Reading Classics, Chronologically Through the Ages discussion
General Discussion
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Questions/Comments/Suggestions/Musings
Cleo wrote: "LOL! Yes, I can see that you're too much of a free spirit for that group.Ah, you have a wonderful supply of proverbs/sayings, Cleo!
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LOL Oh my goodness, I just love that meme. Thanks for sharing.
Although, in my defense, the 7 books that made their way to the top of my TBR pile--above Herodotus and basically causing this Chronological TWEM group to be stalled for a while--were a direct result of love from Friends and Family and wishing to put their books first. <3
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I may have to join the History Book Club, just to look at their archives. But it's too soon for me to get deep into Rome.
Thanks for the embracement of the weirdness and freespiritism ㅍ.ㅍ (glowing anime eyes)Korean characters are loaded with symbols ㅂ.ㅂ
ㄱ.ㄱ I think it's why they invented their alphabet!
HBC is a goldmine for books. They dug up tonnes of atlases when I asked for a suggestion.
Sandy, the Solhemian ㅎ.ㅎ I think.... or Bosoldier.... hmmm
It's awesome to have people to share a love of books with! 'ㅅ' (bunny face)
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It does look like a GREAT book, Sandy.
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Yes! I am so very fortunate, and I do feel much gratitude for it. :-)
Sandy wrote: "I am hesitant also, Julie, but I'd really like to see what the experience of a group read with HBC is like (this will be my first)...."
I hope you enjoy your experience! I just skimmed through the group a bit and they really do look incredibly organized--wow! You'll have to report back on how it's going for you in a few weeks.
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(reply moved to General Musings thread as the part of Kenia's post I'm replying to is not specifically about The Histories)
Hi, Kenia!
I also am amazed at how much some folks on Goodreads are able to read. Roughly half my "reading" is actually listening, while driving. I know you were doing some listening (while working around the house??) earlier this year. How has that worked out?
I used to get most of my audio books as CD's through inter-library loan. My library has some downloadable audio books too, but only 14 days at a time which doesn't work well for popular books. About 6 months ago I finally subscribed to Audible, which gives me one book a month for $15 per month. Audible is great when an audio CD is not available, or when I want the option to speed up the narration. Plus, as with The Histories which took months for me to get through, I don't have to return it to the library after 3 weeks or 6 weeks.
I'm hoping that Mortimer Adler's "How to Read a Book" will give me encouragement to skim the fluffy popular nonfiction business and self help books. I do that a bit already, but hope to get through them more quickly by being more systematic about it. Maybe Adler has more hints as well; hope so.
-Julie
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I'm very envious of your listening ability, Julie. I have such a hard time listening to books ---- I guess it's not a skill that I've developed and because of that, it's not a means of reading that I enjoy. I always say I need to practice on more audiobooks but I just can't seem to bring myself to do it. It certainly would get me through more books though.
Sorento62 wrote: "I'm hoping that Mortimer Adler's "How to Read a Book" will give me encouragement to skim the fluffy popular nonfiction business and self help books. "
Let me know what you think of the book when you finish. Adler is NOT about skimming or going quickly through books; he's all about slow, "close" reading. However, his advice does make sense, even though I felt like I needed more time to read after I finished his book! :-Z
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When I do listen to an audiobook, it's easy to listen while multi-tasking--but again, I'm limited to the one genre.
Otherwise, it's just slow-going for me. It's really hard to carve out even just 30 minutes in a day, and like I said before I usually will go 2 or 3 days without reading. I see so many people who read so many physical books and I'm amazed, lol!
(P.S. Thank you for moving this conversation into the appropriate thread!)
Hmm, sometimes I listen to the Teaching Company lectures while driving, but almost never fiction. Plenty of great history lectures from that company. I have noticed that they are more affordable from Amazon than from the company itself (even when on sale). Whenever there is traffic I completely lose track of the narrative and have to start the lecture over again. I do hypothesize that our minds just cannot focus as strongly on an audiobook while doing something else. If I listen to an audiobook at night I fall asleep. LOL Well, I guess I am "stuck" with paper and ebooks for now and that is not bad at all!
I listened to Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story, Arnold Schwarzenegger's Life story on audiobook. His accent had me laughing on the street walking to work! It's not suited for driving!!Stephen Lang (Avatar's Villain) did the narration for when Arnold was grown up. Perfect guy for the job!
A James Joyce Irish accent works for his works. Ulysses is just charming in an accent!
Other than that, I've failed miserably at audiobooks. It's so hard to concentrate. I admire those who can play them and concentrate. The monkey in my brain just won't let me focus. ㅎ.ㅎ
There was an interesting opinion piece about Western Civilization in Friday's NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/21/op...Do you think that there is a Literary Canon that has been transforming over the last few decades due to the new way of interpreting Western Civilization?
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I need your input: I know I have just recently posted the reading plan for 2018, and I know I am the one who started this Group in the first place...but knowing my schedule, what 2018 will bring, and taking a realistic look at my reading list, which includes a lot of books that are not TWEM, I'm realizing that I won't be able to read the TWEM books at a reasonable pace--as I believe a Group leader should.
I have looked at all the non-TWEM books that are before/in between all the ones I proposed reading in 2018. In addition to that, I'm so desperate to tackle my Jane Austen Project, which I was unable to do this year...and I'm basically left with the eternal bookworm problem of, Too Many Books, Too Little Time.
So, I was pondering some options:
A) some of you could take over moderating the group and keep it chugging along at a reasonable pace,
B) we can simply pause the reading, indefinitely, since we all have other Groups and other projects anyway (and we would still keep all the discussion threads open and active!),
C) we can rename the group, or change it's purpose somehow, so that it stays relevant, or
D) ...some other idea that maybe a few of you will think of. :-)
This group belongs to us all, and so I'd like for us to discuss and decide a way forward together. So please, please weigh in!
Thank you everyone. :-)
Kenia
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For me, it would depend if the books are in the classic genre, or not. If they are, I would choose option "c" and simply add a more general description to the group ..... perhaps something like The Chronological Well Educated Mind and Much More (terrible name, but you understand what I mean). Then people can participate if the read intrigues them, or choose not to.
Keep in mind, this advice comes from someone who meant to read Medea, who still intends to read Medea but has been sidetracked by another blog venture. Sigh! I need to get my reading back in balance. But I know you of all people understand that challenge!
Looking forward to seeing your list!
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Hi, Cleo-
I'm not sure Kenia was even suggesting that the group reading list expand to include her additional chronological readings between the TWEM books, but I actually think that is a great idea.
Plus, as you said, we don't each have to read every book, if we take turns moderating on various books in the list. And if we do have multiple moderators/discussion leaders, then we could keep things going at a reasonable pace.
Kenia's whole chronological reading through history list is on her Literary Project page at:
http://www.keniasedler.com/theproject/
Take a look and see what you think. I also have a chronological list that includes many non-TWEM books. (It is my "chronological readings" Goodreads shelf.) And many of Kenia's non-TWEM books on her literary project list are of interest to me, especially if other people here were reading them at the same time.
Take a look and see what you think.
So, I guess my idea would be to add some or all of Kenia's literary project list to the group reads here, and also to solicit volunteers to lead discussions so Kenia is not responsible for reading every book on a specified schedule.
-Julie
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I realized even this would not entirely solve the perennial issue Kenia is having of Too Many Books, Too Little Time, because Kenia also has many other non-chronological, non literary project, books on her reading list. So perhaps it would make sense for others to nominate/suggest additional books appropriate to the chronological time period of history we are in during a given year for group reads. Again, so that the discussion leading responsibilities are shared and not everyone has to read every book.
For example, in lieu of the suggested readings for 2018 that Kenia had posted earlier, under the discussion topic "The Book List", we could make 2018 the year of books written around 400 BC or earlier. That would limit the new TWEM books for 2018 to just The Peloponnesian War and The Birds. The schedule would look something like this:
JAN-APR The Peloponnesian War, Thucydides, TWEM HISTORY
MAY/JUNE Optional Book 1, circa 400 BC or earlier
JULY/AUG Optional Book 2, circa 400 BC or earlier
SEPT/OCT The Birds, Aristophanes, TWEM DRAMA
NOV/DEC Optional Book 3, circa 400 BC or earlier
Some nominations for the optional books could be from Kenia's chronological literary project list, such as Zeno's Paradoxes, the Bhagavad Gita, and The Book of Chuang Tzu. Other people could also suggest other books from the appropriate time period, and we could have a discussion at the end of 2017 to select our 2018 books. Polls would also be possible, but it looks like GR polls are set up for just one vote per person, so are not really conducive to selecting multiple books with multiple votes per person. I suppose if we were to select one optional book at a time, say 2 months in advance, then polls would work fine.
This method would slow down the pace, so that Plato and Aristotle would be postponed until 2019. If that is okay with folks, it seems like a reasonably good solution.
-Julie
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For me, it would depend if the books are in the classic genre..."
Cleo,
Yes, my books are all classics! Julie already shared my link (thanks Julie!), but here it is again: http://www.keniasedler.com/theproject/ (It's currently at 340 books, which is too many to list them all here in a GR thread.) To expand my classics list beyond TWEM, I pulled heavily from St. John's College's reading lists from both their Master of Arts in Liberal Arts program as well as their Master of Arts in Eastern Classics program (https://www.sjc.edu/academic-programs...).
Cleo wrote: "...Sigh! I need to get my reading back in balance. But I know you of all people understand that challenge!"
Oh yes...yes, I do. LoL! ;-)
Sorento62 wrote: " ...if we do have multiple moderators/discussion leaders, then we could keep things going at a reasonable pace...."
I do like your idea of sharing moderating responsibilities. :-)
Sorento62 wrote: "...So perhaps it would make sense for others to nominate/suggest additional books appropriate to the chronological time period of history we are in during a given year for group reads. Again, so that the discussion leading responsibilities are shared and not everyone has to read every book. ..."
I really like this idea, mainly because my own personal list is just that: a personal list according to my own desires and tastes. I don't want to impose just my own non-TWEM reads onto this group. I would love it if others nominated other books to read because, again, this group belongs to us all, and others should voice their TBR desires for other classics.
Sorento62 wrote: "...For example, in lieu of the suggested readings for 2018 that Kenia had posted earlier, under the discussion topic "The Book List", we could make 2018 the year of books written around 400 BC or earlier. That would limit the new TWEM books for 2018 to just The Peloponnesian War and The Birds. ..."
This really does sound like a reasonably good solution Julie! Medea is ~431BC, so we could perhaps do ~450-400BC selections for 2018 (Give or take a couple decades. It doesn't have to be exact).
I will open another thread for us to discuss and decide on books for 2018, if others are OK with this plan.
Cleo? Sandy? Haaze? Great Book Study? Kirk? Biblio? Kendra? Deanna? Sara? ...other folks? ;-D
Cleo wrote: " ..... perhaps something like The Chronological Well Educated Mind and Much More (terrible name, but you understand what I mean)..."
Yes, I will also rename the group and update the description.
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Personally I don't mind reading along with Kenia as she goes. I'm going to have already read some of the books she's yet to get to and I can jump into the discussion. Some of the non-TWEM books she has listened I'm interested in, and a few I'm not so there, I'd join when interested.
I am planning to read Aristotle at some point, so it would sure be nice to have company!
In any case, I'm fine to go along with whatever is decided. I'm reading The Republic right now and have finished Thucydides, so that would make up a bunch of reading for Kenia's 2018. As I said, I still have to read Medea. :-Z
2018 O.o I haven't considered the glory of a fresh reading year! This one was the best in such a long time ^.^ I've got some re-reads I want to get to. More Russian classics of course. I'll be reading way less I think since 2017 was 100% devoted to reading Time to start thinking of 2018!
Once the 2018 thread is up, link it here, please. :)
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Anyway, once again, thank you all for your wonderful kindred presence online. In a world of declining readers, I am so ever grateful for your company.
Kenia :-)
Kenia wrote: "Hello my bookish friends! Now that Halloween is past and we’ve entered Thanksgiving season, I simply wanted to say how truly thankful I am to have you all as my friends here on GoodReads. People wh..."Such a wonderful and appreciative post, Kenia! It made me want to add more books to my TBR pile!!!! :P
That's a great post, Kenia! Reading is so valuable and GRs has been a blessing for finding folks who also love to read.
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I've been mostly absent lately so sorry! I had a bad biking accident and ended up with a badly broken thumb, a sprained wrist (the other hand), scrapes and bruises and a doozy of a concussion, so I've supposed to have been avoiding reading, T.V. and the computer. I just got my cast off today, so I hope to get some traction soon and be back to reading!
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I’m so sorry to hear about your accident! That sounds painful. 😖 And to not be able to read for a while! 😩 Concussions are certainly not to be messed with so, while tough doctor’s orders, they make sense. I do hope you have been resting as the doctor says. *stern look* I’ll take your presence here as evidence that you’re condition is improving, and I do very much hope you’re back to your old self soon.
Cleo wrote: "What a great post, Kenia! I know exactly how you feel. Perhaps when we have more time, we can pick a book and set a schedule to really discuss as we go through it. I've seen your very thoughtful an..."Just an FYI/ To really heal any joint issues and to ensure you get the best recovery possible I highly recommend a product called Recovery from www.purica.com
I am a pharmacist and herbalist and practice holistically and this product is the best out there. I have used it with people needing back surgery and didn't need it after using this. :) (I have no invested interest in this product other than knowing it works
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I’m so sorry to hear about your accident! That sounds painful. 😖 And to not be able to re..."
Thank you for the "stern look", Kenia, and feel free to use them as you see fit. ;-) I'm not very good at resting, I admit, and not reading starts to make me crazy. I'm starting back slowly. My thumb hurts today but it's probably not used to movement. Going to rest now ..... :-)
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I am a pharmacist and herbalist and practice holistically and this product is the best out there. I have used it with people needing back surgery and didn't need it after using this. :) (I have no invested interest in this product other than knowing it works ..."
So funny! I've used their products for animals but I didn't know they had human supplements! I'm very much into health and nutrition, so I appreciate the information. Is there a particular product you recommend? I used Traumeel (a tube left over from before they pulled out of North America, which you probably know about ---- sad ...) on my other wrist that's sprained and it's worked like a dream.
I've just started a vegetarian food blog to share recipes but also to educate a little while doing so and to try to bring people back to where their food comes from. I'm trying not to plug it on the GR boards but you seem like someone who might appreciate it. In any case, if you're interested you can check it out at: JOURNEY TO THE GARDEN And please feel free to give any feedback. I'm looking for all the guidance I can get.
Again, thanks for the recommendation!
Cleo wrote: "Tracey wrote: "Just an FYI/ To really heal any joint issues and to ensure you get the best recovery possible I highly recommend a product called Recovery from www.purica.com I am a pharmacist and ..."
See the message below by Sandy re: traumeel. I agree this is a good product. Arnica pellets are good and so it Arnica Gel if you have any stiffness in the joints.
Cleo wrote: "Tracey wrote: "Just an FYI/ To really heal any joint issues and to ensure you get the best recovery possible I highly recommend a product called Recovery from www.purica.com I am a pharmacist and ..."
Your blog looks great. I am on a nightshade, gluten and refined sugar free diet which helps a lot with fibromyalgia (which I have) . Do you have any such recipes?
Sandy (CA) wrote: "A word of caution, Cleo -- ignore if you have taken homeopathic pellets before and understand how they work. If you don't understand how they work, you might just toss them thinking they are only m..."I used homeopathy for my kids and it worked great. A lotof people (especially in my profession) say homeopathy doesn't make sense but I saw it work many times. It makes sense to me; the body has an incredible ability to heal if given a chance :)
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They will come, so just watch for them. I'm a little caught between a rock and a hard place; I'm basically gluten-free (or try to be most of the time) and I try to limit my dairy HOWEVER, my business partner is a lacto-vegetarian who doesn't drink alcohol. So if you can imagine if we combine both of us: no gluten, no dairy, no meat, no eggs, no alcohol. What on earth is left, lol! ;-) So I'm trying to go the lacto-vegetarian route, combining recipes that I might use from time to time from my eating habits while sharing recipes people are more likely to use. It's hard because you don't want to be too narrow, then again you can also get spread out all over with the gluten-free, keto, vegan, vegetarian, paleo crazes. It's been difficult to try to find a path and stick to it. I'm assuming you could probably use the Pomegranate Quinoa Salad, and the Pumpkin Kidney Bean Curry (if you left out the tomato paste). I'm assuming you can still use maple syrup and honey? I have a Pumpkin Blueberry Baked Oatmeal I'm posting tomorrow (there! I gave it away), that could be made with gluten-free oats too. So keep checking in. I'm trying to make the recipes easy and flexible for changing ingredients.
You seem to have a need for a separate thread focused on alternative medicine. It would be interesting to learn more about how the Ancient Greeks would approach these conditions....
Alternative medicine is all good! :) Where I live in the Bay Area doctors always "prescribe" alternate paths for healing. It is interesting since I always expect them to write regular prescriptions. Besides, the history of medicine is a fascinating topic! :P
Sandy (CA) wrote: "Haaze wrote: "Alternative medicine is all good! :) Where I live in the Bay Area doctors always "prescribe" alternate paths for healing. It is interesting since I always expect them to write regular..."Cleo wrote: "Tracey wrote: "Your blog looks great. I am on a nightshade, gluten and refined sugar free diet which helps a lot with fibromyalgia (which I have) . Do you have any such recipes? ..."
They will com..."
I would concur that we may need a separate folder for this (Over to you Kenia).
I could write a whole column on how whilst I was doing research at Uni (back in the 80's) I knew modern medicine was built often on lies and just for profit and have spent my whole career steering people away from the most poisonous when I could. I am a Christian and wanted to move from allopathic medicione to natural but God directed I stay put and reach those who were seeking answers. I am now in my 50's and am seeking a post where I can work in the natural field and advise on pharmacuticals also (what to stop now, what to wean off and how). The bottom line is that no two people are the same and evryone has agency to chose. I always accept whatever choice people make on their road to healing (all one or the other or a mixture of both).
I try not to give advice unlooked but if anyone has any family with cancer, this is a blog I found (below). There are many great natural sites out there.
https://www.chrisbeatcancer.com/categ...
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The Masterpieces of World Literature, was mentioned above, but I will mention it again. I just started watching the lectures today, and found the history behind the discovery of The Epic of Gilgamesh very interesting.https://www.edx.org/course/masterpiec...
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I didn't see where you guys have read The Aneid of Virgil, books i. to vi.. I've been reading something completely different, and came across a reference to Gwendolyn Brooks, an African American poet laureate, winner of the Pulitzer Prize who wrote Annie Allen which contains an epic poem, "The Anniad" - a play on the Aneid. How fun is that! :-)Here's an article about her if she's new to you.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poet...
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Ovid's Metamorphoses and Further Metamorphoses — https://www.goodr..."
Thanks a bunch, Sandy! I joined!
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I saw that posted as well Sandy and was going to post over at DWS.. Lol
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Reading Classics, Chronologically Through the Ages
Books mentioned in this topic
How to Read a Book (other topics)The Aneid of Virgil, books i. to vi. (other topics)
Annie Allen (other topics)
Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story (other topics)
A Tale of Two Cities (other topics)
More...
Now set your timer, give me 1 hour. READ! ... Are you blinking?..."
Err, good luck! ; -)
Oh, and what about their incessant use of spoiler tags... ? I see that you had fun with the link/cover rules...
But there are some great books over there!