I have not read all of these book - so proceed with caution. The first few are from a friend in Colorado, from her ward's book club... then there are just some random picks. Let's vote to see what looks interesting to people. Please email me with anything you would like to add to this list. Once we have voted, We will assign popular books to future months and try and get a few people to read them ahead of schedule to make sure they are ok (we will switch the book with something else if there are any problems).
Thanks!
Oh - I have just been getting descripts off of Amazon.com - go to Amazon, and read through all the comments people leave about the books to get a better idea. Email me with your top 7 picks.
Life Is So Good by George DawsonDawson, a black manual laborer who learned to read at age 98, has written a memoir that stands apart from other end-of-the-century texts and from the history generally recorded in textbooks--but is essential to an accurate understanding of this century. The product of a collaboration between Dawson and high school history teacher Glaubman, the book juxtaposes significant events of the century with Dawson's personal experiences. Although he endured hardship, Dawson's positive philosophy sustained him to a ripe old age. Written in a simple, conversational style, this volume will be valuable for general readers and in college classes. A welcome addition to any academic or public library.
---Theresa McDevitt, Indiana Univ. of Pennsylvania
The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright
Jack and Laurel have been married for 39 years. They've lived a good life and appear to have had the perfect marriage. With his wife cradled in his arms, and before Jack takes his last breath, he scribbles his last "Wednesday Letter." When their adult children arrive to arrange the funeral, they discover boxes and boxes full of love letters that their father wrote to their mother each week on Wednesday. As they begin to open and read the letters, the children uncover the shocking truth about the past. In addition, each one must deal with the present-day challenges. Matthew has a troubled marriage, Samantha is a single mother, and Malcolm is the black sheep of the family who has returned home after a mysterious two-year absence. The Wednesday Letters has a powerful message about forgiveness and quietly beckons for readers to start writing their own "Wednesday Letters."
Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza
In 1994, Rwandan native Ilibagiza was 22 years old and home from college to spend Easter with her devout Catholic family, when the death of Rwanda's Hutu president sparked a three-month slaughter of nearly one million ethnic Tutsis in the country. She survived by hiding in a Hutu pastor's tiny bathroom with seven other starving women for 91 cramped, terrifying days. This searing firsthand account of Ilibagiza's experience cuts two ways: her description of the evil that was perpetrated, including the brutal murders of her family members, is soul-numbingly devastating, yet the story of her unquenchable faith and connection to God throughout the ordeal uplifts and inspires. Her account of the miracles that protected her is simple and vivid. Her Catholic faith shines through, but the book will speak on a deep level to any person of faith. Ilibagiza's remarkable path to forgiving the perpetrators and releasing her anger is a beacon to others who have suffered injustice. She brings the battlefield between good and evil out of the genocide around her and into her own heart, mind and soul. This book is a precious addition to the literature that tries to make sense of humankind's seemingly bottomless depravity and counterbalancing hope in an all-powerful, loving God.
These is my Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901
by Nancy Turner YA-This novel in diary format parallels the early history of the Arizona Territories as Sarah and her family travel from the New Mexico Territory and settle down to carve out a new life on a ranch near Tucson in the 1880s. Sarah's diary, based on the author's family memoirs, is a heartwarming and heartbreaking fictional account of a vibrant and gifted young woman. Sarah starts out as an illiterate, fiery 17 year old. Eventually, her writing becomes as smooth and polished as Sarah herself as she becomes a tenacious, literate, and loving wife and mother. A treasure trove of discovered books becomes the source of her self-education. Turner describes the trip in such detail that one has a sense of having traveled with Sarah, experiencing all of its heartache and sadness, its backbreaking exertion and struggles, its danger and adventure, its gentle and lighter moments. Life in the new country brings the constant fear of Indian raids and the threat and reality of floods, fire, and rattlesnakes; bandits; rough men, and pretentious women all have an effect on the protagonist but her strong marriage makes the effort worthwhile. Sarah centers her world around her home and family but maintains an independent spirit that keeps her whole and alive throughout her many trials and heartaches. This is a beautifully written book that quickly captures readers' attention and holds it tightly and emotionally until the end.
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
Angle of Repose is a commentary on marriage, what makes it work and what makes it fail. A severely disabled (wheelchair bound) professor, whose marriage has failed, researches and writes the saga of his pioneer grandparents, a couple whose marriage lasted in spite of tremendous adversity and tragedy. The professor's attendant, the woman who bathes and dresses him, gets him up each morning and to bed each night, also has a failed marriage.
Stegner won the Pulitzer for Angle of Repose; even a casual reading of the first half of the book tells you why. It's a big, long, lush, slowly progressing story that weaves the distant past with the near past with the present beautifully and seamlessly.
Superb. Read this one and savor it. Don't rush yourself.
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
To the list of great American child narrators that includes Huck Finn and Scout Finch, let us now add Reuben "Rube" Land, the asthmatic 11-year-old boy at the center of Leif Enger's remarkable first novel, Peace Like a River. Rube recalls the events of his childhood, in small-town Minnesota circa 1962, in a voice that perfectly captures the poetic, verbal stoicism of the northern Great Plains. "Here's what I saw," Rube warns his readers. "Here's how it went. Make of it what you will." And Rube sees plenty.
In the winter of his 11th year, two schoolyard bullies break into the Lands' house, and Rube's big brother Davy guns them down with a Winchester. Shortly after his arrest, Davy breaks out of jail and goes on the lam. Swede is Rube's younger sister, a precocious writer who crafts rhymed epics of romantic Western outlawry. Shortly after Davy's escape, Rube, Swede, and their father, a widowed school custodian, hit the road too, swerving this way and that across Minnesota and North Dakota, determined to find their lost outlaw Davy. In the end it's not Rube who haunts the reader's imagination, it's his father, torn between love for his outlaw son and the duty to do the right, honest thing. Enger finds something quietly heroic in the bred-in-the-bone Minnesota decency of America's heartland. Peace Like a River opens up a new chapter in Midwestern literature.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
This inspirational fable by Brazilian author and translator Coelho has been a runaway bestseller throughout Latin America and seems poised to achieve the same prominence here. The charming tale of Santiago, a shepherd boy, who dreams of seeing the world, is compelling in its own right, but gains resonance through the many lessons Santiago learns during his adventures. He journeys from Spain to Morocco in search of worldly success, and eventually to Egypt, where a fateful encounter with an alchemist brings him at last to self-understanding and spiritual enlightenment. The story has the comic charm, dramatic tension and psychological intensity of a fairy tale, but it's full of specific wisdom as well, about becoming self-empowered, overcoming depression, and believing in dreams. The cumulative effect is like hearing a wonderful bedtime story from an inspirational psychiatrist. Comparisons to The Little Prince are appropriate; this is a sweetly exotic tale for young and old alike.
Lost Horizon: A Novel by James Hilton
The story of a group of people who survive an airplane crash in Tibet and find shelter at a mysterious monastery is extremely well known, but unlike most novels, Lost Horizon is less about its characters and their siutation--interesting though those elements may be--than it is about their thoughts and ideas. Written as it was on eve of World War II, these thoughts and ideas center upon developing a way of life that preserves, rather than destroys, that which is finest in both humanity and the world in general.
The novel is elegantly and simply written and possesses tremendous atmosphere. Although enjoyable as a purely "fun" read, it is also thought provoking, and the thoughts it provokes linger long after the book is laid aside. I can not imagine any one not being moved by the book, both emotionally and intellectually, regardless of their background or interests. If such a person exists, I do not think I would care to meet them. Although James Hilton wrote a number of worthy novels, Lost Horizon is the novel for which he is best remembered, a great popular success when first published and a genuine masterpiece of 20th Century literature.
When the cheering stopped: The last years of Woodrow Wilson (Time reading program special edition) by Gene Smith
This is a history of Woodrow Wilson's last years, especially after the stroke he suffered in Pueblo, Colorado, left him an invalid. How much did Mrs. Wilson run the country? Smith believes quite a bit, though that belief has been disputed by others. Smith also contends that Wilson's failure to secure a yes vote from Congress to join the League of Nations is what finally did him in; most would agree with her on this. Wilson fought a bitter battle that became nasty and personal trying to get the US to join the League - and it was soon consuming just about all his time and efforts. Smith is an admirable writer, and she relates this story smoothly and with confidence.
Some other random books:
Hinds Feet on High Places“The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights.”
- Habakkuk 3:19
The book is an allegory, wherein the main character, Much-Afraid, takes a journey up a rocky mountainside for which she must develop “hinds’ feet” to reach the “high places.” She is encouraged on her way by the Chief Shepherd, who comes to her aid whenever she calls, and is accompanied by the companions he chose for her, Sorrow and Suffering.
The theme of this book is crucifying your own will for that of your Lord. Every acceptance of His will is an altar of sacrifice that helps us to progress and mature in our walk with Him.
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry first published The Little Prince in 1943, only a year before his Lockheed P-38 vanished over the Mediterranean during a reconnaissance mission. More than a half century later, this fable of love and loneliness has lost none of its power. The narrator is a downed pilot in the Sahara Desert, frantically trying to repair his wrecked plane. His efforts are interrupted one day by the apparition of a little, well, prince, who asks him to draw a sheep. "In the face of an overpowering mystery, you don't dare disobey," the narrator recalls. "Absurd as it seemed, a thousand miles from all inhabited regions and in danger of death, I took a scrap of paper and a pen out of my pocket." And so begins their dialogue, which stretches the narrator's imagination in all sorts of surprising, childlike directions.
The Little Prince describes his journey from planet to planet, each tiny world populated by a single adult. It's a wonderfully inventive sequence, which evokes not only the great fairy tales but also such monuments of postmodern whimsy as Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities. And despite his tone of gentle bemusement, Saint-Exupéry pulls off some fine satiric touches, too. There's the king, for example, who commands the Little Prince to function as a one-man (or one-boy) judiciary:
I have good reason to believe that there is an old rat living somewhere on my planet. I hear him at night. You could judge that old rat. From time to time you will condemn him to death. That way his life will depend on your justice. But you'll pardon him each time for economy's sake. There's only one rat.
The author pokes similar fun at a businessman, a geographer, and a lamplighter, all of whom signify some futile aspect of adult existence. Yet his tale is ultimately a tender one--a heartfelt exposition of sadness and solitude, which never turns into Peter Pan-style treacle. Such delicacy of tone can present real headaches for a translator, and in her 1943 translation, Katherine Woods sometimes wandered off the mark, giving the text a slightly wooden or didactic accent. Happily, Richard Howard (who did a fine nip-and-tuck job on Stendhal's The Charterhouse of Parma in 1999) has streamlined and simplified to wonderful effect. The result is a new and improved version of an indestructible classic, which also restores the original artwork to full color. "Trying to be witty," we're told at one point, "leads to lying, more or less." But Saint-Exupéry's drawings offer a handy rebuttal: they're fresh, funny, and like the book itself, rigorously truthful. --James Marcus
Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Antoine de Saint-Exupery was one of the most interesting figures of 20th century literature. He wrote The Little Prince, a children's book that sold 200,000 copies in the U.S. alone in one year several years ago, and was also the author of several novels and memoirs, all relating to flying, of which this is one. The author was MIA over his beloved France while flying for the Free French Air Force in 1944 (after having to argue to be allowed to fly in combat; he was considered a national treasure). It appears the site of the wreck was discovered in the water just off the Riviera a couple of years ago, though no one's certain.
Wind, Sand and Stars is a recounting of several episodes in Saint-Exupery's life as a pilot, told to illustrate his view of the world, and especially his opinions of what makes life worth living, and who we are or should be. He was a wonderfully insightful individual, and his prose and ideas are the sort of thing you'll carry with you for years. I would highly recommend this book.
Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel by David Guterson
This is the kind of book where you can smell and hear and see the fictional world the writer has created, so palpably does the atmosphere come through. Set on an island in the straits north of Puget Sound, in Washington, where everyone is either a fisherman or a berry farmer, the story is nominally about a murder trial. But since it's set in the 1950s, lingering memories of World War II, internment camps and racism helps fuel suspicion of a Japanese-American fisherman, a lifelong resident of the islands. It's a great story, but the primary pleasure of the book is Guterson's renderings of the people and the place.
The Kite Runner
by Khaled Hosseini
Hosseini's stunning debut novel starts as an eloquent Afghan version of the American immigrant experience in the late 20th century, but betrayal and redemption come to the forefront when the narrator, a writer, returns to his ravaged homeland to rescue the son of his childhood friend after the boy's parents are shot during the Taliban takeover in the mid '90s. Amir, the son of a well-to-do Kabul merchant, is the first-person narrator, who marries, moves to California and becomes a successful novelist. But he remains haunted by a childhood incident in which he betrayed the trust of his best friend, a Hazara boy named Hassan, who receives a brutal beating from some local bullies. After establishing himself in America, Amir learns that the Taliban have murdered Hassan and his wife, raising questions about the fate of his son, Sohrab. Spurred on by childhood guilt, Amir makes the difficult journey to Kabul, only to learn the boy has been enslaved by a former childhood bully who has become a prominent Taliban official. The price Amir must pay to recover the boy is just one of several brilliant, startling plot twists that make this book memorable both as a political chronicle and a deeply personal tale about how childhood choices affect our adult lives. The character studies alone would make this a noteworthy debut, from the portrait of the sensitive, insecure Amir to the multilayered development of his father, Baba, whose sacrifices and scandalous behavior are fully revealed only when Amir returns to Afghanistan and learns the true nature of his relationship to Hassan. Add an incisive, perceptive examination of recent Afghan history and its ramifications in both America and the Middle East, and the result is a complete work of literature that succeeds in exploring the culture of a previously obscure nation that has become a pivot point in the global politics of the new millennium.
RABBIT-PROOF FENCE by Doris Pilkington
Following an Australian government edict in 1931, black aboriginal children and children of mixed marriages were gathered up and taken to settlements to be institutionally assimilated. In Rabbit-Proof Fence, award-wining author Doris Pilkington traces the story of her mother, Molly, one of three young girls uprooted from their community in Southwestern Australia and taken to the Moore River Native Settlement. There, Molly and her relatives Gracie and Daisy were forbidden to speak their native language, forced to abandon their heritage, and taught to be culturally white. After regular stays in solitary confinement, the three girls planned and executed a daring escape from the grim camp.
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
by Dai Sijie
In 1971, as Mao's Cultural Revolution swept over China, shutting down universities and banishing "reactionary intellectuals" to the countryside, two teenage boys are sent to live on the remote and unforgiving mountain known as Phoenix in the Sky. Even though the knowledge the narrator and his best friend Luo had acquired in middle school was "precisely nil," they are nevertheless considered dangerous intellectuals and forced to spend their days carrying buckets of excrement up and down the mountain to fertilize the fields. But when they bargain their way into obtaining a forbidden Balzac novel from their friend Four Eyes, a new and dizzyingly vast world opens up to them. Through Balzac, the narrator discovers "awakening desire, passion, impulsive action, love, all the subjects that had, until then, been hidden" [p. 57]. And when Luo falls in love with the beautiful Little Seamstress, life and literature come together in a passionate romance. Luo and the narrator plot to steal Four Eyes' suitcase full of books both for their own pleasure and to transform the seamstress from a simple peasant into a sophisticated woman. Their success in doing so, and the unexpected consequences that follow, drive the novel to its stunning, heart-wrenching conclusion.
Part historical novel, part fable, part love story, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is a moving testament to the transformative power of literature.
Self-help books?:
Covey?
25 mistakes LDS Parents make and How to Avoid them?
Political books:
NONE DARE CALL IT CONSPIRACY by Gary Allen
The first paragraph of the introduction lets you know what you are in for:
“The story you are about to read is true. The names have not been changed to protect the guilty. This book may have the effect of changing your life. After reading this book you will never look at national and world events in the same way again.” This book comes highly recommended by Ezra Taft Benson, the entire text can be found on the internet. I learned about it from the talk: Civic Standards for Faithful Saints by Ezra Taft Benson - Are there modern Gadianton Robbers in our government? Ezra Taft Benson thought so. Of all the talks he ever gave on the subject of conspiracy and secret combinations, this is undoubtedly the most controversial. At one point he said, "I would highly recommend to you the book NONE DARE CALL IT CONSPIRACY by Gary Allen." But the quote was mysteriously missing from the ENSIGN and CONFERENCE REPORT record. Why did a prophet of God recommend a book published by the John Birch Society, and who deleted the recommendation from the record? Read the book and find out.
Legacy of Ashes:The History of the CIA
Written by Tim Weiner
With shocking revelations that made headlines in papers across the country, Pulitzer-Prize-winner Tim Weiner gets at the truth behind the CIA and uncovers here why nearly every CIA Director has left the agency in worse shape than when he found it; and how these profound failures jeopardize our national security.
Christy: by Catherine Marshall
"Christy" is the story of 19 year old Christy Huddleston who is in search for something to fill her soul and give her a purpose in life. So volunteering to teach in a mission school, Christy journeys to the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee, more specifically the area of Cutter Gap. Along with her, the other missions workers are a Quaker woman whom Christy looks up to Miss Alice Henderson, the handsome and charming Reverend David Grantland, and the reverend's spinster and dour sister, Ida Grantland. As she begins to get used to living in the primitive surroundings, her heart reaches out the highlanders, especially to the children. Another person Christy begins to bond with is Doctor Neil MacNeil who has a strong desire to help his people. And as Christy struggles through hardships and heartache, joy and victories, she learns to have faith that God will take care of each and every one of them through good times and bad times.
"Christy" was written by Catherine Marshall in 1967. The book is under the category of 'fiction', but in actuality Catherine Marshall had written the story based on her mother, Christy's, life. An extremely uplifting and spiritually filling book, "Christy" is sure to please both young adults and adults.
World religions and ancient writings anyone???
From http://burningbosom.wordpress.com/2008/03/12/how-mormons-are-buddhists-vice-versa/
Joseph Smith said: “We should gather all the good and true principles in the world and treasure them up, or we shall not come out as true ‘Mormons’.” the Book of Mormon declares that God speaks the “same words” to “all nations,” and that one day God’s words to all nations will be “gathered in one.”
Some books all Mormons, and all Christians should read. Each of these works has many different translations – just as the Bible has the KJV, the american, the NIV etc… versions. I will not try to recommend which versions are the best… I just know I love the poetry of their words, they were able to explain some concepts to me in more depth than I had previously understood.
The Dhammapada
Matt 5:44 - [B]less them that curse you, do good to them that hate you.
The Dhammapada - Let us live in joy, never hating those who hate us.
Matthew 7:3 – And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
The Dhammapada - Do not give your attention to what others do or fail to do; give it to what you do or fail to do.
Proverbs 23:7 - For as [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he.
The Dhammapada - [W]e become what we think.
Proverbs 15:1- A soft answer turneth away wrath.
The Dhammapada - Speak quietly to everyone, and they too will be gentle in their speech.
Proverbs 16:32 - He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.
The Dhammapada - One who conquers himself is greater than another who conquers a thousand times a thousand men on the battlefield.
Mosiah 4:30 - If ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, . . . ye must perish.
The Dhammapada - Guard your thoughts, words, and deeds. These three disciplines will speed you along the path to pure wisdom.
2 Nephi 26:22 - [Y]ea, and [the devil] leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever.
The Dhammapada - Little by little a person becomes evil, as a water pot is filled by drops of water.
The Bhagavad Gita
Matthew 10:39 - [H]e that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
The Bhagavad Gita - “Through selfless service, you will always be fruitful and find the fulfillment of your desires”: this is the promise of the Creator.
John 14:15, 15:4,10 - If ye love me, keep my commandments. Abide in me . . . . If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love.
The Bhagavad Gita - [T]hose who worship me with love live in me, and I come to life in them.
D&C 93:29 - Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be.
The Bhagavad Gita - There never has been a time when you . . . have not existed, nor will there be a time when we will cease to exist. The body is mortal, but he who dwells in the body is immortal and immeasurable.
D&C 38:16 - . . . I am no respecter of persons.
The Bhagavad Gita - . . . none are less dear to me and none are more dear.
Tao Te Ching
Mark 9:35 - If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.
Tao Te Ching - If the sage wants to be above the people, in his words, he must put himself below them; If he wishes to be before the people, in his person, he must stand behind them.
Luke 6:38 - Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.
Tao Te Ching - The sage does not hoard. The more he does for others, the more he has himself; The more he gives to others, the more his own bounty increases.
Luke 14:11 - For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Tao Te Ching - The unyielding and mighty shall be brought low; the soft, supple, and delicate will be set above.
…There are some days when I think that some of the lost scriptures that we are still waiting to come forth are already in print, but are just not recognized as LDS scripture yet…
The Zen Teachings of Jesus (Paperback) by Kenneth S. Leong“I have been piecing together my personal insight together for many years concerning the words of Jesus. On occasion I would talk with people about it. I received in return many quirky smiles and condencending attitudes which is what many of you readers today may have also received when you approached the same 'sacred' subject' . It was just better not to talk about it. The way I saw Jesus and the more traditional views were radically different. And much of which I perceived cannot be put into words and, if you understand the nature of this book you will understand what I am referring to. So imagine my extreme joy at finding this gem of a book. I don't care what people think, I really don't, but it is nice to find 'like thinking ' individuals on a subject that is so expansive and yet yields so little fruit. This book is a wonderful find. You will be glad you found it too. For me it clarifies what I have found myself and puts it into a organized fashion that I have not had time to do. This book is not a huge tome and yet it covers an impressive depth and wide range of thought and non-thought. The presence of J. Krishnamurti is very obvious to me. His unique way of cutting through to the heart of the matter is what Leong has brought to this book. Mr Leong also uses quotes from spiritual teachers troughout time in a compelling and enlightening way. Thank you Kenneth Leong. You have done the world a great service.”
In the Guide to the sciprutres, these books are listed as being lost:
Lost scriptures: There are many sacred writings mentioned in the scriptures that we do not have today, among which are these books and writers: the covenant (Ex. 24:7), the wars of the Lord (Num. 21:14), Jasher (Josh. 10:13; 2 Sam. 1:18), the acts of Solomon (1 Kgs. 11:41), Samuel the seer (1 Chr. 29:29), Nathan the prophet (2 Chr. 9:29), Shemaiah the prophet (2 Chr. 12:15), Iddo the prophet (2 Chr. 13:22), Jehu (2 Chr. 20:34), the sayings of the seers (2 Chr. 33:19), Enoch (Jude 1:14), and the words of Zenock, Neum, and Zenos (1 Ne. 19:10), Zenos (Jacob 5:1), Zenock and Ezias (Hel. 8:20), and a book of remembrance (Moses 6:5); and epistles to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 5:9), to the Ephesians (Eph. 3:3), and from Laodicea (Col. 4:16).
Some of these books are only … partially… lost. I have just ordered the following books:
The Lost Book of Enoch (Paperback) by Enoch, comments by Joseph B. Lumpkin, Joyce A. Dujardin (Editor)
This book is based on the Ethiopic book rather than the Slavonic, which is known as "the Secrets of Enoch"."The Lost Book of Enoch" is a much better, readable version.
Jude 14 tells of Enoch as a prophet. So,an Enochian book did have an influence on the NT. Discoveries of copies of the book among the Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran prove the book was in existence before the time of Christ.
Mr. Lumpkin has added scripture quotes where there is a relationship to the text in this book. Editor's notes and Author's notes are also helpful, and explanatory.
This book is prophetic of Jesus Christ. It is also apocalyptic.
You can read the names of the fallen angels and the mighty archangels.
While this book is not included in the Bible,it does have value in giving us a glimpse of the beliefs of the early church and before that even.
I haven't found anything in this book that contradicts Scripture yet.
I recommend "the Lost Book of Enoch" by Joseph Lumpkin over any other book of Enoch.
The Book of Jasher (Paperback) by Jasher (Author)
The Book of Jasher follows the biblical accounts in Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua. It reads like the Bible but includes interpolations and elaborations not found in the Bible. In addition, it sheds light on Bible stories from the time of Adam and Eve, the ministry of Enoch, and the account of the great Deluge during the days of Noah to the Tower of Babel, nefarious Nimrod, and faithful Abraham and his descendants. As Moredecai M. Noah wrote in his introduction to the 1840 English translation: "Without giving it to the world as a work of Divine inspiration, or assuming the responsibility to say that it is not an inspired book, I have no hesitation in pronouncing it a work of great antiquity and interest, and a work that is entitled, even regarding it as a literary curiosity, to a great circulation among those who take pleasure in studying the scriptures."
This book is written in such a way that it enhances the first five books of the bible. It goes into much greater detail on the stories we all have learned by reading the holy bible. One example is the hate / love relationship between Esau and Jacob. This is a significant historical record as the Book of Jasher is mentioned in both I Samuel and Joshua.
I really loved this book, it shed so much light to the Bible Stories, like Cain being killed by Lamech and the Stolen Garment associated with the Curse of Ham...
I can understand why this book was left out of the Bible, but really glad it wasn't trashed!! I got the full writings off the web and loved that also.
The Apocrypha
The Apocrypha consists of the books that are found in the Greek version of the Jewish Bible--the Septuagint, the earliest complete version of the Bible we possess--but that were not included in the final, canonical version of the Hebrew Bible. For this reason, they were called “Apocrypha,” the hidden or secret books, and while they formed part of the original King James version of 1611, they are no longer included in modern Bibles. Yet they include such important works as The First Book of Maccabees, the Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus, and the stories of Susanna, Tobit, and Judith, and other works of great importance for the history of the Jews in the period between the rebuilding of the Temple and the time of Jesus, and thus for the background of the New Testament. These works have also had a remarkable impact on writers and artists. Beyond this, they are often as powerful as anything in the canonical Bible.
Another insteresting read:
Tanakh – The Hebrew Bible – some of it is the same as our old testiment, some of it is not. The tanakh consts of the Torah (Chumash), The Nevi-im (book of prophets), and the Ketuvim (“writings" or "scriptures").
