Classics Considered

In honor of the day before Singles Awareness Day Valentine's Day, here's my favorite romantic relationships from literature (in no particular order):

The Cobra's Heart is a succinct yet expansive book about a Polish journalist's experiences and observations in 20th-century Africa.  Just under 100 pages, it's merely an excerpt of Ryszard Kapuściński's full-length book, The Shadow of the Sun .  Upon finishing it, I was happy to find the full version already on my to-read list (added, though forgotten apparently, in 2013) as well as pleasantly surprised that this miniature made me want to read the full book.

It's snowing heartily again, on top of the 2-4 inches from earlier this week that didn't fully melt.  So I came home early and am looking forward to a weekend "snowed in" - which means reading!

Prime Minister Shimon Peres (left) welcomes released Prisoner of Zion Antatoly Sharansky as he steps off the Westwind plane arriving from Frankfurt at Ben-Gurion Airport. Government Press Office (Israel) [ CC BY-SA 3.0 ] For many of us the scientific-technological revolution arrived at precisely the right time, with the world of science as a kind of castle where you could protect yourself from the shifting winds of official ideology. (p. xii) This single sentence from Natan Sharansky's memoir Fear No Evil really grabbed me.  Here is someone I could immediately relate to in a unique way.  I'm not brilliant at chess, math, or computer science like Sharanksy, but I understand him.  In a world where politics and ideology are constantly in our face, some of us cling to science and technology - constants of logic and scientific process - as a way to feel safe and find commonality. But what happens when not even science can protect you?

So...contrary to my past practices, I am starting to embrace epic challenges.  Before this enthusiasm leaves me, I've decided to finally join The Classics Club and commit to reading 50 classics within five years. It's a pretty reasonable goal (ten classics a year), since I mostly read classics anyway.  But I'm making it more difficult by including some chunksters and books I've been putting off for years and some that fall under both (*cough* War and Peace ).  I also threw in some rereads that I keep meaning to return to.  The list also came out to 52 instead of 50 (sigh), but I'm only committing to 50.

Mary Poppins Returns (2018) One day, Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt) shows up at the door of Michael Banks, who is now grown up and a widower with three small children.  He still lives at 17 Cherry Tree Lane, London, and is scrambling to make his next house payment before the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank boots them out.  Mary Poppins steps in to take care of the kids, leading them on an unexpected adventure through magical lands, London streets, and even the Bank itself, as they endeavor to help their dad find a way to keep the house.