August Book Club
Added 2020-08-05 13:00:04 +0000 UTCWhy do I do this to myself?
Recently I bought Paradise Lost by John Milton (you can buy it here on Amazon UK) God it's hard. Paradise Lost was one of those books I always wanted to read (and look cool reading it) but it's a struggle.
I even found this Study Guide with chapter analysis videos to help explain what I was reading.. it's still a struggle. I was thinking it would be like Shakespeare which I could power through, but I'm finding it a lot more difficult.
Has anyone else read it? Anyone going to TRY to read it?? Good luck.
Comments
Alanna,You have to read LOTR,it is a brilliant book.
Graham Lavers
2020-08-12 23:21:46 +0000 UTCThat's some serious reading. Well done for even trying! I had a crack at Gilgamesh, it made my brain split in two.
Nick Ellis
2020-08-07 14:10:34 +0000 UTCI clearly got the wrong end of the stick in this conversation 😂😂
Marc Bernstein
2020-08-07 10:25:32 +0000 UTCA while back I decided to read some of “the classics” they didn’t make me read in school. Mobey Dick is in the list but I’ve heard things similar about it as Paradise Lost. We read sections of Paradise in school. Not to bad but my mind was young, wild and free then. 😂 I read Catcher in the Rye and hated it. Reminded me of a short story we read in school as an example of a Stream of Consciousness story. A story with no plot that just goes on. Catcher seemed like that to me. I powered on hoping it would get better and it never did. I’m glad I read it but the only thing interesting is the amount of “language” in it for the time it was published. If that wasn’t the point then I still missed out. But I’m even more nervous about Moby Dick now. And I don’t think I’ll ever read War and Peace. 😱
The Raven
2020-08-06 14:13:19 +0000 UTCI love LOTR but never read it OR the Silmarillion! I read the Hobbit when I was a kid but even that took a few tries..
Adventures and Naps
2020-08-06 13:55:25 +0000 UTCI've added it to my list!
Adventures and Naps
2020-08-06 13:54:53 +0000 UTCFor some light reading, could I recommend World's in Collision by Immanuel Velikovsky! It changed my view of the universe.
Andy Mlynek
2020-08-06 10:32:15 +0000 UTCNever tried it myself as one of your previous Patreons said,Tolkiens The Silmarillion is a hard read,gave up after 3 chapters, Talking of classic`s I have three of Thomas Hardy`s to try yet.
Graham Lavers
2020-08-06 09:12:18 +0000 UTCIt’s an hour long exploration of Milton and the book which I had no knowledge of but i feel very encouraged to read it having it now put in context
Marc Bernstein
2020-08-05 23:23:13 +0000 UTCIt’s an hour long BBC documentary by Armando Iannucci
Marc Bernstein
2020-08-05 22:13:15 +0000 UTCHave you seen this? https://youtu.be/4j__itIVgOk
Marc Bernstein
2020-08-05 22:11:45 +0000 UTCHaven't read Hank Green but HAVE read John Green when growing up!
Adventures and Naps
2020-08-05 19:31:44 +0000 UTCNice light read eh? lol. Have you read Hank Green's books? It's a interesting look at internet culture wrapped into an alien robot mystery story.
Brett Carruthers
2020-08-05 19:26:56 +0000 UTCI've taken that approach to books as well! I recently bought a book that a friend raved about - I gave it a few chapters but it wasn't for me, donated instead!
Adventures and Naps
2020-08-05 17:46:36 +0000 UTCI've realised that I should read what I enjoy, not what I think I should be reading. Sure, I'll give something a go, but if I find that I'm not looking forward to picking it up to continue reading - that's it: donated to a charity shop (which is most likely where I picked it up in the first place). With 'The Left Hand Of Darkness' by Ursula K. Le Guin I even tried twice because it's regarded as such a classic, but it just ain't for me.
Stephen Wardle
2020-08-05 16:29:36 +0000 UTCI tried reading it years ago but didn't get very far. I blamed the failure on my tiny brain, but I mentioned it to a friend who has a Masters in English Literature and she said not to worry as she doesn't know anyone who's read the whole work, and those that say they understand it probably haven't read it at all. James Joyce's Ulysses is another. Tried but failed.
Stephen Wadkin
2020-08-05 16:18:02 +0000 UTCNot read this but i have read Homer's Iliad, thats hard work, but it's nothing compared to Tolkeins Silmarillion. Of course there is always the possibility that i am a bit thick.
Arthur Gatward
2020-08-05 14:45:10 +0000 UTCI do!!!
Adventures and Naps
2020-08-05 14:01:55 +0000 UTCCouldn't agree more!
Adventures and Naps
2020-08-05 14:01:53 +0000 UTCI feel the same way!
Adventures and Naps
2020-08-05 14:01:28 +0000 UTCThere's a few "classic" books I feel I should read but just can't quite motivate myself to start... this is one of them
Gem
2020-08-05 13:58:11 +0000 UTCI've got a lovely old edition of Paradise Lost. I made it through about three pages and decided it looks better on my shelf than it does in my hand.
Iain Brown
2020-08-05 13:25:08 +0000 UTCIt looks like your struggling like Detective Mills, Brad Pitts character in Seven! You need a Somerset to help you out 😊
William Fisher
2020-08-05 13:25:06 +0000 UTC
