# Good books...



## nixxon2000 (Jul 6, 2014)

Has anyone read any good books recently??? 
Any disappointing books??

It does not have to be masonic related. 


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## pointwithinacircle2 (Jul 7, 2014)

I already mentioned this elsewhere on the forum, but I recently read "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg.  It is fascinating, well written, and I learned a lot.

I will read anything written by Mortimer Adler.  I particularly recommend "Six Great Ideas" and "Ten Philosophical Mistakes".


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## dfreybur (Jul 7, 2014)

How about science fiction and fantasy?

I tried to read Game of Thrones.  Boring, political, many knotted threads.  Okay for folks who like that but not much as an SF/fantasy book.

The Time Traveller's Wife.  I didn't see the movie.  Remarkably well crafted story that jumps from time to time but tells a coherent story anyways.  I bet the movie works with nearly no special effects at all.  That's a very good feature in SF.  I should definitely see the movie now.

Some pulp SF novels.  Books in the "Ender's Game" franchise and "Star Wars" franchise.  Action adventure with tech.  Fun and without pretensions.

I recently got the JRR Tolkein translation of Beowulf.  Not sure if I'm ready to read a fourth translation of the story yet so there it sits on my shelf tempting me.

On the non-fiction front -

I just finished Neitsche's A Joyful Wisdom.  It's a notebook style assembly not intended to be published as a book.  Sort of like Marcus Aurelius's Meditations in form.  A lot of the thoughts make sense.  Must get past the fact that no entry longer than a page is intended to hold together on its own.

Since I was reading notebook style books I tried Pascal's Penes ("Thoughts").  Ugh.  I am NOT a Pascal fan other than his mathematics.

I am nearing the end of Bullfinch Mythology.  I remember nearly all of these stories from comparative mythology class when I was a kid.  Bullfinch gives a brief summary of the old stories without any discussion of the layers of symbolic meaning.  Okay for someone with a passing interest in one of the sets of myths that supply the context for western civilization -  The Illiad, Oddessey and Anead are like as Cliff's Notes versions.  I would rather get a quarter the number of stories at four times the depth.


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## BroBook (Jul 7, 2014)

Just finished Born in Blood & the History of freemasonry ( it's legendary origins, both were good reads !!!!


Bro Book
M.W.U.G.L. Of Fl: P.H.A.
Excelsior # 43
At pensacola


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## jjjjjggggg (Jul 7, 2014)

Just started Nietzsche's "the Antichrist". Slogging through "Morals and Dogma".

Keep hearing that I need to read "Born In Blood".

Has anyone read "Discovering Freemasonry In Context" by John Bizzack? Looks intriguing, but wanted to hear some opinions before I buy it.


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## phillipcwardlaw (Jul 8, 2014)

I just bought -  The better angels of our nature -Freemasonry in the American civil war by 

Michael A. Halleran
Anyone read it? I hadn't started it yet


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## nixxon2000 (Jul 8, 2014)

How about a good murder mystery? Or historical history?


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## pointwithinacircle2 (Jul 9, 2014)

The Alchemist by Paul Cohelo is a great novel.  It is about a boy in medieval times who apprentices himself to a guild of stonemasons.  In the story they teach him Geometry.  At one point they explain to him to draw a *regular dodecahedron* using only a compass and a straight edge.  A dodecahedron is a 12 sided figure, where each side is a pentagon and all the sides are the same size.  I was in disbelief when I read it!  I set the book down. went and found a compass, straight edge, pencil and paper, and followed the directions.  Sure enough within an hour I had drawn one of these figures: http://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/dodecahedron.html   With only a compass and a straightedge!  I was stunned! 

While the book is not about Freemasonry it certainly gave me a new appreciation of Geometry.


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## BroBook (Jul 9, 2014)

"God's Daughter" & "The testament" are fiction? But both were good reads year ago !!!


Bro Book
M.W.U.G.L. Of Fl: P.H.A.
Excelsior # 43
At pensacola


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## nixxon2000 (Jul 9, 2014)

Anyone read Stephen kings the stand? 

I finished the builders and was looking to switch topics. 


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## crono782 (Jul 10, 2014)

Yeah I've read it. Loved it. Just don't watch the TV movie, hah. Ties in very well w/ his Dark Tower series (which I'm currently re-reading). 


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## jjjjjggggg (Jul 11, 2014)

I just picked up Manly P. Hall's "The Lost Keys of Freemasonry".  Wow, just wow. 

It's available for free in pdf form, just do an internet search.


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## jjjjjggggg (Jul 12, 2014)

I just finished Hall's "Lost Keys of Freemasonry", and as I stated above, "wow!" 

For me personally, and I realize this will probably rub my brother Christians the wrong way,  I find Hall's philosophy more reasonable than the Christian doctrine, at least the version I was a part of for twelve years. I'm not intending to offend anyone, as I am speaking about my own journey toward more light. 

The part of his philosophy that grabs me the most is the idea that our lives alone and one lived with great care toward developing strong moral virtues and actions are what we present as the "lost word" that gains us admission into the lodge eternal. I find the idea that an unworthy man who makes a declaration of faith on his deathbed instantly gains admission unsettling. Of course, I realize there are different interpretations and positions within the various schools of Christianity on faith vs. works, and I'm ready for a brother here to correct me on my "lack of understanding of the true redemptive work of Christ," but again, this is where my path has thus far brought me. I am still working out my own "salvation with fear and trembling". 

And not that I am saying that Hall's philosophy alone is the only masonic interpretation to be had, or that based on Hall's ideas that freemasonry and Christianity are at odds. I'm just simply stating that for me, on my own personal journey, having been a committed Christian who truly sought to know God, reading this book has inspired me to continue to learn to subdue my passions and improve myself, and to appreciate masonic teachings and continue eastward.


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## Morris (Jul 12, 2014)

I just started it off your recommendation. So far I enjoyed the forward by Blight and the introduction. I'll let you know how the rest of it goes. Pretty unique that it was written by the uninitiated (at the time at least). 


Jeff


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## BroBook (Jul 12, 2014)

jamie.guinn said:


> I just finished Hall's "Lost Keys of Freemasonry", and as I stated above, "wow!"
> 
> For me personally, and I realize this will probably rub my brother Christians the wrong way,  I find Hall's philosophy more reasonable than the Christian doctrine, at least the version I was a part of for twelve years. I'm not intending to offend anyone, as I am speaking about my own journey toward more light.
> 
> ...


What was that version? Why do you think there are different versions ? Are you aware that the word "CHRISTAIN" was first applied as a negative term, something like followers of that dead man? As it was before the beguiling so shall it be in the ending! WWEA!!!SMIB


Bro Book
M.W.U.G.L. Of Fl: P.H.A.
Excelsior # 43
At pensacola


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## MasterBulldawg (Jul 13, 2014)

phillipcwardlaw said:


> I just bought -  The better angels of our nature -Freemasonry in the American civil war by
> 
> Michael A. Halleran
> Anyone read it? I hadn't started it yet



I read it and found it to be a ok read and informative.


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## MasterBulldawg (Jul 13, 2014)

Check out Michael J. Karpovage's -The Tununda Mysteries.

About this author
Michael Karpovage is a native of western New York and a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology. He has worked in the design and marketing field for over twenty years as an art director and map illustrator. He is a Freemason and lives in Roswell, GA. The main character Jake Tununda is a mason.

MAP OF THIEVES (2014) is Michael's second mystery thriller and features a military historian on a hunt for an ancient Cherokee treasure.

CROWN OF SERPENTS (2009) is Michael's debut mystery thriller and features a military historian on a hunt for an ancient Iroquois treasure.
http://www.karpovagecreative.com/


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## Brother JC (Jul 13, 2014)

A fun novel with Masonic overtones is "Two Crowns For America." I've read it a couple times and always enjoy it.


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## Morris (Jul 17, 2014)

jamie.guinn said:


> I just picked up Manly P. Hall's "The Lost Keys of Freemasonry".  Wow, just wow.
> 
> It's available for free in pdf form, just do an internet search.



After reading this I will say I have a mixed review. I really enjoyed the forward and introduction. I did not really care for chapters 2-4. For me, it was too much word smithing and not enough substance. I think I had a bit of a bias because I knew he hadn't actually experienced what he had written. Maybe that took some of the charm away for me. Chapter 5 and on was really fascinating to me. 
Thanks for the recommend, in the end it was thought provoking with very little time invested. 


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## Morris (Jul 17, 2014)

I just bought Sworn in secret on my kindle. $10 and good reviews. 

http://www.amazon.com/Sworn-Secret-Freemasonry-Knights-Templar/dp/0983327939

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## nixxon2000 (Jul 17, 2014)

Just finished 

The Builders
Newton, Joseph Fort
Published by Supreme Council, 33rd Degree, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, Northern Masonic Jurisdiction

It was ok. Not sure I would read it again though. 

Starting the tundra series as recommend. Will report back on that soon. 

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## Warrior1256 (Sep 7, 2014)

BroBook said:


> Just finished Born in Blood & the History of freemasonry ( it's legendary origins, both were good reads !!!!
> 
> 
> Bro Book
> ...


I'm reading Born in Blood now. Almost finished. Have enjoyed it greatly.


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## streeter (Sep 8, 2014)

nixxon2000 said:


> Has anyone read any good books recently???
> Any disappointing books??
> 
> It does not have to be masonic related.
> ...



cannot miss this opportunity to self promote...

www.observationsandpotentials.com


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## Morris (Sep 9, 2014)

nixxon2000 said:


> Just finished
> 
> The Builders
> Newton, Joseph Fort
> ...


Tundra update?


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## Morris (Sep 9, 2014)

Morris said:


> I just bought Sworn in secret on my kindle. $10 and good reviews.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Sworn-Secret-Freemasonry-Knights-Templar/dp/0983327939
> 
> Sent From My Freemasonry Pro App


Meh. I enjoyed the historical pieces About the phonecians. After that it was a stretch IMO. 

Now I'm reading Entering the Chain of Union, hands down the best book I've read to date. I'm really enjoying it. 

http://www.amazon.com/Entering-Chain-Union-Timothy-Hogan/dp/1105594238


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