Book 112: The Oresteia and Book Stats.

Title: The Oresteia
Author: Aeschylus (A really long time ago. Wikipedia tells me he was born around 525 B.C. and died in 455 B.C.)

First Published: Again, wikipedia gives me a date of 458 B.C. as for when it was performed, but who really knows?

My Edition: Penguin Classics-Robert Fagles translation (pictured at right)

Pages: 336

Other Works Include: The Persians, Seven Against Thebes, the Suppliants, Prometheus Bound

I feel guilty for neglecting the ancient works on my list. I really do have a large number of them left. And it isn't that they are terrifying, but rather than I feel like I am diving into some really intense history.

I knew I wanted to read a piece that was new to me, and I remember quite a few bloggers raving about Aeschylus during the Classics Circuit tour, which is why it has been on my nightstand for months (much like Ceremony was). So now that it is dusted off, time to give the old Greek a go.

What is really interesting about this one is that it is a trilogy (the only complete set surviving). That is pretty cool (like a really early version of The Hunger Games? I should probably go hang my head in shame for comparing this to modern fiction, huh?). It is amazing we have these works at all, considering that many of them have been destroyed or lost as thousands of years have gone by!

I want to just mention that it seems like the Greeks and some other Ancients always appear "difficult." I don't think a lot of us jump in without acknowledging that we are reading pieces that are old. And I mean OLD. But in my experience reading old epics, like Homer, they are very accessible, especially with a great translator. I cannot rave enough about Robert Fagles. If he has translated a work, that is the edition I want. Anyway, the moral is: don't be scared of the old stuff. Most of it almost seems modern! They were scandalous people, those Greeks! :)

Book 111: Finished.

"The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart."

Sometimes when books fall around the 200 page range, I leave them wanting more. This was not one of those books. It captured the story it needed to tell beautifully, in all the right words, and with just the right amount of emotion.

What I loved most about this novel is that it told two stories simultaneously and in a way that they fit perfectly together. The first story centers on Okonkwo, a strong and powerful man in his village in Nigeria. He has three wives, children, a large family complex, and high standing in his village.

The first part of the novel explores his role as a powerful leader-both the positive and negative aspects that come with being a man others admire. There was one scene that absolutely broke my heart when I read it (if you have read the novel, I hope you know which one-it happens early on) and completely sets the tone for Okonkwo. In that scene, he is forced to make a decision, no only as a leader and a father, but as a man. he must assert himself and his role in his village.

But, he soon loses his place in his village with a horrible decision and his family is banished for seven years. This is where the second story begins. While this seems like a story about a man's role, women's roles, tradition, and family, it is taken a step deeper with the addition of European missionaries into the villages. I'm sure you can sense where this is going.

Things just...fall apart as the Europeans enter and begin to change the lives of the villagers. For men like Okonkwo, who have lived their lives according to tradition and their culture, the presence of this outside force is a threat. Soon members of the villages turn to Christianity. The villagers are faced with choices after being so friendly with the missionaries for some time. Do they continue to allow outsiders into their villages? Or do they fight to protect their traditions and homes?

It is an interesting and complex novel that does a wonderful job of showing the influence of the West on places like Nigeria. Now, I could talk about the religious aspect of it all-that Christians have long been missionaries spreading the Word around the world as they conquer new lands. Religion can bind people together, and by converting others to Christianity, conquerors had an easier time assimilating the native people into their culture. But what I think is more important to address, above the religious aspect, is that certain cultures feel the need to dominate others they see as inferior. This is obvious in the settling of the New World, as Europeans slaughtered, lied to, and tricked Native American tribes. They introduced guns, disease, and a new lifestyle that wiped out many existing cultures. We no longer have the benefit of learning from them as we could have.

I see so many echoes of this in Things Fall Apart. While we might think of Okonkwo's tribe as being primitive, they had lives, traditions, and families before Europeans arrived. And while their lifestyle may have differed drastically from what many might consider normal or acceptable, it was a life.

One of the things that has always irritated me about history (and teaching history), is the one-sided view we give to our youth. Every time I have taught some aspect of U.S. History, I have always tried to emphasize what isn't in the history books (stories like that of Okonkwo). Our history books are written from a mainstream, white perspective, and I don't want my students to follow that line of thinking. I have used the introduction to Lies my Teacher Told Me by James Loewen multiple times in my classes. We all need to realize there is another side to every story, and it is often covered up.

I see much of that in Achebe's novel, which, since it was first published in 1959, makes it ahead of its time. We don't like to see that perhaps we are wrong in spreading our beliefs and traditions around the world, but from the beauty that was prevalent in Okonkwo's life before the Europeans came, it seems like we should think about that (and I am not saying that their lives were perfect or that we should never interfere. I just think that we need to analyze and accept the impact of what we do much more than we have in the past).

But for now, until I get the chance to teach more kids and make them read things like Lies my Teacher Told Me, I can share this kind of novel with as many people as I can. It is a novel not only about a man's struggle within his own society, but also with the changing scope of an ever-diminishing world and the struggles that may bring. And it certainly gives us all a lot to think about.

Fall Reading Plans/Goals:

In case you haven't noticed, I am really driven by lists. I like making lists. I like checking things off them, and I like to think about the possibilities that a list provides.

It shouldn't surprise anyone that I am making a list of Fall reading goals. Even though I didn't quite hit my Summer reading goals like I wanted to, it doesn't matter. I'm still going to make more!

I have discussed some of my plans in various places and over numerous posts, so I really want to compile everything into one place. It'll be much easier for me to check up on myself and see how I am doing. And for the purposes of this, I am considering fall up until Thanksgiving (last week or so in November). Funnily enough, that is also when I'll finish up my subbing assignment. It is about 12 weeks, so I am keeping that all in mind while I make my plans. And I am sure I will be over-ambitious, as usual.

Challenge Reading:

• Victorian Literature Challenge: I am rocking this challenge. I set a goal to read 10 titles, and I have read 8 this year. I would really like to knock out the last 2 so I complete at least one challenge. I am thinking I would most like to read Dracula and Wives and Daughters. There are some other possibilities as well, so this will be easy to achieve.
• Shakespeare Challenge: As of now, I have only read 1 play this year, and that was back in JANUARY. I have mentioned that I am thinking of reading only Shakespeare for the October 22nd readathon, and now I decided that I am officially going to do it. :)
• Adam's TBR Challenge: I really want to complete this one, but I am mad at myself for picking such poopy books to read! :) I have only read 5, but I have 7 left and that includes Nicholas Nickleby, Pamela, and Lord Jim, all books I have no desire to read. But, I need to make some progress. I would really like to cross 5 more off the list, but that is probably not going to happen.
• RIP Challenge: I just posted about this one on Sunday, but I am joining in last minute. I am reading 4 titles, and some of them will overlap into the Victorian Challenge and Shakespeare Challenge. Easily doable.

Blog Features and Events:

• Readathon: I posted on this one above, but I will definitely be participating and I am only going to read Shakespeare. Should be a fun time!
• Transcendentalist Month: I think I posted about this one in a Weekly Wrap-up, but halfway through October this launches and I will be participating. I already know I am going to read Walden and "Civil Disobedience," as well as some Emerson.
• Classics Circuit Gothic Lit: I LOVE the Classics Circuit, so I always try and participate if possible. I am especially excited for this one. I think I am going to step outside of my list books and read some short stories for the tour.

Other Goals:

In a recent Top Ten Tuesday post, I outlined some of the other titles I really want to read this fall. I am already in the middle of one of them (Moby-Dick) and I have plans (up there) to read quite a few more.

I am really craving some big books. I read primarily shorter works this summer and I really feel the need to mull over some chunky titles. I'm not sure how this will work out for me with teaching and all, but I am optimistic I'm going to be able to do it all. :)

As for numbers?? I would really like to hit 140. That is probably way too ambitious, but I am going to go there!


Well, there are my goals. Insane, right? I doubt I'll complete most of them, but at least I have a plan. All that is left to do is pull a stack of titles off the shelves and sit them on my nightstand!

Oh, I also wanted to ask...I am thinking of restarting some readalongs, since I abandoned them back in June. I wanted to do one for Dracula and The Divine Comedy for sure. Maybe even another Dickens title? Anyone want in?

Book 111: Things Fall Apart and Book Stats.

Title: Things Fall Apart
Author: Chinua Achebe (1930-)

First Published: 1958

My Edition: Anchor Books 50th Anniversary (pictured at left)

Pages: 209

Other Works Include: No Longer at Ease (1960), Arrow of God (1964), A Man of the People (1966), Anthills of the Savannah (1987)

Alphabetically, this is the very first book listed on my Book List page. And ever since I finished Germinal by Zola way back in December 2009, I have been wanting to read this one solely so the first and last books were done. Stupid? Most likely.

In any case, this book has remained unread for quite some time since I made that promise to myself. For the longest time I didn't have a copy, and neither bookstore within super close proximity to my apartment had a copy (weird, isn't it?). I finally found a copy a few months ago, and like quite a few others recently, it has been living on my nightstand. And, like the others, I started to feel bad it was collecting dust, and I determined I must read it.

Part of me is scared to begin this. To be quite honest, I read a LOT of Western literature and very little outside of that comfort zone. I don't purposely choose to read that way, but I am just not knowledgeable about literature beyond the U.S., Europe, and Australia. But, I am going to remedy that in the future, since there are a lot of wonderful books out there I have yet to discover!

In any case, I don't actually know too much about this one. I've never read it, or anything else by Achebe (even though I just picked up his 2009 collection of essays). I am intrigued though, especially since this is a book in the district I teach in that is used in one of their classes. Hopefully I'll like it!

Summer Reading Plans Revisited.

Way back in June, I wrote a post about my summer reading plans, as well as some bookish goals I had. I gave myself the deadline of the end of August, and with the events of last week, I just haven't had the time to get around to looking at whether I accomplished my goals or not.

Hehe.

That would be a no.

Here were my original reading goals:

"At the moment of writing this, I am currently in the middle of books 93 and 94 off my list. I would love to hit book 120 by the end of the summer. Considering that would mean reading 25ish books in two month where I have only read 40 in six months seems like a tall order, but it is a perfectly doable goal if I stop slacking. :) I have plenty of free time now and I should be taking advantage of it! So, in more detail...

• Read 25 books from the Book list by August 31.
  
• 5 books must be from Adam's TBR Challenge (since I have only read ONE title. I STINK at challenges btw).
• 1 or 2 titles must be a Shakespeare play. I have neglected the bard.
• Make further progress in my Bible Reading Project (this has also been neglected recently due to my busy schedule)"

Right now I am reading book 113 (Moby-Dick), so I fell a little short of that goal. I am not at all disappointed though. I really enjoyed my reading this summer and while I stuck to many shorter titles, I felt like I read a lot of heavy material. In June I read 6 titles, July had 11, and August had 8. I think I did pretty good, don't you?

As for Adam's challenge, I did make a sent in the titles I needed to read. I read 4 titles (so I missed my goal by 1). The books I read to fit his challenge were Ceremony, Dubliners, Wise Blood and Jude the Obscure. I can still complete his challenge if I bust my butt a bit this fall.

Shakespeare was a huge fail. While I pulled a couple of plays to read, they are still sitting on my nightstand. I decided at the beginning of August that I would read more this fall, and I am toying with the idea of reading only Shakespeare during October's readathon (a good way to challenge myself).

I did read more for my Bible Reading Project, but I haven't updated my page or my progress on Goodreads. And I'm okay with that.


The other goals I had were also book-related.

Here they are:

"I shared with you my book database not too long ago, and I mentioned that I was struggling with it. I lost the most updated version of the file last year with a slew of computer problems, and I have been slowly trying to bring it up to date. The biggest issue with that is that most of my massive collection is boxed up, so hauling out boxes and checking them in is a pia. I kind of "gave up" back in April with the intensity of school, so this is a big project that needs to be fixed. More specifically, this is what I want to accomplish by August 31:

• Update book database by relogging in EVERY title I own
• Cull duplicates and books I no longer want. Either donate or ship to bloggers who want them
• Re-organize bookshelves in the living room. I have three-two big bookcases and one narrow case. Currently the narrow bookcase is home to some hardcover collections and newer YA titles. One big bookcase is full of classics, as well as two and a half shelves on the other. And, with recent acquisitions, some of the shelves are being double-stacked...that needs to be fixed."

I have made progress here too!

I started to relog titles and managed to finish the books that are out in the apartment (3 full bookcases and 1 with some of my prettier/older editions). I also started to go through boxes, but life got in the way.

I did cull a bunch of books that I had doubles of (hello blogversary giveaways), but I still have too many books. I need to seriously look through the 20+ boxes in the closets and decide what I absolutely need to keep. I know there are some things I will just never get to. I might have a long time ago, but my tastes are changing.

I also reorganized my shelves! Well, I did it once back in July and it already needs to be done again. Originally I had one shelf just for my classics, but with so many acquisitions over the last two years, that shelf is FULL. My other shelf used to just hold "fun" books-some of my favorite series, etc. Now, the second big bookshelf has four full shelves taken up just with overflow classics. Some of my "fun" reads have been packed away (and there are more that need to be). But, everything is still pretty much alphabetized and I have been much better about reorganizing as soon as I get a new stack.


The other thing I was going to attempt to do was create a master list of all my reviews, and while I have started it, it is taking forever. Because I write multiple posts for most of the books I read, it has taken me a bit to find a way to make this work for me. It is a work in progress, and maybe I can launch that page by the end of the year.


However, there is one excellent piece of news I do want to share! Over this weekend, I have made an effort to finalize and schedule all the drafted posts sitting on my dashboard. And you'll be happy to know that I did it! All of the posts are completely written, pictures included, tags in, and scheduled to go up on their appointed days. I have not been caught up like this in over a year! HUGE accomplishment! And while I still want to have my reviews go up AS I am reading a novel, I can't do it unless I bombard you with posts for the next week (I will say that the furthest post is scheduled for September 16, so it could be worse). I just feel a lot better about going back to teaching and having less time to blog with all of that take care of!


Anyway, I thought this would be a good time to touch base with how I did this summer. I think I did well, even if I am not where I want to be. For the longest time I felt I would never pass 100 books, so I am glad I did. The next goal is 125, which means I'll be halfway done!

How did your summer reading go? Were you as obsessed as I was with planning?