Classics Considered

Having resolved to read everything written by T. E. Lawrence , I inevitably picked up his college thesis, published posthumously under the title Crusader Castles . It's a very rare book, but happily a New Year's discount made the Folio Society edition a good option, and I couldn't have been more pleased with the customer service, shipping, and, of course, the edition itself.  The FS release is a reprint of the original two-volume edition, and it includes an excellent introduction by biographer Mark Bostridge, whose interest in WWI history makes it a worthy addition. Through the introduction, you learn that T. E. Lawrence completed his thesis just four years before the outbreak of WWI.  For his research, he had already traveled extensively in Britain and France, and even to Syria and Palestine - his first exposure to the Middle East and its climate, both in a geographical and political sense. His topic?  In his own words, he set out to prove "The Influence of the Crus...

  I seem to view summer as the season for buying books .  (Though, let's get real here, when is buying books ever out of season??) This gorgeous Vintage Classics Jane Eyre was on my wish list for a while, so when the price lowered on Amazon, I thought I'd better seize the opportunity.  (For anyone who's interested, it's still a pretty good deal right now!)  I read Jane Eyre two or three times as a tween/teen, but that was...well, some time ago.  It's long overdue for a reread. Stendhal's The Red and the Black is a book I know little to nothing about, but it's been on my radar as a French classic I should read.  Found it in the local thrift store for a deal, and in really good condition.  I just love Penguin Classics paperbacks. Speaking of which, I was ready for more Jack London after The Sea-Wolf .  His sailing memoir, The Cruise of the Snark , looks to be right up my alley.  I found this practically new copy in a small local *bookstore...

Yesterday my family and I had another chance to visit Powell's City of Books , which, as I raved last year , is the coolest bookstore you'll ever get lost in.  I naively assumed it would be fairly quiet in the middle of a Monday...that was a very, very wrong assumption.  The place was absurdly busy - summer has not ended at Powell's! I felt kind of overwhelmed and exhausted after twenty minutes, so I didn't really spend as much time as could have been spent, easily, looking at all the classics and polar exploration books (sigh).  This was my list: In the end, my timid heart decided not to spend a lot of money, so I got two Conrads and The Scarlet Letter , all three for under $10: I don't know how I possibly could have missed it, but The Scarlet Letter has some bad pen marks in the middle of the book.  It was only $3.50, and though I love Hawthorne, there is a chance I'll be underwhelmed .  If I love it, I'll get a clean copy; if not, I don't have to kee...

How could reading morph from something intrinsically habitual to - a tedious chore? While I stew on that sad thought, I will just mention these books ( they come in threes ) that arrived this week, and which I am, in a wistful way, excited to read. A long time ago, I was on a magnificent Jules Verne streak, and one of the best stories was The Lighthouse at the End of the World .  I've been longing to get back into Verne, re-read my favorites and explore the umpteen other books he wrote...this one is a good place to start. Kierkegaard's discourse on the "modern" world comes highly rated.  From even the little I've read of and about him, I sense I'll relate strongly to some of his ideas and disagree strongly with others.  A short book is a small commitment (!) and hopefully a tidy introduction. Finally, somehow I wandered across a memoir by Jacques Cousteau, whose underwater films were a vague but memorable part of my childhood.  I had no idea this existed; I...

Summer is taking the calendar seriously this year - an overstay of dry weather for the greater Seattle area.  (The dictionary tells me "overstay" is not a noun.  I protest.)  Meanwhile, I am hoping for rain this week and looking for fall color anywhere it dares show its face. Book Haul Not long ago we made a trip down to Oregon and on the way back stopped in Portland.  You cannot visit Portland without going to Powell's City of Books .  Like last year, I came well prepared, with wishlist and books to sell ( sorry Jane Austen ). It was a weekday; there were plenty of people, but not so many as on a weekend.  We were in and out of there within an hour. What I love about Powell's: 1)  It's a REAL bookstore.  Rooms and rooms of books up to the ceilings.  You could potentially get lost.  They still have those noisy little stools on wheels, and you actually need them (for tall bookshelves made out of  wood ).  Powell's is the real de...

An incredible, incredibly busy summer quarter hasn't left me much time to read.  I'm taking two classes, tutoring part-time, and job-hunting on the side.  However, yesterday I was able to get over to Barnes & Noble and pick up this lovely trio. I couldn't keep myself out of The Old Man and the Sea , so I read it today and will be posting a review for Hamlette's read-along at The Edge of the Precipice .  Not gonna lie - the cover and typography are just gorgeous!  (Admittedly a purchasing factor.)  I will say nothing yet of the story, except I'm glad I finally read it. And then there's Melville and Conrad.  Conrad really is best-read in hard copy.  His writing is wonderfully intricate, so much so it's easy to feel a little lost in the e-Ink versions.  I already know the story of "Billy Budd" from a radio drama, but I wanted to read the original and also "Bartleby the Scrivener," which comes highly rated.  Also, on a tight schedule, sh...