quark Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Practical Classics: 50 Reasons To Reread 50 Books You Haven't Touched Since High School Read about it on NPR. I am not related to the author and do not profit from his work in any way. Just thought that it looks intriguing and wanted to share! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Thank you for this recommendation, and for the article too -- the author seems comfortable, knowledgeable and unpretentious. It promises to be a really lovely read. I am not sure I will get to those classics this year ... I wanted to toss out a book I've thoroughly enjoyed, not least because the sections come in handy 1-to-3 page sizes, just right for those of us still chasing tots (or managing elder care, or any of the other urgent, unpredictable but non-intellectual tasks that come with grownup homeschooling life) -- Dirda's Classics for Pleasure. It's been a treat to read in those odd moments, satisfying esp. when I haven't time for the books themselves. It's helped me find classic reads that were fun; some for the elementary crowd; some for my idiosyncratic FIL; and some I wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted February 21, 2013 Author Share Posted February 21, 2013 Nice! Thanks Ana! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 He was assigned 60 books in high school? (I know the title of the book says 50, but the article explains that he read "nearly 60" and then whittled it down). That seems like a lot to me. I think I was assigned perhaps three books a year. Maybe 20 works total for high school if you include plays. But it looks like an interesting book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Nice! Thanks Ana! :) perhaps we're even now ... we've upped each other's to-read pile by a meta-book! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Oh, here's another meta-book. Great Books by David Denby. The author goes back to his alma mater 30 years after college and retakes the great books course he took as a freshman. I have it out from the library right now. I enjoyed the introduction, but that's all I've read so far, so I can't really make a recommendation for it yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Oh, here's another meta-book. Great Books by David Denby. The author goes back to his alma mater 30 years after college and retakes the great books course he took as a freshman. I have it out from the library right now. I enjoyed the introduction, but that's all I've read so far, so I can't really make a recommendation for it yet. no!!! the Unread Book Guilt/Unread Book Despondency just gets bigger & bigger & bigger :) :) :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted February 21, 2013 Author Share Posted February 21, 2013 Hee hee. I don't know if I should feel guilty or be secretly happy that I have more excuses to visit Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted February 21, 2013 Author Share Posted February 21, 2013 Ana, I clicked on your Dirda link and am now so tempted by Book by Book as well [drat (not!) that Amazon Frequently Bought Together feature!]. Have you read it? Is it as good as Classics for Pleasure? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
serendipitous journey Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Ana, I clicked on your Dirda link and am now so tempted by Book by Book as well [drat (not!) that Amazon Frequently Bought Together feature!]. Have you read it? Is it as good as Classics for Pleasure? No! I have not! I'm afraid of being a Dirda addict. you're just feeding the addiction, you know ... but offhand, I'd try his Readings or Bound to Please first. I suspect that Dirda on the Reading Life would be a little, I don't know, leaning toward erudite navel-gazing ... but extremely erudite, charming navel-gazing for sure ... ETA: must go to bed, since mornings are relentless in their arrival. what a delightful & unexpected evening's conversation this has been! thanks, y'all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted February 21, 2013 Author Share Posted February 21, 2013 ETA: must go to bed, since mornings are relentless in their arrival. what a delightful & unexpected evening's conversation this has been! thanks, y'all! Likewise to the "must go to bed", "delightful conversation" and "thanks y'all!" :) ETA: thanks for the feedback on Dirda! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted February 21, 2013 Author Share Posted February 21, 2013 Oh, here's another meta-book. Great Books by David Denby. The author goes back to his alma mater 30 years after college and retakes the great books course he took as a freshman. I have it out from the library right now. I enjoyed the introduction, but that's all I've read so far, so I can't really make a recommendation for it yet. Amazon's surprise me function reveals a chapter on Conrad! I found Heart of Darkness difficult to finish when I was in high school and have lately wondered about challenging myself to read it again. Sigh...Dirda or Denby? What a delicious dilemma! Maybe I'll just get all three? It's been a while since I've treated myself! :p Thanks Cosmos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahW Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Amazon's surprise me function reveals a chapter on Conrad! I found Heart of Darkness difficult to finish when I was in high school and have lately wondered about challenging myself to read it again. Sigh...Dirda or Denby? What a delicious dilemma! Maybe I'll just get all three? It's been a while since I've treated myself! :p Thanks Cosmos! Heart of Darkness is a lot easier the second time around. When you know you are being slowly horrified, it's easier to enjoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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