Howling at the Moon

The S.O.B. Letter Column

Bob Robles

A couple of books. The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason by Sam Harris . Richard Dawkins, the media's favorite atheist, gets the spotlight, but I think Mr. Harris makes a a better arguement on why religion is a bad thing. Perhaps this oversimplifies his thesis, but the book is a very interesting read. He is a very engaging speaker and a good debater. I've watched him on C-SPAN2 several times. (BookTV on the weekends). Nothing like listening to someone who has actually read the Bible, Koran, Book of Mormon, etc. and can tell you EXACTLY what the good book says you should do to your neighbor, especially if they don'y believe the same as you. Next, 'Gilead' by Marilynne Robinson. Mrs. Robinson is a wonderful writer and she won the Pulitzer prize for this book. It is a letter from a dying minister to his son. Rich and warm language. Personally, I thought her novel, 'Housekeeping', was a thing of greater beauty. But hey, this is one person's opinion. Finally, got a bookshelf or more of books you've read and probably will never read again? Love books? Try Bookmooch.com. Great idea. You create an account on the site and list the books you would like to trade. If someone wants a book you have, you mail the book to them (media mail). You receive points for listing books and sending books. You, in turn, create a wishlist of books you would like sent to you when they become available and use your points to ask for a book. I am amazed at the stuff I've listed that people want.