Classics Considered

C. S. Lewis's space trilogy has been on my reading list forever .  Well, at least since I joined Goodreads, which was 2012.  This year I've finally read it, and I posted a podcast review of the first two books over on Classics Considered .  Check it out and let me know what you think!

C. S. Lewis wrote a science fiction trilogy?  You bet he did.  In this episode, we'll go over the first two books, Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra . Works mentioned: "Eugenics and Other Evils" by G. K. Chesterton (Free online) "Some Popular Fallacies about Vivisection" by Lewis Carroll (Ridiculously difficult to find.  My 1996 Wordsworth edition of the "complete illustrated" includes it, so I hope the 1998 edition in the link does as well.)

  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...

It's been a while since I gave a personal update, and now it's summertime I feel things are slowing down enough to blog (yay!). Saying good-bye to the rhodies, hello to the foxgloves! This spring was very busy, both in work and in personal life.  A few things I did: Took a volunteer job for a four-day weekend outdoors.  Very stressful, but I learned a lot from the challenge. Went on an elimination diet for several weeks.  It didn't help my skin issues, but I lost some weight(!). Mentored (and continue to mentor) new employees at work. My (very basic) microphone setup. The best book I read in the last month or two is The Sea-Wolf by Jack London , which I reviewed (spoiler-free!) on my classic literature podcast .  There's nothing like reading a sea story, and I think it's my favorite genre for summer reading.  :) Other spring/early summer reads: Short stories by Shiga Naoya.   While I didn't enjoy the collection that much, it still mak...

On this voyage through classic literature, we join Humphrey van Weyden and follow his struggle to survive on the ominous ship The Ghost . A couple of notes on this episode: At one point I mistakenly imply I rated the book 3 stars.  (I actually gave it a 4.) I apologize for the amount of background noise.  It may have been the chair I was sitting in - I'll try to improve the setup next time around.  Have you read The Sea-Wolf (or other similar sea stories)?  Let me know what you thought of it!

Today's episode delves into WWI history with the life and writings of T. E. Lawrence. Books mentioned: Crusader Castles (Hardcover) Seven Pillars of Wisdom (Paperback) Minorities: Good Poems by Small Poets and Small Poems by Good Poets (Hardcover) The Forest Giant (Free online) The Odyssey (Hardcover)  |  The Odyssey (Free online) The Mint (Paperback)  |  The Mint (Free online) Sources / Further Reading: Mack, John E.  A Prince of Our Disorder: The Life of T. E. Lawrence. Brown, Malcolm.  Lawrence of Arabia: The Life, the Legend. Seven Pillars of Wisdom (My book journal)

 Apologies for the lateness of this.  Please comment with any thoughts or reviews you'd like to share! These were May's stories, following the Chronological Challenge .  If you are on a different schedule, though, feel free to chime in with what you read in May! May Week 19 (May 7-13):  The Valley of Fear Week 20:   "A Scandal in Bohemia" Week 21:   "A Case of Identity" Week 22 (May 28-Jun 3):  "The Greek Interpreter"