A Reading Meme

I was tagged by Ben Avuyah on his Meme a little Meme post.

A book that changed my life? Hmm. I think I had my own personal Copernican Revolution after reading through Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason." Now, you might have thought that I'd have chosen a book that lead me on my way from Orthodoxy but truth is that there was no such book. Much of what led me down there was from general information that I picked up from numerous sources and from conversations on internet forums. I've never even read most of those famous books that the deconverted talk about - like "The Selfish Gene" or "Who Wrote the Bible?", though I am familiar with what they contain.

For all of his flaws, it was Kant who helped me unhook myself from my bear hug with Positivism and my following existential crises (they were low key) and led me to a broader appreciation for Judaism.

I've read many books more than once. As a kid I was enthralled by the Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine, but I also loved Heinlein's "Have Space Suit - Will Travel" and "Interstellar Pig" by William Sleator. For as long as I can recall I have been a fan of science fiction. More recently I've reread "The Limits of Orthodox Theology" by Marc B. Shapiro.

I were stuck on a desert island I'd want to take an extremely detailed book on astronomy (Yes! Anthologies are cheating!). That way I could actually know what I'm looking at during those long nights under the wide open sky.

A book that made me laugh - "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams (the movie did not do it justice).

A book that made me cry - "In the Presence of Mine Enemies" by Harry Turtledove. I recommend it.

A book that I wish had been written - going with my sci-fi theme - "A Comprehensive Field Guide of the Galaxy's Extraterrestrial Civilizations."

A book I wish had never been written - I really could have done without Mein Kampf.

I'm currently reading "The Jewish State - The Struggle for Israel's Soul" by Yoram Hazony. I'm also in the middle of "Infinity Beach" by Jack McDevitt.

A book I've been meaning to read - one of these days I am going to read the Koran. It seems like an important text to be familiar with especially in today's political landscape.

What turned my onto fiction? Jeez, as far back as I can recall I was reading books. The best stuff was science fiction as they always had fascinating ideas and it felt like I was peeking into the future.

Ok, so now I tag in turn BrooklynWolf, ROJ, GH if he's still around, and just for fun, Anonym00kie and Michelle.