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snurriBooks 1-10.
Books 11-20.
Books 21-30.
Books 31-40.
Books 41-50.
Books 51-60.
Books 61-70.
Books 71-80.
Books 81-90.
91. Over the Earth I Come: The Great Sioux Uprising of 1862 by Duane Schultz.
92. Ripley Under Ground by Patricia Highsmith.
93. The Ant King and Other Stories by Benjamin Rosenbaum.
94. The Wind's Twelve Quarters by Ursula K. Le Guin.
95. Ripley's Game by Patricia Highsmith.
96. A Fisherman of the Inland Sea: Stories by Ursula K. Le Guin.
97. The Boy Who Followed Ripley by Patricia Highsmith.
98. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, translated by Edith Grossman (Re-read). Technically a re-read, although when I read this book previously it was the J.M. Cohen translation; considering that was a little over ten years ago, I couldn't say whether there were any substantive differences. At that time I read it for a Lit in Translation course, the last semester of my lengthy undergrad career; the course was taught by an Italian professor on the verge of retirement whose admiration for Cervantes was matched only by his sardonic impatience with the apathy of most of the class. I don't recall his name--I might still have my notes somewhere, but they are not to hand--but I recall him fondly both for his quiet, insightful lectures and for a couple of conversations we had during his office hours.
I don't re-read very often. Partly this is because all through junior high and high school I re-read constantly, sticking mainly to the same handful of fantasy authors, Greek, Norse and Christian mythology, tales of King Arthur, and the Arabian Nights. I think, though, that I now have a re-reading schedule of at least one book, because over the past month and a half, when it came time to go to bed and read a couple of chapters of the Quixote, I was often giddy with anticipation. I know that sounds odd, but it's true. I think the danger in talking about the Quixote is to bore people with how IMPORTANT it is, and I'm as guilty of that as anyone; but to most of us, "important" sounds much like "humorless" or "homework." What gets lost in the importance of Cervantes is the pleasure of this book, which is hilarious, inventive, weird and surprising. Which is all part of why people consider it important, true, but somehow that label is calcifying; the novel begins to look, from the outside, like petrified wood, when in fact it's lively and experimental and relevant. I suspect that most of you have not read it, and I hope that this entry may convince some of you to do so. If the length intimidates you, read a chapter or two a night, and take your time; I think you will find it rewarding.
¡Oh autor celebérrimo! ¡Oh don Quijote dichoso! ¡Oh Dulcinea famosa! ¡Oh Sancho Panza gracioso! Todos juntos y cada uno de por sí viváis siglos infinitos, para gusto y general pasatiempo de los vivientes.
Books 11-20.
Books 21-30.
Books 31-40.
Books 41-50.
Books 51-60.
Books 61-70.
Books 71-80.
Books 81-90.
91. Over the Earth I Come: The Great Sioux Uprising of 1862 by Duane Schultz.
92. Ripley Under Ground by Patricia Highsmith.
93. The Ant King and Other Stories by Benjamin Rosenbaum.
94. The Wind's Twelve Quarters by Ursula K. Le Guin.
95. Ripley's Game by Patricia Highsmith.
96. A Fisherman of the Inland Sea: Stories by Ursula K. Le Guin.
97. The Boy Who Followed Ripley by Patricia Highsmith.
98. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, translated by Edith Grossman (Re-read). Technically a re-read, although when I read this book previously it was the J.M. Cohen translation; considering that was a little over ten years ago, I couldn't say whether there were any substantive differences. At that time I read it for a Lit in Translation course, the last semester of my lengthy undergrad career; the course was taught by an Italian professor on the verge of retirement whose admiration for Cervantes was matched only by his sardonic impatience with the apathy of most of the class. I don't recall his name--I might still have my notes somewhere, but they are not to hand--but I recall him fondly both for his quiet, insightful lectures and for a couple of conversations we had during his office hours.
I don't re-read very often. Partly this is because all through junior high and high school I re-read constantly, sticking mainly to the same handful of fantasy authors, Greek, Norse and Christian mythology, tales of King Arthur, and the Arabian Nights. I think, though, that I now have a re-reading schedule of at least one book, because over the past month and a half, when it came time to go to bed and read a couple of chapters of the Quixote, I was often giddy with anticipation. I know that sounds odd, but it's true. I think the danger in talking about the Quixote is to bore people with how IMPORTANT it is, and I'm as guilty of that as anyone; but to most of us, "important" sounds much like "humorless" or "homework." What gets lost in the importance of Cervantes is the pleasure of this book, which is hilarious, inventive, weird and surprising. Which is all part of why people consider it important, true, but somehow that label is calcifying; the novel begins to look, from the outside, like petrified wood, when in fact it's lively and experimental and relevant. I suspect that most of you have not read it, and I hope that this entry may convince some of you to do so. If the length intimidates you, read a chapter or two a night, and take your time; I think you will find it rewarding.
¡Oh autor celebérrimo! ¡Oh don Quijote dichoso! ¡Oh Dulcinea famosa! ¡Oh Sancho Panza gracioso! Todos juntos y cada uno de por sí viváis siglos infinitos, para gusto y general pasatiempo de los vivientes.