Turning to a more profound book, I read The Sabbath: Its Meaning for Modern Man by Abraham Joshua Heschel. This is reportedly one of the more accessable works by the most influential Jewish scholar of the 20th Century. He is one of the few Jewish writers to be widely read by all denominations of Judaism, as well within Christianity. He is also know as a civil rights advocate, marching along side Martin Luther King, Jr., in the protest march at Selma, Alabama where he said " I felt my legs were praying."
The book describes how the Sabbath can bring peace, joy, and even a glimsp of heaven. I posted some excerpts on the main blog. Some of it was incredibly deep and moving, the author is brilliant; some of it was a bit too far fetched. It was a nice change from frivolous fiction. I give it a 7 out of 10.
Ah, the momentus and eagerly awaited Harry Potter 5: The Order of the Phoenix is done. I was doubtful J.K. Rowling could continue to produce the same level of creative, well written stories after so much success, but I was pleasently suprised. You get into Harry's pschye a bit more - he develops quite a temper, a touch of self-righteousness, a trend toward self-pity, and some misunderstood hormones. He seems a typical teenager. And even when you thought you knew all there was to know about the wizarding world, J.K. comes up with even more wierd stuff at Hogwarts and the Minsitry of Magic. Although the book is long, there is a good pace and the last hundred pages of the thrilling climax fly by. Overall an 8 out of 10.
My most recent read was Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. It is the Aurthurian legend, told through the prespective of women. It pits the old religion of the druids against the new christianity, duty vs. passion, men vs. women. In the end, christianity, duty, and men win. Since the story is told mainly by Morgaine, a female, priestess of avalon, who loves who she cannot have, it is a pretty depressing story. It is also very long. Overall I rate it 7 out of 10.