Paradise Lost

Title: Paradise Lost

Author: John Milton

Pages: 3 discs

Genre: Epic Poem

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Paradise Lost is an epic poem written in the 17th century by the English poet, John Milton.  The poem is about the Biblical story of the Fall of Man, including the temptation of Adam and Even by the fallen angel Satan and their being driven from the Garden of Eden after they had partaken of the forbidden fruit.

My Review:  I was familiar with Paradise Lost, but I didn't know it was a poem, I didn't know it was an epic (in the style of Homer and Virgil) and I was not aware the the poem was about Adam and Eve and the Fall of Man.  Aside from it being difficult to follow the 17th century prose at some points, I thought that the epic was well written and had a good flow to it.  I also felt that Milton did a decent job expounding on the doctrine of the Fall based on what Christians believed in the 1600's.

A strange coincidence was the graffiti that I cam across in an alley in Salt Lake City (between 900 and 1000 S, & West Temple and Main St) of Paradise Lost:

The Coming of the Lord

Title: The Coming of the Lord

Author: Gerald N. Lund

Pages: 241

Genre: Religion

Grade: C

Synopsis: Elder Gerald N. Lund explores the prophecies of things that must come to pass before the second coming of Jesus Christ.  Published in 1971, Elder Lund covers scriptural prophecies and prophecies that have been made by modern-day apostles and prophets up to the book's publication.  Most of the prophecies of the second coming that have been made in the latter-days were made during the 19th century, with a smattering of follow-up prophecies here in the last 100 years or so.  Everything has been meticulously researched and documented and the text of the book is based on scriptural references and quotes while avoiding additional speculation.

My Review:  While the content of the book was interesting and the book itself was well-written and insightful, I had a difficult time reading this book.  It never piqued by interest like I thought that it would and it took me nearly 3 months to make it through.  My personal viewpoint is that while it is important to know and understand what the prophets have prophesied concerning the last days and the second coming, the fact of the matter is that no man knoweth the timing of the second coming.  Another point is that if many of the latter-day prophesies are taken literally, then the prophets of these latter-days were off the mark. For example (and I can't quote exactly who said this, or when it was or what the phrasing was as I don't have the book with me), there were a few times in the 1870's time-range where it was prophesied that there were individuals in attendance that would live to see the great gathering to Missouri and Adam-ondi-Ahman. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that may be a tough one. My suggestion would be to take everything with a grain of salt and use your own judgment and inspiration to determine what you believe to be true.  In the end I think that everything will make sense.

Desert Solitaire

Title: Desert Solitaire - A Season in the Wilderness

Author: Edward Abbey

Pages: 10 discs?

Genre: Memoir, Autobiography

Grade: A-

Synopsis: In this book, Edward Abbey recounts his experiences as a park ranger at Arches National Monument in Moab, Utah.  Arches had not yet been made into a National Park and was only accessible via a dirt road with very limited facilities.  For a couple summers (about April to October), Abbey was the only ranger for the park an lived in a small trailer near balanced rock.  The memoir is filled with stories of his experiences in the southwest and his musing and commentary on modern society and mainstream culture. included are stories about rafting down the Colorado River from Moab to Wahweap, while the Glen Canyon Dam was being built (he and his companion were probably some of the very last to see Glen Canyon before Lake Powell started filling), climbing a mountain in the Henry mountains east of Moab, descriptions of the wildlife, snakes and plant life and search and rescue operations for lost tourists.

My Review: Surprisingly I found that I really enjoyed this book.  I wish that I could pinpoint where, when or who recommended it to me (probably back in 2008).  There are a few points in the book where Abbey goes off on modern society and modern conveniences and complains against people who day-trip to the National Parks (of which my family and I are very guilty of).  He talks quite a bit about what we need to do to be good stewards of our precious environment and complains often about the prevalence of paved roads and Americans reliance on the automobile (This book was published in 1968, and I'm sure it's only gotten worse).  Even with all of the author's tangents I liked the book.

Maniac Magee

Title: Maniac Magee

Author: Jerry Spinelli

Pages: 184

Genre: Children's Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Maniac Magee runs away from a bad situation at home.  His parents had died years before in a train accident and he was living with his aunt and uncle who didn't get along.  Maniac ran to the next town over, stopped going to school and lived in the buffalo enclosure at the local zoo.  Although he wasn't going to school, he still loved to read and was an excellent sportsman and runner.  Maniac's antics help to unify a city divided by race.

My Review: As a kid this was one of my favorite books.  I recently read it with Ada and while it was probably a year or two above her level, I think that she enjoyed it. I still liked the book, but not as much as I did when I was younger.