Mike’s Comments (group member since Oct 28, 2021)

Mike’s comments from the Never too Late to Read Classics group.

Thank you and Happy Canada Day!! I bemoan having to work in the UK on this day.

I'm looking forward to reading this but I'm a long way off from starting as I'm still reading Les Miserables and In Search of Lost Time.

As it's Pride Month, I'm reading Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin. Written in the first person perspective, it hits you hard with it's opening. I think this one is going to be an experience.

Karin wrote: "Mike wrote: "Karin wrote: "Mike wrote: "Growing up in Canada I was certainly no stranger to Snow. In England, it's not so common, but it happens. When I was at university, there were a number of st..."

I wan in Kitchener, though I've family in Ottawa and visited regularly. My brother and I would carve out snow forts in the banksmcrested by the snow plows. The worst I remember is a blizzard with such severe whiteout that every child had to be collected from school by an adult.

Karin wrote: "Mike wrote: "Growing up in Canada I was certainly no stranger to Snow. In England, it's not so common, but it happens. When I was at university, there were a number of students from India and Jorda..."

It was snow belt Ontario where I grew up, so usually 4 solid months of snow. We're lucky to get 4 solid hours where I live now!

Growing up in Canada I was certainly no stranger to Snow. In England, it's not so common, but it happens. When I was at university, there were a number of students from India and Jordan who had never seen snow. One class, the snow started falling and they were all mesmerised. It was fun seeing something I thought so little off through the almost childlike wonder they had in a their new experience.

Melanie wrote: "Brian’s last comment alone makes me want to dive back into In Search of Lost Time and make my way towards Sodom and Gomorrah. A book with that title sounds deliciously depraved."

There is a scene early on that fits the depraved label, but what I found much more interesting is that the narrator is so fascinated he watches throughout!

I've made it to Chapter 2 of Part 2 of Sodom & Gomorrah. I've not made much progress since I last posted in February, just struggling to find time when I'm in a mood to wade through the prose. I have enjoyed it so far, but currently I'm not awake enough in the morning before the kids raise and I'm too tired when I finish working after the kids are in bed. I hope to make progress when I have some time off work when I might have the chance to read during the day.

Thanks for the birthday wishes! It is the tail end of next week and I'm hoping for good weather. The children are on half term break next week and I'm hoping we can go to Kenilworth Castle for a good part of the day and have a picnic there. A week free of school runs may also help me make a dent in my reading!

Happy birthday Luis, hope the family is spoiling you!

Beetlejuice is one of my favourite films and I'm trying not to get too excited for the sequel, just in case. I'm jealous there's a musical out there I haven't seen!

Karin wrote: "He sounds delightful and like a youngest 1 year old with more than one older sibling re: the TV watching stuff."

He does bring a lot of joy, especially giggles, to the house. He is the youngest of 6 though the eldest doesn't live at home with us.

Aren't they just? He has also mastered using his deep blue eyes to wrap all the nursery staff around his fingers. He babbles a lot at home around us but becomes very coy around others. I find it funny that we put all the effort into teaching them to talk only to regret it when they learn to say no!

He had his first birthday just under 3 weeks ago! He's got a few teeth at the front and zips around the house on his hand and knees. He's also pulling himself up on furniture and walking along them and delights in pestering his siblings while they try and watch TV.

The weather here is decidedly British, torn as it is between sunny spells and rainy spells, sometimes even in the same hour. The kids are back to school tomorrow and I'm back to work but we're finding out feet and I'm finally getting more time to read. I used to read a lot at night but find I'm too tired these days, but I've started to read in the morning after the baby is settled and before the others rise.

Piyangie wrote: "Great to have you in, Mike. I hope you'll enjoy the read (if it's not a rereading). It's one of the most beautiful books that I've read.
Please let me know how you like the translation. I own a different penguin translation. I saw the edition you've mentioned on Kindle for a low price. I'd like to buy it."

It is a first read for me, and one I've been meaning to get around to for some time. Nothing like a group read to push a book to the top of the TBR! I have some passing knowledge of the basic plot courtesy of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (a recurring character is obsessed with Inspector Javert) but I've never seen the musical.

So sorry for your loss Pam, my thoughts and prayers are with you and yours.

I'm underway with a coffee this morning. I'm reading Christine Donougher's Penguin Classics translation. This tome is going to be hard on the carpel tunnel and arthritis but I'm sure it'll be worth the discomfort.

If you're reading the Bible from a literary perspective, my steer would be to the King James Version. It's English is contemporary to Shakespeare and, just like Shakespeare, is the source of many phrases still in modern use.

I've read the Bible twice, once with the KJV and the other with the New International Version (NIV). From a pure translation perspective, the NIV is the most syntactically accurate and reads well, and as Lesle notes, the NLT is considered the most semantically accurate. When I next read the whole Bible, it'll be the NLT.

I have an Amplified Bible, which is the one I take to Church. I like that it gives the range of words that could be used and that can communicate the original meaning of the text a little more clearly but it might bog you down when reading purely for the narrative.

I also recommend finding a plan. You don't necessarily need to stick to one of the ones that completes in a year, but they help to mix up the duller passages (such as the laws in Leviticus and Deuteronomy, and the various genealogies) with more exciting passages (e.g. Psalms, Prophets, parables).

I've been in a bit of a reading rut for a little while so to kick start I'm delving into Tennyson's Idylls of the King. When I finish reading it, I'll reward myself with looking at Gustave Doré's companion illustrations.