My last bookstack was: Gilgamesh, Island Beneath the Sea, We Should All be Feminists, If We Were Villains with Training School for Negro Girls as my quickie. Reminder Classic, Fiction, Non-Fiction, Guilty Pleasure or What I want to read, with a Quickie made up of poetry, essays or short stories for between books. My next book stack is: The Iliad {Mitchell trans}, The House of Spirits, Whipping Girl, In Deeper Waters w/ Night Sky with Exit Wounds

This book is a juggernaut hurtling to the end. Well written, and moving quickly through a series of events that, as our narrator states in prologue, seemed inevitable. I have the feeling that I would have understood subplots better if I really paid attention to Shakespeare but I didn't and the events themselves sped along. Criticism I have seen is anti queer and male gaze neither of which I saw as bothersome. See comments below

Full of micro & macro aggressions I find 5/11 stories thought provoking. My favorites were the ones where our protagonist's attitudes or actions caused me to think-as opposed to what happened to them. Stand Outs were: Who We Are, All the Things You'll Never Do, Mambo Sauce, & Now This. Final draft of College Essay was poignant.

@Andrew65 #20in4 finished up with this beauty. I actually read @2 hrs without my timer on as I was so eager to get back to it after dinner tonight I totally forgot! Reviews forthcoming.

Originally read it on 1.2.2017. I gave it 4 stars and wrote 'Nothing new in gender theory so a basic intro to feminist thinking told in anecdotes.' Early on she writes:

Each time I try to read those books called 'classic feminist texts', I get bored, and I struggle to finish them.

This booklet, based upon a TED talk, is a primer on gender theory w/o being boring or tedious. I believe that is what she set out to do. Read more in comments.

I‘ve read this before and gave it 4 stars. I might bump it down. Just over 15 hrs in my #20in4 challenge. Finished Training School and wondering how to rank it. Finished first act of Villains which was engaging at page 1.

Best of 2023 so far. I understand this isn't considered Allende's best book but it is the first I have read. A Historical Novel with the Haitian Revolution as a backdrop & spanning several decades. I found the historical bit interesting as it intersected with various other reads the most recent of which was Babel. Reading my fiction alpha by author so I have another of her books to follow this one: The House of Spirits. #20in4 progress

My mother's favorite author which is honestly the only reason I own this book.

About 25% the way through but loving it. I think it is interesting-coincidentally- that it is happening around the same time as Babel. For those who haven't read Babel it is an alternate timeline that tangentially discusses the Haitian Revolution, which falls in the timeline of our story.

So many good quotes in this book!

Music is the wind that blows away the years, memories, and fear, that crouching animal I carry inside me.

..it doesn't mean anything for me to be free and everyone else slaves...her freedom was irreparably bound to that of other slaves

...:dirty linen was washed at home.

“I don't know if protest is always meant to be productive,“ she said. “Sometimes you just have to get something out of your system.“

Mambo Sauce

Okay I am trying the #20in4 my 1st #readathon. I have on my stack planned out. Only real mystery is If We Were Villains because I was hoping to #readalong with @PunkedRocker56. So I have goals which are to read more poetry, short stories, and essays so that is my Quickie Shelf. Re/read my classics. Basically read my library- a mix of Fiction and Non-fiction. I belong to book boxes so get mystery additions on the reg. See comments

On the off chance people are now looking at my yesterday Bible read and going oh no I also have been doing daily tarot readings for myself and have been using The Future Ancestor Tarot in conjuncture with the Inquire Within Oracle deck and Roots and Wings Oracle deck. I actually have been posting those on instagram. Basically I like all three of these decks and and have been pretty dedicated to them for the past month or so.

In addition to Esther yesterday I read another short story from this collection titled: All the Things You'll Never Do. I think I had needed a break from the short stories as the book was getting meh on me but this one was very good. I think it was one of the two top stories so far in collection.

Not Large Print. Yesterday I read the Book of Esther. I had forgotten that it was the genesis story for Purim. There is a handy dandy read so much per day plan to get through the Bible within a year and March 25, 26, and 27 were for Esther but it is such a short story 6 pages with one page inserted for a daily reflection {this one was for a Tuesday so obviously I am just ignoring the day} This version of the Bible was #RecommendedByAFriend

Abort! Abort! Neil Gaiman was in St Louis accepting the St . Louis Literary Award and my family attended. Stardust works because he was in St Louis approximately 24 yrs ago {23.5 per my daughter} for the graphic novel adaption of Stardust and my husband interviewed him at the time. It was televised: https://hecmedia.org/posts/neil-gaimans-inspiring-st-louis-literary-award-accept... Also a writers craft talk if you search his name.

Saw R.F. Kuang and Soman Chainani author of School of Good & Evil tonight. Picked up signed copy of Yellowface and looking forward to reading it. My son and husband accompanied me and we will be doing a read along soon

My husband pulled his versions of Gilgamesh off his shelves so that I could read a translation proper. Joy. We have Sanders, Kovacs, and Gardner/Maier in the house. Personally I am Gilgamesh-ed out but they will sit on my desktop as palate cleansers between books. Spoiler alert: … you love him and embrace as a wife. Kovacs version of tablet 1 dream interpretation. Still bromantic 😉

I think it is important to feel chosen, and I am choosing you.

I hope you will choose me, too.

~~~ Final Draft of College Essay

...sometimes that's what being grown is. Knowing who you are, who you really are, even when no one else does.

~~~Strong Men

I looked up more words while reading this version over the Mitchell one I just finished. I think slightly less enjoyable due to pacing and tone. The Ferry version includes Tablet 12 which deals with Enkidu's spirit returning to speak to Gilgamesh about the underworld. Still a day's read and worth the different explanations of what was happening. I found the latter half {post Cedar Forrest} more interesting/descriptive/clear in Ferry.

From tablet 12--not included in Mitchell version:

'...... my body that once made Gilgamesh the companion rejoice to touch...'

Bromancing my way through the classics.

I had noticed that there was a distinction made between friend and companion a couple of times i.e. 'your friend and your companion'. Also used differently than brother. Brother seems to be used ala brother in arms for quests.

'the companion, whom I loved'

Then Enkidu and Gilgamesh embraced, and kissed, and took each other by the hand.

The husband believes the Mitchell version took liberties in the bromance department but here is Ferry doing the same...

… the old lady is still scared. That she hates us because we are everything she has tried to deny that we are. We are everything she has thought but has never said.
We have shown her.
~~~~ Who We Are

Dragons! My newest haul. I pre-ordered both Yarros and Lam last fall and Tooth & Claw while waiting. Sad that my pre-orders are now series (not originally billed as such to the best of my knowledge) I am most excited for Lam but will probably start with T&C as it‘s a stand alone.

Norton, Penguin, or Oxford next for translation? I feel like neither version I own is a translation 😑 but no local bookstore has anything else to pick up and get a feel for language. Boo

You will take him in your arms, embrace and caress him the way a man caresses his wife. He will be your double, your second self, a man who is loyal, who will stand at your side through the greatest of dangers. Soon you will meet him, the companion of your heart.

Have read before. Am trying to intersperse my smut readings with general fiction and classics. A good introduction to story as it‘s — a retelling? I have Ferry‘s version to read next. Ignore the page count. It‘s a short book once you ignore introductory pages and endnotes. I didn‘t bother to read those as I‘m neither a scholar nor is this a a translation.

A bit heavy handed but overall a good read 4 🌟 Story was well paced and interesting. Not sure I will reread but am keeping book on shelves just in case. I had 3 copies due to book boxes and did a read along with my husband and son. Gave a copy to my son who felt same about book. Did not 💕 but generally enjoyed. Not at all difficult despite reviews

Best last line I‘ve read in a long while. Everything that came before was excellent as well. Another winner picked by The Feminist Lit Society.

Excellent read. This is the pick for November 2017 Feminist Lit Society. From the first few pages I was hooked and at no time was I less than entranced. Presented as a diary we follow Lauren from her 15th birthday for 4 years. Set in a near dystopian future the novel touches upon issues of race, age, class, environmental issues, religion and more without being too preachy. A nice trick considering she grapples with defining God

The child again 👋

I am rereading this one which I found in my kid‘s room. Yes I‘ve raised readers! Found this comment written in margins. Nice to get a peek into her head ✌🏼

Having finished The Iliad I am now onto The Odyssey much better! Also TBR some Spark for her centenary and some Butler for the Feminist Lit Reading group

Come-the proof of battle is action, proof of words, debate. No time for speeches now, it‘s time to fight.

Inspired me to reread the Iliad! Enjoyable read with satisfying ending. It's a good overview of Iliad with focus on a homoerotic love story between Achilles and Patroclus from Patroclus' pov. FWIW, Upon rereading Iliad I am not sure the basis for this story can be found in Homer

Read this book in fall of '83 for a class. Different translation back then. Am finding this to be a bit of a slog. Not sure if it's Fagles or all the piercing above nipples bit. I suppose the repetitiveness is a good example of war as soul sucking grunt work. Baffled on how (re) reading of classics teaches you something new. So far it's tedious and boring.