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Beowulf on the Beach Reading Challenge and Giveaway!
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Have been reading You or Someone Like You by Chandler Burr which I am enjoying very much - a book about literature and its importance and the importance of being yourself. But the Library called yesterday to say that the last Donald Westlake - Get Real - had come in and I have to admit I stopped and am half way through that. I love the Dortmunder books and since this is the last one ever, I feel like I should be doing something ceremonial while I am reading it.Dottie M.
I'm currently in the middle of Pere Goriot (by Honore de Balzac), coincidentally the third book in a row that has been translated from French! The other two novels were Madame Bovary (by Gustave Flaubert, translated by Anna Marx Avelin (?)) and Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (by Dai Sijie, translated by ?). I wish my French were better as I sense I'm missing some of the nuances and sublety of French expression :-(After this novel, I may read something light and modern before I tackle the last book in my challnge queue, Great Expectations (by Charles Dickens.)
I am still struggling through MiddleMarch but I will read Beowulf on the Beach next month. I hope to get through another one but I don't think I will for awhile after MiddleMarch.
Man, I have been struggling with Anna Karenina since February. I think I am about halfway through it, but I've been reading it on my iPod Touch, and it's taking forever! Perhaps this challenge will help me to soldier on... after I'm done reading Jim Munroe's Everyone In Silico, which I needed to break up the monotony of 19th century Russia!
I decided to read Paradise Lost on Kindle. I was having a hard time finding time to sit and read, with an 11 month old to chase around. Since I always have my iphone with me (I use the Kindle App), I can read whenever I have a spare moment! I picked the Oxford University edition, with notes by Philip Pullman.
I read Paradise Lost in college and Beowulf on the Beach has inspired me to reread it. I am also rereading Titus Andronicus.
I've started reading "Jane Eyre" (by Charlotte Bronte.) I read "Wuthering Heights" (by Emily Bronte) a couple months ago and I'm finding it near impossible not to compare the two novels! Between Joseph (in WH) and Mr. Brocklehurst (in JE) you have to wonder about the Bronte sisters' father!
Well, I had to switch from the paper Canterbury Tales to the audio. I just could not drum up any enthusiasm for reading it. The audio version is going much better.
Stephanie, me too! I'll be looking for the theme of subordination as I read... always glad to have a little direction. :D
Nancy wrote: "I've had Paradise Lost sitting on my bookshelf for quite some time, so I'll give it a go this summer. It's a nice, small-sized book that'll easily fit in my bag. :D Paradise Lost"
I HEART Paradise Lost. I wrote a huge paper on the subordination of Eve back in my days as an English major. It was one of my best papers. Man, do I miss college English courses...
I've had Paradise Lost sitting on my bookshelf for quite some time, so I'll give it a go this summer. It's a nice, small-sized book that'll easily fit in my bag. :D Paradise Lost
Your book looks amazing -- I noticed the Nerve connection (your name seemed familiar), so I'm looking forward to reading your take on these titles.We're in the process of typesetting a number of these books for the iPod/iPhone, so I've been looking over a lot of proofs the last 2 weeks.
Top of my reading list is Don Quixote and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: they were the first two I picked to typeset just because I wanted to read them so much.
Becky wrote: "I'm currently reading Middlemarch. But I'd love to get to Anna Karenina or War & Peace."I am reading MiddleMarch too. I am only 11 chapters in. I reading it with a group. So the next milestone is chapter 22 or something like that.
I'm tentatively choosing the following four books for the BOTB Challenge: Jane Eyre (by Charlotte Bronte), Pere Goriot (by Honore de Blalzac), Great Expectations (Charles Dickens) and, Madame Bovary (by Gustave Flaubert.) They are English and French selections and roughly in the same ballpark era-wise (notice how I neatly sidestepped away from Moby Dick and Bleak House! (Too chunky if I want to dig in and read other novels too.))I may also read Macbeth (by William Shakespeare)as I have the opportunity to see it performed both as a play and as an opera this summer.
Jack wrote: "hi alli'm the author of Beowulf on the Beach, and i'll be here to talk about any of the 50 books i feature and most books in general. a few of you are considering books i'd actually not recommend..."
Interesting that you wouldn't recommend A Tale of Two Cities. I have to say I only picked it because everyone knows the beginning, so it seemed a good place to start.
Having just read a review of it I'm thinking maybe Treasure Island now.
Simply encouraging others to become as addicted to Proust as I have become! New people ferret out new and interesting websites to explore and I'm always learning more as a result.
Gena wrote: "Dottie wrote: "Gena check out The Proust Project group begun by BOTNS's own Suzanne as she tackles reading all of In Search of Lost Time/Remembrance of Things Past."
Many thanks -- I will definit..."
Gena wrote: "Swann's Way! Finally!"
Thanks for the shout out! I'm working on volume 2 right now -- the more the merrier!
Dottie wrote: "Gena check out The Proust Project group begun by BOTNS's own Suzanne as she tackles reading all of In Search of Lost Time/Remembrance of Things Past."Many thanks -- I will definitely do that.
Gena check out The Proust Project group begun by BOTNS's own Suzanne as she tackles reading all of In Search of Lost Time/Remembrance of Things Past.
I plan to reread Jane Eyre (it's been years) and read The Odyssey. I started the year by reading the Iliad, and The Aeneid is on my list for later.
What's the protocol on getting an actual discussion started?Do we post a general comment about a book, respond to JM's points from his book, write something provocative... Do we just jump right in, or will Ann, Michael, and/or Jack moderate/guide discussions or, post Conversation Starters? Do we confine our posts to one forum, or cross-post across all three (blog, FB, Goodreads?)
Amy wrote: "Hmmm...maybe Hamlet...or Bleak House...or To The Lighthouse...all on my shelves already. Choices, choices."
I read To the Lighthouse back in college as an English major. Hated it. Probably am not supposed to admit that, but I just COULD NOT get into that book.
Hamlet, however, is FANTASTIC! My favorite Shakespeare play...and I had to read a lot of them. When you finish reading it, watch Kenneth Branagh's version (word for word, so be prepared for a long sitting!) and relish in Kate Winslet's performance as Ophelia. She is incredible.
Hmmm...maybe Hamlet...or Bleak House...or To The Lighthouse...all on my shelves already. Choices, choices.
After perusing the fifty titles, I counted up nearly one-half of them i've read -- many for school long ago, the remainder on my own or with the Classics corner folks of my long-time Constant Reader group online over the years. So if I attempted one a month each summer I could read the rest of the titles addressed in only a few years -- I have a few left, I hope. ;-P Anyway, I'm going to choose a couple others to read along with War and Peace this summer.
This summer I vow to finally read Pride and Prejudice. I've had it on my bookshelf for years, but never got to it. After that, I think I'll take on Wuthering Heights.
I am going to read Cather in the Rye or Dracula.
One of my favorite classics is The Great Gatsby. I also love The Awakening and The Picture of Dorian Grey. I think that The Scarlet Letter is great. And, someone said he/she was going to read Huck Finn. I love that book! It is wonderful. Good luck to all!
Joanne wrote: "I've got three classics sitting on my shelf and begging to be taken along on holiday this summer. Paradise Lost, The Complete Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde and [book:Vanity ..."
Paradise Lost is in my top 10 favorites of all-time. Enjoy!
I'm going to read Don Quixote but being an Aussie it will probably be in front of the fire down at the holiday house instead of on the beach.
I'm going to read Lolita. I've been wanting to read it since I read Reading Lolita in Tehran A Memoir in Books. Can't wait!
Heather in KS
Add me to the folks reading Bleak House. When I got my Kindle a couple of months ago, one of the first things I purchased was a Complete Works of Charles Dickens. So, finished Tale of Two Cities (again -- sorry, Jack, have to disagree with you about Tale of Two Cities -- I really enjoy it) and have just started Bleak House, which I had not read before. Since it is really long, I may have to break it up with some "lighter" works, too -- so I will get back to it when I finish Cemetery Dance (LOVE Preston/Childs!). Just listened to the podcast today while running around doing weekend errands, and as soon as I got home I downloaded Beowulf on the Beach to my Kindle. Can't wait to dig into it tonight, and glad to join the challenge! Other Classics I already had on my summer list: Lady Chatterly's Lover and I wanted to read something from Jane Austen (Another first purchase for my Kindle was a Complete Works of Jane Austen!). I haven't read any Jane for years, so I might wait to look at the BOTB tonight, and see which Jane is the most recommended!
What fun!
Shannon
Cindi wrote: "I will be reading Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert!Thanks, Cindi"
I love that book! I read it once just because and a second time for a World Lit class in college. I loved it both times.
I've got three classics sitting on my shelf and begging to be taken along on holiday this summer. Paradise Lost, The Complete Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde and Vanity Fair.
I'm planning on reading Middlemarch but I'm already taking part in 9+ reading challenges so am not sure I'll get to it!
Jody wrote: "I'm planning to jump into James Joyce's Ulysses to kick off my summer reading."
Holy moly! That is ambitious!
Dottie, if you can't see the widget on Books on the Nightstand, you may be able to see it on the Random House page for the book: http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/displ...If you still can't see the widget, it might be a javascript problem in your browser. If that's the case, I'd recommend downloading the Firefox browser and trying that.
Love this thread, everyone, thanks for your participation. And Jack: welcome, and thank you!
Chris -- is it in the blog post or the podcast notes -- I'm still not seeing this -- wonder if my IE just isn't showing it for some reason?
It isn't just not opening because it's a pop-up because it would show up as a look at the info bar and click to show pop-up and that is not happening.
I plan on reading The Grapes of Wrath this summer. I also have Blood Meridian on my list. Good luck to everyone.
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Books mentioned in this topic
Beowulf on the Beach: What to Love and What to Skip in Literature's 50 Greatest Hits (other topics)Great Expectations (other topics)
Don Quixote (other topics)
Vanity Fair (other topics)
The Complete Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde (other topics)
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