I read.

The book is titled "Journey Through Genius: The Great Theorems of Mathematics" and it is by William Dunham. I enjoy having zero points so reading this will not count towards my total. I just wanted you all to know that I actually read a book. Thank you. Oh, and good luck on finals everybody.

π / 10
0 points

Easy Read

I used to read Sarah Dessen books all the time, my old favorite being This Lullaby. When I saw her newest, Along for the Ride, at my closing Border's for 60% off, I knew right away that I wanted to grab it. And I read the whole thing in one sitting. It felt really nice to get wrapped into a book that I couldn't wait to finish.

Also, I'm re-watching Lost and I just got to the part when they first find Ben and keep him hidden in the hatch. They toss him a copy of The Brother's Karamavoz for him to read! I had just finished reading it, it was weird. So much symbolism, haha.

8/10

583 points

I FINISHED THE BEAST!!!

The beast, of course, being Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamavoz.

I'm still in shock, actually. I need to read some really trashy chick lit to make up for these past 3 months of such learned reading.

7/10

976 points

An Afternoon in the Sixties

Storming Heaven: LSD and the American Dream, by Jay Stevens, was a whirlwind introduction to America's relationship with LSD, from the scientists and psychologists who controlled it in laboratories, the men who tried to start a spiritual revolution based on the discoveries from their trips, to the hippies who almost got away with an entire cultural shakedown.

I've never really been well-read on this subject, and this book offers a lot of great background information and a who's-who on the most important players. However, there was so much covered that I feel like I've only scraped through the very first layer of comprehension. I'm planning on reading more on the topic in the future, so I'm glad I read this first to give me a solid primer to the various aspects of this complex, controversial and often misinterpreted substance.

8/10

574 points

The Way Things Are

Another book for my mysticism class. Huston Smith was my professor's professor at Syracuse University back in the day, and this book is a collection of interviews that have been conducted with him throughout the years. Friend of Aldous Huxley, Timothy Leary, and the Dalai Lama (just to name a few), Smith uses his position as a spiritual guide to inspire others on their personal religious path.

I really like his approach to religion. He speaks a lot about finding your spiritual roots, which means going back to the religion you were born into and discovering the mystical aspects of it, instead of finding a whole new religion to adopt and follow. It's a weird concept for me because I have mixed feelings about Catholicism, but I'm interested. So I guess the book succeeded in that sense.

8/10

477 points

Optimism

For Humanities I read Voltaire's Candide. It was a quick read that followed the misadventures of Candide and his companions around the world. This is a satire about, among many things, the "Perfect" world in which we live. Terrible events continue to afflict Candide and co. as Candide attempts to retain the belief that "all is for the best". The book is entertaining to say the least. I've enjoyed most of the satires I have read and I would consider this one worth reading.

6.0/10

344 Points

The Essential Mystics

To be honest, I probably would not have finished reading this book if it weren't for this contest, so yay for motivation! The Essential Mystics, by Andrew Harvey, outlines the mystical aspects of the world's major religions and offers excerpts from holy books to back up his assertions. About 90% of the book was excerpts and reading that kind of stuff isn't really my thing. Our class discussions, on the other hand, are awesome and my professor is able to make the class interesting and relatable, so I'm thankful for that.

4/10

216 points