What Are You Reading Currently? [OFFICIAL THREAD]

[Miss Wonderful]

@Chaotic Muslem, I feel like such a book would remind me to say Alhamduillah for the health that Allah SWT gave us.. I will look into it Thanks for sharing

Edited May 27, 2016 by Miss Wonderful

[zainabamy]

I've just started reading 'The Hidden Treasure' by Jaffer Ladak and I'm really glad I picked it up. 

[Marbles]

Currently reading three Latin American writers. Translated from Spanish. 

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1985)

Storytelling at its best. Beautiful, dense, layered, portentous  - a frank account of human vitality and at the same time of human folly. Perhaps the only book with "Love" in its title that I'd ever rate at 5 out of 5. 

The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa (2000)

Set in the background of the brutal Trujillo regime (1930s to 1961) and it's absurd power politics in Dominican Republic. Tough read, too much info dump, little stylistic invention, though the book is well-liked and highly rated. 1/3rd in. Let's see how it turns out.

Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera (2009)

Recommended reading for Donald Trump. A story of illegal immigration on Mexico-US border and its human cost. 

This book also won the Best Translated Book Award 2016. That's how it came to my notice.

Edited June 5, 2016 by Marbles
added a line

[Sirius_Bright]

The Glad Tidings of Mustafa for the Shia of Murtaz’a  

By Shaykh ‘Emadul Deen, Abu Jaafar Mohammad bin Abi Qasem Al-Tabari 

 

Hayaatul Qoloob, vol. 2

By Allamah Mohammed Baqar Majlisi 

 

Parallel reading. 

[Marbles]

Time has come to take a plunge and read William Faulkner.

Starting from an accessible work of his, Light in August (1932), before taking on the two most famous and difficult books. So far so good.

 

I have this on the side. Translated from the Czech.

Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal (1983)

Edited June 11, 2016 by Marbles
Fixed the source language of the 2nd book

[Chaotic Muslem]

On May 26, 2016 at 7:47 AM, Chaotic Muslem said:

Elizabeth is missing

 

did i ever told you that i like the british novelists ? They are witty, realistic and their characters are rich in humanity.

Elizabeth is an old lady who is having dementia. She keeps notes to remind herself of events, even the simplest ones like having dinner ten mints ago.

It touched me although I'm not demented,yet, how it feels to be treated like mindless person , unreliable and no one listen to.

I had some illness in which my concentration went really down... from being the sharpest in school to the most clueless person in the town.. it hurts so much.

The author also is very knowladgnble of how it feels to have floating ideas all the time and no concentration at all.. i am really enjoying it.

 

Finished.. and love it. Definitely 5 stars and highly recommend for anyone whose parents are approaching the geriatric age. It isn't boring at all. It is comical but dose not make you cackle, it makes your heart smile if you have any love for any parent or grandparents. 

Oh and it is a mystery novel but even without that part, it is worth reading.

[Abdul-Hadi]

Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth --Reza Aslan

As soon as that is done, I have to finish off A People's History of the United States and start on The Bloody White Baron

[Kamranistan]

Just about to finish book three of Murakami's 1Q84.

[Hameedeh]

@Kamranistan ^ Nice to see you posting again, Brother.  

Currently reading: A lecture by Dr. Shariati called "The Four Prisons of Man." It is page 60-99 of the book "MAN AND ISLAM" translated by Ghulam M. Fayez, University of Mashhad Press, 1982.

[Don'tMakeAس]

"The Two Faces of Islam: The House of Sa'ud from Tradition to Terror" by Stephen Schwartz.

[Heavenly_Silk]

"Great women mystical poets of the east", it has some beautifully worded and spiritual poetry.

                       

Edited June 22, 2016 by Heavenly_Silk

[Marbles]

On 6/23/2016 at 0:46 AM, Heavenly_Silk said:

"Great women mystical poets of the east", it has some beautifully worded and spiritual poetry.

                       

Please tell me where did you get a book by Paul Smith. Is it in print or an e-book? I have been looking for a few of his books and I have consistently failed to find any of them.

[Heavenly_Silk]

On 27/06/2016 at 3:00 AM, Marbles said:

Please tell me where did you get a book by Paul Smith. Is it in print or an e-book? I have been looking for a few of his books and I have consistently failed to find any of them.

Salaam brother Marbles,

Insh'Allah you are well. This is a paperback book and was a gift from a friend who bought it from the website Amazon.co.uk, not sure how helpful this is.

Btw there is a message from @starlight, she's saying you should stop reading so much. Those are her words, not mine . 

Best of luck with finding the books you are looking for.

 

Edited June 28, 2016 by starlight

[Marbles]

On 6/28/2016 at 10:57 PM, Heavenly_Silk said:

Btw there is a message from @starlight, she's saying you should stop reading so much. Those are her words, not mine 

Oh no, tell @starlight that there are so many vulgar distractions as it is, I do not have enough time and mind to read as much as I'd like!

Thanks for the info.

[Chaotic Muslem]

I am tempted to read this book:

 

After the American Century: The Ends of U.S. Culture in the Middle East

 

When Henry Luce announced in 1941 that we were living in the "American century," he believed that the international popularity of American culture made the world favorable to U.S. interests. Now, in the digital twenty-first century, the American century has been superseded, as American movies, music, video games, and television shows are received, understood, and transformed.

How do we make sense of this shift? Building on a decade of fieldwork in Cairo, Casablanca, and Tehran, Brian T. Edwards maps new routes of cultural exchange that are innovative, accelerated, and full of diversions. Shaped by the digital revolution, these paths are entwined with the growing fragility of American "soft" power. They indicate an era after the American century, in which popular American products and phenomena―such as comic books, teen romances, social-networking sites, and ways of expressing sexuality―are stripped of their associations with the United States and recast in very different forms. 

Arguing against those who talk about a world in which American culture is merely replicated or appropriated, Edwards focuses on creative moments of uptake, in which Arabs and Iranians make something unexpected. He argues that these products do more than extend the reach of the original. They reflect a world in which culture endlessly circulates and gathers new meanings.

 

shame it is not on kindle 

[Ibn Al-Shahid]

Wasn't terrible, but wasn't good either. I think this is definitely a failure compared to the previous 7 books. It doesn't really show Harry has matured much.

I will now have to erase this from my brain. Definitely ruined the Harry Potter world.

[Haimi]

Me'raj assa'ada -->المعراج السعادة( recommending this book to any muslim, as imam khumeini r,a recommended it aswell)

Ciaco Network CCNA & CCNP

English learning books separately.

Looking for a partner to reading shahid mutahhari books.

[Haimi]

On 6/22/2016 at 10:26 AM, hameedeh said:

@Kamranistan ^ Nice to see you posting again, Brother.  

Currently reading: A lecture by Dr. Shariati called "The Four Prisons of Man." It is page 60-99 of the book "MAN AND ISLAM" translated by Ghulam M. Fayez, University of Mashhad Press, 1982.

If its ali sharia'ati, then Did you finish shahid mutahhari books before jumping to sharia'ati books?:-)

[Hameedeh]

3 hours ago, Haimi said:

If its ali sharia'ati, then Did you finish shahid mutahhari books before jumping to sharia'ati books?:-)

When I became a Muslim, my husband told me about Dr. Ali Shariati and translated some of his lectures to me, then I read his book Hajj (The Pilgrimage).

https://www.al-islam.org/person/dr-ali-shariati

After that, I began reading the books by Shahid Ayatullah Murtadha Mutahhari.   

https://www.al-islam.org/person/ayatullah-murtadha-mutahhari

[Haimi]

4 minutes ago, hameedeh said:

When I became a Muslim, my husband told me about Dr. Ali Shariati and translated some of his lectures to me, then I read his book Hajj (The Pilgrimage).

https://www.al-islam.org/person/dr-ali-shariati

After that, I began reading the books by Shahid Ayatullah Murtadha Mutahhari.   

https://www.al-islam.org/person/ayatullah-murtadha-mutahhari

Ahsant, mashallah.

[freekundli]

I just finished Neuromancer. Its amazing book 10/10

[Pearl178]

I started reading  "Fatimeh is Fatimeh" is by Dr. Shariati and I wish someone had told me a long time ago what a spectacular book it is. It's my first Dr. Shariti book

[Islamic Salvation]

 

O MIGHTY CALIPH AND Commander of the Faithful, I am humbled to be in the splendor of your presence; a man can hope for no greater blessing as long as he lives. The story I have to tell is truly a strange one, and were the entirety to be tattooed at the corner of one's eye, the marvel of its presentation would not exceed that of the events recounted, for it is a warning to those who would be warned and a lesson to those who would learn.

My name is Fuwaad ibn Abbas, and I was born here in Baghdad, City of Peace. My father was a grain merchant, but for much of my life I have worked as a purveyor of fine fabrics, trading in silk from Damascus and linen from Egypt and scarves from Morocco that are embroidered with gold. I was prosperous, but my heart was troubled, and neither the purchase of luxuries nor the giving of alms was able to soothe it. Now I stand before you without a single dirham in my purse, but I am at peace. Allah is the beginning of all things, but with Your Majesty's permission, I begin my story with the day I took a walk through the district of metalsmiths ...

From Ted Chiang's collection of short stories "Stories of your Life and Others": Stories of Your Life and Others (Amazon)

This particular one is called "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate".  Available to read online here: The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate

He shows a keen understanding of the Islamic concepts of Qadha and Qadar and the Kitabun Mubin. The man has written just 12 of these in the last twenty years but each one is a marvel and I for one am ready to give him as much time as he needs for a master does not need to be hurried on if his task is intricate.

Edited September 4, 2016 by Islamic Salvation

[Ali-F]

I am reading some different books atm, but one book in particular I HAVE read is a book or biography called: "My life - Fidel Castro".

A very, very good book to uncover who the man "Fidel" is. Amazing person.

For example he speaks about the fact that he stopped smoking and the reason behind this. Such questions is asked, and also how much he earns in salary.

 

 

[sidnaq]

On 3/31/2016 at 4:10 PM, zainabamy said:

I cannot recommend this book enough! It has literally everything you need to know about making the most of Rajab, Shaban and Ramadan with Arabic and English translations. You can order it from here  Its a huuuggge book! http://www.hujjatbookshop.co.uk/the-rites-of-rajab-shaban-ramadan.html?filter_name=ramadan&filter_description=true&filter_sub_category=true

 

Asalamualaikum, closer to the end, there is a dua I ask Allah for forgiveness and I pray Him to accept my repentance, is it i pray to Him? i pray for Him? is there any other place with a dua similar to this because i dont know whether there may be a correction.

[sidnaq]

On 7/2/2016 at 11:09 AM, Chaotic Muslem said:

After the American Century: The Ends of U.S. Culture in the Middle East

When Henry Luce announced in 1941 that we were living in the "American century," he believed that the international popularity of American culture made the world favorable to U.S. interests. Now, in the digital twenty-first century, the American century has been superseded, as American movies, music, video games, and television shows are received, understood, and transformed.

How do we make sense of this shift? Building on a decade of fieldwork in Cairo, Casablanca, and Tehran, Brian T. Edwards maps new routes of cultural exchange that are innovative, accelerated, and full of diversions. Shaped by the digital revolution, these paths are entwined with the growing fragility of American "soft" power. They indicate an era after the American century, in which popular American products and phenomena―such as comic books, teen romances, social-networking sites, and ways of expressing sexuality―are stripped of their associations with the United States and recast in very different forms. 

Arguing against those who talk about a world in which American culture is merely replicated or appropriated, Edwards focuses on creative moments of uptake, in which Arabs and Iranians make something unexpected. He argues that these products do more than extend the reach of the original. They reflect a world in which culture endlessly circulates and gathers new meanings.

 

shame it is not on kindle 

 

this is an incredible way to describe how american culture has come into other countries and cultures.

[starlight]

Just finished reading 'The Cask of Amontillado' by Edgar Allan Poe. It's reviewed as being a very creepy and scary short story. While the story itself is powerful it failed to spook me out, so disappointed . 

[Inaayah]

A thousand splendind suns -khalid hosseini

I started it two days back but couldn't continue after 2 chapters .I'll be completing it in another day or two.

Edited November 4, 2016 by Inaayah
Wrong grammar

[Islamic Salvation]

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson.

In it a dying old man is writing a letter to his seven year old son because he will not be there to see him growing up. A lot of insights and an underlying spirituality that does not become overbearing. Robinson suffuses each passage with such beauty that makes her prose simple yet profound.

It begins like this:

 

I told you last night that I might be gone sometime, and you said, Where, and I said, To be with the Good Lord, and you said, Why, and I said, Because I'm old, and you said, I don't think you're old. And you put your hand in my hand and you said, You aren't very old, as if that settled it. I told you you might have a very different life from mine, and from the life you've had with me, and that would be a wonderful thing, there are many ways to live a good life. And you said, Mama already told me that. And then you said, Don't laugh! because you thought I was laughing at you. You reached up and put your fingers on my lips and gave me that look I never in my life saw on any other face besides your mother's. It's a kind of furious pride, very passionate and stern. I'm always a little surprised to find my eyebrows unsinged after I've suffered one of those looks. I will miss them. It seems ridiculous to suppose the dead miss anything. If you're a grown man when you read this—it is my intention for this letter that you will read it then—I'll have been gone a long time. I'll know most of what there is to know about being dead, but I'll probably keep it to myself. That seems to be the way of things.

 

 

I can hear you talking with your mother, you asking, she answering. It's not the words I hear, just the sounds of your voices. You don't like to go to sleep, and every night she has to sort of talk you into it all over again. I never hear her sing except at night, from the next room, when she's coaxing you to sleep. And then I can't make out what song it is she's singing. Her voice is very low. It sounds beautiful to me, but she laughs when I say that. I really can't tell what's beautiful anymore. I passed two young fellows on the street the other day. I know who they are, they work at the garage. They're not churchgoing, either one of them, just decent rascally young fellows who have to be joking all the time, and there they were, propped against the garage wall in the sunshine, lighting up their cigarettes. They're always so black with grease and so strong with gasoline I don't know why they don't catch fire themselves. They were passing remarks back and forth the way they do and laughing that wicked way they have. And it seemed beautiful to me. It is an amazing thing to watch people laugh, the way it sort of takes them over. Sometimes they really do struggle with it. I see that in church often enough. So I wonder what it is and where it comes from, and I wonder what it expends out of your system, so that you have to do it till you're done, like crying in a way, I suppose, except that laughter is much more easily spent. When they saw me coming, of course the joking stopped, but I could see they were still laughing to themselves, thinking what the old preacher almost heard them say. I felt like telling them, I appreciate a joke as much as anybody. There have been many occasions in my life when I have wanted to say that. But it's not a thing people are willing to accept. They want you to be a little bit apart. I felt like saying, I'm a dying man, and I won't have so many more occasions to laugh, in this world at least. But that would just make them serious and polite, I suppose. I'm keeping my condition a secret as long as I can. For a dying man I feel pretty good, and that is a blessing. Of course your mother knows about it. She said if I feel good, maybe the doctor is wrong. But at my age there's a limit to how wrong he can be. That's the strangest thing about this life, about being in the ministry. People change the subject when they see you coming. And then sometimes those very same people come into your study and tell you the most remarkable things. There's a lot under the surface of life, everyone knows that. A lot of malice and dread and guilt, and so much loneliness, where you wouldn't really expect to find it, either.

 

I'd never have believed I'd see a wife of mine doting on a child of mine. It still amazes me every time I think of it. I'm writing this in part to tell you that if you ever wonder what you've done in your life, and everyone does wonder sooner or later, you have been God's grace to me, a miracle, something more than a miracle. You may not remember me very well at all, and it may seem to you to be no great thing to have been the good child of an old man in a shabby little town you will no doubt leave behind. If only I had the words to tell you.

Edited November 19, 2016 by Islamic Salvation

[JasmineAila]

family happiness by Leo Tolstoy

 

"I have lived through much, now I think have found what is needed for in happiness. A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbor - such is my idea of happiness. And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps - what more can the heart of a man desire? " -)

[Hameedeh]

Reading an article about a book: Women Astronomers Shine In 'The Glass Universe' 

http://www.npr.org/2016/12/04/503068093/women-astronomers-shine-in-the-glass-universe

 

[Islandsandmirrors]

Girl, Interrupted 

[Islandsandmirrors]

tumblr_mbp19uifQk1qh67ebo1_500.gif

200_s.gif

giphy.gif

[Marbles]

Quote

Drawing on his own incarceration and exile, as well as on evidence from more than 200 fellow prisoners and Soviet archives, Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn reveals the entire apparatus of Soviet repression -- the state within the state that ruled all-powerfully.Through truly Shakespearean portraits of its victims -- men, women, and children -- we encounter secret police operations, labor camps and prisons; the uprooting or extermination of whole populations, the welcome that awaited Russian soldiers who had been German prisoners of war. Yet we also witness the astounding moral courage of the incorruptible, who, defenseless, endured great brutality and degradation. The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956 -- a grisly indictment of a regime, fashioned here into a veritable literary miracle -- has now been updated with a new introduction that includes the fall of the Soviet Union and Solzhenitsyn's move back to Russia.

 

[Islandsandmirrors]

Teaching my Mother how to Give Birth