According to Bev at My Reader’s Block, it’s time to report on my climb up the mountains! Which mountains have I surpassed? Which mountain have I reached? Have I met my goals? Well, let me investigate!
As far as my challenge goes, it appears that I quickly scaled Pike’s Peak (12 books), continued on to Mount Blanc (24 books) and have just started to ascend Mount Vancouver, which I’ll conquer if I reach 36 books. It looks like I may be able to reach Mount Ararat this year at 48 books, but it will be a close call. Can I do it? Stay tuned to find out!
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| photo courtesy of Glenn source Flickr Creative Commons |
Bev kindly posted a few questions that we may choose to answer in honour of our mid-year check-in.
A. Choose two titles from the books you’ve read so far that have a common link. You decide what the link is–both have strong female lead characters? Each focuses on a diabolical plot to take over the world? Blue covers? About weddings? Find your link and tell us what it is.
This one was particularly easy. The Odyssey, Oedipus Rex and Oedipus at Colonus all explored the idea of fate, and, from an ancient Greek worldview at least, that you are helpless to escape it. You’re in the hands of the gods and they control your destiny!
And because that question was so easy, I’ve chosen to answer another one:
B. Tell us about a book on the list that was new to you in some way–new author, about a place you’ve never been, a genre you don’t usually read…etc.
Paradise Lost had been on my list for some time but I had very cleverly avoided it. Seventeenth century poetry in blank verse is scary!! Yet, when it came up in a read-along I knew that it was the perfect time to participate. And wow! What an epic! And how silly of me to wait so long. I have plans to read Paradise Regained but I don’t think that it can even come close to the brilliance of the original so I’m a little hesitant to start it right away. In any case, with hindsight, I wish I had read Paradise Lost years ago!
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| photo courtesy of @Doug88888 source Flickr Creative Commons |
So what have you read off your personal bookshelves this year?
Good for you! I am not surprised that you are scaling your third mountain. I am still trying to make it to the second, but I continue to choose books I did not own before 2014.
And I am so out of the loop that I had no idea it was check-in time. I'll try to do something today about checking-in.
For some reason I feel like I'm going more slowly this year. Probably because I have too many books on the go at one time.
I feel a little behind too. I have another check-in to do as well. It's hard to believe that the year is half over!
Congratulations on meeting and surpassing your goal! And kudos for making it through Paradise Lost! I can't say I'm a big fan of Milton–although I might appreciate it more now (read it in college) that I have read Dante.
College can tend to kill the love of a book unless you luck out and get a great prof. You may feel differently about it now, especially after having read Dante.
Thanks for the congratulations! I'm going to try to reach Mt. Ararat, so wish me luck! 🙂
You aren't alone here Ruth. I have managed to read many newly owned and library borrows this year. So I have not made it far up Ararat, as only 11 of the 34 books I've read count for this challenge.