Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit
 

Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit

by Daniel Quinn

The narrator of this extraordinary tale is a man  in search for truth. He answers an ad in a local  newspaper from a teacher looking for serious  pupils, only to find himself alone in an abandoned  office with a full-grown gorilla who is nibbling  delicately on a slender branch. "You are the  teacher?" he asks incredulously. "I am  the teacher," the gorilla replies. Ishmael is  a creature of... (read more)

Top tags: fictionphilosophyspiritualityanthropologyenvironment (all tags)

Overview: Groups

Philosophy 109 books / 313 members / 112 posts
Spiritual Formation 206 books / 149 members / 908 posts This group is about Christian spiritual formation, and is focusing on those who want to talk and read about the Christian life and how we may participate with God in growth.
Religion and Spirituality 172 books / 83 members / 30 posts Non-Demoninational discussion of books on the many belief systems of the world.
Denton Literary Society 86 books / 3 members / 0 posts Reading list for the Denton Literary Society.
50 Book Challenge! 2912 books / 2889 members / 16418 posts When asked about the new Amazon Kindle product, Steve Jobs CEO of Apple computer had this to say:

“It doesn’t matter how good or bad the product is, the fact is that people don’t read anymore,” he said. “Forty percent of the people in the U.S. read one book or less last year. The whole conception is flawed at the top because people don’t read anymore.”

Welcome to the the 50 Book Challenge, where we fly in the face of Steve Jobs.

Basically .... the challenge is to read 50 books in one year. OR ... establish a goal for yourself more or less, it's up to you, just because we say 50 books doesn't mean that has to be your goal too.

Start a thread, WITH YOUR NAME IN THE SUBJECT OF YOUR ORIGINAL POST, and log your books. It is a very good idea to bookmark (when in your post, add it to your internet browser's favorites) your post for easy location for future updates. Things move quickly around here.

If you haven't been keeping track of the books you've read, start when you join.


Thanks for being here and have fun. If you have any suggestions or questions, feel free to contact me.

The books we loved in 2007:

1. Harry Potter the final - 15 votes
2. The Kite Runner - 12 votes
3. A Thousand Splendid Suns - 11 votes
4. Twilight - 5 votes
4. The Thirteenth Tale - 5 votes

With 4 votes each:
Water For Elephants, The Road, The Red Tent, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Middlesex, Eat, Pray, Love

With 3 votes each:
Eclipse, My Sister's Keeper, Suite Francaise, Shadow of the Wind, The Lovely Bones, Jane Eyre, His Dark Materials (plus 3 honorable mentions), The Glass Castle, Girl With the Pearl Earring, Darkly Dreaming Dexter

With 2 votes each:
19 Minutes, Black Swan Green, Dogs of Babel, Heart-Shaped Box, In the Woods, Into the Wild, Kafka on the Shore, On Chesil Beach, The Book Thief, The Memory Keepers Daughter, The Stolen Child, No Country for Old Men, Marley and Me, New Moon
Students for Environmental Action 24 books / 8 members / 2 posts This is a group for Students for Environmental Action at Kansas State University.
Scottsdale Book Club 76 books / 17 members / 0 posts Scottsdale Book Club Meetup Group. Weekly casual book group with electic, mostly fction book selections.
24 Book Challenge + Chat 636 books / 100 members / 2286 posts The 24 Book Challenge group is currently at full capacity; thank you for your interest.



"In the case of good books, the point is not how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you.", Mortimer Adler

*This is a group for book lovers who prefer to take an under-promise and over-deliver approach to their reading. It's also for those of us who quake at the thought of "committing" to read 50 books in a twelve month period.

The challenge: Set a goal for yourself to read and enjoy 2 books each month.(If 1 would be a s-t-r-e-t-c-h goal for you, that's great too! If you crave more than 2, go for it. It's your challenge :-)

If you have been keeping track of all that you've read since January 2008, feel free to include those books towards your goal. If you haven't been keeping track, simply begin now.

How it works: Put your name in the subject line of a new post, and start to add your book list. From that point on you can add to your list by replying to the first post in your thread. If you prefer to keep your thread free of others' questions or comments then you may want to include this request in your original post title (e.g. "No comments please"). If you would like questions or comments within your thread, why not include "Comments welcome" in the title? If you feel inspired to write mini-reviews or comments on any book in your list, please do. Whatever feels right for you!

The group shelf:You are also invited to add your 24 + books to the group shelf. If you did write a comment or review please also add this to your book on the shelf. In an effort to keep things simple, we're only using the "Books We've Read" shelf.


Please drop us a note if you have any questions or suggestions for improving the group. We'd love to hear from you!
Literary Chicks 56 books / 7 members / 10 posts
Friendship for Universal Peace 1226 books / 2664 members / 14564 posts There are many languages - The Best language is the Language of the Heart.
There are many relationships in the World - The Best relationship is Friendship.
We welcome you to join this group and share your knowledge, learning, Worldly Wisdom, Love and Friendship for "Universal Peace."


Crystal Dolphin's Spiritual and New Age Readings 148 books / 2 members / 0 posts A reading list of the books I intend to read relating to Spirituality, Religion and New Age Topics including magick.
Biblio-Ho's 56 books / 8 members / 4 posts If you love to read and like to enjoy beverages whilst discussing books, this is the place for you! We meet once a month at the Borders on Ponce de Leon. There is the possibility of book related movie viewing or lunch in leiu of "coffee". One could even attend meetings online with us if one is so inclined. We don't care what your race, gender, or sexual preference is. You just gotta be a nice human being and be willing to read a book! So come on...get between the covers with us!
I-LEAD 26 books / 9 members / 0 posts I-LEAD works with our students and community partners to build and strengthen practical leadership skills. Although these books are included in our degree programs and leadership training, they are useful to anyone who wishes to explore their own leadership potential and creativity. Whether you are one of our students or just interested in seeing a different side of "leadership," feel free to share your insights.
The Alexandria Group: Religion, spirituality and beyond 40 books / 84 members / 1871 posts The name of the group is a reference to the ancient city of Alexandria, capital of the Graeco-Roman Egypt and the ancient world's leading center of learning, philosophical ideas, religious ferments and wisdom.

In keeping with this ideal, this group will be a forum for the exploration of all forms of beliefs.

Everyone is invited and free to participate in any way he/she wants. However, in order to preserve harmony and make it a pleasant and enriching experience for all, we will do our best to follow some basic, common sense rules:

~ Disagreeing, Yes. Repeatedly and purposefully attempting to insult or disparage, No.
~ "Copy and paste" a few lines or short paragraphs, Yes. Whole pages, No.
~ Sharing your convictions, Yes. Proselyting, No.

Thank you for your understanding, and welcome all.
Reading Green 20 books / 27 members / 49 posts Do you wonder how you can reduce the amount of waste you put in your garbage can? Do you know what a carbon footprint is, or how to make yours smaller? Do you like to read and learn about how to live a simpler life based on sustainability? Then join "Reading Green" and share your favorite books and tips on how to live more green. Keep in mind, this isn't a political arena for debating right-wing or left-wing issues, nor is it a soapbox forum. Let's keep it a friendly community where we read and learn together.
Daniel Quinn 35 books / 28 members / 16 posts This group is for all people who have been inspired by Quinn's work (Ishmael, My Ishmael, Story of B, etc.) and are intrigued by his thought process (If They Give You Lined Paper, Write Sideways). This is also a discussion board for books included in DQ's Book List (www.ishmael.org/Education/Readings).
Anarchism in the Library 40 books / 6 members / 7 posts Anarchism is about dismantling large scale, abstract, hierarchical power structures and building localized social systems on the principles of freedom and mutual aid. This group is dedicated to the discussion of different anarchist ideas, various conceptions of anarchism and anarchist literature.
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