tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881054.post6298844396999629201..comments2024-03-27T09:50:53.662-05:00Comments on Happy Catholic*: 2015 Book Challenge (and some movies) - UPDATEDJulie D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08384291674560438678noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881054.post-46628893857099740962015-01-05T11:19:33.922-06:002015-01-05T11:19:33.922-06:00It does seem a natural for a big budget film doesn...It does seem a natural for a big budget film doesn't it? Heck, one of my favorite old movies, which I haven't watched in a very long time, is San Francisco with Clark Gable, Jeanette MacDonald, and Spencer Tracy. They made a rip roaring good movie from the San Francisco earthquake.Julie D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08384291674560438678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881054.post-24793348568564167072015-01-05T11:17:17.379-06:002015-01-05T11:17:17.379-06:00I also love Hawthorne's short stories. I used ...I also love Hawthorne's short stories. I used to not like the Scarlet Letter very much until I reread it and listened to <a href="http://crafting-a-life.com/craftlit/?page_id=1403" rel="nofollow">CraftLit's discussion</a> as Heather Ordover went through the story. Wow. A much more wonderful book than I ever gave it credit for. I haven't heard much positive about The House of Seven Gables but when <a href="http://crafting-a-life.com/craftlit/?page_id=1403" rel="nofollow">SFFaudio</a> discussed it last year I realized I probably should give it a look see.Julie D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08384291674560438678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881054.post-27603575075150180342015-01-05T11:14:16.894-06:002015-01-05T11:14:16.894-06:00Believe it or not, I've tried consistently to ...Believe it or not, I've tried consistently to read less ... to slow down, to absorb more at one time. And just as consistently I have failed in my quest. I can occasionally do it but very rarely. As you say, we have very different reading styles. Vive la difference! :-)Julie D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08384291674560438678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881054.post-91200155113064082912015-01-02T20:56:38.868-06:002015-01-02T20:56:38.868-06:00I have that Paul Johnson Art book! I should start ...I have that Paul Johnson Art book! I should start it. The Galveston Storm book looks really interesting to me too. When I worked at Red Cross we had a meeting in Galveston in 2000 for the 100th anniversary of the storm. I knew nothing about the tragedy before then but have been fascinated since. I'm surprised Hollywood hasn't made a big budget disaster film based on it.Joseph R.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13747631029262485742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881054.post-40866374648897885432015-01-02T20:42:03.946-06:002015-01-02T20:42:03.946-06:00Don Quixote is fantastic. The House of the Seven ...Don Quixote is fantastic. The House of the Seven Gables OK, even a bit boring. I think highly of Hawthorne's short stories but have found his novels a bit lacking. The Scarlet Letter is good, but not great. I haven't read any others to give you a heads up. I do hope you enjoy the poetry. There's nothing like it for a satisfying read that takes less than ten minutes, depending of course on the length.Mannyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15396201693030286919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881054.post-65231739754054134192015-01-02T17:16:43.376-06:002015-01-02T17:16:43.376-06:00That's more or less what I figured, based on s...That's more or less what I figured, based on some of your past comments. But I'm going to keep reminding you of it for when that time comes :) Something to aspire to. I don't think I would be reading poetry of my own volition today if not for forcibly working through it in multiple college courses - it does take a bit of an education to appreciate fully, and I am so thankful for that (studying at that age also opened my eyes to the immensity of some of these poets...it's a bit transfixing to be bowled over by a reading of John Keats and then remember that he died at age 25). It's an activity where familiarity with those dead languages really comes in handy. Wallace Stevens should also be on your list...what I like about him the most is that he worked his entire life as an insurance executive, only writing poetry as a hobby in his free time. File that one away :)<br /><br />Your yearly book consumption is truly impressive. I'm at about 25% of that, but I think that is just symptomatic of our nearly opposite reading styles. I'm all about the slow, absorb everything, digest a while and scribble up notes kind of reading. So many good books ahead!JoAnnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01904747145698764494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881054.post-16587021728776585802015-01-02T08:24:31.782-06:002015-01-02T08:24:31.782-06:00Hi JoAnna!
Just to clarify I have never cared abo...Hi JoAnna!<br /><br />Just to clarify I have never cared about poetry and so have ignored it most of my life. I know about the fog on little cat feet and the road less taken, as well as the man who wasn't there ... but that's about the extent of it. Any recommendations to read T.S. Eliot are going to have to wait until I can tell Tennyson from Wordsworth. :-)<br /><br />I have to do lists like this because my "to read" lists run to 8 pages of fiction and nonfiction. And I read 178 books last year. Not that I get distracted easily or anything! Ahem. :-D<br /><br />Anyway, this at least keeps these books in front of me so I don't forget about them. It worked so well with Dickens that I now know I'll be reading his books anyway so they don't have to be a "challenge" any more. Julie D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08384291674560438678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6881054.post-22743857294831062612015-01-01T18:59:10.901-06:002015-01-01T18:59:10.901-06:00Perhaps you need more of a warm-up before this, bu...Perhaps you need more of a warm-up before this, but T.S. Eliot's <i>Four Quartets</i> should really be up there on your poetry list. Reminds me it's about time to re-read it.<br /><br />You will love Tolkien's letters. One letter in particular is my personal favorite, but I won't spoil it for you by telling you which one :] I'll just say that what I loved most about his letters was getting a bit of an inside look at his imagination, anxieties, etc., and also getting a glimpse of the affection he had for his work, his family, and friends.<br /><br />Monti's book about Thomas More sounds really good. Outside of <i>A Man For All Seasons</i>, I don't think I've actually read anything written <i>by</i> More himself. Will have to add that to my list. I'm not so ambitious about having a whole list set for the year, as it seems that I always have ALL THE BOOKS in my 'want to read' queue, but I tend to anchor my reading for the year around one "big" book, which is my main challenge for the summers (e.g. <i>Brothers Karamozov</i>, <i>City of God</i>). I tend to always find that I make so many adjustments to read the right book at the right moment. I think <i>Kristin Lavransdatter</i> is going to be my 'big' book this year. I also try to include at least one title from Fr. McCloskey's <a href="https://www.uscg.mil/ccs/ch/docs/Catholic_Lifetime_Reading_Plan.pdf" rel="nofollow"> Catholic LIfetime Reading Plan</a>, which is a good list in and of itself. <br /><br />Happy Reading in the New Year!JoAnnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01904747145698764494noreply@blogger.com