What book are you currently reading?

[kristina]

Hello Charlie,
Could there be several different versions (interpretations?) of the Qu'ran ?
I am wondering, because only recently I was told that according to the Qu'ran deocrative art is never wanted.
But in the shortened translation (version?) of the Qu'ran which I have read, decorative art was not even mentioned...
What do you think?
Thanks from Kristina.

I have only read the one English translation, there may be more but I wouldn't expect them to vary by much.  I hope!

IIRC,  art and music are considered a waste of time and effort and could be considered a sin as that time and effort should be spent on meaningful worship of God.

Islam, Muslims do NOT believe in violence.  And adhere very strictly to the commandment 'Do NOT Kill'.  The only couple of exceptions are in self-defense.  If you or one near you is attacked by an animal or another human and the threat of death is eminent, only then is one allowed to kill.  And even then that person is considered UN-clean and must be segregated until a period of time and process of 'cleansing' is completed.  This included the Muslim warriors that fought in their Religious Wars when other tribes of the Mid-East wished to take over Muslim lands.  These successful warriors had to be 'cleansed' before they could return to their society.

Radical Muslims have to be quoting some other copy other than the one that I read.

Thank you Charlie,
It is interesting that art and music are now considered a waste of time and effort and could be considered a sin as that time and effort should be spent on meaningful worship of God ... But if one comes across the wonderful art-work of the Royal Persian Manuscripts and the modern illuminated translation by Oxford University Press of the 'Rubáiyát' (short epigrammatic poems) of the medieval Persian poet, mathematician, and philosopher Omar Khayyám (1048 - 1141) it would suggest that at one time life and the arts were very much celebrated and enjoyed ?

[Blake nighsonger]

Thanks casper2636, going to be on look out for that one,,,, can't wait!! I wounder if it's a spin off  Pillars of the Earth ,,,, the part were the lady had the baby along side the old stone road as they where traveling by foot still is in my visual memory bank...

thank you,, Blake n.

[KarenInWA]

Has anyone read The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan? I finished reading that about a week ago and found it fascinating!!! I never knew about the then secret city of Oak Ridge TN, and all the people who went there to work, and all of them didn't know what they were working on and agreed to not tell *any*one, including their friends, roommates, etc what their jobs entailed. All they knew is they were working on something that would help end the war, and they didn't find out what it was until the day the USA bombed Hiroshima. Good read!

I also thoroughly enjoyed The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown. This is about the Men's Rowing team at University of Washington making it all the way to the 1936 Olympics in Hitler's Berlin. They had a special kind of chemistry that made them into the ultimate rowing machine and was able to win the gold despite given circumstances that made that even tougher than their competitors. Soon to be a movie - I can't wait to see it!

Currently, I'm reading the KonMari book - the life-changing magic of tidying up by marie kondo.  I really need to get rid of stuff and organize my home, so I'm hoping this book will inspire me. I've read about people who use her system and swear by it, so I figure it's worth a try.

KarenInWA

[MooseMom]

I've heard of "Girls of Atomic City"!  I think it is on my Goodreads queue.  Thanks for reminding me!

[Sibella]

This will excite everyone. I am reading "What You Must Know About Dialysis: The Secrets to Surviving and Thriving on Dialysis" Sep 20, 2012
by Rich Snyder.

[PrimeTimer]

This will excite everyone. I am reading "What You Must Know About Dialysis: The Secrets to Surviving and Thriving on Dialysis" Sep 20, 2012
by Rich Snyder.

     Confession: two years in and hubby and I are still learning. 

[TheLivingWater]

"Proof of Heaven"

by Eben Alexander

[kristina]

This will excite everyone. I am reading "What You Must Know About Dialysis: The Secrets to Surviving and Thriving on Dialysis" Sep 20, 2012
by Rich Snyder.

Hello Sibella,
Could you please elaborate about this book ?
Does Rich Snyder prioritize a kidney-friendly diet for dialysis patients ?
... And ... what does a kidney-friendly diet consist of in his opinion ?
... How important - or how unimportant - does he consider our weight ?
(I have been reading that if a dialysis-patient is a "heavy- weight", his/her survival-chances are very much reduced ...)
.... And ... what sort of priorities must we observe in order to survive for as long as possible on dialysis ... what is Rich Snyder's opinion about it ?
Many thanks from Kristina.

[MooseMom]

Middlemarch.

[talker]

Defy Your Doctor and Be Healed

[casper2636]

A good read that goes quick (I didn't want to put it down) was David Wroblewski "The Story of Edward Sawtelle".