8,000km on a train - what to read?

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Abd_Yesua_alMasih

Abd_Yesua_alMasih

Puritan Board Junior
Okay so I will be sitting in a train covering 8,000 kilometers or so over roughish terrain and difficult wintery weather (most of it).

So the challenge - what am I to read?

What makes the challenge harder? Overtly Christian books are banned! No Christian theology, no Puritians, no Reformed literature.

Suggestions? What books have got you really involved, are edifying or just interesting and you would recommend to me?

Anything goes really. It could have been written 1,000 years ago or brought out last month.
 
A really good book I got out a year ago that is definitely one of my favorites, is a collection of George Orwell's essays. Here is the link : [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Essays-Everymans-Library-Classics-Contemporary/dp/0375415033/ref=pd_bbs_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1223462873&sr=8-10]Amazon.com: Essays (Everyman's Library Classics & Contemporary Classics): George Orwell: Books[/ame]

He's one of those writers that can keep your attention no matter what subject he's writing about! He writes on political and social issues, but also has a lot of misc. essays spanning from how to prepare the perfect cup of coffee to why he loves to live in England. These essays are great reading.

Too bad that no Christian books are allowed though. :(
 
Must look at it but I have had a distaste for Orwell's work since having to study it in my first year of university :) I might have to get over it. Will look at how political it is, that might have to go out the window as well :rolleyes:
 
Count of Monte Cristo? Engaging and about 900 pages, as I recall... There's always War and Peace.
 
kvanlaan said:
Count of Monte Cristo? Engaging and about 900 pages, as I recall... There's always War and Peace.
Click to expand...
Thats true, both are a good length and I have heard good words said them. Count of Monte Cristo seems better to get through though than War and Peace - that just looks mammoth.
 
See if you can get a copy of "American Cesear" by William Manchester. A good, long history of the life of General Douglas MacArthur with historical background of World War I, II and the Korean War.
 
Haha, well, it's nothing like his novels! And there are so many essays, If I recall correctly, that only about 30-40% actually deal with political issues.

Hmm, another book that I read in the past months that is really interesting is called "Guns, Steel, and Germs". It won a Pullitzer prize, so you know it's going to be well written. Here is the link for that :

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies/dp/0393317552]Amazon.com: Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies: Jared M. Diamond: Books[/ame]

It's really interesting, since it answered some questions that me and my brother had discussed before, like why the Native Americans were much less developed, culturally and especially technologically, than even the most ancient Mediterranean societies. Also it gives a strong rebuff to the idea that the reason why some ethnic groups have dominated while others haven't is because some ethnic groups are further 'evolved' than others.

So that's a good book, even though it has a messed up system of dating that most of us wouldn't agree with. It assumes Old earth + Evolution, but it's still an interesting engaging book.

Now this one definitely isn't political or religious, so maybe you can take this one on your train ride. :)
 
Wow man... You came to the right board to ask the question! You now have a wide variety of books to choose to take on your trip, and if I know anything about the PB, you'll probably get a lot more suggestions before the day's over. :)
 
christianyouth said:
Wow man... You came to the right board to ask the question! You now have a wide variety of books to choose to take on your trip, and if I know anything about the PB, you'll probably get a lot more suggestions before the day's over. :)
Click to expand...
It is good :) most of these never occurred to me or I didn't know they were out - seems American Caesar is brand new.

I suspect by the time I wake up tomorrow the list will have blossomed. I should have mentioned there are weight limits on my bags and I want to travel light :lol: Everything I need/want for 40-50 (except food) needs to fit into a little bag of around 10-15kg. Smaller the better.
 
Abd_Yesua_alMasih said:
Overtly Christian books are banned! No Christian theology, no Puritians, no Reformed literature.
Click to expand...

I think it would be appropriate under these conditions to read 1984 or Animal Farm. I can't imagine living under this type of attitude. It well may be coming to America but I will not be a very cooperative subject.

That being said, perhaps a number of the shorter classics might be interesting to read. I'm not sure about the time element involved but you might be able to get through a few of them.

Or maybe Dickens? Or Mehville?

Or some subject near and dear to your heart.

It must be late winter there by now.
 
Certainly have the time. Last time I was stuck in those carriages I was going through thick Tom Clancy novels (all I could find at a local shop) at the rate of one a day - oh and a complete history of Islam. Not sure how that got there. When some Muslims in the train started to pray silently towards Mecca on their beds the guards came and said they were interrupting the other passengers and should stop.
 
I vote for the Count of Monte Cristo. If you can get a good translation of Les Miserables, that is a good read. Or how about Crime and Punishment?
 
Al Mohler's Reading List archived by month can provide helpful books that are often more general but usually have some enduring value although the focus is on more contemporary works. Perhaps you should consider bringing along a PDA (borrow one if you need to) and then you can download free PDF books or even buy them so that you can minimize your packing and shipping weight. Just bring extra batteries. Or you can always consider an Amazon Kindle if you have access to such funds.

I have not read fiction in a long time, but I would also highly recommend anything Dostoevsky - Crime and Punishment is one of my favourites.
 
I would be hardpressed to spend much of that distance reading, would probably watch the scenery go by... (love train travel)

But, would probably be listening to my Ipod (would they inspect those?)

Am known to read everything in sight, even the phonebook, or a dictionary, so I would have no challenge by reading something not overtly Christian... It might even be the Canadian Income Tax Act, or the US Revenue Code...
 
If you can get them, get the First and Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, each in a one volume edition (Stephen R. Donaldson, Orion). That will give you six books, each of which will probably take at least a day to read. Of course, it helps to have the OED close by when reading Donaldson, but it sounds like you'll have time to figure out the meaning of words from their context.

Or, you could take the works of Chaucer.
 
Kilometer; is that like the French Revolution's version of a "Murdermile"?
:lol:



Abd_Yesua_alMasih said:
Okay so I will be sitting in a train covering 8,000 kilometers or so over roughish terrain and difficult wintery weather (most of it).

So the challenge - what am I to read?

What makes the challenge harder? Overtly Christian books are banned! No Christian theology, no Puritians, no Reformed literature.

Suggestions? What books have got you really involved, are edifying or just interesting and you would recommend to me?

Anything goes really. It could have been written 1,000 years ago or brought out last month.
Click to expand...
 
BertMulder said:
I would be hardpressed to spend much of that distance reading, would probably watch the scenery go by... (love train travel)

But, would probably be listening to my Ipod (would they inspect those?)

Am known to read everything in sight, even the phonebook, or a dictionary, so I would have no challenge by reading something not overtly Christian... It might even be the Canadian Income Tax Act, or the US Revenue Code...
Click to expand...
Last time I also educated myself on the US legal system. I found that, while informative, tended to drive me crazy when cramped up in a little box 6 feet long and two feet tall.

I am not looking for iPod of PDA. Things too easily get stolen, and yes they can be searched. My friend last time was simply attached out on the street and a fight followed which he fortunately won. Anyhow, in my experience, you need to be prepared to loose everything.

I am sure you will all understand for security reasons I can not say where I will be going.
 
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