If you like science fiction, I just finished reading Semiosis by Sue Burke. A story about colonists starting a new life on the planet Pax and their alliances with sentient indigenous plant species. A really great read ! EDIT : grammar
this post was submitted on 04 Jul 2025
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Thanks! Seems interesting, added it to my to-read.
Repurposing most of a comment from earlier in the day where someone asked about learning about the Jesus Myth theory that Jesus was originally a heavinly figure and only got turned into a guy with an earthly ministry decades later. This is well supported by the evidence in texts from the start of christianity (epistles, Dead Sea Scrolls).
The Jesus Puzzle, by Earl Doherty. He gets criticized because he’s not a trained scholar, but his work remains compelling and Robert M Price endorses him. I really enjoyed this one.
The Amazing Colossal Apostle - The Search for the Historical Paul, by Robert M Price. He’s a former Baptist minister with multiple degrees in the field, a true expert. He has a bunch of published YouTube interviews talking about these topics as well.
Quick warning: RMP is a Trump supporter. That makes sense. Ministers are rightwing. Coming from believing to realizing that the Bible is a collection of stories rather than history doesn’t necessarily change your politics. He mostly never mentions it, but it’s come out a couple of times in videos. Luckily, he doesn’t say anything further about it. The book is phenominal.
And, if you still want to consider Jeses to be a historical figure, I loved this controversial piece: The Passover Plot, by Hugh J. Schonfield. This book assumes that Jesus was a real apocalyptic Jew who truly believed that he was the messiah and who brilliantly engineered the conditions to fulfill prophecy. It’s a great read. If Jesus was a historical figure, this is the version of him that I think is most likely.
I am currently reading Marcion and the Dating of the Synoptic Gospels, by Markus Vinzent. I’m enjoying it a lot. Marcion was the first “heretic” for his view that Paul was the only apostle who understood the true message: that the creator god of the Jews was a lesser god, which is why there is evil in the world, and Jesus's god would adopt us.
Price is a really wacky guy, and even he will admit he’s very much on the fringe. I would suggest Dan McClellan or Bart Ehrman over him.
Price is fringe, but when you consider that orthodoxy erased mountains of dissenting texts, it's only fringe because all other ideas were erased for more than a thousand years.
Marcion, for example, had followers for at least three centuries. And the only examples we have of his writing is in quotes from church fathers arguing against him. There was a purge of unorthodox ideas, but his version of spirituality could have won out and then what is currently the norm would have been fringe. Christianity had a stranglehold over Europe and dictated its own history.
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Just finished the A Land Fit For Heroes trilogy by Richard K. Morgan and it was badass.
I just finished The Hair Carpet Weavers by Andreas Eschbach. One of the best first chapters I've read in a long time. Really interesting scifi book that I couldn't put down.
The Great God Pan, which is a terrifying novel by Arthur Machen.
A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley.
It's Not You by Dr Remani Durvusala, which is about how to escape from a narcissist and is the most helpful book.
Lita Ford's autobiography Living Like A Runaway.
Sapiens
I recently started Blood Meridian. It's too early to tell if I like it yet, but I like McCarthy's other works I've read. I'm also listening to the audiobook adaption of Alien: Covenant. It's part of the Audible subscription right now, so I thought I'd give it a try. I like it a bit better than I remember liking the movie. It's pretty similar, but I feel like it adds a little more nuance to some character actions.
I have very mixed opinions of McCarthy. He focuses on the grim darkness of humanity a lot. If that is what you want to hear all you have to do is turn on the news. I thought The Road was well done but super depressing. In the process of reading All The Pretty Horses and it's tone is much more upbeat. But his style is cribed almost entirely from Hemmingway.
Trans liberation: beyond pink and blue by leslie feinberg. Very insightful stories.
Just finished Joseph Heller's Catch-22 for the umpteenth time. Always a classic.
Just started Exordia. It's great for a particular kind of sci-fi fan. Reminds me of Ian McDonald a little.
Holistic management by Allan Savory. Especially if you are interested in permaculture and regenerative practices, sustainability
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Last week I read "the road to tender hearts" by Annie Harnett and it was very moving. It touches very hard topics with a splash of humor to make it easier to digest
I also recommend anything by TJ Klune. His books are very wholesome, sometimes I just want an easy reading where everything is solved with hugs and love