Current Book List

I keep a notebook where I write up all of the books I have.  I figured I would put at least part of the list here.

Greeks

• The Odyssey by Homer
• The Iliad by Homer
• The Oedipus Trilogy by Sophocles
• The Complete Writings of Thucydides
• The Complete Surviving Plays of Aeschylus
• Plato: Collected Dialogues
• Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics
• The Republic of Plato
• Phaedrus by Plato
• Symposium by Plato
• Meno and Phaedo by Plato
• The Thirteen Books of the Elements Vol. 1 by Euclid

Italian/ Latin

• The Inferno by Dante
• The Divine Comedy by Dante
• The Divine Comedy by Dante (trans by John Ciardi)
• The Prince and Other Writings by Niccolo Machiavelli
• The Aenid by Virgil (trans by Robert Fagles)
• The Aenid by Virgil (trans by Robert Fitzgerald)
• The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli (trans by Harvey Mansfield Jr.)
• Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems by Galileo

French

• The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
• Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Other Classic Novels by Jules Verne
• Michel de Montaigne’s Essays (trans by J. M. Cohen)

English

• Beowulf
• Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo (trans by J.R.R. Tolkien)
• The Once and Future King by T.H. White
• The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
• The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
• Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
• Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
• Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol
• Silas Marner by George Eliot
• Thunderball by Ian Fleming
• Lord of the Flies by William Golding
• The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
• The Horse and his Boy by C.S. Lewis
• Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
• The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
• The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
• The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
• The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
• Pygmalion and Three Other Plays by George Bernard Shaw
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
• The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson
• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
• Animal Farm by George Orwell
• Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
• The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
•  Kim by Rudyard Kipling
• A Christmas Carol,The Chimes, and The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens
• The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle
• The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle
• The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
• Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
• The Story of King Arthur and His Knights by Howard Pyle
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories by Robert Louis Stevenson
• Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
• Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang by Ian Fleming
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
• Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
• Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
• The White Company by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• The Annotated Sherlock Holmes
• Emma by Jane Austen
• Persuasion by Jane Austen
• Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory
• Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
• Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
• Four Classic Novels: Jane Austen
• 1984 by George Orwell
• Brigadier Gerard by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
• Two Stories of England by Jane Austen and Charles Dickens
• Jane Austen’s History of England
• The Bedford Shakespeare
• Shakespeare’s Insults: Educating your Wit
• Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
• The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer (trans by Nevill Coghill)
• The Inimitable Jeeves by P.G. Woodhouse
• My Man Jeeves by P.G. Woodhouse

I have more, but I will update in groups.

 

About This Blog

This blog will be another tool for me to catalogue books that I have and books that I want on my journey to beat Thomas Jefferson.  During the War of 1812, Washington D.C. was burned to the ground.  The 3,000+ books in the Library of Congress were all destroyed.  So, Thomas Jefferson sold the entirety of his personal collection of over 6,200 books to Congress.  I will also write book reviews for the books I have read.  I hope you enjoy!

 

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

I am a huge fan of Sarah J. Maas’s books.  I’m really obsessed.  Like, I want to be Sarah J. Maas.  I adore her Throne of Glass series, and I have been dying to start her Court of Thorns and Roses series.  I was at the bookstore the other day to get the first book, but Barnes and Noble didn’t have the first book.  So, weak as I am, I bought A Court of Mist and Fury (ACOMAF), the second book  instead.  This, of course, drove my brother crazy because he doesn’t understand how I can read books out of order.  But, I know all of the spoilers from Pinterest, so I was fine.

(Spoiler alert!  If you haven’t read and you don’t like spoilers, stop now!)

I seriously loved this book.  It’s set in a place called Prythian where there are 7 Fae courts ruled by High Lords.  There are 3 celestial courts (Night, Day, and Dawn) and 4 seasonal courts (Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall).  It’s about a girl, Feyre (Fay-ruh), who was betrothed to the High Lord of the Spring, Tamlin.  However, Tamlin is overbearing and overprotective.  A panic attack at a wedding and being locked in Tamlin’s house make Rhys, the High Lord of the Night Court, come and use the bargain between himself and Feyre to get her out of the Spring Court.  This leads Feyre to the Night Court where she makes friends and starts to heal from things that happened in the first book.

Feyre and Rhys have a budding friendship/relationship that blossoms over the course of the book that I am obsessed with.  I love the romantic relationships that Maas writes; they just warm my heart.  The love and devotion Rhys has for Feyre makes me happy, and I love it. 😀

All in all, 10/10, will read again.  (And will read the first book, too!)

 

Henry V

(DISCLAIMER: the post is a bit thick today.  If it’s too much, sorry.  I just really like Henry V 8/ )

In case you haven’t noticed from the particular books and plays I have reviewed, I am a History nerd/dork.  For my Early Shakespeare class this semester, we were charged with reading Henry V; we just finished it a week or two ago.  And, I’m maybe a little obsessed?  I bought myself, for an early birthday present, Jamie Parker’s Henry V, Kenneth Branagh’s Henry V, and the complete Hollow Crown cycle (the first one, not the War of the Roses cycle).  I also rented Laurence Olivier’s version of Henry V.  Again, a little obsessed.

Why am I obsessed with Henry V?  I don’t really know.  There are certain stories and types of stories that just seem to be really enjoyable for me.  If we clump Henry V with Arthurian legend, maybe it will make a bit more sense.  My professor bemoaned that we would not be able to read the whole Henry cycle, Henry IV through Henry V, because you really get  Henry V’s whole story arc.  But, semester’s have only a certain amount of time in them.

Henry V, unlike many of the plays I’ve read, first, has a chorus, and two, starts with the chorus.  The chorus pretty much lies out what the story is going to be about, and then gives a disclaimer, saying ‘we ain’t got that big a budget, y’all, fill in the gaps.  It’s gonna be great.’  More or less.  We then see the Archbishop of Canterbury speaking with another clergyman about how great Henry is, despite the fact that he was a rascal as a youth.  They go in to speak to the king and tell him that he has a legitimate claim to the French throne.  The King decides to pursue this claim on French fields.  We cut to some of the people Henry used to hang out with as a prince.  They are the comic relief.  Some interesting things happen in the context of Henry’s whole arc, but  we won’t go into too much detail here.  Henry punishes some traitors who were once friends of his, and everyone sails to France.  We have the Battle of Harfluer, some intermediary scenes, then the night before the Battle of Agincourt.

Henry walked among his men to raise their spirits, but then he decides to go spend some time alone; “I and my bosom must debate awhile, and then I would no other company (4.1.31-32).”  But that doesn’t last long.  Some characters we have already met enter and have some interaction either with the king or simply before him, giving Henry an insight into what his men really think.  Then, Henry talks with some new characters; Williams, Bates, and Court.  They aren’t happy or excited about going to battle the next day and they don’t want to be there.  They are critical of the King’s war, unbeknownst to themselves, in front of the king.  These characters push Henry to give a refutation, and then to trade gloves with Williams; a promise to fight him later.  After all exit, Henry gives some powerful monologues, and then the Battle of Agincourt begins. (We will skip the Battle of Agincourt, because this post is already turning out longer than I anticipated.)

After the Battle of Agincourt, we skip a year or so to the Treaty de Troyes and the wooing of Katherine, which, when played right (Jamie Parker’s version, specifically), is hysterical.  Katherine and Henry do not speak each others’ language, so have a barrier they must converse through.  In the end, Henry receives Katherine through the Treaty, and Henry and his future issue are made the heirs of France.  But, the chorus reminds the audience that Henry died young, and his son, Henry VI loses the throne of France.

This play is just so good, especially depending on how it is performed.  So. Good.  The rating? 10/10, would read again (and again…. and again…..)

Have you read Henry V?  What person from History are you obsessed with right now?  Share your comments below!  And, until next time, keep reading and be kind, folks!

 

The Bedford Shakespeare

This copy of a selection of Shakespeare’s plays was required by my Early Shakespeare professor.  It is based on the New Cambridge Shakespeare Edition, and is not complete.  It includes significant portion, though: The Comedy of Errors, Titus Andronicus, Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Richard II, The Merchant of Venice, Henry IV.I, Much Ado About Nothing, Henry IV.II, As You Like It, Henry V, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Othello, Troilus and Cressida, Measure for Measure, King Lear, Macbeth, Coriolanus, Antony and Cleopatra, The Winter’s Tale, and the Tempest.

It is an acceptable version, for sure.  The type is larger than my Dad’s copy and is easily read, there are lots of pictures of performances of the plays and quotes from actors and other people on certain parts of the plays, and the copy includes side bars, asides, and context ‘essays’ for lack of a better term, along with the footnotes.  The footnotes are not as complete as my Dad’s copy, the are not noted in the text it self, and there are certain details, such as scene breaks and lines, that are different between the two.

Specifically, with regard to the footnotes, Shakespeare frequently makes references to ‘rubs,’ which is a reference to the game of bowls that Elizabethans would have been familiar with.  My Dad’s copy points the reader to an appendices that discusses bowls so that the reader has a deeper understanding of what Shakespeare was trying to evoke by using the term.  This copy does not note references to ‘rub’ in such a way.  It is a small instance, but it’s there, none the less.

All in all, I think it is a good copy for studying.  There is a lot more room for note taking, so I give it 9/10.  Not my favorite, but it has different strengths.  So, having both is very helpful.

Is there a book you have were you prefer one copy over another?  Are you nit-picky about footnotes and how they present in a book?  Share your thoughts!  Until next time, keep reading and stay kind!

 

The Complete Works of Shakespeare

So, I’m a total Shakespeare nerd.  For real.  It all started in fifth grade when I stole my Dad’s copy of the Complete Works from when he was in high school and memorized Hamlet’s to be or not to be soliloquy for a talent night.  This will be a review of Dad’s copy (cause I still think of it as Dad’s copy, despite the fact that it is effectively mine), then I’ll review the copy I’m using in class this semester, then through specific plays.

Dad’s copy was published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich and edited by G.B. Harrison.  There is a TON of information in this copy.  There is lots of information in the introduction, which is made up of multiple parts, there are plates with pictures and illustrations to help you visualize as you’re reading, and really complete appendices.  The footnotes are A GOD-SEND.  These footnotes are very detailed and complete, giving a wonderful glimpse into Elizabethan theater.  The footnotes are denoted in the text itself with a small circle, which makes it easy to know what is addressed and what is not.  There are also interesting comments about the different quartos and folios.

Being a copy of the complete works, it also gives a treatment of Shakespeare’s verse, which are also helpfully footnoted.  This copy was also owned by my Dad, so his scribbles are in the copy as well, which I really love.  Not because what he wrote was particularly insightful, but simply by virtue of its being his handwriting.  I also just really like books that have writing in them; it makes me feel like Harry reading from the Half-Blood Prince’s copy of a text book.x

On a different note, it smells fantastic.  If smart were a smell, that is what this smells like, honestly.  It’s last copyright date is 1965 and some of the sources mentioned in the Reading List it also gives at the end are dated in the early-mid 70s.  So, the book is at least around forty years old.  Apparently, it was a very good year. 😉

This copy is an 11/10.  I absolutely adore it, and I’ve used it even in the class I’m doing this semester for its footnotes.  This maybe in part because it was my first copy, it was my Dad’s copy, or simply because of the smell. I really don’t care though.  The rating stands.

Do any of you have a copy, of Shakespeare or otherwise, that you adore?  Not just for the content, but because of some other characteristic?  I’d love to hear about it!  Until next time, keep reading and be kind!

 

Journal 3 by Alex Hirsch and Co.

Ok, I’m kinda a huge Gravity Falls fan.  My brother kept pestering me to watch the show because “Dipper and Mabel ARE. US.”  I finally broke down last semester, and watched it towards the end of this summer.  I. Am. Hooked.  I’m getting my roommate into the show now.  So, when I saw that they had a replica of Journal 3, I lost it.  My brother got it and sent it with my Mom a week or so ago.

I love Journal 3.  Any way to get more Gravity Falls in my life is good by me.  It is mostly made up of accurate replicas of pages shown on the show, but there are extra pages that give us some more information from certain episodes.  One piece that was especially interesting to me was a page concerning Bipper(non-ship).  Fandoms in general seem to have a thing for problematic relationships, and Bipper(ship) is no different.  People are shipping a 12-13 year old boy with an inter-demensional shape demon who has affected his life for the worst, to put it mildly.  In the book, there is a page where Bill, while he was possessing Dipper, writes in the Journal.  He says that, when he is done with Dipper’s body, he is going to throw his body off a building and make it look like Dipper went crazy and committed suicide.  Why would anyone ship a 12 year old with an ageless demon who wants to make the boy’s murder look like a suicide?!  It doesn’t make any sense to me. (However, the art is really great.).

All in all, 10/10, would read again! (And use for a genderbent Dipper cosplay)

If you are a Gravity Falls fan, you will love this book!  If not, go watch the show, then get the book!  And be sure to tell me what you think in the comments!  Do you agree with my rating?  Are you a Gravity Falls fan?  I’d love to hear from you!  Don’t forget to subscribe so you’ll see when I post new reviews.  Until next time, keep reading and be kind out there, y’all!

 

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl is a charming book about Artemis Fowl II, 12 year old leader of a familial criminal empire that he inherited when his father disappeared.  He believes that he has found evidence that fairies exist, finds a fairy, and procures the fairy holy book from her.  Artemis decodes the book and comes up with a plot to capture a fairy for a ransom of gold.  Meanwhile, Captain Holly Short of the Lower Elements Police Recon force (LEPRecon, get it?) has been tracking a troll below ground in the fairy city, Lower Elements.  When the troll has been subdued, she goes above ground to perform a ritual to replenish her magic.  Before she can complete the ritual, she is taken by Artemis and his butler/bodyguard, Butler (literally, his name is Butler).

Will the LEP pay the ransom?  Does everyone survive this rather tense interaction?

I really like this series.  The characters are all quirky and funny.  Eoin Colfer is a fantastic author that I really enjoy.

9/10, simply because it’s been a long time since I read it.  If I read it again, I’ll update my review.

Please, don’t forget to like and follow!  Comment below what you think if the book; do you agree/disagree with my rating?  And don’t forget to keep reading and be kind out there, guys!

 

Charming by Elliott James (Pax Arcana #1)

The Pax Arcana series is simply a jewel.  If you enjoyed Percy Jackson as a kid (or now) you will most likely enjoy this series.

Charming is an urban fantasy novel about John Charming.  He isn’t a prince, nor is he descended from any, but he is related to a line of bad ass monster fighters.  He was a Knight.  Knights are magically obligated by a geas to protect magic people and the Pax Arcana, which is a magic spell keeping regular humans from finding out about magical people.  John is not longer a part of the Knights, but he joins a cobbled together group of monster hunters, headed by Sig, a mysterious woman of unknown mystical origin.

The book is first person narrated by John himself, and he is full of snark and sarcasm.  The book is a fast read, but thoroughly enjoyable.  A small warning for those who are too young/don’t like certain topics/ language in your books.  There are mentions of sex and some language in the series.  I didn’t mind it, but many of you might (or your parents might).  Sex is talked about more openly and in a way that I’m not used to, but again, I didn’t mind.

All in all, 10/10, would read again.

Don’t forget to like the posts!  If you agree or don’t agree with a post, please comment below and share your thoughts!  And don’t forget to subscribe so you’ll see when I post new reviews!  Until next time, keep reading and be kind out there, guys!!

 

Redwall by Brian Jacques

This was one of my first favorite books, to be honest.  There used to be a TV show/movie that played on PBS Saturday mornings, and I loved it.  Then, years later, my best friend told me I had to read these books.  She explained some of the story, and it sounded super familiar.  Eventually, I realized where I knew it from.  It is also one of the few books I physically abused.  I slept with this book.  I abused it so much that pages were falling out.  So, I have two copies; one loved copy, and one new copy.

I don’t usually like ‘animal’ books, but Redwall is more than an exception.  It is about a young orphaned mouse, Matthias, who is raised by the monks in an abbey called Redwall.  It is a safe haven for all of the forest creatures.   But, an evil rat, Cluny the Scourge, is coming to destroy the abbey.  Matthias, along with Brother Methuselah, start to look for the sword of Martin the Warrior, a warrior mouse who helped found the abbey.  This takes him away from the abbey while Cluny moves to attack Redwall.  The creatures of Redwall fight Cluny and his minions.  Do they win?  Read it to find out!

10/10, would read again!  (and beat up another copy)

If you agree with a rating, like and share!  If not, please leave a comment below and describe what you liked and didn’t like.  And please subscribe so you can keep updated on what’s going on!

 

 

Becket by Jean Anouilh

This is one of my favorite plays ever.  I love the story of Thomas A’Becket, anyways, but this play makes the story very palatable.

I found this play through Netflix, actually.  I found the movie version with Peter O’Toole and Richard Burton playing Henry the (number) and Thomas Becket, respectively.  They were phenomenal. Then, I found out it was a play, and bought the script as soon as I could.

The story of Thomas Becket begins with Becket and the King.  Henry and Becket are friends, doing all sorts of horrible things.  Because Henry likes Becket, he keeps promoting his friend, who is a Saxon, which drives the Norman Lords mad.  Henry is also fighting with the Catholic Church in England.  His great-(insert correct number)-grandfather, William the Conqueror promised the church that he would not collect taxes from them or their land.  Henry, on the other hand, is fighting a war and needs every bit of cash he can get his hands on.  He is also fighting with the Church over who has judicial authority.  If the King is King of all the land, he should have judicial authority over members and clergy of the Church on his lands.  However, the Church argued that he had no authority over clergy, and the Church argued its right to divvy out punishments as it saw fit, as well.  This drove Henry crazy.

But, Henry thought he figured it out.  When the Archbishop of Canterbury died, he figured he would place his old pal, Becket, in that position.  Becket asked the King not to promote him to Archbishop, but Henry would not have it.  So, when Becket became Archbishop, he started upholding the Church’s positions instead of Henry’s.  Henry felt betrayed.  One day, in frustration, he yelled, “Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest!”  Some of his Lords heard him, and rushed to Canterbury, where they murdered Becket in his own church.  Henry was heartbroken; he didn’t mean what he had said.  To appease the church and his people, who quite liked Becket, he agreed to strip and go under the lashings of several monks from Becket’s church (which was unheard of.  Most kings would have never subjected themselves to that).

Rating: 10/10, would read again.  (and again….and again…..)