Just another dimension?

Sunday, April 10, 2005
Recent Books part 1

I probably read more books in the month of March than in any other month this decade. Of course, this would not have been possible if I wasn't stoning in some Indian desert, so I'd like to thank SAF for providing such a golden opportunity.

Here's a list
Completed books:
- The Joy of Work: Dilbert's Guide to Finding Happiness at the Expense of Your Co-Workers by Scott Adams
- Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
- Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
- Isaac Asimov: The Complete Stories Vol. 1
- The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason
Partially read:
- Cosmos by Carl Sagan
- The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
- Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond
- Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time by Michael Shermer

First, I'd like to talk about 1984. It is the MOST DEPRESSING book I have ever read. When I read the last sentence of the book, I almost screamed out "NOOOooooo!!!". Fortunately, I have the more optimistic Asimov to counter the effects of 1984. If you have never heard of 1984, here's a description from Amazon:

"Thought Police. Big Brother. Orwellian. These words have entered our vocabulary because of George Orwell's classic dystopian novel, 1984. The story of one man's nightmare odyssey as he pursues a forbidden love affair through a world ruled by warring states and a power structure that controls not only information but also individual thought and memory, 1984 is a prophetic, haunting tale."

Anyway, the scariest part of the story is when I start realizing that we are already living in a similar world. Although not everyone will agree with me on this, I feel that 1984 is also about religion. This guy pretty much summarizes my views.
1984 as religious allegory

-- permalink --
Yiheng made 5:53 PM

0 Comments:




Categories MyLife Opinions OnTheNet Shows Miscellaneous RandomKnowledge Links My Sister S & M Jiangzheng Yiheng's Photos Shuquan's Photos Pei Yee's Photos Yun Qin's Photos #!/usr/bin/girl Archive February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 November 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009	Sunday, April 10, 2005 Recent Books part 1 I probably read more books in the month of March than in any other month this decade. Of course, this would not have been possible if I wasn't stoning in some Indian desert, so I'd like to thank SAF for providing such a golden opportunity. Here's a list Completed books: - The Joy of Work: Dilbert's Guide to Finding Happiness at the Expense of Your Co-Workers by Scott Adams - Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell - Angels and Demons by Dan Brown - Isaac Asimov: The Complete Stories Vol. 1 - The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason Partially read: - Cosmos by Carl Sagan - The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger - Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond - Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time by Michael Shermer First, I'd like to talk about 1984. It is the MOST DEPRESSING book I have ever read. When I read the last sentence of the book, I almost screamed out "NOOOooooo!!!". Fortunately, I have the more optimistic Asimov to counter the effects of 1984. If you have never heard of 1984, here's a description from Amazon: "Thought Police. Big Brother. Orwellian. These words have entered our vocabulary because of George Orwell's classic dystopian novel, 1984. The story of one man's nightmare odyssey as he pursues a forbidden love affair through a world ruled by warring states and a power structure that controls not only information but also individual thought and memory, 1984 is a prophetic, haunting tale." Anyway, the scariest part of the story is when I start realizing that we are already living in a similar world. Although not everyone will agree with me on this, I feel that 1984 is also about religion. This guy pretty much summarizes my views. 1984 as religious allegory -- permalink -- Yiheng made 5:53 PM 0 Comments: Post a Comment	Previous Posts Funny T-Shirts Malaria Pill Man Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy movie website I miss her so... Indian Brands India Again! Gnitset Rehtruf Current Read 七侠五义 Last Three Books 道德經 The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology Arthur Cotterell, Rachel Storm Momo Michael Ende Those Before 孫子兵法 Paycheck: And Other Classic Stories By Philip K. Dick Mirror Mirror: A Novel Gregory Maguire American Gods Neil Gaiman Maya 5 Fundamentals Garry Lewis, Jim Lammers Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix J. K. Rowling