The packet is undergoing maintenance. It’s sad but true. Some fractured bones have limited the packet’s mobility, quality of life, etc. It makes exploring the alleyways of the physical world more difficult. Conversely, it has provided the packet with more time to explore the alleyways of the internet. And catch up on his reading. And possibly his blogging as well.

My small but devoted audience may recall that earlier, I had started noting books that friends had leant me and was beginning to comment on them. I will continue this now that I have finished some more.

Rule of Four

This book is a mystery novel about a pair of university students obsessed with the secret of an ancient book and their conflict with their advisors, peers and friends over their obsession. I found the book readable but tedious. Tedious in large part because the narrator sacrificed a wonderful romantic relationship for his obsession. Maybe the packet’s subconscious found this a little too personally relevant

The Science of God

This book makes a convoluted attempt to show that modern science (particularly cosmology and biological differentiation) is compatible with a literal interpretation of the bible. I cannot understand why someone would feel the need to engage in so much (quality) scholarship for such an unnecessary task. It doesn’t matter if a literal interpretation of the bible is incompatible with scientific thought: religious adherents, must, to be religious, believe in the unprovable. Belief in the absence of evidence is both the challenge and the reward (perhaps I’ll expand on this in a future article.) And once one has enough belief to be a believer, one can simply believe that the bible is literally true while simultaneously choosing to understand the objective corporeal world via scientific insights.

The Time Traveler’s Wife

I have trouble with this book. It’s so sad. So evocative of complex emotional issues. So much opportunity to introspect with the characters as they interact at different ages and understand the tragedy of their endless separation. I had to stop. Something lighter with explosions was necessary.