Don Quixote | 
(thru ch14) Hey friends!! Sorry I haven't posted earlier. This turned into a very bizarre week. But don Quixote and his faithful Sancho are back on the road. The beginning of this volume was very dull with lots of conversation, so I was excited to finally get to bit of action today!
Cervantes is really leaning into this whole “I discovered this book that someone else wrote and now I'm just telling you what it said“ thing, which as a narrative ⬇
“…animals have frequently put humans on notice and taught them a great many important things, as for example: enemas, taught us by storks; vomiting and gratitude, taught us by dogs; watchfulness, taught us by cranes; foresight, taught us by ants; chastity, taught us by elephants; and loyalty, which we learned from horses.”
Um. Enemas? Vomiting & gratitude? Apparently VERY different qualities were attributed to animals in 16th century Spain. 😂
Woohoo!! We made it to the end of Volume 1!!! Which actually puts a little over halfway for the entire book!
My goodness, the end of this volume was a whirlwind of romantic entanglements! I was honestly cracking up by the time we got to the inn with this entire parade of people! Did any of these stories strike you particularly (other than all the coincidences? 😂) My understanding is that Cervantes was actually held in Algiers awaiting ransom,⬇
“I‘ve got just as much soul as the next man, and maybe even more body.”
—Sancho Panza
😂😂
“the style is fatiguing, the action incredible, the courtesies clumsy, the battles long, the language foolish, the journeys nonsensical”
Well I laughed when I read this!!! This novel can be so tedious at times but I‘m hanging in there. @TheAromaofBooks #randomclassics
I am posting this a little early so we can chat about whether it works for everyone haha We will be finishing Volume 1 on November 27, with 28-30 as catch-up days. I am thinking we can start Volume 2 on December 1, continuing with our 2 chapter/day method, but taking a little break for Christmas and then having two catch-up days at the beginning of January. I don't know about all of you, but my life does get a little crazy over those two weeks!! ⬇
Casually reading 3 copies of Don Quixote nbd 🤣
I have an audiobook from Hoopla as well but I'm finding it easier to digest in print.
“…for a knight errant to go crazy for good reason, how much is *that* worth? My idea is to become a lunatic for no reason at all, and to ask my lady, seeing what I do without cause, what she imagines I might do if I really had one?”
I… well… okay, Don Quixote. You do you.
#RandomClassic
(thru ch24) - Is everyone keeping up okay? I am finding 2 chapters a day pretty manageable at this point. Poor DQ can't seem to catch a break, although a lot of his misadventures are because of his own wacky way of viewing the world 😂 I appreciated in this chapter that his love for books is what got him into trouble LOL
A few footnotes about “discrepancies“ in the text. In ch 19, when DQ busts up the funeral procession, the man who broke his ⬇
My husband came in and said he made me a book reading fire 🤣🤣 the dude knows how to get me to come out and hang with him 🤣
My new feminist ICON Marcela ✊🏼
#randomclassics with @TheAromaofBooks
(thru ch16) - Had a crazy few days at work, so I am just getting caught up on some Litsy stuff!!!
I feel like don Quixote gets beat up a lot 😂 But how about Marcela's speech?? It felt pretty progressive for 1605! Any other highlights? I'm hoping that don Quixote and poor Sancho get a little bit of rest before their next beatdown!! 😆
#RandomClassic
(thru ch10) - So just to clarify, we are reading Part 1 this month, but Part 1 is also subdivided into four parts 😂 So we finished Part 1 of Part 1!
I find Cervantes mixture of “I'm the author“ and “I discovered this stuff already written“ to be slightly confusing but still entertaining. I'm also remembering that the reason I've bailed on this book in the past is partially because of all the names he throws at us, of various heroes, authors, ⬇
“Don Quijote sought out a farmer, a neighbor of his and a good man (if we can use that term for anyone who‘s poor) but not very well endowed from the neck up.”
😬😂
I quite like the description “not very well endowed from the neck up.” 😂 #RandomClassic
“…it wouldn‘t take much, once my uncle is cured of his knighthood sickness, to start reading these books and feel like becoming a shepherd, and then go around in the woods and meadows, singing and playing a flute and, even worse, writing poetry, which everyone knows is an infectious disease for which there‘s absolutely no cure.”
😂😂
#RandomClassic
In all the discussion of books in chapter 6, I found this one the most interesting and amusing. The author‘s own first book is included on the shelves. According to the footnotes in my print copy, he never wrote a second part.
#SerialReader #RandomClassic
(thru ch6) - Oh dear, poor don Quixote, stranded in the road like a turtle on its back! 😂 And on a more serious note - I don't think there are words to describe how nuclear I would go if someone went through my library and started throwing out and burning my books!!!!!!! Not cool!!!
But now that he has been “officially“ knighted, I'm curious to see where don Quixote goes next!
#RandomClassic
#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl
“Somewhere in La Mancha, in a place whose name I do not care to remember, a gentleman lived not long ago, one of those who has a lance and ancient shield on a shelf and keeps a skinny nag and a greyhound for racing.“
@TheAromaofBooks, any excuse to get another of my favourite editions of the classics! ❤️ the Macmillan Collector's Library!
(thru ch2) - Oh my gosh, I am actually loving this book so far! Highlights for me include a man who reads so many books that he is selling his property so he can buy more books 😂
So, how do you all feel about footnotes? I have mixed feelings about them. Sometimes it just feels like they interrupt the flow of the story, but other times I appreciate the added context. My edition definitely loves them, but so far I have found them engaging. ⬇
Three times a charm for me. Found this on Reddit lol. For anyone who is still deciding.
@TheBookHippie @TheAromaofBooks
The nerd in me is deciding between these three translations 😂🤷🏻♀️ #randomclassic
So far even after reading I can‘t decide 😂👀
Tackling both of these in November/December may only be slightly less crazy than when I planned to read Once and Future King and Count of Monte Cristo in April/May. 🤪 #ChunksterChallenge2023 #RandomClassic
(thru the prologue) Well! Even though we've barely started, I'm encouraged by the sense of humor already presenting itself. Definitely sounds like Cervantes isn't taking himself terribly seriously 😂
What translators do your editions have? Mine is Tom Lathrop, and I really enjoyed reading his introduction as well. He says that Cervantes's “advertised objective“ was to “imitate and make so much fun of the ancient romances of chivalry ⬇
Somehow I forgot that today starts the next #RandomClassics ! Good thing I remembered…I really don‘t want to get behind with this! 😂
I‘m ready to tilt at windmills and save the day…
Starting this super chunkster with the #RandomClassics group this month! I‘m hooked already- who knew it was so funny? I‘m truly loving the sarcasm. So far I think the two chapters a day is going to work great! What‘s everyone else thinking so far?
Woohoo!! It's almost time to tackle this one!! We are going with two chapters a day; however, the author's prologue is about as long as two chapters, so I gave it its own day to start, with two chapters going forward. We'll end part one towards the end of November, so giving ourselves a few days to catch up feels reasonable. We should also have an idea by then of whether this pace feels too slow, too fast, or just right!
Genuinely, I don't ⬇
@TheAromaofBooks
I did get a kindle version and put some library copies on hold 😂🙃
But this is my old copy!!! I‘ll be ready November 1st
Repost for @TheAromaofBooks
Okay friends, we are going to try and tackle Don Quixote starting November 1. On the 1st we will read the prologue and any introductory material you choose to read (I think I'll read my translator's notes). After that, we will be reading 2 chapters per day.
#Readalong #BuddyRead #RandomClassics
See the original post at https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2651329
Look at this chonky book!!! Okay friends, we are going to try and tackle this one starting November 1. On the 1st we will read the prologue and any introductory material you choose to read (I think I'll read my translator's notes). After that, we will be reading 2 chapters per day. When we get a little closer, I'll post a schedule because those always help me stay on track!! We'll assess as we get towards the end of November to see if we need ⬇
Okay, friends, here is a VERY TENTATIVE list for #RandomClassics This schedule may be adjusted or changed as needed 😂 USUALLY we will be reading one chapter a day until a book is completed, even if this means the book carries over into the next month (which means sometimes two books are going at the same time, as I always start the new book on the first). For some we may kick up the pace haha Don Quixote we are going to do two chapters/day ⬇
pickThere‘s not much I can say that hasn‘t already been said about a 400 year old novel. But I do recall a friend of mine, also a philosophy major in college like me, saying that he thought everyone should read this book once a decade. And all I can think is maybe he was alluding to the death scene where the mad knight finally realizes that much of his endeavors have been in error, misguided and embarrassing. Perhaps that‘s all of us if we‘re honest.
At a village of La Mancha, whose name I do not wish to remember, there lived a little while ago one of those gentlemen who are wont to keep a lance in the rack, an old buckler, a lean horse and a swift greyhound.
#DonQuixote #MiguelDeCervantesSaavedra #firstline #openingline #book #books #bookcase #bookcases #bookcover #bookcovers #bookcoverdesign #Classics #Fiction #Literature #SpanishLiterature #Adventure #HistoricalFiction #Novels #Spain 💕💕💕
@dabbe this is my DQ translation, which I‘ve had since about late 1999. This is my third or fourth attempt at it. This time I‘m almost halfway and it‘s only been a year 😆. It reads really well, and I enjoy the story (this time, it frustrated me the first few), I just don‘t feel any push to pick it up when I put it down. But I am going to finish it, damnit!
I love this question!
I have several answers:
Although in my mind, a road trip should involve an automobile, immediately I thought of Don Quixote.
If I'm going to stick to stories involving cars/automobiles: Elliott' Chaze's noir Black Wings Has My Angel, Gaiman's American Gods, Matt Wesolowski's Six Stories series (he's always traveling between locations to interview subjects), & Jessica Bruder's Nomadland.
#sundayfunday
@ozma.of.oz
pickI forgot how funny this was! We‘re reading it for my Science Fiction before 1660 course…
that‘s right, you may have learned science fiction wasn‘t a thing until much later but this class makes a strong argument against that timeline
Picture of my dark purple lavender lemonade with butterfly pea flower and kaweco sport, two essentials for surviving class
pickSurprisingly funny and accessible. There‘s lots of wit and charm in these pages.
pickI first read the Grossman translation when it was released in 2003. I remember it distinctly because it was the most difficult book I had ever read up to that point, but I couldn‘t recall much about the story. Revisiting it on Audible, I have to say Don Quixote is made to be listened to. It‘s such a delight; I found myself smiling almost the whole time. Yes, it‘s long-winded but considering it‘s over 400 years old, it holds up surprisingly well.
so-soI liked the plot but I struggled to get through this just because of the style of the dialogue. I was falling asleep. Was it because I went back to work this week? Possibly. The weird thing is, I feel like this book could actually be redone in modern times about someone who loses their mind to media. I don‘t think I‘d re-read it, but I can‘t say that I didn‘t enjoy parts of it. Also yes, the reason I bought this for $2 was because it was $2.
Anyone done this before? My book friend and I gifted it to each other - it‘s called the Ultimate Reading Challenge, and there‘s a little reward for every prompt you fulfill. We won‘t read the same books, but we‘re both starting with “read a book that‘s been sitting in your shelf, unread, for more than a year.” Embarrassed to say I had a good handful of options, but I‘m going to read Don Quixote!
#manicmonday #letterQ @CBee @Librariana
📚 Don Quixote
✍️ Julia Quinn (for giving us Bridgerton the TV show!)
🍿 Queen of the Damned; Quantum Leap
🎤 Queen Latifah
🎶 Q.U.E.E.N - Janelle Monáe
#manicmonday #letterQ
📙Don Quixote
✍🏼 Anna Quindlen
📺The Queens Gambit
🎤QUEEN 👑 & QUEEN LATIFA
🎵🎶🎵 Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars By Queen Latifa
Currently reading these.
📖 Don Quixote is so long. I am still only 46% through it.
📖 57% through Napoleon Hill's Gold Rules.
Wanting to finish these before the end of the month in between other reads.
Superbly cool walking the streets of de Cervantes! So many statues and places are dedicated to him. He also has a street named after him, and this is the house where he lived and died.
Another chunkster challenger crossed the finish line! Congratulations, Shawna! This one is still on my “to-be-tackled“ list.
#ChunksterChallenge2022
@chaoticmissadventures
janeycanuck, thatbookchannel, MaureenMc, Megabooks, rockpools, Riveted_Reader_Melissa, Jen2, Lindy, erzascarletbookgasm, Lcsmcat, AmyG, CarolynM, Smarkies, Lizpixie, Texreader, BookNAround, Caroline2, catiewithac, Andrea313, CoverToCoverGirl, slategreyskies, Bookwormjillk, zezeki, squirrelbrain, Mollyanna, Nessavamusic, GinaKButler, BookNerd9906, mandarchy, Butterfinger, Patchshank, Kelly326, TheAromaofBooks, Tineke, Blackink_WhitePaper, Dostoyes, ncsufoxes, JuniperWilde, tokorowilliamwallace
Some months are just like that.
No bingos, but a fabulous vacation! I read a lot of things that there were not enough Free spaces for.
@thearomaofbooks #bookspinbingo
#chuncksterchallenge2022
@Amiable
With the help of 2,000 miles in the car last week I was able to finish Don Quixote with a mixture of listening and reading.
It wasn't my favorite classic ever and the last 200 pages were a bit of a struggle. But ✔️ made it to the end.
(Litsy has way too many options for tagging this book, it is very confusing, my copy is 891 pgs)
@BarkingMadRead @Librarybelle @Smarkies @wanderinglynn @TheBookHippie @SamAnne @BarbaraJean @BookingitwithSandra @Daisey @janeycanuck @meshell1313 @jenniferw88 @LaraS @Cuilin @eeclayton @readingrainb0w @Bluebird @Larkken 2d