WWW Wednesday 1/21/2015

 

 

What are you currently reading?

Dubliners & A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly

 

 

What did you just finish reading?

The Iliad by Homer

Pearl Harbor:  FDR Leads the Nation Into War by Steven Gillon

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

 

 

What do you think you’ll read next?

Some Kind of Wonderful by Barbara Freethy

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton

 

We are going on vacation beginning late next week, so depending on the timeline/how quickly I’m reading/internet connection/etc…my blogging may be sporadic for a bit. Please be patient with me. I’ll be back to normal after the second week of February!

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The Iliad

Well guys, I did it! I made it through my very first “Study Book!” The Iliad was first on my list for a reason–I’ve been trying to get to it since high school. I read The Odyssey as required reading, but Homer’s original epic poem never made the cut.

I’ve always loved Greek mythology–I think it’s the basis of many of my other fascinations with old cultures. The stories are just so bizarre and interesting, and often hilarious now that I’m old enough to understand what Zeus’s swan form is actually doing. But epic poetry is just not my cup of tea, and, unfortunately…neither are war stories.

The Odyssey was interesting because it is post-war, and it is a journey. It tells of monsters and treachery, and in the end, a woman waiting at home.

The Iliad…well…Hector always has a bronze flashy shield, Ajax is Giant and Little. Zeus and Hera hate each other more than a suburban married couple. And it seems to me that Patroclus is the real hero of the story, not Achilles, but that’s me. Oh, and Menelaus really does have red hair (I always thought it was weird that they cast him with an Irish guy in the movie, but I guess it actually makes sense!).

Other than that, it was just a bunch of cocky guys fighting each other. The gods had much more of a presence than I expected, but mostly it was all battles an bloodshed, and I just didn’t care much for it.

 

And that, my friends, is my terrible interpretation of Homer’s great war epic. I can hear the academics groaning. It’s ok. I understand. I said I was going to read the list…I didn’t say I was going to enjoy it! I was going to read The Odyssey again right after this, but I think I’m going to switch to some prose for now.

 

Fulfills PopSugar #23:   book more than 100 years old

Fulfills Boxall #73

WWW Wednesday 1/14/2015

 

 

What are you currently reading?

The Iliad by Homer

King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild

 

What did you just finish reading?

Sins of the Father by Thelonious Legend

Since You’ve Been Gone by Mary Jennifer Payne

A Little Princess by Frances Hodges Burnett

 

What do you think you’ll read next?

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Pearl Harbor by Steven Gillon

WWW Wednesday 1/7/2015

 

What are you currently reading?

The Iliad by Homer

The Same Sky by Amanda Eyre Ward

 

What did you just finish reading?

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Sins of the Father by Thelonious Legend (Book Tour Post will go live on January 14)

Travelling to Infinity:  My Life with Stephen by Jane Hawking

 

What do you think you’ll read next?

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

 

OK…Who made this book list anyway? Seriously, we need to liven things up a bit. Don’t be surprised if I do not follow this. YAWN!

WWW Wednesday 12/31/2014

 

 

What are you currently reading?

The Iliad by Homer

The Undertaker’s Daughter by Kate Mayfield

 

What did you just finish reading?

41:  A Portrait of My Father by George W. Bush

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

 

What do you think you’ll read next?

Travelling to Infinity by Jane Hawking

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Starstruck by Brenda Hiatt

WWW Wednesday 12/24/2014

 

 

What are you currently reading?

The Iliad by Homer

Lock In by John Scalzi

 

What did you just finish reading?

Mission:  Impossible by Peter Borsocchini

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

 

What do you think you’ll read next?

The Group by Mary McCarthy

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

WWW Wednesday 12/17/2014

 

 

What are you currently reading?

The Iliad by Homer

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

 

What did you just finish reading?

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

A Dance with Dragons by George RR Martin

Backpacks and Brastraps with Savannah Grace

Before I Go  by Colleen Oakley

 

What do you think you’ll read next?

The Regulators by Richard Bachman

A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

December Read-A-Thon | Wrap Up!

I’m always both sad to see a Readathon end…and a bit relieved. Sad, because Readathons are FUN! Everyone reads as much as they possibly can, we put aside everything else and go into marathon reading mode. Many of us forgo all TV and any other activities and plow through as many books we possibly can. There are reading sprints, friendly competitions. I always keep track of how much I’m reading each day and try to beat my numbers.

But, by the end of it, I’m usually ready for a TV day. My brain is worn OUT. It doesn’t help that I’m in the middle of rereading Game of Thrones right now, either!

So, how’d I do?

Books Read:

A Feast for Crows by George RR Martin

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

The Suicide Index by Joan Wickersham

Before I Go by Colleen Oakley

Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo (Page 1-57)

Backpacks and Brastraps by Savannah Grace

A Dance with Dragons by George RR Martin (Up to Page 408)

Plus a short story per day, usually 3-7 pages.

Pages Read:  2,900

 

I did all but one of the challenges. Sorry Saturday…I just am not graphically inclined enough to recreate a book cover!

 

I skipped over The Iliad, which technically was on my TBR list before most of these, but that would have sucked up the whole challenge time. I will read that soon, I promise. I also am overdue on an ARC, but it’s only readable on my tablet, which died right before the Readathon started. Yikes! Other than that, I think I did pretty well. I would have been able to read a higher number of books if I hadn’t been reading Martin, but I got through a lot of actual pages, so I’m happy with the turnout.

WWW Wednesday 12/10/2014

 

 

What are you currently reading?

Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo

 

What did you just finish reading?

Breeder by KB Hoyle

The Suicide Index by Joan Wickersham

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

 

What do you think you’ll read next?

Before I Go by Colleen Oakley

Backpacks and Brastraps by Savannah Grace

A Dance with Dragons by George RR Martin

I am also overdue to read The Iliad, but I am saving that until after the readathon. I’ll be hitting that up as soon as this week is over, so we’ll see how many books I get though! I keep putting it off, and I need to get to it!

WWW Wednesday 10/29/2014

 

What are you currently reading?

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

 

 

What did you just finish reading?

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

Greyhound by Steffan Piper

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

 

 

What do you think you’ll read next?

Game of Thrones by George RR Martin

Fairies by Skye Alexander

The Iliad by Homer (We’ll see…I have some really huge titles on this TBL. I didn’t plan this out so well. I may have to rethink this one.)