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rennegade's review
5.0
Loved it! I really enjoyed the variety of essays in this collection. There were some sweet ones, some straightforward scientific ones, funny ones, sarcastic ones, etc. There were a few that I ended up skimming, but most of them were very enjoyable to read. I want to hand this book to everyone who smarts at the fact that I am a Christmas-celebrating atheist.
gustavoberman's review
1.0
I was expecting a funnier book. It was boring, so I left it at the middle.
-
Esperaba un libro mas divertido. Me aburrió mucho y lo deje a la mitad.
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Esperaba un libro mas divertido. Me aburrió mucho y lo deje a la mitad.
ellenannmary's review against another edition
2.0
Mostly bought this book for Charlie Brooker, was a little miffed to find that his article was a measly 3 pages long, which when compared to the lengths of Dawkins' and Brian Cox's frankly insufferable writings, was a bit disappointing. The rest of it was of a varying quality, but mostly a little too self-congratulatory for my liking.
mountie9's review
5.0
think it is very important that I give you a warning and some background before you get to my review of this book. I am not an Atheist, but I am also not an organized religion type of girl and I also grew up in a family that weren't very religious. My Father was raised Salvation Army and many of his relatives also follow the B'hai religion. My Mom was raised United but didn't attend church much growing up. The only time our family went to Church was for weddings, funerals and way too many bazaars to mention (my mom was a serious crafter). We were raised to respect others beliefs, to help others less fortunate than ourselves, and just to be kind generous people without being told we had to do it or God was going to be pissed off and send us toHell. I know my Dad believed in God, but was against organized religion of any kind. He was very vocal in saying that we all had the right to believe what we wanted, but it was wrong to force our opinions on others.
So I pretty much lived the way he lived. I believe in God, but honestly its more like Mulder, in that I want to believe rather than I actually do. Both of my Parents are dead, so it is very comforting to think that they are in Heaven watching over me, and quite frankly getting a laugh over all the trouble my kids give me (because they know I totally deserve it). I'm also a parent so I want there to be a Heaven so that when I die I can still watch over them (and probably lmao when their kids torture them). I also like to believe in a gentle God who obviously has a weird sense of humour, and who is totally ok with my views on him. A lot of my healthy skepticism about God comes from history, not to mention science. Look at all the wars that have happened in Gods name (or Allah, etc) -- and quite frankly if God approves of that, well than I would rather go to Hell than to Heaven (and laugh with the sinners like Billy Joel). Also, I have spent many a day at Sick Kids in Toronto and to seen so many innocent children suffering ,so it makes it hard to believe that a God could sit around and watch that happen. And finally I'm sort of pissed at him for taking my Dad away far too early, the world needs more men like my Dad and my kids never got the chance to meet him.
I am sorry if my opinions offend anyone, but they are my opinions and I think important to know before you read.
The Good Stuff
* Ed Byrne's essay is hilarious and has a wonderful point about having a moratorium on any holiday advertising before mid-November
* Catie Wilkins essay was wonderful, loved the fact that she sent a letter to both God and the Devil
* Many of the essays are very wise on the spirit of Christmas
* One of the essays mentions Buffy (David Baddiel and Arvind Ethan David)
* Absolutely fascinating essay on the star of Bethlehem
* Loved the conversation between and Adam Ruthorford and God in Adam's essay
* David Stubbs essay was hilaious and his comments about all the ands in the bible are right on the money
* Atheist Barbie - trust me - worth the price of the book
* Sian Berry's green suggestions are brilliant and not at all preachy
* Charlie Brookers essay on laughter is just plain wonderful
The Not so Good Stuff
* The essays from a science point of view are way over my head
* Some of the essays are a little boring
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"I find him in the bedroom with the lovely Nativity book his devout -and devoted-granny has sent him (even though he hasn't been baptized and thus is slightly damned and stuff), agruing with his friend Freya."
(Jenny Colgan)
"I appreciate all that my mother and my grandmother tried to do. They can't be held responsible for my failed childhood birthdays-they were up against eons of ritual and tradition. Still, if I'd been alive in the fourth century, I could have been sacrificed by pagans, so perhaps I should count my proverbial blessings and be happy that all I had to deal with was losing my birthday to a holiday. It could clearly have been much worse."
(Emery Emery)
"Keen scholars of Judaism (or readers of the beginning of this piece) will know that, as well as the whole pig issue, dairy products and meat products must be kept separate. So, for example, if you're eating a meat-based bolognaise sauce on pasta, you couldn't put cheese on it to make it, well, nice. Cheeseburgers are out too, because they are nice. Esentially the Jewish God hates the delicious." (Matt Kirshen)
"I've never believed in God, but I've never wanted to prevent anyone else from doing so" (Andrew Mueller)
What I Learned
* Atheist's are extremely accepting of all and really frickin funny
* Most Atheists love Christmas
* A lot about the Big Bang Theory and its written in an easy to read and understand way
Who should/shouldn't read
* This is NOT a book for those who are sensitive about religion in any way
* Perfect for those who have a dry sense of humour
* My family who will really enjoy and will lead to some interesting and hilarious conversations
* Dad you would have loved it -- Miss ya! (Tell Mom to stop laughing when Jesse gives me a hard time - I wasn't that bad!)
4.5 Dewey's
I received this from HarperPerennial in exchange for an honest review
So I pretty much lived the way he lived. I believe in God, but honestly its more like Mulder, in that I want to believe rather than I actually do. Both of my Parents are dead, so it is very comforting to think that they are in Heaven watching over me, and quite frankly getting a laugh over all the trouble my kids give me (because they know I totally deserve it). I'm also a parent so I want there to be a Heaven so that when I die I can still watch over them (and probably lmao when their kids torture them). I also like to believe in a gentle God who obviously has a weird sense of humour, and who is totally ok with my views on him. A lot of my healthy skepticism about God comes from history, not to mention science. Look at all the wars that have happened in Gods name (or Allah, etc) -- and quite frankly if God approves of that, well than I would rather go to Hell than to Heaven (and laugh with the sinners like Billy Joel). Also, I have spent many a day at Sick Kids in Toronto and to seen so many innocent children suffering ,so it makes it hard to believe that a God could sit around and watch that happen. And finally I'm sort of pissed at him for taking my Dad away far too early, the world needs more men like my Dad and my kids never got the chance to meet him.
I am sorry if my opinions offend anyone, but they are my opinions and I think important to know before you read.
The Good Stuff
* Ed Byrne's essay is hilarious and has a wonderful point about having a moratorium on any holiday advertising before mid-November
* Catie Wilkins essay was wonderful, loved the fact that she sent a letter to both God and the Devil
* Many of the essays are very wise on the spirit of Christmas
* One of the essays mentions Buffy (David Baddiel and Arvind Ethan David)
* Absolutely fascinating essay on the star of Bethlehem
* Loved the conversation between and Adam Ruthorford and God in Adam's essay
* David Stubbs essay was hilaious and his comments about all the ands in the bible are right on the money
* Atheist Barbie - trust me - worth the price of the book
* Sian Berry's green suggestions are brilliant and not at all preachy
* Charlie Brookers essay on laughter is just plain wonderful
The Not so Good Stuff
* The essays from a science point of view are way over my head
* Some of the essays are a little boring
Favorite Quotes/Passages
"I find him in the bedroom with the lovely Nativity book his devout -and devoted-granny has sent him (even though he hasn't been baptized and thus is slightly damned and stuff), agruing with his friend Freya."
(Jenny Colgan)
"I appreciate all that my mother and my grandmother tried to do. They can't be held responsible for my failed childhood birthdays-they were up against eons of ritual and tradition. Still, if I'd been alive in the fourth century, I could have been sacrificed by pagans, so perhaps I should count my proverbial blessings and be happy that all I had to deal with was losing my birthday to a holiday. It could clearly have been much worse."
(Emery Emery)
"Keen scholars of Judaism (or readers of the beginning of this piece) will know that, as well as the whole pig issue, dairy products and meat products must be kept separate. So, for example, if you're eating a meat-based bolognaise sauce on pasta, you couldn't put cheese on it to make it, well, nice. Cheeseburgers are out too, because they are nice. Esentially the Jewish God hates the delicious." (Matt Kirshen)
"I've never believed in God, but I've never wanted to prevent anyone else from doing so" (Andrew Mueller)
What I Learned
* Atheist's are extremely accepting of all and really frickin funny
* Most Atheists love Christmas
* A lot about the Big Bang Theory and its written in an easy to read and understand way
Who should/shouldn't read
* This is NOT a book for those who are sensitive about religion in any way
* Perfect for those who have a dry sense of humour
* My family who will really enjoy and will lead to some interesting and hilarious conversations
* Dad you would have loved it -- Miss ya! (Tell Mom to stop laughing when Jesse gives me a hard time - I wasn't that bad!)
4.5 Dewey's
I received this from HarperPerennial in exchange for an honest review
booktrotting's review
2.0
Mostly bought this book for Charlie Brooker, was a little miffed to find that his article was a measly 3 pages long, which when compared to the lengths of Dawkins' and Brian Cox's frankly insufferable writings, was a bit disappointing. The rest of it was of a varying quality, but mostly a little too self-congratulatory for my liking.
erudani's review against another edition
4.0
La verdad que no sabía bien qué esperar del libro, libro que me compró con el título nomás.
Pero en fin, tiene humor, tiene ideas para pasar y disfrutar las fiestas aunque no sigas religión alguna, y también recomienda muchos más libros, shows, y demás fuentes de información para no aburrirse más.
Me alegro mucho de haber comprado este libro, lo vi por primera vez en la biblioteca de uno de mis pubs favoritos, fue atracción instantánea.
+ parte de las ganancias del libro son donadas a una fundación para afectados por VIH.
+ en este libro casi nunca, CREO, se habla u ofende a los creyentes.
Pero en fin, tiene humor, tiene ideas para pasar y disfrutar las fiestas aunque no sigas religión alguna, y también recomienda muchos más libros, shows, y demás fuentes de información para no aburrirse más.
Me alegro mucho de haber comprado este libro, lo vi por primera vez en la biblioteca de uno de mis pubs favoritos, fue atracción instantánea.
+ parte de las ganancias del libro son donadas a una fundación para afectados por VIH.
+ en este libro casi nunca, CREO, se habla u ofende a los creyentes.
stevereally's review
3.0
There are definitely some four-star essays in here but also some two-star pieces. I sympathize strongly with their preference for forty-two as the number of contributors, but the collection would be better off without some of the pieces. The good ones were worth finding, though.
The most valuable are by A.C. Grayling and Mitch Benn. Along with those, I also recommend the pieces by Richard Dawkins and Simon Singh. Some bits of the Claire Rayner essay are helpful. The Nick Doody piece is wildly clever and quite funny.
The David Stubbs, Adam Rutherford, and Charlie Brooker pieces are worth reading despite their disappointing pattern ignoring the Christmas angle altogether while they make interesting points about atheism and religion.
The stuff in the first section of the book, "Stories," is the most disappointing. Skip it altogether, or at least until after you've read all the rest of the essays in the book. (Meanwhile, there are some [better] stories in most sections of the book, whether the section is Science, Philosophy, Arts, or Events.)
The most valuable are by A.C. Grayling and Mitch Benn. Along with those, I also recommend the pieces by Richard Dawkins and Simon Singh. Some bits of the Claire Rayner essay are helpful. The Nick Doody piece is wildly clever and quite funny.
The David Stubbs, Adam Rutherford, and Charlie Brooker pieces are worth reading despite their disappointing pattern ignoring the Christmas angle altogether while they make interesting points about atheism and religion.
The stuff in the first section of the book, "Stories," is the most disappointing. Skip it altogether, or at least until after you've read all the rest of the essays in the book. (Meanwhile, there are some [better] stories in most sections of the book, whether the section is Science, Philosophy, Arts, or Events.)
christinaestrup's review against another edition
2.0
Rather hit-and-miss. There were some interesting articles in it, but quite a number of dull ones too.
sshabein's review
4.0
Peppered with humor, it’s a quick, entertaining read. Probably what I enjoyed most about it was its reasoned, un-snarky approach to the subject matter. At no point does it devolve into petulant student arguments against religion, which are as bad as angry chuch-going judgements.
Its content is varied enough to provide some intellectual fodder for most everyone, save the super-religious who won’t hear otherwise. It’s not an attack, just another way of thinking. Though we may be past Christmas now, I think it’s still a worthwhile winter read.
(Full review can be found at Glorified Love Letters)
Its content is varied enough to provide some intellectual fodder for most everyone, save the super-religious who won’t hear otherwise. It’s not an attack, just another way of thinking. Though we may be past Christmas now, I think it’s still a worthwhile winter read.
(Full review can be found at Glorified Love Letters)
kaylana's review
3.0
The first half had some really great essays. The second half was only so-so. Highlighted a few things, though. So I'll probably go back for some of those essays again.