March 31, 2004
Modestitt - Death of Chaos
E.L. Modestitt, The Death of Chaos
The last in Modestitt's Recluse series, I picked this up for 50 cents at the library discard table. I started reading Modestitt because I really liked one of his science fiction novels. This is not nearly as well written but Lerris, the main character, is compelling and so I finished it.
I have summoned more Recluse books from the library.
March 26, 2004
Hanson - Soul of Battle
Victor David Hanson, The Soul of Battle
Not compelling. Popular history of Epaminidous of Thebes, William Tecumseh Sherman, and George Patton. I got partway through Thebes and realized that I did not care to spend the time to figure out if he was blowing smoke by writing internal contradictions or if he had something useful to say.
March 25, 2004
Wright - Beginnings of Unitarianism
Conrad Wright, The Beginnings of Unitarianism in America
Archon press
Repring of the Beacon Press, Boston, 1966 edition.
"Skim has the same number of letters as read."
Wright reviews the "Arminian" theology of the liberal wing of the New England Establishment from 1734 to 1805. Mostly an examination of the words and theology of the liberals, contrasting them with both Old Calvinists and Jonathan Edwards. Wright is smart, as were the Unitarians, and he makes some good points about both the similarites and differences between the two wings.
Things to remember: supernatural rationalism, much like Locke the Arminians believed that people must use reason to evaluate revelation, and that revelation existed and was really a revelation.
And so to run errands.
March 24, 2004
Francis - Rat Race
Another Dick Francis, pesky gut bugs.
Dick Francis, Rat Race
Not as good as most. I had not known that Francis was a pilot and once owned an air taxi business, but knowing that explains a couple of his other novels.
I do like the part of his standard formula where he explains to the reader how a business works, and makes it interesting.