I'm still reading The Case for G-d by Karen Armstrong. It's enjoyable, but takes time to grok. I read A History of G-d in similar fashion several years ago. Appropriately for the times, she's creating an "alternate" history of G-d, choosing to focus on traditions of mysticism and spirituality, and elucidating the original meanings of "faith" and "belief," which she claims had less to do with literal belief than trust in the disembodied divinity of within and without. It makes a lot of sense to me, but it is certainly not something one can understand without thinking about--or with thinking about :-P
I finished The Magicians audiobook, just in time for season 2 of The Magicians. I love how the show plays with the events/characters of the book while managing to keep perfectly in tone. Lev Grossman is a creative consultant on the show, so that makes sense. The last episode...!!! I was flabbergasted by the last episode of season 1, since, despite the changes, I saw the plot going in a similar direction. Turns out I was right, sadly, it just took till season 2.The Magicians was a reread for me, but it's been some years, so it was nice to pick up on things I'd forgotten, like Josh's existence (he's not in the TV show) and the labyrinth leading up to the book's climax. I'd mainly remembered the book as "ruining" Harry Potter and Narnia, but it also parodies D&D in the labyrinth scene. Also, some of the funniest lines in the show ("That's basic Prime Directive!) were straight out of the book.
I've never read the later two Magicians books, but I'm motivated to read them now because of the TV show. While my first reading intrigued me, it also upset me on a deep level. Harry Potter and Narnia were integral to my childhood and what I viewed as their "corruption," plus Quentin's depression, were overwhelming. Now, I'm older and have more distance from that, and I just seem to be able to look at it from a different lens. Maybe audio makes it easier too. Just hope everyone else at the library doesn't have the same plans. I saw the third audiobook available this past week, but not the second. I got the Revenge Wears Prada audiobook as a holdover. Already not as good as the original, but it's interesting to see where the characters' lives went.
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