Colette, France, Moyd, Paffenroth, Sgam, Kaiser, Waugh, Rahimi

I read a lot of books today. First, I finished two novels by Anatole France, the 10th volume of 25 I'm reading. Then I read a book about a very rich lobbyist in Washington, called So Damn Much Money. This was an easy read. Then I read an interesting book on Black theology, called Redemption in Black Theology, by Olin Moyd. This book struck me primarily by the rhythm of its writing, which I can only call preacherly. The author is both a theologian and a pastor. I hadn't thought before that prose could be so markedly influenced by oral characteristics. I then read a jewel of a book by Kim Paffenroth, The Heart Set Free. This book was the one where I read about the parallel between the mystical impulse, mysterious, instinctive, innate, and the sexual one, also mysterious, instinctive, innate. I was very glad to have read it. I then read a classic of Tibetan Buddhism, The Jewel Ornament of Liberation by Sgam.po.pa. This taught me primarily that a translator can consider such a work accessible, whereas it is quite obscure to the uninitiated, like me. I also was put in mind of Catholic systematic theology, reading the nomenclatures, etc.I also read Neyrey's Passion According to Luke, where the main thing I learned was that there was a parallel in structure between Luke and Acts.

After watching a new version of Brideshead Revisited, I read the novel, because I didn't find that the characters behaved in a way I understood. The novel is a little different, of course, from the film, but I think it's message is much plainer, about sin and redemption. Waugh, of course, famously converted to Catholicism. I also read last night Synge Sabour, a novel about a Muslim woman waiting for help from heaven, and not getting it, by Itaq Rahimi.

Now I'm reading the complete works of Colette.

I also read an issue of The New Yorker yesterday, as well as an issue of The New Scientist.