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What are you reading Chapter 4
- Thread starter slobake
- Start date
Wow, she's still around?
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Different Julia Cameron. This book has a copyright of 1992.
Just finished Bede's "Life of Cuthbert" and "Lives of the Abbots of Wearmouth and Jarrow". Going to change it up later and read something completely different - Spider Robinson's "Callahan's Crosstime Saloon". Seems a fun and quick sci-fi romp, and it's been recommended to me for years by a good friend. I finally found a copy while just browsing a store today, and for $3, I HAD to pick it up! I'll likely finish tonight, as it's short and likely to be a far easier read than the Medieval type stuff I've been reading lately.
I just started it tonight. I can tell I'm not going to want to put it down.
Finished up "Callahan's Crosstime Saloon" in a single night as I thought I would, and it was excellent. Certainly not standard sci-fi, but a fun story with an interesting premise. Not too serious, but also insightful in its own way. I'd recommend it to anyone wanting a fun sci-fi story with heart. There's a series based on it as well, so now I'll need to grab that...
I also read new-to-me translations of Beowulf and Gilgamesh - I'm surely biased as I love epic poetry, but I enjoyed both. Gilgamesh was still in poetic form, which I enjoyed, but I'll need to read my prose copy to see which I prefer. It's been years, and I'm not as familiar with Gilgamesh as I am Beowulf. The prose Beowulf surprised me with how much I enjoyed it - it was the Hieatt translation if anyone is interested. Still not as good as Heaney's verse version, but a great version nonetheless. It's fun to see different shades of meaning from various translations.
Following that, I read a book about Inanna - a "contemporary" god of Gilgamesh. It was rather blunt in its portrayals of her various feminine roles (I'll let you fill in the blanks), but also included great and resounding symbolism. I guess there's a reason these stories have lasted so long and are still read today!
Finally, I read "Animal Farm" yesterday. First time I've read it, and I had a basic understanding of the book going in. Still, it was well written, and an excellent treatise on the concept, being both deep and easy to read at the same time. Not always an easy feat!
I started "Piers the Ploughman" this afternoon, which is a long Christian dream poem from the Middle Ages. Fits in well with most of my reading of late. Looking forward to it!
I also read new-to-me translations of Beowulf and Gilgamesh - I'm surely biased as I love epic poetry, but I enjoyed both. Gilgamesh was still in poetic form, which I enjoyed, but I'll need to read my prose copy to see which I prefer. It's been years, and I'm not as familiar with Gilgamesh as I am Beowulf. The prose Beowulf surprised me with how much I enjoyed it - it was the Hieatt translation if anyone is interested. Still not as good as Heaney's verse version, but a great version nonetheless. It's fun to see different shades of meaning from various translations.
Following that, I read a book about Inanna - a "contemporary" god of Gilgamesh. It was rather blunt in its portrayals of her various feminine roles (I'll let you fill in the blanks), but also included great and resounding symbolism. I guess there's a reason these stories have lasted so long and are still read today!
Finally, I read "Animal Farm" yesterday. First time I've read it, and I had a basic understanding of the book going in. Still, it was well written, and an excellent treatise on the concept, being both deep and easy to read at the same time. Not always an easy feat!
I started "Piers the Ploughman" this afternoon, which is a long Christian dream poem from the Middle Ages. Fits in well with most of my reading of late. Looking forward to it!
I have not. Is it a related series?
Despite my best efforts, I'm trying to NOT add to my reading list and read what I've already got! While I'm definitely reading more than I have in years, my reading pace isn't quite up to my acquiring pace, so I'm trying to slow the latter.
I picked this up. There is some stormy weather coming this week, so I'll curl up and start reading it then.
Here is a shot of the back cover...for those who want to see what it's about.
Here is a shot of the back cover...for those who want to see what it's about.
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No doubt related to the discovery of fermentation.
I've got a couple lengthy irons in the fire right now. One is the Beatles biography by Bob Spitz. I only just got to the part where they start calling themselves the Beatles. It's very interesting. I'm also finding, though, that I don't really like these people, at least not as young men. Especially when they start getting girlfriends - they seem like just horrible people. I wonder if they're going to get more mature and sympathetic as it goes on.
The other is an academic thing, David Anthony's The Horse, the Wheel, and Language. I'm teaching Ancient and Medieval Civilizations this term and the issue of Indo-European languages always comes up (and "Aryans"). I've known bits and pieces of it for a long time but realized I wasn't really up to speed on current scholarship and was kind of winging it. So this is a fascinating dive into how linguists and archeologists are reconstructing a huge piece of human experience, just past the horizon of recorded history.
This sounds WAY up my alley. I'm interested to hear what you think when you finish it! I've always been fascinated by language and its inherent historicity - it's one of the reasons I love mythology so much.
The Horse, the Wheel, and Language
That's the book. It may take me a while to get through, but I'll try and remember to check back in when I'm done.
On the back it reads, 'You can't know too much about sex — and this book tells it all!'
It's been on the shelves here, since '75. I've not read it before. The stuff about S&M, cruelty, works like a repellent — I have so much to read. How did sports begin? is also close at hand.
Good for you
I don't judge. They've been very influential, in my life, in a roundabout way. Especially Paul, as Wings got in early. It was a long time ago.
This troubled me, a few years back, but I wasn't surprised. Hit home.
Good for you
I don't judge. They've been very influential, in my life, in a roundabout way. Especially Paul, as Wings got in early. It was a long time ago.This troubled me, a few years back, but I wasn't surprised. Hit home.
And, when this album came out, they played it here, on the radio. It had a striking impact on me, emotionally — startled me, in a sense. I got so engrossed, and surprisingly comforted, listening again to John and his sentiments. Grief materialized. I have the disc
Good luck with the scholarship.
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In regards to The Beatles, it's the same as any group. Your "heroes" are human as well. I've never been a fan of The Beatles (which is neither here nor there), but readily acknowledge their undeniable influence. There's also a bit of "separating the art from the person", but the extent to which you can do that is a personal line. I have a handful of bands that I enjoy musically, but can't condone the actions of their members. Depending on the seriousness of their actions, I've either refused to buy anything new from them, or have completely stopped listening to them. That being said, I have been debating listening to one of them again, as I haven't listened to them in nearly three years. I haven't bought anything of theirs, I still LOVE the music, and at this point, it's no more damage to listen to what I've already purchased.
The title intrigues me - what IS "the greatest submarine rescue in history"?
It's technically the story of Swede Momsen who pioneered submarine rescue techniques early on. This was the greatest rescue at the time (1939)
https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/the-great-submarine-rescue-squalus-2/
Good for you
This troubled me, a few years back, but I wasn't surprised. Hit home.
And, when this album came out, they played it here, on the radio. It had a striking impact on me, emotionally — startled me, in a sense. I got so engrossed, and surprisingly comforted, listening again to John and his sentiments. Grief materialized. I have the disc
Good luck with the scholarship.
Oh, I'm perfectly fine with distinguishing the artist from the art. That's only a problem for me when the artist sells a persona AS their art with the impression that this is their "real self" - like Bill Cosby, who sold this wholesome image of himself when it turns out he's a monster behind the scenes. What I'm talking about is irrelevant to my enjoyment of the Beatles' music. But in terms of the narrative of a book, it changes your experience of reading when you have a hard time rooting for the protagonists. John and Paul, at least, seem to have been ruthless, ambitious, manipulative and controlling, at least in their early years. That Zappa interview suggests maybe that didn't change much.
I have a 2/3 book a day habit, so Kindle Unlimited is my corner dealer. Mostly SciFi, Fantasy, Mystery, Noir, and anything else that catches my eye. Not much anything you would consider "serious" material. I enjoy things like the Kutherian Gambit since the series is close to 60 books ......
