A Modest Book Haul for Mid-October (2024)

Books mentioned::
"Butcher's Crossing" by John Williams
"My Antonia" by Willa Cather
"The Complete Stories" by Flannery O'Connor
"The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
""The Greeks and The Irrational" by E.R. Dodds
"The Lost Art of Scripture" by Karen Armstrong
"The History of God" by Karen Armstrong
"Twelve Caesars" by Mary Beard

[sugarcoatdmystic]

I recommend reading The Secret History during the autumn. I think it adds to the experience of the novel.

[maren]

I really love your videos! There’s something so comforting about them.

[hillaryberg]

Love to see the women authors 🎉 Excited to see what you think of these

[ASmile-xkef]

I’ve read The Secret History during College many many years ago. I remember I liked it, but don’t remember much about the book or the story anymore. It would be interesting to re-read it. I still have it.

[chrisbeveridge]

Dodds is a beast...the best...a great teacher... see also Pagan and Christian in an age of Anxiety ...anything this guy writes is gold...
there should be some essays attached to the lectures in your edition ...these can be read independently of title text...fantastic...don't ignore notes...small insights lead to expansion...
O Connor says: I'm always irritated by people who imply that fiction is a escape from reality :it is a plunge into reality and it's very shocking to the system.
she perceived violence as an act leading to transformations.
she was very Roman Catholic

"My readers are the people who think God is dead"

In nature nothing can be given;all things are sold.
Emerson

[larrycarr]

Loved Butcher’s Crossing! I’ve got Stoner queued up in my kindle to read… need to take a break from 50’s-60’s noir, and Maigret and get to the lit. Really liked Secret History… got Tartt’s Goldfinch on my night shelf it’s a thick one… Need to go back and read Flannery O’Connor, not so sure about Willa Cather. I appreciate your work here putting good books before us. I listened with interest, but don’t do nonfiction 😁

[BobJacobs]

Nice haul! The Secret History is great and Butcher's Crossing is very high on my list, too.
The Twelve Caesers was not what I expected, but - as always - Beard delivers a great work.
Enjoy!

[Moonbane]

You couldn’t be more correct when it comes to book to movie adaptations and their effect on the reader’s ability to conjure the characters’ appearance in their mind. It is truly special that we are able to take the descriptors provided and use our perception/imagination to create a unique version of each individual in the story. It’s fascinating to think that if we were to look into the mind of every reader, we would see different versions (even if it is just slightly) of the characters. While we immerse ourselves in the stories we consume, we cannot help but pull from our subjective experiences and past observations. It is yet another example which supports the beauty of literature. 😌

[__loveball]

I agree about movie covers on books! I prefer to imagine everything as I see it in my mind while reading the story

[jonathanbrewer]

Movies / books - two different mediums hence the possible conflict.

[sarahjackson]

I couldn't agree more about movie editions of books. Books are meant to nurture the reader's imagination, not have a director's imaginative version fed to them. It's part of why I won't watch a film based on a novel until I've read the novel. And if the book enthralls me enough, I can't bring myself to watch the film because I know it will be too different from what I have and treasure in my own imagining of the people and places in the story!

[ericarobbin]

I adore Stoner by John Williams, it's so carefully crafted. I will have to check out Butcher's Crossing especially, as well as these others.

[marnasorensen]

I enjoyed The Secret History very much. My Antonia is of course completely different but that's the joy of books.

[RandomReadingPathways]

Cool to hear you talk about The Secret History, I also recently found a great used copy. It certainly holds an important place for me as a book that kicked my love of reading into another gear.

[tepachon]

Excited to hear your thoughts about the Secret History! Your perspective will be interesting to hear from :D Watching this made me more motivated to read Death Comes for the Archbishop which I've been meaning to get to for years! Cheers

[CionMohler]

I listened to your book haul while having a cup of chai and buttered toast before returning to Held by Anne Michaels, a Booker prize short list candidate. I’ll probably read it all night. I won’t have to read it under the covers by the light of a flashlight as I used to do many many years ago.
It’s not about academia, or the Roman’s. It’s about the horror of war, love, time and the ease with which it folds into present. The first line may be intriguing. “We know life is finite. Why should we believe death lasts forever?”

[AJ-hztx]

Movie covers are, indeed, a VIOLATION.
I hate it so much 😭

I can’t wait to hear what you think of FO…I suspect that you are going to love that one.

If you haven’t yet read Wise Blood, please treat yourself!

[teresateri]

Love karen Armstrong. You had me intrigued by O Connor so grabbed her book off my shelf and im diving in. The grandmother's take on the misfit is understated. The wit, descriptions and flow of the first page is what books used to be. Ill let you know how i get on. Thanks.

[kaylag]

Have you read every book on your bookshelf? Other than these new purchases? Would you do a total TBR list?

[carolinesmercantile]

I don't like those "Movie Tie-In" Books either. I don't buy them.