Martien Halvorson-Taylor weaves a tale that spans thousands of years, using what we know about the ancient history of the Near East to piece together Martien Halvorson-Taylor weaves a tale that spans thousands of years, using what we know about the ancient history of the Near East to piece together the who's, how's, and why's of the texts we call the Old Testament. The stories make sense when you step back and look at them through a historical lens, and I've been looking for a lecture that covered it this way for quite some time.
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Her love of the history of the Old Testament is evident in the way she explains the stories behind the stories in the Bible. You can tell she's very aware that she is dealing with a religious text that means a great deal to people around the world and is respectful of that, while still giving a secular lecture about the origins of the scriptures.
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She not only goes into the history of the Bible but also goes into the history of the scholars throughout the ages who have tried to figure out the origins of the stories in the Bible. For example, the Documentary Hypothesis is something that anyone who has looked into this subject will have heard a lot about, and she does an excellent job explaining what it is, how it came about, and why it is generally thought of as flawed in some ways.
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The little oddities in translation that gave us stories like Joseph's coat of many colors, instead of a long-sleeved tunic, is just one of the ways that the text has changed and morphed and become something for new generations of readers. Regardless of how it came to be, it has become part of our own lore and new authors have taken the core story and made it into something present-day people find recognizable and perhaps relatable.
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I was particularly interested in the origins of the Septuagint, having just listened to a lecture on ancient Egypt. I didn't realize that it was so different from the Masoretic Text that is (mostly) used in English translations of the Christian Bible. Very cool.
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I found the parts about King Josiah far more interesting than I originally anticipated. The idea that the written word was possibly considered sketchy at first was a new concept to me. The prophet Jeremiah seems to be saying that perhaps the word of God should not be written down but only spoken through prophets like himself. This might have been a reflection of a turning point when the oral traditions were starting to become written traditions. Jeremiah 8:8 New Revised Standard Version How can you say, “We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us,” when, in fact, the false pen of the scribes has made it into a lie?
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It's a fascinating lecture on a misunderstood and sometimes maligned ancient text. Check it out....more
When the hot new curate is found dead, Mrs. Bloxby's husband is the #1 suspect. Ever the good friend, Agatha decides to clear the vicar's name. <--evenWhen the hot new curate is found dead, Mrs. Bloxby's husband is the #1 suspect. Ever the good friend, Agatha decides to clear the vicar's name. <--even though he pretty much can't stand her Still. This is for her bestie, Bloxby.
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Unfortunately, Agatha is still missing James. And Charles. Hell, she misses Roy enough to ask him down for a visit. It's frustrating to see her still spinning her wheels looking to men as her main source of comfort. But I'm guessing that's also part of the reason I love her. She's a hot mess of nowhere near the right amount of self-esteem. And then I remember that I'm still checking my weight every day as though that were some kind of sign of mental health and body acceptance. Ugh. Rock on, Aggie. We've all got problems.
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I did enjoy the mystery this time around. Especially as the body count started piling up. And I loved that the police chief (or whatever they're called across the pond) suggested she might want to go ahead and get her private detective's license.
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Also, is the mystery writer John Armitage really out of Agatha's life? I guess I'll find out soon enough. Recommended for Raisinets....more
This was just an awesome dramatized adaptation of the first Murderbot book.
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I'm listening to them willy-nilly as they come in from library holdsThis was just an awesome dramatized adaptation of the first Murderbot book.
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I'm listening to them willy-nilly as they come in from library holds (see postscript before you freak out), and have actually listened to the graphic audio version of Network Effect, which is the adaptation of the full-length Murderbot novel. For whatever reason, and I'm sure a lot of people will say that it's because these work better as short stories, I preferred this to that one.
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If you're a fan, these are so much fun. Unnecessary, but fun. Recommended.
PS - I'm listening to the audiobooks in the correct order for those of you whose OCD can't take the idea of just grabbing random books in a series!...more
Oh, Agatha. I have mixed feelings about this book. Maybe that's how I'm supposed to feel, though?
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The shock of those first few pages! (view spoileOh, Agatha. I have mixed feelings about this book. Maybe that's how I'm supposed to feel, though?
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The shock of those first few pages! (view spoiler)[The book opens abruptly with the announcement that Charles Fraith ran off and got married to some French beauty half his age. WHAT?!
And Agatha is still pining over James Lacey. <--that's fair. as he did leave her to join a monastery in France at the end of the last book. So, of course, Agatha takes a trip to parts unknown in order to not have to deal with living across from his cottage.
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While abroad, she makes friends with a family on holiday AND sees a couple on their honeymoon that strikes her as...odd. She later learns (from the woman she made friends with) that the man killed his young bride for money. Back at home, she sees another couple that reminds her of the ill-fated couple from her trip. So when the bride-to-be is found floating in the river in her wedding dress after a major flood, Agatha takes up the case.
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She also meets her new handsome neighbor, who happens to be a famous mystery writer. Ooooh. Ok, Aggie. Cool, cool, cool. But (and here's the part where I have mixed feelings) she starts fantasizing again about this man as something that he hasn't shown himself to be yet, AND dreaming of their relationship being the thing that makes James regret leaving her. She also completely disregards all the good advice from her friend, Mrs. Bloxby, the vicar's wife. And perhaps that's what I have such a hard time with?
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Because of course she's going to secretly pine for James, and of course she's going to fantasize about her hot new neighbor, and of course she wants James to rue the day he left her. We all do that sort of thing, right? It's more that she angrily dismisses Mrs. Bloxby as someone who couldn't possibly understand, and then proceeds to plunge headlong into one embarrassing encounter after another.
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There's a really good chance that I keep reading these to see if Agatha ever decides to grow up. But for whatever reason, I am going to keep reading them. Recommended for Raisinets. <--we are calling ourselves this now, btw...more
I was sort of surprised to find out that this one takes place beforeNetwork Effect (The Murderbot Diaries, #5), making this a prequel of sorts. And while it was a oh! that's different! in a good way sort of surprise, I was a tad let down that I wasn't getting an ART and Murderbot adventure.
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Alright, so this one shows what happened right after MB decided to hang around on Preservation Station after the end Exit Strategy (The Murderbot Diaries, #4). It should be a peaceful kind of life for them from here on out, but humans are going to human, so naturally, one of the damn things turns up dead. And not from natural causes.
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So this is the story of Murderbot solving a murder. And of course, he's got to win the trust of the human security officers who don't trust our SecUnit not to start rampaging all over the place.
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As far as the mystery goes, there were enough clues sprinkled in to let me guess whodunnit, but the why remained a mystery for me till the big reveal at the end.
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Overall, another fun installment. Recommended!...more
This one might be my favorite yet, as the culmination of the will-they-won't-they relationship between Agatha & JGood riddance to James Lacey.
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This one might be my favorite yet, as the culmination of the will-they-won't-they relationship between Agatha & James finally gets resolved. If you've been reading along so far, you know that he unromantically proposed marriage to her in the last book and she said yes. Well, be careful what you wish for, Agatha. Because marriage to a cold fish isn't all it's cracked up to be for a woman who has been used to her independence. Especially when your spouse decides that you need to change everything about yourself. Clothes too tarty, makeup too heavy, heels too high, smoking too disgusting, and god forbid she wants to take a job!
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Not for nothing, but this one takes some WEIRD turns. <--even for an Agatha Raisin book! Very early in the story, James(view spoiler)[ gets diagnosed with a brain tumor, doesn't tell Agatha, and then (hide spoiler)]proceeds to cheat on her with the new chick in town. After being confronted by Agatha and lying about it, the reader sees him stumble around injured and then leave the country on a friend's yacht. Meanwhile, Agatha and Charles are left to discover the body of his ex-lover.
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Agatha refuses to consider that James might have done it, and she and Charles set out to clear both Agatha and James' names in the murder. It's a wild story that ends with the two of them in a monastery in France. That's all I'll say about that.
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As someone who has been frustrated by the storyline for quite some time now, this is the book I had been waiting for. Recommended for Raisinets....more
I have to say that I thought the author was trying to put James forward as some kind of romantic hero Ok, Beaton. I see what you're doing now.
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I have to say that I thought the author was trying to put James forward as some kind of romantic hero this entire time, and it was kind of pissing me off. But. At the end of this, I get what she's trying to say. He's an asshole. He's narcissistic, cold, and only wants Agatha because she's so full of life that she makes his life more interesting. There's no effort made to woo her, wow her, or make her feel special. He's that guy who shows up on your doorstep at 9 pm because he's got nothing better to do on a Tuesday night. And all of her friends can see it. Which is what makes the ending of this book tolerable.
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As for the mystery? Well, this time around Agatha has taken a vacation to the town of Fryfam, maybe finds fairies in her backyard, runs across a few dead bodies, and solves the case with the help of Charles Fraith. Speaking of... I'm really starting to enjoy Charles! I wasn't sure how I felt about him at first because he's your classic wastrel. But he's at least an honest booty call who genuinely likes Agatha and doesn't want to change her into something she's not.
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I'm pretty excited for the next book, to be honest. I think it's going to be a complete trainwreck and I can't wait to see how everything resolves itself! Recommended for fans....more
I've already reviewed the actual audiobook, so this is just a review for the dramatization. I listened to this directly after, and have to say it does I've already reviewed the actual audiobook, so this is just a review for the dramatization. I listened to this directly after, and have to say it does a good job of capturing the book. As always, I think these should be used as companion pieces for fans, not as replacements for the books, because they are edited versions.
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Sci-fi is one of the genres that really lends itself to these graphic novelizations. Beep-beep, boop-boop! Pew, pew! <--etc. I mean, while it is cool to hear tea cups clinking and doors shutting in period pieces, walking through a field of grass and having a firefight with laser guns is like comparing apples and chicken wings.
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Graphic Audio's tagline is A Movie in Your Mind and I think that's a fair assessment. If you like to listen to books in your spare time, these are well worth your while. Recommended...more
DNF 13% I might come back to this but I doubt it. I wanted something that gave me facts- or as close to facts as we have at the moment. You know, what aDNF 13% I might come back to this but I doubt it. I wanted something that gave me facts- or as close to facts as we have at the moment. You know, what archeologists have found over the years and when, and what do we know about Akhenaten and Nefertiti's reign? What's the best guess about this famous ancient couple? How do other Egyptologists think it all went down and how does that differ (if at all) from what you think?
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But the authors seem to be trying their hands at giving the reader a bit of historical fiction and have inserted storyline "scenes". The one that stuck out to me was the queen getting pregnant by her god-husband. What? You obviously know that nothing that happened in said scene is based in reality and it's just a way to engage the reader and put them in ancient Egypt, but I find this kind of thing annoying. I just want to learn something and you're dragging it out with some sort of might-have-been fairytale. Blech....more
Did you know James & Deborah Howe didn't write Bunnicula? Sure, their names are on the title, but the manuscript was actually dropped off at their doorDid you know James & Deborah Howe didn't write Bunnicula? Sure, their names are on the title, but the manuscript was actually dropped off at their door by the story's narrator, Harold the dog.<--it was a lot easier to get away with this back in 1979
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In his own words, Harold describes what happened to the Monroe house after a fluffy baby bunny appeared in their home. The tale mainly revolves around his long-time feline friend, Chester, who endeavors to prove that Bunnicula is a vampire while being thwarted by fate at every turn. Chester spirals. As cats do when they don't get their way.
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Alright. The skinny gist is that Chester is SURE this baby bunny is a vampire. <--and to be fair, he probably is! But if his greatest crime is sucking the juice out of veggies, the cat probably needs to calm the fuck down. Now, I don't know how many of you have cat overlords at home, but I'm speaking from experience when I say that telling them they need to straighten up and stop acting crazy just isn't an option. And Harold knows this. So how is he going to save his human family, save Chester's sanity, and maybe even save a tiny vampire bunny?
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I won't spoil the ending for you, but it's cute.
Ok, this was adorable and stands the test of time. As in, you can read it to your kids and not have to scrape your tongue afterward to get that horrible children's book taste out of your mouth. Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about.
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Highly Recommended.
PS - I listened to the audiobook version with Victor Garber as the narrator, and it was fantastic....more
Excellent second book in The Expanse series. James Holden and his crew are back, still out in the stars trying to do a little good. And along with them,Excellent second book in The Expanse series. James Holden and his crew are back, still out in the stars trying to do a little good. And along with them, some new faces step into the spotlight.
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Bobbie Draper is a marine from Mars who is the only survivor of what looks to be more of the freaky alien thingamabob from the first book. Because of this, she ends up as a pawn by her superiors, thrown into shark-infested political waters without knowing how to swim, and has to learn a whole new skill set. She needs to figure out how to not only survive but how to make a difference.
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Chrisjen Avasarala is a big muckety-muck politician from Earth. I loved her. She's ruthlessly cunning and willing to underhand things to get shit done. But if you scrape the layer of ice off the top, she has a soft & gooey center. She's my favorite character by far and I want to be her when I grow up.
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And these aren't the only new additions. There is also Prax Meng, botanist on Ganymede, whose young immunocompromised daughter has been taken off-world by the very doctor he trusted to keep her alive. The planet he calls home is collapsing because the alien protomolecule is spreading, but he refuses to give up, determined to search the universe to find her. All he needs to do is find a crew willing to risk everything for one little girl.
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There's no point in trying to explain the plot because this is one of those books that is dense with realistically flawed characters, intense political machinations, high-stakes action, and a cameo at the end that will knock your socks off.
I thought I knew what had happened very early in the story, and by the 50% mark, I was sure I knew whoThe writing wasn't bad but the plot wasn't good.
I thought I knew what had happened very early in the story, and by the 50% mark, I was sure I knew whodunnit. The answer was just glaringly obvious and the only thing left was to sort out the details. And that's a loooooong time to wait around on scraps.
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There are 4 POVs in the story. The 3 siblings and then the voice of their now-deceased mother. The backstory is that the whole family was basically shattered when their father up and left for no discernable reason, never to be heard from again. The children don't have good relationships with each other as adults and were apparently not even close when they were younger. Michael left their small town to become a successful tech entrepreneur, and both of his sisters are jealous of him. Beth stayed, got a job at the factory, has a grown daughter she's not close with, and took care of her mother until her dying breath. Meanwhile, Nicole became a drug addict and wrecked her life. She and Beth have a strained relationship due to the whole crazy addict shenanigans.
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Ok. While going through their mom's things, they find an old VHS tape and pop it in. Their mother was one of those who always had that giant camcorder on her shoulder, recording everything. But on this evening, she forgot to press stop and ended up recording her husband frantically telling her they had to get rid of the body of their neighbor's little girl, who had gone missing earlier that day from the town fair-thing. Aaaaand away we go!
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Except not really. Because once you get to know the characters just a little bit, the motivations just click (or in this case, clunk) into place. (view spoiler)[ You can see very early on from the children's memories that they had two loving parents. Laura, their mother, also tells about how she was married to the love of her life, and her memories of him are consistent with a loving husband and father. Of course, the mistrust over getting rid of the little girl's body eats at her because he keeps saying that she's better off not knowing why they had to do it. In her memories, he doesn't seem to take any pleasure in getting her to help him, it's just something that he needed her help with. Ok. So I'm betting a lot of you (like me) have already guessed what was going on just from that little bit. Because what would cause a normally good person to hide a child's murder, lie to their best friends, and cause untold grief that will cascade down over the years? My immediate thought was that (view spoiler)[a parent would do almost anything to protect their children, and one of his must have somehow been involved in the girl's death. Now it's just down to which one. Then Michael tells his sisters that the reason he never came back was because he and his father were at odds with each other and their mother told him to stay away. That's why he was just sending her money, instead of helping Beth take care of her. Yeah. Ok. Why does a mother tell her kid to never come back? Because they've done something so horrible you can't look at them anymore. So yeah, it's Michael. And not for nothing, but in the audiobook Michael just sounds like an unlikeable snarky narcissist. (hide spoiler)] The author tried to toss out a red herring, but it didn't even remotely make any real sense. Did Beth's high school boyfriend kill his little sister? (view spoiler)[No. Because if so, Beth's father wouldn't have frantically tried to hide the fact. It's not his kid! (hide spoiler)](hide spoiler)]
We eventually find out that the little girl was not the only person to go missing around that time. And piece by slow piece, the story of what happened is revealed.
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The bottom line is that the mystery wasn't a mystery. So what you're left with is a story about a bunch of sad, fucked up people spinning their wheels and whining about their shitty lives. Recommended for fans of family drama....more
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