Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

I will be in for the Mary Renault also. Had these on my TBR for some time and have a copy available.

Everand will have The King Must Die starting June 22nd, so I can read anytime after.

Katy wrote: "Luffy Sempai wrote: "I'd love to BR The King Must Die, should it come to pass."

I'd be interested also in this read."

Sweet.

I wasn't expecting all the interest for Mary Renault--how exciting!

September or October would work for me, for the first one, and the following month for the second.

Allison, Luffy, Katy, Sam, Sara, Cynda--does anyone have a preference to start September or October?

Kathleen wrote: "I wasn't expecting all the interest for Mary Renault--how exciting!

September or October would work for me, for the first one, and the following month for the second.

Allison, Luffy, Katy, Sam, S..."

For me, either will do. Comes from not having an active tbr.

September works for me. I am going to add it to the schedule for September and we can change it if it is a problem for anyone.

Cynda wrote: "Not me. I am open and ready."

Imagery, my dear, imagery!

Sara wrote: "September works for me. I am going to add it to the schedule for September and we can change it if it is a problem for anyone."

Perfect--thank you, Sara!

Thank you Luffy. My calendar is open to start reading anytime.

I'd be interested in joining the Renault too!

Greg wrote: "I'd be interested in joining the Renault too!"

Yay!

Excited that you will be joining, Greg.

By then I should have completed some ongoing heavy group reading commitments, and, even more importantly, a move to a new apartment. So fitting in Mary Renault should not be a problem.

(At some point after unpacking I may put together a list of major classical Greek accounts of Theseus beyond Renault’s main overt sources, Plutarch and the tragedians. What she didn’t use is also interesting. Some years back I was in a group read of one of the main alternate sources, Apollodorus, and some translations of it have detailed bibliographical notes on other ancient versions and allusions.)

Thanks Kathleen and Sara! :)

I have only read The Charioteer by her so far, and I have had my eye on The King Must Die for a long time.

Ian wrote: "By then I should have completed some ongoing heavy group reading commitments, and, even more importantly, a move to a new apartment. So fitting in Mary Renault should not be a problem.

(At some po..."

Looking forward to those Ian.

Ian wrote: "By then I should have completed some ongoing heavy group reading commitments, and, even more importantly, a move to a new apartment. So fitting in Mary Renault should not be a problem.

(At some po..."

Sounds fascinating, Ian, and good luck with your move!

Kathleen wrote: "I wasn't expecting all the interest for Mary Renault--how exciting!

September or October would work for me, for the first one, and the following month for the second.

Allison, Luffy, Katy, Sam, S..."

I’m good with Sept/Oct.

Thanks, folks. If I find the energy I will review on Goodreads the major items on my list. I think I reviewed at least one on Amazon, but it was an early review and they seem to have deleted it.

Ian you are such a resource. You have helped me several times. If you could make lists and then post them Goodreads' Lists, you could provide a lasting service.

I only had the one Buddy Read of Miss Mole on the schedule for July. I have set up the thread of that one. If I have missed any other reads for July, please let me know and I will put them on the schedule and create the threads post haste.

I'm going on a limb and suggest a few non classic books. Hope someone wants to read one of them with me. All are nonfiction.

-Trotsky: A Biography by R. Service
-Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Political Life by R. Dallek
-Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by M. Desmond
-Anything You Can Imagine by I. Nathan
-The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill by B. Meltzer

I am still working on my Theseus list, but I just noticed that on of the books on it has been marked down to $2.99 in Kindle: I don't know for how long. This is Robin Hard's Oxford World's Classics translation of "The Library of Apollodorus," an ancient handbook of Greek (but not Roman) mythology.

See https://www.amazon.com/Library-Mythol...

I reviewed it many years ago, but Amazon has deleted it, along with many of the my early reviews. However, more recently I have surveyed the various translations on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Library-Apollo....

I have recovered the Hard translation review, and posted it on Amazon. I will also post it on Goodreads, to be sure it is available.

The review is now available at The Library of Greek Mythology

Without searching for it, try https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I plan to start posting a list of useful books with contents concerning Theseus, inevitably covering material in The Bull from the Sea as well as The King Must Die.

"The King Must Die" covers the parts of the legends of Theseus that get into popular books on mythology, especially those aimed at children: the rest of his life forms the basis of "The Bull from the Sea," and it is more largely based on surviving Athenian tragedies, in some of which Theseus wanders into stories that probably did not originally concern him.

Picking up from yesterday: what would have been the best ancient summary is the "Library of Apollodorus" (see #866 and #877 above for translations).

This is a kind of ancient 'Greek Mythology for Dummies,' and, unfortunately it does not survive in a complete text. In the manuscript tradition, the story of Theseus is cut off in mid-story. Fortunately, there is an early summary that has also survived, and the missing adventures can be filled in from it, although with less detail, and the chance that some things went missing entirely.

However, use of the index (or search function) will turn up more stories involving Theseus, as a character in what may have been independent myths, plus one that seems to have been familiar to Homer, but rarely shows up in retellings -- Renault acknowledges it in a paragraph in which Theseus decides not to do something.

The other main source,t he one summarized by Renault as an appendix, is the account by Plutarch in his "Parallel Lives" (of Greeks and Romans). There are innumerable translations/editions of this. The one I favor at the moment is an annotated Penguin Classics collection, The Rise and Fall of Athens: Nine Greek Lives

Next, some lesser classical sources, and then various handbooks of mythology.

Ian, I set up the thread for the Buddy Read for The King Must Die:

The King Must Die Discussion

If you don't mind moving this information there, it will be in a better place for reference by those who are participating in the read. Thanks.

Thank you. I was unable to find that on my own. I will copy the posts to that thread.

Thanks...and also for the information!

Luffy Sempai wrote: "I'm going on a limb and suggest a few non classic books. Hope someone wants to read one of them with me. All are nonfiction.

-Trotsky: A Biography by R. Service
-[book:Franklin D. R..."

I would be interested in Evicted but not till October.

I would also be interested in Evicted, and like you, Sam, I probably couldn't get to it till October.

Sam wrote: "Luffy Sempai wrote: "I'm going on a limb and suggest a few non classic books. Hope someone wants to read one of them with me. All are nonfiction.

-Trotsky: A Biography by R. Service..."

Terris wrote: "I would also be interested in Evicted, and like you, Sam, I probably couldn't get to it till October."

October is fine for me as well. Thanks for choosing the same book, both of you.

I will add Evicted to the schedule.

Sara wrote: "I will add Evicted to the schedule."

Thank you, Sara :)

Thanks Sara and Luffy. Looking forward to Evicted. Sorry to respond late. It seems my notifications are hit and miss lately.

Hey, we know, it's GR after all!

I have no August buddy reads on the schedule. If I have missed any, please someone let me know.

Sara, I am liking a little time off to catch up!

Have fun, Terry. I know the summer is a slower read time for me and I assume for most of us. School started back here yesterday, so Autumn is on the way.

Sara wrote: "School started back here yesterday, so Autumn is on the way."

WHAT?!

NM How I found out, but I just learned that Cyrano de Bergerac was a living person, a duelist and a Writer!

I can only find one of his books in English, tho it looks to be under two titles:
A Voyage To The Moon
Science fiction/ satire from the 1600's gotta be worth a look.

I have a number of other things to do before I order my copies- So unlikely to star for a couple of months.
Anyone else suckered in, I mean interested?

Yeah. Last year I read the play and knew I would want to read. It is available on Gutenberg as text and on You Tube as audiobook. . . .I will be ready to read October or later.

There are three buddy reads scheduled. Are plans to read these still in play and if so what are you prioritizing? I am leading with The King Must Die and will schedule Rabbit #4 later in the month with no plans to join on the Allende. How bout other members?

Rabbit at Rest by John Updike

Eva Luna by Isabel Allende

The King Must Die by Mary Renault

I will probably read The King Must Die and Rabbit in tandem, Sam. The Rabbit books are usually something I can only read in small increments.

Sara wrote: "I will probably read The King Must Die and Rabbit in tandem, Sam. The Rabbit books are usually something I can only read in small increments."

Well actually same here. I usually read several in tandem. I already have my copies of both. I also plan on reading Plutarch's Theseus bio from Parallel Lives.

Earlier in this thread, I had asked if there was any interest in buddy reads of Herodotus, Nabokov, Cather or Didion. I noted there was some interest in Nabokov and have been letting that thought germinate but more was shown for Didion. I would like to suggest a themed read of the work from the 1970's of two Los Angeles authors often linked but quite different, Eve Babitz and Joan Didion. Partially this is inspired by the new biography Didion and Babitz by Lili Anolik to be published in November. The book is getting some negative reviews unfortunately but that does not make the topic less interesting. I was hoping to read 2 books from each author for this since they are short but could limit it to two if that seems much. The books to be considered are Play It As It Lays, and The White Album by Joan Didion and Eve's Hollywood and Slow Days, Fast Company: The World, the Flesh, and L.A. by Eve Babitz. All of these are short, three averaging around 200 pp and the fourth just under 300 pp. Is anyone interested in a deep dive into these women's writing from the 1970's? I would like to start in November but that depends on interest.

I am very much still in for The King Must Die and Eva Luna.

Sam wrote: "Earlier in this thread, I had asked if there was any interest in buddy reads of Herodotus, Nabokov, Cather or Didion. I noted there was some interest in Nabokov and have been letting that thought g..."

I am interested in "Play It As It Lays" and "The White Album." I've been trying to add to my Didion readings.

I am planning on participating in Rabbit is Rich and starting it in mid to late September and would try to fit in The White Album in the 2nd week of September if it is chosen. I'm especially interested in The White Album because I'm reading the nonfiction The Big Goodbye: Chinatown and the Last Years of Hollywood and it covers some of the same time period and mentions her a few times.

I've had a hard time fitting in commenting or reviewing on Goodreads this very complicated year in my life but hoping to get back to it with one or both of these.

Sue wrote: "I am planning on participating in Rabbit is Rich and starting it in mid to late September and would try to fit in The White Album in the 2nd week of September if it is chosen. I'm especially intere..."

I was trying to shuffle books but September is too early for me to read The White Album. How about October or November?

Terris wrote: "Sam wrote: "Earlier in this thread, I had asked if there was any interest in buddy reads of Herodotus, Nabokov, Cather or Didion. I noted there was some interest in Nabokov and have been letting th..."

I am going to read both. I am just trying to figure out when. I can't get to either before October or November. Any thoughts?

November would probably the soonest I could get to them. So, that's fine with me if we wait a couple of months.