Recent Readings & Reviews

[haii2u]

Ever since I read Frankenstein a while ago, I've been trying to read more. Before that, in the past couple years I hadn't really read... like, much at all. And I used to read SO MUCH as a kid - you hear that a lot, don't you? This may be the unemployment talking but I feel like it's a lot easier to pick up a book than you think. Don't know where to start? Do what I'm doing and pick out classic literature to find out what makes it a classic.

So far here's what I've read and my thoughts:

Frankenstein

Where it all started. I think I originally wanted to read it because I was watching all the old Universal monster movies and knew that the book and movie were wildly different, and I wanted to see for myself how so. Or maybe that came after I read the book? I don't know. Guess it doesn't matter, all that matters is the book had a huge impact on me, even though the old archaic language took some time to chew through. One thing you gotta keep in mind when reading old books is that there's NO shame in looking up what words mean or googling chapter analysis pages on the 'net. In fact, I've found that it gives me an even better understanding and appreciation of the novel when I know what the hell is going on. Who knew!

I LOVE this book. And I love the monster more than anything. I bet this book is like crack for women with mommy issues. A.K.A. ME - and it WAS.

 

Moby Dick

Okay let me get this out of the way first: between this and Frankenstein I also read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and the Epic of Gilgamesh but I thought Dr. Jekyll was so lame that I don't even want to get into it and I don't remember anything about Gilgamesh, sorry. But I read them. So. Anyway.

This book... oh my god. Oh, my god. Where do I even begin? It's the longest I ever spent reading a book (2 weeks!) and I had to listen to the audiobook while I read along because the language was kind of hard to parse through at times, AND I had this fabulous blog open to reference every time I finished a chapter. The book is full of ship terminology and old references to things that any reader in 1851 would probably know of so I don't fault Melville for not thinking so far ahead, but this blog goes over them and explains everything so well. Without it I don't know if I would've enjoyed the book as much as I did.

It can be... a slog to get through, especially near the middle when Ishmael just won't stop talking about whale anatomy. And the casual racism is uncomfortable but nowhere near as bad as it could've been I suppose. But it offers such an interesting insight to a profession and period of time I had no idea about previously.

Plus Ishmael and Queequeg are really cute, I'll admit it. I'm a yaoi skeptic on account of shipping rotting some people's brains that they'll call any relationship between two men yaoi but I mean... Queequeg literally says they're married and holds Ishmael in a "bridegroom's clasp" when they sleep in the same bed, and they're described as an "old couple"... come on! I've read some articles saying that Melville might've been closeted but honestly that's a topic that other people have written about much more eloquently & professionally than I ever could so let's move on.

I want to talk about AHAB. He knows this journey is ridiculous but he's gone too far, sunk (lol) too much of himself into it to stop now, and unfortunately if that means endangering the lives of his crew then so be it. Let it be known though that anyone saying that the whale is a metaphor is explicitly WRONG. There's a chapter that's literally like "Please don't let any of this philosophizing deter you from the fact that the whale is Real As Fuck and Dangerous." I think it's the fact that Ahab is using the whale as a proxy to lash out at fate itself is what trips some people up though and makes them think that.

Speaking of, I highly recommend watching the 1956 movie if you don't want to read the book. There's a fair bit of good characterization that's left out and some scenes are changed but it keeps all of Ahab's juicy speeches in. Plus Gregory Peck as Ahab kinda makes me squee because he's so painfully moe. Whatever! 

Watch on YouTube

*Takes a deep breath* Okay. I still have one more book to talk about so I'll cut it here. Let's move on, shall we, to...

Blood Meridian

I just finished reading this tonight, and it took me... like, 4 days? To get through it. I've seen some people say that this isn't really a good book to start with if you're new to Cormac McCarthy's way of writing, but since I had an audiobook on while I read along it wasn't terribly difficult. But yeah people aren't kidding when they say it's incredibly violent and bleak. If you ever seen No Country for Old Men (another McCarthy book! I'd only seen the movie) then you might know sorta what to expect. But also I was sorta/sorta not surprised to read that Moby Dick is one of McCarthy's favorite books - fate seemingly being immutable is a huge theme in Blood Meridian.

But gosh. What can I say that hasn't been said already? Give it a read if you think you can stomach it. Even if you can't it's good to broaden your horizons. Like me, I dislike nihilism despite the book being chock full of it... but it's good (and healthy) to familiarize yourself with these other concepts and come out with a much fuller understanding of why you don't like it.

Do I like this book as much as Moby Dick? Oh god no. But I understand why so many people do, and I think the ideas presented are done so in an interesting (and horrifying) way. I'll need to take some time to let this really digest before I start my next book which I've already decided will be House of Leaves. Wish me luck.