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2009 Reading List

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by
andave_ya
, 01-04-2009 at 02:00 AM (1320 Views)
I thought Psyche's list was great! So I wanted to do one of my own.

Currently, I'm reading Homer's Iliad, which I definitely intend to finish. I started it a few years ago but got bored and bogged down in all the 'x killed y son of z' stuff .

I started Victor Hugo's Les Miserables last year, but ended up putting it aside after 500 pages because I seemed to read and read and read without making any progress. It's a fantastic book of course, digressions notwithstanding, but as a busy senior I need something where I can see progress . So I'll try it again in the summertime.

Next on the list is C.S. Lewis' Surprised By Joy, a sort of autobiography that chronicles how he went from Christianity to atheism and back again to Christianity.

Then, I want to read Virgil's Aeneid.

I also want to read a book of poetry. I have one called Modern British Poetry but today I got a lovely old book, English Poetry: Its Principles and Progress. I may read that one -- it's copyrighted 1936 .

I want to try Shakespeare's King Lear this year. We watched a movie of it and it was very interesting.

And finally, maybe, Dante's Divine Comedy, translated by DLS. Maybe . I don't want to put too much on this list cause I'm going to college in the fall .
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  1. Virgil's Avatar
    Very interesting. No 20th century novels. Wow, you're steeping yourself in epics: Illiad, Aeneid, Divine Comedy. Even Les Mis must be like an epic (I have never read it, though I saw the Broadway show ) as well. Surprised by Joy is supposed to be a wonderful work. You say "sort" of autobiographical. I thought it was autobiographiccal. I believe it was about the life and death of his wife Joy. I should pick that up myself. It has caught my eye in the past too.
  2. mtpspur's Avatar
    Read a very abridged novel version of the Iliad so that doesn't count. Valjean whined too much about the coin he stepped on and stole from the kid so that got put back on the shelf at the local library. Read Surprised by Joy waaay back when probably around 1971 so details are fuzzy. Read the comicbook version of The Aeneid and was highly annoyed the story wasn't finished which is why Mystery of Edwin Drood doesn't get finished either (considering the first couple of chapters failed to hold my attention didn't help either). I visit Dark Muse for poetry which encourages my I don't understand poetry syndrome I have going for me. King Lear--never wanted to read about an OLD man and now that I are one want to read it even less. Dante's Divine Comedy--have lost loves of mine own to mourn over without that drama queen messing with my head. Sigh I reread your list looking in vain for Captain Blood by Sabatini--hey your sister likes pirates--hmmmmmmm!!??
    Updated 01-06-2009 at 10:29 PM by mtpspur
  3. TheFifthElement's Avatar
    That's a very serious reading list Andy - don't you fancy a bit of Bridget Jones' Diary or maybe a little sneaky peak at Twilight? just kiddin'

    You know you reminded me. I went to see King Lear a long time ago at a small theatre in the city called The Green Room. I have no idea what happened because the theatre was in a lot beneath a railway line and every 10 minutes a train went over and you couldn't hear a thing. Didn't leave me with a great impression.

    C.S. Lewis is pretty good. I'm reading The Chronicles of Narnia to my son at the moment and he's really enjoying it. You'll have to tell us what you're opinion is of Surprised by Joy.
  4. andave_ya's Avatar
    Virg: here's what wiki says on Surprised by Joy:
    The book overall contains less detail concerning specific events than a typical autobiography. This is because Lewis' purpose in writing about his life was not primarily for historical purposes; instead, his aim was to identify and describe the events surrounding his accidental discovery of and consequent search for the phenomenon he labelled "Joy". This word was the best translation he could make of the German idea of Sehnsucht, or longing. That is not to say that the book is devoid of information about his life. Lewis recounts and remembers his early years with a measure of amusement sometimes mixed with pain. However, while he does describe his life, the principal theme of the book is "Joy" as he defined it for his own purpose.
    Rich: ...you're covered man! You've got it all under your belt...*sigh*I have so long before I can say that . Truthfully, this list probably isn't complete; I just wanted to get down my must-reads. I'll probably try to read something by Marquez...maybe Sabatini...maybe DLS again...

    Fifth: Twilight?! sacrilege! . heh, there'll probably be plenty of "lighter reading" interspersed with all that heavy stuff...
    how long was it? the movie was probably at least two hours long - my utmost sympathies if you sat through that and couldn't hear it ...
  5. Virgil's Avatar
    Oh I may have been confusing it with something else. Thanks Andy. I do know his wife's name was Joy.

    Edit: Ah, you are correct Andy. I was confusing that book with another of his, A Grief Observed. It just so happened that he wrote Surprised By Joy before he even met his wife Joy.
    Updated 01-06-2009 at 10:33 PM by Virgil
  6. Silas Thorne's Avatar
    Hi! Interesting list! If you're going to read the Iliad, don't forget to read the Odyssey as well. You might actually like it more. Odysseus is a very crafty, intelligent and cunning hero. I'd recommend getting through both of these before you read the Aeneid.
    And if you like both the Homer and Odyssey and want to read more, you can read the tale of Jason and the Golden Fleece, the 'Argonautica' by Apollonius of Rhodes. I loved it.
  7. andave_ya's Avatar
    I love the Odyssey . Odysseus is amazing . Although right now all my sympathies are with Hector, and I very much resent the idea of being manipulated by a lot of petty, temperamental gods. .
  8. andave_ya's Avatar
    reading update: finished Illiad and Surprised by Joy and am around halfway through Modern British Poetry...