On my golden bookshelf

Since I was a little kid, I have been an avid reader. I always had a book in my hands. Sometimes more than one. Everywhere my parents would bring us, a family event, a day at the beach, a visit to the doctor, I would be seen reading.

In my first blog post about my taste in literature, I decided I would make a short list of my favorite novels or series of novels. It won't be exhaustive, or even close to being exhaustive, but I believe you will learn to know me a little better by learning about my tastes.

One of Agatha Christie's best work in my opinion. A "huis-clos" (I'm french after all) with 10 characters in the beginning, a number that quickly thins down as the murders pile up. Who is the killer? Very entertaining. I first read it when I was around 15.

Philip K. Dick was an amazing writer with a twisted mind. The Man in the High Castle was the first Alternate History story I ever read. And what a first! Nazis and Japanese have won World War II and divided the US into two territories. Somewhere though, a mysterious man wrote a book. It narrates the victory of the Allies against the Axis...

Mind Vampires are real. They love to play. The world is their chessboard. Anyone can be a pawn. From Nazi Germany to 1980s Georgia, these "vampires" are restless, amoral and extremely violent. Can regular human being overcome these superbeings?



First item of the Mars Trilogy, Red Mars describes the trip to Mars and the first steps of the colonization of the red planet. This novel is a highly acclaimed hard science piece of art. Kim Stanley Robinson offers us one of the biggest dreams of humanity in written words.


As I said, that list is far from being complete. It's a first insight into my tastes in storytelling. Some other books will come in blog posts to come.

What are your favorite novels?

Atheist intolerance

I decided to write this blog post when I saw this tweet :

Hey guys today isnt the day to be an atheist prick who feels the need to attack anyone and everyone saying god bless America.Just wait a day
— Libertarian Comic (@funlibertarian) September 11, 2013

I am, in fact, an atheist; I couldn't agree more with this tweet though. I can't stand bigotry. Above all though, atheist bigotry is what ticks me off the most.

Even though I was raised a catholic, I always was an atheist at the core. My mom had to force me to go to church, and to make it go faster, I was bringing books to read during Mass (I was a huge Agatha Christie's fan when I was around 10). I know it can be seen as disrespectful to believers, but I was only a kid, forced to be there.

I was very resentful to my mom about that. I still am a little, deep down, but I understand her will to raise me the way she thought was best, as she was before by my grandparents. I actually enjoyed learning about Catholicism. I just didn't want to be part of the folklore. Since then, I also studied a little bit of a few other religions. I actually enjoy Theology. I like parables and metaphors. That's all they mean to me.

Being a proud atheist doesn't mean I disrespect other people's beliefs. In addition to being an atheist, I am also a libertarian: this means that, as long as you don't try to impose your beliefs or your life preferences on me, do and live as you wish.

Some people might think "Is it then forbidden to mention your religion?" Absolutely not. There's a very big difference between "You should believe (or live like) this because I think this is the right thing to do" and "This is what I believe in (or how I live) and I'll explain why". One is a clear attempt to convert the other while the other one is just an explanation shared to other people. Of course, that explanation could convince someone to change their ways and there's no problem with that.

Someone saying "Have a blessed day!" or "God bless America!" is not an attack to your freedom of religion. In their mind, that's probably one of the nicest thing they could say. They don't force you to say it. They don't force you to believe it. They just say it. Attacking them for that is being a prick. I'll always prefer a nice believer over a prick atheist.

I am an atheist, and I always will be. I will not try to convert you to atheism if you are a christian, a muslim or even an agnostic. If you want though, I can explain to you why I am that way; just ask me!