My Current Reads #1

This is quite possibly my favorite book of all time. Of course that’s quite a large claim, so I make it hesitantly, but time will decide. I’m in the middle of reading it for the second time and it shows itself to be even more enriching and meaningful at every turn on a second read.

What it’s all about: The classic tale of the ship Pequod’s journey, led by the possibly mad Captain Ahab, in search of revenge against the fearsome white whale. But it’s about so much more than this: how we attempt to understand the world around us and the limits of our understanding; questioning dominant religious dogma; the minds and relations of men alone together at sea for years at a time; in a way it’s about everything, and the nature of everything. Our narrator Ishmael ponders and shares the world around him piece by piece and concept by concept to bring you into his world and feel the power of both the whale and Ahab’s mad quest for it.

Also reading this one for the second time. I barely remember my first read of it from years ago, but somehow it still feels like home. There’s an incredible feeling of comfort in Eliot’s presentation of the world; she makes it feel like maybe the world can be comprehended after all, at least the human side of it.

Another in the realm of thorough examinations, this time of life in a small town in the English countryside, with all its social dynamics and politics. The narrative follows Dorothea, a young lady who marries an old scholar hoping that she can be of use to his grand work, quickly discovering that perhaps he is not worthy of the reverence she holds for him; and it also follows Lydgate, an up and coming doctor who has to contend with the politics and dated ideas of the townspeople who also finds himself in an unhappy marriage.

Likely too slow for some, but great if you want to spend a lot of time in a richly realized picture of life at a particular place and time, with characters who have such a feeling of reality to them.

I’m not far enough into this one yet to have too much to say about it, but it’s been a surprising read so far.

What it’s all about: Widely regarded as the first modern novel, Don Quixote follows the titular man, who has clearly gone insane from reading too many tales of chivalry and decided to take up knight errantry himself, to keep the great spirit of chivalry alive. He sets out with his poor, sad horse and the farmer Sancho Panza as squire to find adventures and save people who need his help. Strangely funny and sad.

A lovely exploration of the meaning and history of gardens, from Milton to Morris and beyond. Follows the author through the shaping of her own garden and her explorations of the social problems and politics that have surrounded the creation of gardens throughout history.

In my ongoing failure to get through a real botany textbook, I’m making my way through this as a more approachable read. Great to fall asleep to.

I’ve finally started this, after wanting to get into Keats for a while. I’m still only a few poems into it and I’m going very slowly, reading only one poem at a time. But they’re beautiful so far, I’m enjoying them.

John Keats was a romantic poet, with beautiful natural scenes and medieval inspirations. (and I’m sure I’ll have a better summary to provide once I’ve read more, I didn’t even read the introduction to this one)

The title really says it all. I’ve just finished chipping my way through the first volume, and I’ll definitely keep going with it. Very cute manga with delightful art of plants and bugs and cute houses and things.

Two tiny girls live their tiny lives out in the woods, and in the cities of fellow tiny people and the animals they coexist with. Cute hijinks.