The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde’s only full-length novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray” was first published in 1890 and is the classic tale of the moral decline of its title character, Dorian Gray. While Dorian has his portrait painted by Basil Hallward he is lectured to by Lord Henry Wotton, who espouses a hedonistic worldview. Dorian is drawn to Wotton’s belief that beauty and sensuality are the only things in life worth pursuing and wishes that he would stay young while his portrait changes instead. In the years that follow Dorian pursues a life of vice and debauchery, committing unspeakable acts along the way. With the passage of time, Dorian’s wish comes true, as his age and withering moral character are reflected in his portrait instead of himself. “The Picture of Dorian Gray” is arguably one of Wilde’s most popular works, which caused quite a scandal in Victorian England when it was first published, for its glorification of decadence. A chilling tale, “The Picture of Dorian Gray” is at once both an intricate character study and a sharp criticism of the improprieties of the Victorian age.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Very dark and philosophical. Wilde is so descriptive of the setting that you can become lost in it.

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This is quite a disturbing book.  I did not know what the book was about when I began reading it.  Wilde's description of Dorian Gray as observed by Basil is so sensual, I was sure that the book was going to be about some gay attraction in Victorian England.  As I read farther, I realized the centrality of Dorian Gray's physical perfection to the plot.

It was easy to become lost in the setting of the book.  Wilde painted clearly the context at every turn.  The color of each flower.  The sound of each particular insect.  The tint of the reflection off of windows given the hour of the day.  I do not believe I have ever read a book with such attention to detail.  This symbolism becomes evident only after reaching deep into the story.

Though Wilde's tale was written in Victorian England, his work could have been penned today by King or Koontz with the same characters.  We as a global society are so consumed with beauty that the worth of the soul (the person) has become secondary.  I encourage everyone to read this book and take an in-depth look inside themselves.  What counts?  Would you sacrifice your soul for physical perfection?

Learning to Speak God from Scratch

As America rapidly becomes a pluralistic, postmodern society, many of us struggle to talk about faith. We can no longer assume our friends understand words such as grace or gospel. Others, like lost and sin, have become so negative they are nearly conversation-enders.

Jonathan Merritt knows this frustration well. After Jonathan moved from the Bible Belt to New York City, he discovered that whenever conversations turned to spirituality, the words he'd used for decades didn't connect with listeners anymore. In a search for answers and understanding, Jonathan uncovered a spiritual crisis affecting tens of millions.

In this groundbreaking book, one of America's premier religion writers revives ancient expressions through cultural commentary, vulnerable personal narratives, and surprising biblical insights. Both provocative and liberating, Learning to Speak God from Scratch will breathe new life into your spiritual conversations and lure you into the embrace of the God who inhabits them.

I encountered this book in an odd location for me to find reading material.  Listening to the Bad Christian podcast, they had Jonathan Merritt on discussing this book.  I was very intrigued by the discussion and the topic of the book.  Planning on launching a church focused on outreach to people who are not familiar with church, this book seemed a must read.

Merritt does a fantastic job writing an engaging book about a topic that one would assume is a snooze fest.  In one chapter I actually found myself weeping.  Those who are familiar with church lingo are lost in speaking to those who are not.  Isn't it the job of the church to reach out to those who are not in the church?  To share the good news?  This book explains quite clearly to those in the church that the words that we are used to using are no longer useful.  We must learn to speak God anew.

The Ape that Understood the Universe

The Ape that Understood the Universe is the story of the strangest animal in the world: the human animal. It opens with a question: How would an alien scientist view our species? What would it make of our sex differences, our sexual behavior, our child-rearing patterns, our moral codes, our religions, languages, and science? The book tackles these issues by drawing on ideas from two major schools of thought: evolutionary psychology and cultural evolutionary theory. The guiding assumption is that humans are animals, and that like all animals, we evolved to pass on our genes. At some point, however, we also evolved the capacity for culture - and from that moment, culture began evolving in its own right. This transformed us from a mere ape into an ape capable of reshaping the planet, traveling to other worlds, and understanding the vast universe of which were but a tiny, fleeting fragment.

I was very excited to read this book given the title and the excellent reviews that I had read.  The first chapter did not disappoint.  The second chapter, likewise, was an enjoyable read.  Beginning in the third chapter, it seems that Stewart-Williams lost the premise of the book and focussed on human sexual development more than other aspects.  The imagined alien became solely interested in sex.  There is so much more to the human animal than sex, but Stewart-Williams did not address those attributes.

A German Officer in Occupied Paris

Ernst Jünger was one of twentieth-century Germany’s most important—and most controversial—writers. Decorated for bravery in World War I and the author of the acclaimed memoir from the western front, Storm of Steel, he frankly depicted the war’s horrors even as he extolled its glories. As a Wehrmacht captain during the Second World War, Jünger faithfully kept a journal in occupied Paris and continued to write on the eastern front and in Germany until its defeat—writings that are of major historical and literary significance.

Jünger’s Paris journals document his Francophile excitement, romantic affairs, and fascination with botany and entomology, alongside mystical and religious ruminations and trenchant observations on the occupation and the politics of collaboration. Working as a mail censor, he led the privileged life of an officer, encountering artists such as Céline, Cocteau, Braque, and Picasso. His notes from the Caucasus depict chaos and misery after the defeat at Stalingrad, as well as candid comments about the atrocities on the eastern front. Returning to Paris, Jünger observed resistance and was peripherally involved in the 1944 conspiracy to assassinate Hitler. After fleeing France, he reunited with his family as Germany’s capitulation approached. Both participant and commentator, close to the horrors of history but often hovering above them, Jünger turned his life and experiences into a work of art. These wartime journals appear here in English for the first time, giving us fresh insight into the quandaries of the twentieth century from the keen pen of a paradoxical observer.

Ernst Jünger (1895–1998) was a major figure in twentieth-century German literature and intellectual life. He was a young leader of right-wing nationalism in the Weimar Republic, but although the Nazis tried to court him, Jünger steadfastly kept his distance from their politics. Among his works is On the Marble Cliffs, a rare anti-Nazi novel written under the Third Reich.

I had never before heard of Junger.  The book is mostly a collection of his journals over his stationing as an officer in Paris.  Given that, it reads like a diary.  Since I was not aware of Junger before reading, the book did not engage me.  Reading the journal of someone I don't know isn't interesting.  What was very interesting was his view as a German officer in the war.

I do not believe that Junger was a Nazi, but a German.  Many times in his journals it was clear that he did not support the fascist ideals. Knowing that he had burned many of his letters, he was likely cautious with what he recorded in his journals.

This book is an academic collection and is an excellent resource for history students an researchers.  For entertainment reading, I cannot recommend.

The Razor

Description
J. Barton Mitchell's The Razor is a riveting science fiction thriller about a man struggling to survive the chaos on a prison planet.

Brilliant engineer Marcus Flynn has been sentenced to 11-H37 alongside the galaxy’s most dangerous criminals. A hard labor prison planet better known as the Razor, where life expectancy is short and all roads are dead ends.

At least until the Lost Prophet goes active…

In a few hours, prison guards and staff are evacuated, the prisoners are left to die, and dark mysteries begin to surface.

Only Flynn has the skills and knowledge to unravel them, but he will have to rely on the most unlikely of allies--killers, assassins, pirates and smugglers. If they can survive each other they just might survive the Razor…and claim it for their own.

It has been some time since I've read or reviewed any sci-fi/fantasy books.  This was a welcoming reintroduction to the genre.  Mitchell did a great job with the world he created and remained consistent with it.  As a scientist, his setting impressed me and I kept waiting for him to err. So many authors do.

J. Baron Mitchell is new to me.  I looked on Amazon and saw that he is a prolific writer.  The Razor is not his first rodeo and it shows in his plot and character development.  Some aspects were predictable but much of it was surprising.

I don't want to say too much in the review to reveal anything that would be a spoiler.  What I will say is I can highly recommend this book.  Buy it as soon as it is available.