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Haven’t finished any this week.
Starting: Terms of Endearment by Larry McMurtry.
**The Ascent of Rum Doodle, by W.E. Bowman**.
it’s basically “if the three men in a boat went up Mount Everest”, minus the dog. mocks every mountaineering account I’ve ever read, so I had a blast.
FINISHED:
**Les Misérables, by Victor Hugo**
This was one book on the top 100 classics that I did not look forward to reading; not so much because of its size but due to being so thoroughly put off it by the countless movie remakes and the musical. I needn’t have worried. Whilst doubtlessly a slog a lot of the time, it reminded me of why I loved Hugo so much in the first place. (The Bold and the Beautiful ending was a bit daft though.)
**The Callahan Chronicals, by Spider Robinson**
Picked this up to distract myself from getting depressed by Hugo. I should’ve known that a book with group therapy at its core – all be it over a few drinks at a bar where bad puns can work as currency and time travel wouldn’t raise an eyebrow – wouldn’t be all sunshine and rainbows. Yet, it totally worked. Hopeful, accepting (with one exception), and humanistic, this was just what the doctor ordered. Definitely going onto my comfort reading list.
**The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, by Laurence Stern**
An example of perseverance paying off. The first 70-100 pages were torturous. Sure, I got the hints and innuendoes but the writing felt so cumbersome and needlessly meandering that I constantly thought of abandoning the book and switching to something a bit more accessible. The only thing that kept me going was the fact that Stern inspired so many of my favourite authors, including Joyce, that I felt like I owed them this one. And then, I guess I found the right frequency or something. All of a sudden, the language started flowing easily and the whole thing just swept me off in its insanity. And it was *absolutely* insane, and hilarious, and bawdy, and dazzlingly brilliant. Loved it! and am now looking forward to Yorick’s adventures in Europe.
STARTED:
**Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes** (Edith Grossman’s translation)
I’ve read this about 30 years ago but never in English (tried but always got distracted by something else). Seemed a good book to pick up considering how heavily it featured in Tristram Shandy.
* I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem, by Maryse Condé
Finished. This is awesome. Well paced and hard-hitting.
* The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition, by Anne Frank, Otto H. Frank (Editor), Mirjam Pressler (Editor)
The definitive edition provides a much smoother reading experience. There are many complementary texts, including short stories and letters, though I feel weird digging through that as not-a-researcher.
* Hebrejky. Biblické matky, démonky, královny i milenky, by Jan Fingerland
A sort of an (incomplete) encyclopaedia of women in the Bible, discusses various interpretations of the characters, from various traditions in Judaism to modern anthropology.
This week I’ll move back to:
* The Case for Sanctions Against Israel, by Audrea Lim (Editor)
* Israel and Palestine: Reappraisals, Revisions, Refutations, by Avi Shlaim
* This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate, by Naomi Klein