• Home
  • About Me
  • 5* Elements
  • 2019 Reading Challenges
    • Other Reading Challenges
    • 2013 Reading Challenges
    • 2014 Reading Challenges
    • 2015 Reading Challenges
    • 2016 Reading Challenges
    • 2017 Reading Challenges
    • 2018 Reading Challenges
  • My Bookish Lists
    • My Classics Club List
    • Reading the Newberys
    • Reading My Own Books
Smiling Shelves

Circumreading the World - Walking the Bible

12/9/2016

2 Comments

 
Picture
Premise of the book: Feiler explores the setting of the Bible, specifically the first five books  of Moses (the Pentateuch - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). This takes him from Israel to Egypt to Jordan and many places in between. Along the way, he talks to many experts in Scripture and archaeology to get their views on the historical accuracy of the Bible and its place in the world today.

Random Facts Learned By Reading This Book:​
  • Mount Ararat (of Noah's Ark fame) is the highest mountain in the Middle East.
  • Flood stories are found in 217 cultures, the vast majority of which talk about a global flood.
  • The Dead Sea is six times saltier than the ocean. The area around it has a really thick atmosphere which keeps UV rays from reaching the ground.
  • The Nile River is 4,180 miles long, one-sixth of the earth's circumference. It's longer than the Tigris, the Euphrates, and the Colorado combined.
  • Cairo, Egypt has more vehicles than the Nile River has fish. It has been the biggest city in Africa for nearly a millennium.
  • The largest of the Great Pyramids covers the same amount of space as seven blocks in midtown Manhattan.
  • The average rainfall in the Sinai Peninsula is an inch and a half.
  • Camels can go for two weeks without water in the summer and two months in the winter. The water is stored in their cells and tissue, not their humps, and they increase their body temperature so that they don't need extra water to cool themselves down.
  • The per capita consumption of water in Jordan is 200 cubic meters a year. The United States' is 110,000 cubic meters.
General thoughts on the book:​ This book is really well done. Anytime you have a religious topic, the potential for offense is present. Feiler treats the Bible and everyone's opinions on it with respect. He does tend to believe the archaeologists over the Bible when it comes to the minutiae (which I disagree with), but overall, he does a great job of balancing the two sides. As someone who has always wanted to visit the Holy Land but probably won't get a chance to (at least not for a long time), I found this book provided a fascinating picture of that part of the world.
Picture
2 Comments
Susan in TX
12/12/2016 09:40:12 am

Hey Julie, I don't comment very often, but I have to just say how much I'm appreciating your Circumreading the World series! Fascinating selections - most of which I've never heard of. Thanks for sharing them with us, and Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Reply
Julie @ Smiling Shelves link
12/12/2016 09:08:23 pm

Yay! I'm so glad you're enjoying it. I'm certainly having fun doing it! Merry Christmas to you as well!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    My name is Julie, and I own a lot of books. As in, they are stacked on the floor because I've run out of room on the shelves. And those shelves? There are so many books on them that they smile -- not sag; smile. This blog will cover book reviews and all manner of other bookish things.

    You can contact me at julie@smilingshelves.com.

    Picture
    What are 5* Elements all about?

    Picture
    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Follow on Bloglovin

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Currently Reading

    Clara and Mr. Tiffany
    A Little Folly

    2019 Reading Challenge

    2019 Reading Challenge
    Julie has read 9 books toward their goal of 75 books.
    hide
    9 of 75 (12%)
    view books

    Archives

    November 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013

    Categories

    All
    5* Atmosphere
    5* Characters
    5* Learning
    5* Learning
    5* Meaning
    5* Plot
    5* Plot
    5* Voice
    5* Voice
    5* Writing
    Book Club
    Book Club
    Challenges
    Children's
    Classics Club
    Fiction
    Historical Fiction
    It's Monday
    It's Monday
    Library Loot
    Life
    Newbery Reading Challenge
    Nonfiction
    Read A Thons
    Reading
    Review
    Saturday Snapshot
    Smiling Shelves Soapbox
    Stacking The Shelves
    Top Ten Tuesday
    Travel
    Young Adult


    Picture