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What is a favorite non-theist book of yours or what are you reading now?

I was happy to find "The Six Ways of Atheism" at my library. When I checked out this book, a young male librarian asked if I was doing a project for school (uh, it's summer time, meat head). I told him it was for my own personal self and the turned away with a disgusted look that was priceless! He didn't even say good-bye! As I walked away I told him this was a great book and that I recommend he reads it (of course I hadn't read it yet).

My two favorites are Dan Barker's Losing Faith in Faith and David Mills' Atheist Universe.

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Permalink Reply by Natasha's Pet Ape on August 3, 2011 at 1:42am

yes, i did mention de sade, but not seriously. but his tongue is about as caustic on religion as it gets.

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Permalink Reply by mojo5501 on August 6, 2011 at 10:43am

I enjoyed "Why Evolution is True" also. I thought Coyne did a great job arguing the case and had a lot of examples to back up his argument. His analysis of vestigial organs in different species, including our own, was fascinating.

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Permalink Reply by Jackie Burgett on August 2, 2011 at 5:32pm

One of my favorites is Carl Sagan's The Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark. It is more about skepticism and critical thinking at times than about atheism but it had a lot of influence in my ideas about religion and is done in a very non-offensive manner. A great book to suggest for friends that you know are probably atheists but haven't quite admitted it to themselves yet.

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Permalink Reply by Natasha's Pet Ape on August 3, 2011 at 1:56am

Carl Sagan's The Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark.

thought i had read all of sagan's books. i will have to check that one out. will do.

but great book on non-theism. well, ...

so many great quips and quotes from everybody like mark twain to hawkings.

but where is a writer like cynical ferdinand celine or drunken bukowski or wired h.thompson. or obscene derisions from burroughs or callous lines from vidal, or vicious diatribes from the afore mentioned de sade. where is some great writer that has a journey of an atheist with the heart of a poet? someone who gets lost at sea but can be found washed ashore at some cuban cabanna or madagascar bar. some j. conrad who knows what to do with a poison arrow and how to apply it best to a jungle missionary.

is there one who can actually write as well as reason?

still looking.

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Permalink Reply by Jackie Burgett on August 3, 2011 at 3:26pm

I only started reading it a little while ago and am hesitant to recommend it because I haven't finished it, but in reading your post I would suggest The Good Book: A Humanist Bible by AC Grayling. Parts of it are very beautiful, its made me want to cry. I do find it at times to mirror the bible too much. The message is different but the word flow can feel a lot like reading the bible which I find to be either attractive or unattractive depending upon my mood. At least the beginning is a great read, though.

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Permalink Reply by Citizen Atheist on August 2, 2011 at 6:07pm

Favorite...Christopher Hitchens' - "The God Delusion"

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Permalink Reply by Natasha's Pet Ape on August 5, 2011 at 1:52am

if you do not have time to read it , Dawkins made an audiobook to it.

but it is a quick read, re-read .

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Permalink Reply by Wiley Coyote on August 4, 2011 at 11:51am

Haven't really been reading much non-fiction this summer. A friend of mine loaned me his copy of "Lamb, the gospel according to Biff." by Christopher Moore. One of the funniest books i've read in a long time. After that I've been reading as much of his work as I can find. So far I've read "Fluke" and "Practical Demon Keeping".

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Permalink Reply by Natasha's Pet Ape on August 5, 2011 at 2:07am

how about a nice movie such as

Life of Brian

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Permalink Reply by Wiley Coyote on August 11, 2011 at 11:47am

or "Paul"!

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Permalink Reply by Cameron on August 5, 2011 at 4:20am

I haven't really read too many atheist books, but from the ones I have read my favs are The God Delusion and The End of Faith by Sam Harris. I tried reading God is not Great, but it's just way too dry for me. It's not really a non-theist book per se, but I read and thoroughly enjoyed Stephen Hawking's The Grand Design, which offers a nice scientifc alternative for the origins of the universe to goddidit.

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Permalink Reply by mojo5501 on August 5, 2011 at 2:00pm

I'm reading Sarah Vowel's book now: "The Wordy Shipmates". Just started it last night. It's about the Puritan dissenters who sailed from England to NEW England in 1630 to start a new life in the new world. Vowel is both educational and comical. Her writing is both historical and hysterically funny. Just finished her short story book: "Take the Cannoli", and loved it. I'm on a roll and will be reading "Partly Cloudy Patriot" next. Can you tell I'm hooked on her writing style??

In my small atheist collection, I own Sagan's "Demon Haunted World", Dawkins' "God Delusion", Dennett's "Breaking the Spell", and 2 books by Susan Jacoby: "Age of American Unreason" and "Freethinkers".