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uberreinigerI continue to exist mostly in the doldrums. Life feels infinitely better than it did before we moved, yet I still navigate through murky waters. I've always been somewhat melancholic at best so maybe it's just me back in my natural state and I've been in a state of heightened tension for so long I no longer recognize it. I'm sure the fact it's been cloudy and cold all week has had something to do with it. I've found it very hard to find motivation. I'm trying to write a query letter to the next literary agency on my list and I just can't do it. Every time I sit down to type it my mind just goes blank and "selling myself" becomes the hardest thing in the world. I should have saved the one I wrote to the last agency and used it as a template as I thought that one was really stellar. At least it got the agent to actually read the manuscript. Hopefully this will abate soon and I'll be ready to mail in a few days.
But if I haven't been writing at least I've been reading. Actually sat down and did some Bible-reading today for the first time in a while. Mel picked up a version I hadn't seen before a few weeks back called "The Amplified Bible" and it's quite good; goes a bit more in-depth on the historical and archaeological aspects than other versions. Also includes paranthetical references throughout the text designed to help you keep straight who's who, what's what, and the context of what is being said. While all the parantheses are more jarring than helpful and footnotes would have been preferred, it's still a lot of useful information.
Today I read two of the Lesser Prophets, Micah and Nahum, and the added notes shed a fascinating light on the text, giving you non-Biblical historical documents which detail the fulfilment of various prophecies. i.e., a 18th century scholar visiting the ruins of Jerusalem and seeing the exact crops growing there which would the prophecy from thousands of years ago foretold and in the exact places. Keep in mind these crops were planted by foreign invaders with no knowledge of the prophecy. Very exciting stuff. I wish I had it with me so I could give better examples. I'm aiming to have a collection of different versions of the Bible and I think we chose a good place to start.
Just finished The Nameless Day by Sarah Douglass. Never read anything of hers before but picked this one up on a recommendation from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cherith. It's a low-fantasy story set in the Middle Ages about a lecherous nobleman who remorsefully enters the clergy, then years later begins having visions of angels and demons. It's one of the most mind-bending intrigue novels I've read; the demons and angels take on human form and you don't know who's side anybody is on, who's human and who's not. Then, once you think you've got it all figured out about a character, something startling happens which changes your entire view again. It's not just an adventure story, though. It makes you face ugly questions about religious ethics vs. secular ones, how God and Man's idea of what is "right" might not be the same. And she Douglass does it all with a very ugyl-tempered, unlikeable protagonist. Indeed, many of the "evil" characters seem far easier to relate to as 21st century people than our fair hero. I'm glad I read it and can't wait to read the sequel.
Also reading Insomnia by Stephen King and enjoying it. I bought it since it pretains to King's Dark Tower universe, but it's an ejoyable stand-alone read. Also asks uneasy questions about current social issues, namely the abortion debate and the quality of life we assign our senior citizens. My one complaint is the same I have for all his other books, which is the characters are far too prone to making unwieldly sarcastic verbal remarks which render conversations between strangers far too friendly and intimate. Simply put, characters in King's novels don't talk people do in real life. Then again, given how King's novels frequently are set in alternate universes from our own, perhaps it's just a standard that people talk that way. It's a minor pet peeve, but one that keeps coming up. Anyway, the book also gains cool points for making frequent references to The Church of Dead Girls author Stephen Dobyns.
I'm going to go play some L5R tonight. I've been saying I will for weeks now. Maybe actually doing it will be just the thing I need.
But if I haven't been writing at least I've been reading. Actually sat down and did some Bible-reading today for the first time in a while. Mel picked up a version I hadn't seen before a few weeks back called "The Amplified Bible" and it's quite good; goes a bit more in-depth on the historical and archaeological aspects than other versions. Also includes paranthetical references throughout the text designed to help you keep straight who's who, what's what, and the context of what is being said. While all the parantheses are more jarring than helpful and footnotes would have been preferred, it's still a lot of useful information.
Today I read two of the Lesser Prophets, Micah and Nahum, and the added notes shed a fascinating light on the text, giving you non-Biblical historical documents which detail the fulfilment of various prophecies. i.e., a 18th century scholar visiting the ruins of Jerusalem and seeing the exact crops growing there which would the prophecy from thousands of years ago foretold and in the exact places. Keep in mind these crops were planted by foreign invaders with no knowledge of the prophecy. Very exciting stuff. I wish I had it with me so I could give better examples. I'm aiming to have a collection of different versions of the Bible and I think we chose a good place to start.
Just finished The Nameless Day by Sarah Douglass. Never read anything of hers before but picked this one up on a recommendation from
cherith. It's a low-fantasy story set in the Middle Ages about a lecherous nobleman who remorsefully enters the clergy, then years later begins having visions of angels and demons. It's one of the most mind-bending intrigue novels I've read; the demons and angels take on human form and you don't know who's side anybody is on, who's human and who's not. Then, once you think you've got it all figured out about a character, something startling happens which changes your entire view again. It's not just an adventure story, though. It makes you face ugly questions about religious ethics vs. secular ones, how God and Man's idea of what is "right" might not be the same. And she Douglass does it all with a very ugyl-tempered, unlikeable protagonist. Indeed, many of the "evil" characters seem far easier to relate to as 21st century people than our fair hero. I'm glad I read it and can't wait to read the sequel.Also reading Insomnia by Stephen King and enjoying it. I bought it since it pretains to King's Dark Tower universe, but it's an ejoyable stand-alone read. Also asks uneasy questions about current social issues, namely the abortion debate and the quality of life we assign our senior citizens. My one complaint is the same I have for all his other books, which is the characters are far too prone to making unwieldly sarcastic verbal remarks which render conversations between strangers far too friendly and intimate. Simply put, characters in King's novels don't talk people do in real life. Then again, given how King's novels frequently are set in alternate universes from our own, perhaps it's just a standard that people talk that way. It's a minor pet peeve, but one that keeps coming up. Anyway, the book also gains cool points for making frequent references to The Church of Dead Girls author Stephen Dobyns.
I'm going to go play some L5R tonight. I've been saying I will for weeks now. Maybe actually doing it will be just the thing I need.
