Anyone reading a new book?

[Aloka]

Has anyone got any comments about interesting new books they've been reading recently? They don't necessarily have to be about Buddhism.

[justusryans]

I am currently reading Winterlight by Kristen Britian. It's number 7 in a eight book series. The 8th one isn't out yet. Typically, it takes 2+ years to finish a novel. Very good series that I would recommend to anyone. It is called the green rider series. Definately worth reading

[philg]

'The Wheel of Time' is an upcoming American epic fantasy television series set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video, based on Robert Jordan's novels which I am reading at the moment so that the tv series isn't a spoiler. I prefer it that way round

[PhillyG]

I started reading the Dancing Jax fantasy novel series by Robin Jarvis, which I stumbled on by accident in the town hall libary. The first one I can recommend.

In the buddhist corner I started reading "Why Buddhism is true" by Robert Wright. Has anyone read it yet?

[philg]

Just started 'Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment' by Robert Wright, an evolutionary psychologist who took up meditation as a follow up to the work he had done. Will let you know if anything interesting emerges.

[philg]

Just started 'Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment' by Robert Wright, an evolutionary psychologist who took up meditation as a follow up to the work he had done. Will let you know if anything interesting emerges.

The first chapter is interesting for those who are into science and/or science fiction. He looks at the strategy of breaking through delusion in the film The Matrix. Take the blue pill and continue back to the dream world or take the red pill to see things as they really are. He goes on to say that for Buddhists suffering is the product of delusions and no matter how discomforting it is for us we should look at our own 'mental afflictions' brought on by our delusions. That's not to say that there is an alternative truth 'out there' but that knowing that we labour under delusions is important and allows us to move on.

[philg]

The book 'Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment' by Robert Wright was interesting, but as I got further it became clear that the author had had some experience of Buddhist meditation, but lacked the knowledge of Buddhism that comes with years of study and practice, so became something of an outsider explaining why Buddhism is 'true'. Maybe useful to outsiders but not so useful to those of us with a few miles under our belts.

[Aloka]

I have two books that I haven't attempted to read yet, "Esoteric Theravada" by Kate Crosby and "The Mind of Mahamudra" by Peter Alan Roberts. I knew Peter vaguely years ago when he used to translate the teachings of Tibetan lamas who visited Dharma centres in the UK. (As far as I know He now lives in the USA).

I have an unfortunate habit of buying several books at a time and then ending up only having read parts of each of them! ...I think it might be called "having a butterfly mind" !

.....

[woodscooter]

I am re-reading a book called "Save the Cat!" by Blake Snyder. It's got nothing to do with animals. It's a book about Screenwriting, and the structure of stories as told through movies.

Some years ago I browsed through a copy in a shop while waiting for a haircut, and within 10-15 minutes I became fascinated by the contents. A few days later I got a copy for myself.

The writer categorises (almost all) movies as falling into one of 10 types of story, and he offers a template of 15 steps common to (almost all) movies we see today. In re-reading this book I find it's still a very accurate analysis of the way movie stories are constructed.