February 2003. Here's an excerpt from that email in which he talks about my reviews.
Dear Bobby,
I've been visiting your website the last few days and reading your reviews. I am suitably cautioned by what you said in your review of The Closing of the American Mind by Allan Bloom: “a reading of original texts allows one to form a vital understanding of issues that a reading of shallow rehashes of such texts does not."Your work, of course, could never be considered a “shallow rehash”: it is of a different genre entirely, and seemingly all your own. It has a freshness and honesty born of the entry of your person into the essays. Kind of a "integrating participatory syntopic" style if I had to attach labels.
It is a privilege and inspiration to witness and read these reviews-- outward and visible signs of what I daresay is an intimate spiritual practice. The reviews are simultaneously original creations and simulacrums of the original works. Borrowing upon your metaphor of books, [Books are Lighthouses Erected in the Sea of Time] I sometimes see the collected reviews as providing one mariner's chart of the lighthouses that have been left for us by the authors past and present.
While grazing through the website, I am struck by the extra care you have brought to the presentation of each review. I am thinking of the animation of the Burning Bush, the stained windows of the Gospel writers, the awesome chart on the Two Jesus's with the review of Steiner's St. Luke, and the like. Such things speak to me of a reverence you have for the work and the reader: it all adds a quality of warmth to this all-too-cold Internet.
– Sandy Sellers of Ontario, Canada (2003)These words came from the author of Blowing Zen:
Bobby, someone forwarded your excellent book review of Blowing Zen. I can't say I've ever seen a more comprehensive and detailed report on any book. You know, when you have to send in an outline of the book to an agent or an editor it often seems more difficult than the actual writing of the book. I would have been well pleased with what you came up with. -- Ray Brooks, California (2003)These next two emails came from the author of Lewis Creek Lost and Found and Bright Colors, Falsely Seen:
Dear Bobby,
Man, oh man, these reviews just keep getting better and better! Thanks for the Christian Mystery review. I loved hearing you give new meaning to "Good Mountain Review"; I'll think of that mountain of books--and mounting knowledge--from now on.
--- Kevin Dann of Woodstock, Vermont (2003)A few days later when Kevin got his photo posted in the author's slot at top left of two of his books I've reviewed, I wrote to him with the Subject line: "See Kevin Smile." He wrote back:
Bobby,
Smiling I was when I went to your newly illustrated reviews--not from the photo, but your jaunty reviews. I reread them and found myself getting re-interested in these subjects which had become old news. . .
Thanks for the smiles!
KevinReceived this from a good reader in New Orleans:
Here's a comment from a good Reader about my first ever movie review, Beavis and Butthead Do America:Bobby,
Just finished reading your review of Steiner's The Christian Mystery. It was fabulous. I want to read the book myself now but think I really grasped a lot from your review. Thank you for this one and all your reviews.
--- Jean Watts of New Orleans, Louisiana (2003)I was wondering where you were going with this --- the Mr. Magoo perception is the first idea that allows B&B to make any acceptable sense. But, I must admit, I had no idea that the point you were going to make would be so short, so sweet, and so alien to the nature of the subject! Good point!
Carol Golden, Florida (1997)
IMPORTANT NOTES:
If you read a review by Clicking on a Book in One of the Chapters below and wish to RETURN to the Chapter you were reading from, you MUST Click on the BACK Button of your Browser. [This is different from ARJ1, ART, and the Chronological ARJ2 pages on which when you click the book cover of the review you're reading when done with it, you go to the next review in line.]
Reviews will be sorted within a Chapter: first by Author's Last Name, then by Title.
ARJ, Vol. 2, TABLE OF CONTENTS
~^~^~^ Quantum Reality ^~^~^~
Author ( First Name Last Name) Full Title of Book Reviewed Edelglass, Stephen The Physics of Human Experience ; Edelglass, Stephen and Georg Maier, Hans Gebert, John Davy The Marriage of Sense and Thought — Imaginative Participation in Science Pylkkänen, Paavo Mind, Matter, and the Implicate Order Rosenblum, Bruce and Fred Kuttner Quantum Enigma — Physics Encounters Consciousness
~^~^~^ Psychotherapy ^~^~^~
Author ( First Name Last Name) Full Title of Book Reviewed Abel, Alan How To Thrive on Rejection Farrelly, Frank and Jeff Brandsma Provocative Therapy Folensbee, Rowland W. The Neuroscience of Psychological Therapies Freud, Sigmund Dora: An Analysis of a Case of Hysteria Happé, Francesca Autism — An Introduction to Psychological Theory Hayman, Ronald A Life of Jung - A Biography Hesse, Hermann Demian — The Story of a Youth Kast, Verena Joy, Inspiration, and Hope Layard, John The Lady of the Hare — A Study of the Healing Power of Dreams Lazarus, Richard S. and Bernice N. Passion & Reason — Making Sense of Our Emotions Meier, C. A. The Unconscious in its Empirical Manifestations, Vol I of Psychology of C. G. Jung Sacks, Oliver The Mind's Eye Watzlawick, Paul The Situation Is Hopeless, But Not Serious Williams, Donna Nobody Nowhere
After reading a review of a Rudolf Steiner book, if you wish to read the entire text, it may be on-line, available for download at no charge in the Rudolf Steiner Archive.
Click to Enter Archive.
~^~^~^ Reading for Enjoyment ^~^~^~
Author ( First Name Last Name) Full Title of Book Reviewed Auel, Jean M. The Land of Painted Caves — Sixth Novel in Earth's Children Series Auster, Paul The Book of Illusions — A Novel Bailey, John The Lost German Slave Girl — The Extraordinary True Story of Sally Miller and Her Fight for Freedom in Old New Orleans Bradley, John Ed It Never Rains in Tiger Stadium Brady, Patricia A Being So Gentle — The Frontier Love Story of Rachel & Andrew Jackson Banana Yoshimoto NP — A Novel Bellow, Saul Humboldt's Gift — A Novel Budhos, Marina The Professor of Light — A Novel Bullit, Richard The Sufi Fiddle — A Novel Caponegro, Mary The Star Café and other stories Capp, Al My Well Balanced Life on a Wooden Leg — Memoir of Al Capp Carr, Bob Raising Our Children on Bourbon — A French Quarter Love Affair Carrière, Jean-Claude Please, Mr. Einstein — A Novel Chopin, Kate The Awakening — An 1899 Novel Conrad, Joseph The Rover — A Novel Cook, Elizabeth Achilles — A Novel Cussler , Clive Flood Tide: A Novel — Volume 4 of Dirk Pitt Adventures Coupland, Douglas Girlfriend in a Coma — A Novel Dana, Richard Henry, Jr. Two Years Before the Mast — A Novel Dann, Kevin Expect Great Things — The Life and Search of Henry David Thoreau Dann, Kevin The Road to Walden — 12 Life Lessons from a Sojourn to Thoreau's Cabin Davidson, Robyn Desert Places — A Woman's Odyssey with the Wanderers of the Indian Desert deGravelles, Charles N. Billy Cannon — A Long, Long Run Deresiewicz, William A Jane Austen Education — How Six Novels Taught Me about Love, Friendship, and the Things That Really Matter Davis, Wade Shadows in the Sun — Travels to Landscapes of Spirit and Desire Dibdin , Michael And Then You Die — An Aurelio Zen Mystery di Lampedusa , Guiseppe GUEST REVIEW by William D. Reeves: The Leopard — A Homage Dillard, Annie An American Childhood Dillard, Annie For the Time Being Dillard, Annie Holy the Firm Dillard, Annie Pilgrim at Tinker Creek Dillard, Annie Teaching a Stone to Talk Dillard, Annie The Living — A Novel Dillard, Annie The Maytrees — A Novel Doerr, Anthony All the Light We Cannot See — A Novel Doyle, Arthur Conan The Hound of the Baskervilles — A Novel Dufresne, John Louisiana Power & Light — A Novel Essex, Karen Stealing Athena — A Novel Feynman, Richard The Meaning of It All — Thoughts of a Citizen-Scientist [3 1963 Lectures] Fforde, Jasper The Eyre Affair — Thursday Next Novel No. 1 Fforde, Jasper Lost in a Good Book — Thursday Next Novel No. 2 Fforde, Jasper The Well of Lost Plots — Thursday Next Novel No. 3 Fforde, Jasper Something Rotten — Thursday Next Novel No. 4 Fforde, Jasper First Among Sequels — Thursday Next Novel No. 5 Fforde, Jasper One of Our Thursdays is Missing — Thursday Next Novel No. 6 Fforde, Jasper The Woman Who Died A Lot — A Thursday Next Novel, No. 7 Fforde, Jasper The Last Dragonslayer — Volume 1 of Chronicles of Kazam Fforde, Jasper The Song of the Quarkbeast — Volume 2 of Chronicles of Kazam Fforde, Jasper The Eye of Zoltar — Volume 3 of Chronicles of Kazam< Flammang, James M. etal Cars of the Fabulous '50s — A Decade of High Style and Good Times Forster, E. M. A Room With a View — A Novel Golding, William The Double Tongue Goodrich, Dan Mercury Champagne — A Novel Geudj, Denis The Parrot's Theorem — A Novel Harman, William James Come What May — A Novel Harman, William James An Affair in Berlin — A Novella Harman, William James Conscience Under Fire — A Novel Hart, Moss ACT ONE — An Autobiography Helprin, Mark Winter's Tale — A Novel Hemingway, Ernest Under Kilimanjaro James, Henry The Spoils of Poynton — A Novel James, Henry The Turn of the Screw — A Story Johnson, Bud The Perfect Season — LSU's Magic Year — 1958 Jones, Diana Wynne Dark Lord of Derkholm — A Novel Keller, Anna Belle Terre Acadie — The Story of One Family of the Acadian Diaspora Kundera, Milan Ignorance Kurson, Robert Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made the First Journey to the Moon Larsson, Stieg The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest — A Novel Lawson, Robert The Fabulous Flight of Peter and Gus Leighton, Ralph Tuva or Bust! The Last Journey of Richard Feynman Lish, Gordon Arcade or How to Write a Novel Loikas, Vesa Photographs 1986 — 2010 Lish, Gordon Epigraph — A Novel MacDonald, Hector The Mind Game — A Novel Malamud, Bernard God's Grace — A Novel Martel, Yann Life of Pi — A Novel Matherne, Beverly Lamothe-Cadillac, His Early Life in France Linked Prose Poems in French and English Matherne, Bobby The Mr. Magoo Duo of the Nineties Mayle, Peter French lessons — Adventures with knife, fork, and corkscrew Merrill, Ellen C. Germans of Louisiana Morrell, Roberta D’Oyly Carte — The Inside Story Morris, Heather The Tattooist of Auschwitz — A Novel Mosse, Kate The Winter Ghosts — A Novel Mowat, Farley Aftermath — Travels in a Post-War World> Mowat, Farley Lost in the Barrens — A Novel Mueller, Lisel Alive Together — New and Selected Poems Mulisch, Harry The Discovery of Heaven — A Novel Munthe, Axel The Story of San Michele Murdoch, Iris Something Special — A Story Newhart, Bob I Shouldn't Really Be Doing This! Nesbø, Jo The Leopard — A Novel, 2 of 4 Nesbø, Jo The Phantom — A Novel, 3 of 4 Nesbø, Jo The Police — A Novel, 4 of 4 Nesbø, Jo The Snowman — A Novel, 1 of 4 Nesbø, Jo The Thirst — A Novel, 1 of 5 Newman, Paul and A. E. Hotchner Shameless Exploitation In Pursuit of the Common Good Newman, Stanley with Mark Lasswell Cruciverbalism — Crossword Fanatics Guide to Life in the Grid O'Leary, Paul Intoxicated by Life — A Memoir of a Dysfunctional Irish-American Family Paterniti, Michael Driving Mr. Albert, — A Trip Across America with Einstein's Brain Pilkey, Dav The Adventures of Captain Underpants Pushkin, Alexander Eugene Onegin, — A Novel in Verse Raine, Barry Where the River Bends, — A Novel Remarque, Erich Maria Zeit zu Leben und Zeit zu Sterben, — A Novel (In English, Time to Live, Time to Die) Rilke, Rainer Maria Sonnets To Orpheus Roth, Philip The Humbling — A Novel Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter Book, Audio Tape, Movie Sacks, Oliver A Leg to Stand On — A Neurography Sacks, Oliver On the Move — A Life Sacks, Oliver Gratitude Saint-Exupéry, Antoine Night Flight — A Novel Saint-Exupéry, Antoine Southern Mail — A Nove Saint-Exupéry, Antoine Wind, Sand, and Stars — A Novel Sanders, Stephen etal Echoes From Other Worlds — An Anthology of Fiction in Two Parts Sanders, Stephen etal Raising Black Flags — Original Poetry By and About Pirates Schiff, Stacy Antoine Saint-Exupéry — A Biography Sendker, Jan-Philipp The Art of Hearing Heartbeats Slama, Norbert The Memoir of Norbert Slama Szuter, Eric Unconditional Surrender — Message to Abdullah, A Novel Thoreau, Henry David A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers Thoreau, Henry David The Journal of Thoreau — Volume 1 from 1837 to 1847 Thoreau, Henry David The Journal of Thoreau — Volume 2 1850 to September 1851 Thoreau, Henry David The Journal of Thoreau — Volume 3 September 1851 to April 1852 Thoreau, Henry David The Journal of Thoreau — Volume 4 May 1852 to February 1853 Thoreau, Henry David The Journal of Thoreau — Volume 5 March 1853 to November 1853 Thoreau, Henry David The Journal of Thoreau — Volume 6 December 1853 to August 1854 Thoreau, Henry David The Journal of Thoreau — Volume 7 September 1854 to October 1855 Thoreau, Henry David The Journal of Thoreau — Volume 8 November 1855 to August 1856 Thoreau, Henry David The Journal of Thoreau — Volume 9 August 1856 to August 1857 Thoreau, Henry David The Journal of Thoreau — Volume 10 August 1857 to June 1858 Thoreau, Henry David The Journal of Thoreau — Volume 11 July 1858 to February 1859 Thoreau, Henry David The Journal of Thoreau — Volume 12 March 1859 to November 1859 Thoreau, Henry David The Journal of Thoreau — Volume 13 December 1859 to July 1860 Thoreau, Henry David The Journal of Thoreau — Volume 14 August 1860 to November 1861 Turner, Dan Friendly Invasion — A Novel Twain, Mark Joan of Arc — Personal Recollections by Sieur Louis de Conte Wagner, Robert J. Pieces of My Heart — A Life (Written with Scott Eyman) Waller, Robert James A Thousand Country Roads — An Epilogue to 'The Bridges of Madison County' Waugh, Evelyn Scoop — A Novel Waugh, Evelyn The Loved One — A Novel Weir, Andy The Martian — A Novel Wright, Camron The Rent Collector — A Novel
These books are all about going on. All the way. To our common destination. To which none of us wants to go ignorant and alone. Hence, into the dark, we write.
Nancy Mairs in Voice Lessons
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