List: des Livres

As I wonder why I have a headache this morning (too much coffee, or not enough?) I keep thinking it's time to keep track of my reading. I've always meant to do this. I even have a notebook to record books and movies I've read or seen, in case I ever want to regurgitate the titles in my blog. I quite simply lacked follow through. No more...

Currently Reading:

• The Iliad
  Richmond Lattimore translation
  
  
• Children of the Sun
  Alfred Crosby
  
  
• The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
  Carson McCullers
  

The mistake that I made: I watched "Love Song for Bobby Long" and THEN read The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. Do this in reverse. I recommend it highly.

It is interesting the way people come around to discovering certain books. I have had the idea of reading The Iliad and then The Odyssey, and finally realized it's not going to happen until I actually do it. Then there is the question of which translation? Don't get too hung up on it. I like the Richmond Lattimore fine, although he has chosen the funkiest spellings of Greek words. The Fagles translation or the earlier Butler version would have been fine, too. If you want to read it, then pick one and go for it.

Alfred Crosby is an author I first learned of in a history class to do with the Columbian Exchange. In a fascinating excerpt from that book, we read about plants, animals, and diseases and their transport to new places for the first time with the European explorers, and the myriad results. It's more fascinating than you might think. The title above is his new book.

I first learned of Carson McCullers several years ago when another book mentioned her name. I still didn't pick up one of her books until seeing "Love Song". Now, the movie has much more meaning, and the book was great. Well, so far it is. I'm still not quite finished.

I'd love to know what other people are reading. I don't have a wide enough readership nor know people in life who write a blog, much less about books they've read. It's weird that people know what's going on with me because of this urge to share with anyone who happens along, but I know so little about them.

Facebook doesn't count.