Book Notes: "The Book of Hadith" translated by Charles Le Gai Eaton

The Book of Hadith: Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad from the Mishkat Al Masabih by Charles Le Gai Eaton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Like all religious works, there is much debate over what should and should not be in the text. This work includes translations and the original Arabic text, and is well-regarded. I took copious notes from the Book of Hadith, but these resonate most:
- "If anyone travels a path in search of knowledge, God will conduct him through one of the paths of Paradise" (p. 11).
- "Be in the world as though you were a stranger or a passing traveler" (p. 41).
- "Do not curse time, for God is time!" (p. 100).
- "Beware of envy! Envy devours good deeds just as fire devours firewood" (p. 112).
- "A person keeps saying 'Mine, mine!' But what is theirs but three things? What he's eaten and consumed, what he's worn and worn out, what he's given and that is what endures. Everything else is fleeting and must be given up eventually to others" (p. 117).
A real eye-opener. As the sheikh in Amman said to me "You must read widely, and read for yourself. Do not believe what others tell you, listen only to God".



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Book Notes: "The Power of Positive Thinking" by Norman Vincent Peale

The Power Of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This is essentially a work for Christians. But here is what I gleaned from it:
- "Prayerise, picturise, actualise" (pp. 63-5).
- "Do you ever 'fume' or 'fret'?" (p. 96).
                              - "Self-knowledge is the beginning of self-correction" (p. 241).
                              - "easy power" and "correlated power" (p. 243).

Peale mentions dozens of famous people, including Marcus Aurelius and Edison, and endless examples of faith and positive thinking based on his own experience. His argument is that faith is scientific, and will be proven so. The work reflects many of the conversations I have had with Christian psychologists. It is difficult to be pessimistic when surrounded by such optimism. In the words of my late great-grandmother, "Think positive. Always think positive".

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Book Notes: "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft" by Stephen King

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


On Writing is a page-turner. Once I was in to it, I couldn't put it down. I recall a few Stephen King stories, but I have only ever seen the movie versions. Many of these I have not liked, especially the B-grade versions. Yet most of his stories are familiar, and many of the movies I have enjoyed were Stephen King stories - but I didn't know. The book ends quite abruptly, but King's personal story hasn't ended so why should his book? King shares some of his writing and his edits. This is something readers are rarely privy to, unless it is by accident. Fitzgerald's The Last Tycoon was my first glimpse into the mind of a genius. King is less the myth and more the real thing. Writing is a job, writing is hard work, writing is a story unto itself. The process is vivid: 2nd Draft = 1st Draft - 10%; kill your adverbs verily. Booze and drugs are bullshit. These were the key lessons for me. The first two I learnt from Hemingway; the third exposes Hemingway's ability to portray the false and make it believable. Here, King delivers Fitzgerald's On Booze, and Hemingway would not be impressed. Yet it is the lived experience and King's work deserves the jacket-spiel "a one-of-a-kind classic".



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