30 Pieces of Silver, by Carolyn McCray

I don't normally start my book reviews with a caveat, but I will for this book.  This novel is a thriller/historical fiction book.  It deals with certain situations within the life of the historical Jesus and with the modern-day fall out.  I'll try not to post too many/any spoilers, but the subject matter of the novel is controversial.  Reader beware.

I came across the indie novel 30 Pieces of Silver:  An Extremely Controversial Historical Thriller, by Carolyn McCray.  Her book was published independently because the major publishing houses did not think there was a market for her novel and that it was just too controversial.  

As the story opens, we travel with Dr. Rebecca Monroe and the team of Special-Ops guys to help Dr. Locum in France as he looks for the prized relic of Jesus's bones.  As Dr. Monroe and the team get more into the tangled web we learn that there is a "cult" (I use that term loosely) that is doing everything in their power to keep these bones from being discovered.  There are fierce battles between the two sides, a traitor who is accused and another who isn't suspected, tense forensic investigation scenes, plenty of time spent deciphering ancient Greek, Hebrew, Latin and Aramaic, anthropological/archaeological connections and lots of typical thriller elements.   

Interspersed with these intense scenes are scenes in ancient Jeruselem that focus on Jesus's life, ministry and family/friends.  This is where I think the most controversial material lies within this story.  For one thing, McCray envisions the life of the historical Jesus as filled with as many flaws as our own daily experiences.  She also envisions some intrigue, confusion, awe for the power of the Savior and God and the personalities of all the main characters.

My personal opinion about the book is that this is a good story.  I don't think we know the whole truth about the historical Jesus, apostles, followers and family.  Does the book posit themes and scenes that are not congruent with a modern, Western Christian interpretation of the Gospels?  Yes.  Does she acknowledge that she has done this?  Yes.  Does she include some major faux paus with regards to the characters?  Yes.  This is the one that bugged me the most - Paul was not a disciple while Jesus lived.  Do any of these things make this a not very good book?  No.  I truly enjoyed reading the book and am looking into some of her other works. 

Recap of the end of January

It appears that I haven't posted in a week, yet it seems that week has been filled to overflowing!  Here's a brief update on what I've been up to.


I've had another week of physical therapy.  It felt like the week before I had turned a corner and was making progress.  This past week we did different exercises.  My foot has been feeling good, so I asked the PT on Friday if I could try a shoe.  We had the discussion about it needed to be a tennis shoe with support for the ankle, not too loose, etc.  I also agreed that my shoes I fell off of (and love because they are easy and comfortable) are still grounded. 

Well, I got up the nerve on Saturday to wear two shoes to the library.  My running shoes (of which I have been wearing the right one for three months now) was just too tight on my toes.  I have one other pair of tennis shoes that did work.  We went to the library, I walked and browsed and then we headed home.  By the time we were leaving, my toes were "choking each other" as my Papa would say.  Tonight my foot is quite achy and hurting.  I was back in the boot today and we'll see what the PT thinks tomorrow.

I have also had another great week working with the middle school students.  They can really make me smile and make me proud.  They have been working very hard and all are making progress toward their goals!  They are excited and joyful and full of life.  Despite the day to day stresses, I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful job that I love.

I have also been busy reading another novel.  I'm at 80% complete (it's a Kindle book, so the Kindle tells me the %).  I'm going to save that for another post after I've finished the book.  I will give you this preview:  it is a controversial book, but I find it immensely interesting.

I have also spent some time on my article.  I've put together a HUGE list of resources I want to access.  One downside to life in rural Wyoming is that there are not a lot of lending options for these types of resources.  I have quite the long wish list of things to read.  I am going to re-read some of my resources from college (post-paper) first I think.  Mostly because I don't have hundreds (possibly a thousand) dollars to spend on books right now.

Other than all that (and that's a lot on it's own), things are good.  Daisy is a silly pup as always.  She missed her dad while he was at a conference last week.  She has been particularly obnoxious today.  She is using some herding techniques to keep us both in the same room with her.  I was downstairs and he was upstairs and Daisy begged and begged and was crazy until I went upstairs, found her dad and we were all in the same room.  Such a crazy pup.  Right now she is playing fetch and enjoying it. 

A lot to digest

I sat down this afternoon and did a first reading of what I had written in 2003.  Wow!  There is a lot of material there.  Overall, it's an okay survey of Mithraism and Christianity.  I don't feel like there is a strong conclusion or a strong thesis about the interactions.

I took over 4 pages of notes on my first reading.  Most of them are thoughts to research or explore more, questions I have and thoughts about some of the conclusions that I made.  My first impression is that this is a good summary of the information from the 20+ resources I used in 2003.  I also read the notes (2 typed pages) that the professor typed on this draft.  She saw three different thesis questions that I began to tackle.  

1. Theories of pagan revitalization or decline and the development of Christianity in this environment
2. Theories of class and how class influences religious choice and expression
3. Theories of influence between Mithraism and Christianity

I don't feel like I could do justice to the third thesis without expanding it to include all religions, theories of social influence and cultural sharing.
At this point, I am interested in both the first two theses.  I think my next step will be to do some more research - especially looking at primary sources and the archaeological record - and see where I sit.

Grave Secrets, by Kathy Reichs

Today I finished the fifth book in the Bones series.  Grave Secrets, by Kathy Reichs finds Dr. Brennen in Guatemala excavating and working on the human rights cases of violence against villagers in the 1980s.  Dr. Brennen then finds herself drawn into a case where a pregnant teen was found in a septic tank.

Dr. Brennen travels across the continent between Guatemala and her pseudo-home in Quebec to investigate the cases of four missing teen girls - one of whom is the girl from the septic tank.  Her investigation includes a Guatemalan detective and her almost-boyfriend Andrew Ryan in Quebec.

There are the traditional scenes of tension and drama where Brennen finds herself in over her head.  There is intrigue, plot twists and a bit of a cliffhanger at the end.  I recommend this fifth installment of the Bones series.

My Goal: Becoming a Published Classicist

I am so excited about something I am now planning to do.  I want to share it with you all in the hopes of support, encouragement and to share my excitement.

I am going to take a paper I wrote - discussing and analyzing the relationship between the Mithraic religion in the Mediterranean and early Christian traditions - and turn it into an article.  My ultimate goal is to get it published!  This is my favorite paper of all time that I have ever written and I want to re-read the resources, add new information and reanalyze the interaction (or lack thereof) between these two popular and influential religions.

I'll use the blog to document my progress along the way.  I'll continue to blog about all the other aspects of life, but this will be a new one.  So as my first post on my article, I am going to lay out some of the steps I have planned so far.

Becoming A Published Classicist

Goal 1:  To edit and expand an article on the relationship between the Mithraic Religion and Christianity.

Action Steps

1. Read the paper.  Make notations of what to research more, what to expand and what is interesting now.
2. Read the notes I gathered when writing the paper.  See what else sticks out to me as I come back to this.  
3. Gather resources.  Focus on primary sources, contemporary analysis (i.e. "What did they say then about it?"), modern analysis.
4. Brainstorm and formulate a hypothesis.
5. Research my hypothesis and find information to refute or support it.
6. Write a revised version of the article.  Edit, revise and make it publishing ready.

Goal 2:  To get my completed article published.

1. Investigate the appropriate journals to solicit for publication.  
2. Find out the best steps to get published and implement them.
3. Research online/blog publishing and the implications of that.
4. Research peer-review vs. non-peer-review.
5. Submit my article to the appropriate places.
6. PUBLISH! 
   

5QF January 20, 2012

Welcome to yet another addition of Five Question Friday.

1. Where do you hide the reeeally good snacks?  I don't hide them.  I do buy them, tell the other person in our house not to eat them and then eat them myself.

2. Do you keep your vehicle clean?  I like to keep it clean.  Things have not been going that way since my foot injury though.  I try to do my best to keep it clean, but sometimes, life gets in the way.

3. Have you ever been to Vegas?  No.  I want to go though.

4. Warm room light blankets or cold room warm snuggly blanket?  Chilly (not cold) room and many, many snuggly blankets.

5. What is the worst airplane/flying experience you've ever had?  Returning from Colorado Springs to SFO one time was horrible.  We were originally routed to Phoenix but that flight was cancelled because of snow in Phoenix.  They were able to change our flights, but on a different airline.  We waited for a while, flew to Denver and had a long layover and got into SFO.  But our bags never changed airlines.  They were waiting for us somewhere in the great unknown.  It took two days and lots of stress but we finally got our bags.  At least we were on our way home.

Reading up a storm

I have a three day weekend this weekend and I am excited.  I get a chance to relax, do some chores and read a whole lot!

Our local bookstore is closing, so when we stopped by yesterday, we got a lot of new books for 50% off!  These books are going in the back of the pile to be read.  

In the meantime, I finished another Bones novel.  Fatal Voyage, by Kathy Reichs, follows Dr. Brennan as she investigates a strange foot bone found during the recovery of bodies at a plane crash in the Smoky Mountains.  It is also the first book that I read on my new Kindle and I love that experience.  

I also spent time reading The Marvelous Land of Oz.  The version I read is the graphic novel representation of the L. Frank Baum classic.  I love the art in the book and I read the whole thing in one afternoon.  What a great Christmas gift from a book gift card!

I'm already on to my next book, but you will have to tune in to see what it is when I have finished it. 

5QF January 13, 2012

Welcome to 5QF on this Friday the 13th.  I know my Papa will be staying in and away from black cats and ladders, but I am forging into the world.  I have PT and school, then hanging out with the husband and pup.  Also, only 3 months until my birthday!  So, here we go...

1. What's the the last thing you bought for yourself?  My Kindle.  I used my Christmas money and got a Kindle with Special Offers.  I have been going back and forth for a long time and when we were out of town shopping last weekend, the store had one on display.  I was able to see where the special offers were located, feel how light is is and try the placements of the page buttons.  I splurged, but I love it.

2. What is your favorite meal on a cold winter day?  Chili with saltines.  Maybe a warm cinnamon roll on the side.  Hot chocolate with whip cream.  Definitely. 

3. Have you started looking at swimsuits for this year, and do you buy a new one every year?  I haven't looked at swimsuits, although I probably need a new one.  But we don't really have plans to go anywhere I will need one, so I'm not sure that I will get one.  I hate swimsuit shopping - I've only bought two in the last 7 years!

4. If you could be any candy what would you be and why?  I would be Peanut M&Ms.  I would  then be a hand-held, munchable snack that has some protein!

5. What are you most passionate about?   History, Classics, Rome, Latin, Archaeology/Anthropology, Reading, Forensics, Bones...need I say more?

My new toy!

I got a Kindle!

Flawed Dogs - The Novel

This week I read Flawed Dogs:  The Novel by Berkeley Breathed.  I got this book at our school book fair in the fall.  It tells the story of how a group of "flawed dogs" came to over run the Westminster Dog Show.

In this book we get to see things from both the pup and human points of view.  I love how the dog, "Sam the Lion", wants to find his human.  He wants to get loves from her.  All he wants is to be loved and to love in return.

The book is a quick read and has some wonderful illustrations.  I enjoyed it greatly and recommend it for any dog lovers!

11/22/63 - Stephen King

Today I finished Stephen King's new thriller 11/23/63.  It was amazing.  First off, it is not a horror book.  In this novel a man, Jake Epping, lives in 2011 and finds what he terms a "rabbit hole" to 1958.  The man who knows about this hole asks him to go back in time and stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963.

I am quite interested in history and enjoy books about time travel (Michael Crichton's Timeline is one of my favorites) so I undertook to read this behemoth of a novel.  At 697 pages, this is an undertaking to be taken with an understanding that you will be spending a lot of time with our friend Mr. King.  I figured my 3x weekly PT sessions would give me lots of time.

Last night, as I was in the last 100 pages, and at the climax, I thought seriously about staying up all night to finish it.  This is how good the story is.  I loved it and would recommend this to everyone! 

Sharing my knowledge of Ancient Rome...

Today at school I got to share my knowledge of Ancient Rome with a room full of adults.  And what I shared grossed them out!  (Beware it may gross you out too.)

We were reading in science class about the Copernican Revolution in the 16th Century.  There was a fun little "factoid" in the margins of the textbook about how doctors at that time prescribed many things for illness that we modern folks would think are strange.  One of these things was donkey urine.  The teacher was grossed out when preparing for this lesson and thought this information would gross me out along with making the room of 12 and 13 year olds snicker, giggle and say "eeeeewwwwww!".  My reaction was one of thoughtful consideration.


So class gets out and I go speak to the classroom teacher in private.  I ask him if he knew how the ancient Romans cleaned their clothes.  He did not.  I then had the privilege of sharing with him the following information.

Ancient Romans did not have toilets in their homes.  Most of the population (aka the poor folks) lived in apartment-like buildings called insula.  These were cramped, crowded and did not provide the types of ammenities that we are used to today.  So, when a Roman had to go to the bathroom, he (or she presumably) went down the street to the local laundry.  There he relieved himself into a vat or container specifically for this purpose.  


The laundry person would take this free collection from the neighborhood and use in the process of laundering the clothes.  The collected urine was poured into larger vats along with the togas and tunics.  Slaves and/or shop owners would then stand in the vats of urine drenched clothing and use their bear feet to agitate the clothes.  Togas and tunics were then dried and returned to their owners clean as could be.


To sum it up:  Today I was presented with a chance to relate my Classical knowledge with others as well as gross them out at the same time.  It was a good day!

Wordless Wednesday: Having Fun!