Advent To Candlemas Reading Competition (2013-2014)

[TheresaThoma]

Yeah I think it will be.
Another question can we count the evening prayer/daily readings from Give Us This Day? Because I have been using/reading that.

[BG45]

Hope I'm not too late to the party, but so far:

1 Samuel

2 Samuel

1 Kings

2 Kings

 

(Sorry to have no page count handy for them)

 

The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose,  336 pages

Dark Creed (Word Bearers, Warhammer 40k), by Anthony Reynolds, 416 pages

 

 

Unlikely Disciple was something I picked up only reluctantly given the premise of an atheist at Liberty University undercover for a semester.  I anticipated it being far more cranky than it was, but rather it helped me see that I was judging him based off of similar premises in the past by atheists who were not as fair handed about everything as Roose, who he even gives Jerry Falwell an even handed treatment.  

[AnneLine]

Reading is reading, in my book.  (If you can read while you pray, fantastic!)

 

Noted that you are claiming St. F's diary as a challenge; and noted, Carter, that you are claiming the Final Exam Reading Credit!

 

 

AND I'm adding to my list (thanks for the reminder TheresaT!) that I am committing to Morning and Evening Prayer AND Office of Readings and Night prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours....will check what those page counts were on the Summer Reading Thread and update when next I update.   AND I am chunking my way through Out of the Silent Planet... still find it hard to follow, but doing better with it.... getting more interested in where it is going....

 

ABSOLUTELY we are happy to welcome you back BG!!!!  Yes, you can count the scriptures; if you don't give me page numbers, I'll use the ones in my own bible.  :)

 

Interesting pheedback on the books you've read.

I LOVE it when people give a brief synopsis of the book and/or pheedback on the books... makes me decide if I wanna put them on my OWN list....

 

 

 

 

[AnneLine]

HEY... what do you all think?  Should BG (who is one of those grad student TEACHING ASSISTANTS!) be allowed to claim the FINAL EXAM READING CREDIT?  Because, it strikes me... he will LITERALLY be doing final exam reading.....!!!!!

 

Thoughts from the students?

[ChristinaTherese]

HEY... what do you all think?  Should BG (who is one of those grad student TEACHING ASSISTANTS!) be allowed to claim the FINAL EXAM READING CREDIT?  Because, it strikes me... he will LITERALLY be doing final exam reading.....!!!!!

 

Thoughts from the students?

Well, he'll be reading final exams.... I don't see why not.

[BG45]

Thanks all :)  In that case...150 x 8 for the Finals.

 

And since you like Feedback... 

1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings...surprisingly good for Old Testament.  Normally I struggle with the OT, but not with them.  2 Kings...took me far longer than it should have.  Kept picking up my Bible, reading a chapter, doing something else, picking it up again, because pretty much only the names changed.  While it's a great analogy to our own fall into sin and failures of God by sinning again and again, you just can't help but eventually go "oh come on, He just smited you for this for the past ten Kings!  Learn already!"

 

Dark Creed was the last of a trilogy which cast the protagonists as Chaos Space Marines in Warhammer 40k, worshipers of dark gods.  I really never got into the trilogy, I could never root for the guys who were using twisted faith, massive human sacrifices, and the summoning of demonic entities into the physical realm.  I always found myself cheering for those who were being slaughtered by them, hoping against hope that they'd survive.  Spoiler:  Nigh miraculous intervention by an ancient race towards the end of this book makes sure that a handful of the heroic defenders do see another day.

[Deus te Amat]

An Earthly Crown -- Kate Elliot -- 515

His Conquering Sword -- Kate Elliot -- 496

The Law of Becoming -- Kate Elliot -- 752

Edited December 12, 2013 by Deus_te_Amat

[AnneLine]

BG, I think that makes sense... they wrote 'em, you gotta read 'em.... (and we think final exams are OVER!)

 

BG will get to claim 150 students x 8 pages for the Finals: 

 

Reading of BG's Final Exams:   1200 pages  Yowie!

 

Did I get that count right????? Goood grief!

[Deus te Amat]

Hey now, does that mean all the reading I have to do for work counts!? Let's not go overboard here.

[AnneLine]

Hm... DTA....

 

Well... if you are reading for your job, maybe.....   BG's  a college teacher... and he's reading exams!

 

I think we let people read training manuals last time for a new job....

 

You just need to document the stuff.....

 

But I'll take a consensus for the group.....   or we can give him the 200 page 'reading credit' for exam week if that seems more apropos...

 

I'm not a tyrant... really!

Edited December 12, 2013 by AnneLine

[AnneLine]

Tell us about this Kate Elliot person, DTA... you are reading a lot of her stuff!

[ChristinaTherese]

A Tintin book: The Shooting Star (62)

[Ancilla Domini]

A Tintin book: The Shooting Star (62)

 

Cilla takes out all of her "Tintin" and "Asterix the Gaul" books. This gives me a couple of thousand pages. Does that count? :hehe2:

[AnneLine]

Yes, if you read them between now and Feb 2 at midnight!   what ARE these books????  I am getting curious!

[Ancilla Domini]

Yes, if you read them between now and Feb 2 at midnight!   what ARE these books????  I am getting curious!

 

Well, AnneLine, I was joking, because those are both comic books. :hehe2:

 

Tintin is about a Belgian Journalist/Detective, written in the 60's, I think.

 

Asterix the Gaul is about a Gallic warrior during the time of Julius Caesar, also written in the 60's.

 

They're both pretty brilliant, but I prefer Asterix the Gaul. (I haven't read either in a pretty long time, because I don't really read comic books, but they make some fun in-bed-with-a-nightlight reading, when you're brain needs a break. :))

[AnneLine]

We had people who read comic books for the Summer thread!  :)

 

See... and this is the old literacy tutor coming out in me, guys.... what we were told to do when running something like this, say in a school or something... is to take the stand that reading ANYTHING is reading!  Because... what you want people to do to get excited about reading!   And for a lot of people, especially kids, reading a good comic book will LEAD to finding a parallel book-book to read.  Or if you get a kid interested in a teen idol magazine, they might move on to a bio of a rock or movie star.  OK, yeah, it isn't great literature... but it is a BOOK.  AND pretty soon they figure out that there are interesting THINGS in books!

 

I remember VERY WELL being fascinated by nuns when I was just a new Catholic at 10.  They were still wearing habits, and they looked like interesting creatures!   So... when I found a book by my mother's bed with a picture of a beautiful nun, in full habit!, on the cover, I got really curious.  I could read the title, "The Nun's Story".  Hmmmm.  So... I decided to give it a try.  Yes, I was in 5th grade, guys.   And I probably did NOT understand the whole book... but I had read my very first book... probably in about 4 or 5 weeks.  And while I might go back to kids books for fun, suddenly I realized that ALL THOSE ADULT BOOKS were available.  :eek:

 

:bible: :bible: :bible: :bible: :bible:

 

So... yeah, I know that I sound like I'm being silly with allowing almost anything to count... but there is sense to my madness.  I think. 

 

AND... this coming weekend, I'll start posting how many pages people have read... and who is in 1st, 2nd & 3rd place.   And you guys better be reading.... and get your numbers in by say..... midday on Saturday if you want me to count 'em in the update, ok?

 

 

NOw I better get back to my CS Lewis, or I'll NEVER get any reading done!!!!

[Deus te Amat]

Oh, I was mostly joking about the finals reading credit. I read to recover from work, the reading for which mainly just involves trying to figure out what I am supposed to be fixing, over and over. I would rather be reading for finals.

 

 

Tell us about this Kate Elliot person, DTA... you are reading a lot of her stuff!

 

I got the whole series as a black friday deal on Kindle. She's a good writer but a bunch of it was morally awkward. I wouldn't recommend it, per say, but if you skip the weird parts, it's a really interesting story.

[TheresaThoma]

Ok quick update for me

Book of Ruth

The Lamb's Supper 174 pages

 

On a side note I am now done with finals so I can start reading a bit more. I just got an excellent book on Mary it is called Walking with Mary by Edward Sri. He was the speaker at our Advent by Candlelight thing this evening and was wonderful so I bought his books AND he signed them!

[xTrishaxLynnx]

I'm about to attempt one solid hour of reading before I have to work. Lately I've only had time to read just before going to sleep and I've made it no more than 20-30 minutes before I can't keep my eyes open. heh

[AnneLine]

Tricia, I totally get that!   I've been slogging away at Out of the Silent Planet just before falling asleep... which is when/where I do MOST of my recreational reading (had the INSPIRED idea a few years back of making my bed with a nice book INSIDE the covers, so when I open them up, the book is waiting for me -- helps a lot when my husband is off WORKING at those hours!!!! :( -- and it is so much fun to curl up with it and relax and just flip off the light when the time comes.

 

BUT... it isn't working with Out of the Silent Planet.  I think because I can't keep the characters and the 'translation' straight... and I have ended up with some REALLY ODD dreams!    So... moved it to a different time and place now, and making much better progress... might have THAT part of my challenge books finished over the weekend!!!!  YAAAAAAY!

 

TT, that sounds fascinating, the book you got that was signed.  Great Advent book!!!!!    Is 'The Book of Ruth' the Bible one, or another book?  Do you want to give me a page count, or will you take the pagination from my own bible?