Trust & Obey

Hello everyone! It’s been a hot second since I have written on this blog but now I’m back on Christmas break and have so many books to talk about! I took a European Classics English class and read some books I would not have picked. Despite this, I found some of them were amazing and have made me a more well-rounded reader and person.

Homer’s Odyssey, Dante’s Inferno, Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, and To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf stood out to me profoundly. I read more but I have some thoughts on these books, particularly that I wanted to discuss.

The Odyssey was a struggle at first. It had some dry patches and the English was something to adjust to. However, there were some awesome stories and intricate elements that my teacher pointed out. My favorite section was on Circe and Odysseus’ crew. It brought out how people handle temptation, specifically sexual temptation. I had to write a paragraph discussing certain sections of each book we read and it was fun really thinking through that scene. This book is quite the literary tapestry and– if you choose to do so– you can find so many deeper meanings and themes.

Dante’s Inferno was a monster I was not ready to mess with. It is confusing, violent, and disturbing. What made it great, though, was that once I would read a section two or three times I would understand what Dante was saying. Everything had a purpose and a deeper meaning which was so impressive! Really digging into the epic made me comprehend how much time and thought Dante put into it. The Odessey is similar in that way and it gave me a deeper appreciation for this style of writing. I choose Inferno’s Ninth Circle as my final paper. The number of notes I had was insurmountable but so cool. On the last day, I filled an entire body mirror with notes from things I had learned by reading the text in that sitting alone. It was a challenging puzzle but one that fascinated me.

I was elated to read Crime and Punishment but was disappointed after cracking open the book. It was either boring or demented. One moment, the protagonist is moping about poverty; the next, some creepy guy is talking about how he will marry a 16-year-old because her innocence is attractive. However, there were some philosophical insights interwoven in the novel. Philosophy on crime, genius, and economy was presented exceptionally well. It was naturally integrated into discussion which I really liked. Dostoyevsky did a phenomenal job using a story to introduce complex topics in a tangible way for both the intellectual and the average Joe.

To the Lighthouse was literally the worst book I have ever read. I hated it. It’s one big stream of consciousness and you never are quite sure what’s happening so you just read and hope you understand when the teacher asks questions about the book. Although, it is definitely a unique, artsy novel that deserves praise, To the Lighthouse is so different from anything I have ever read, but that doesn’t change it was weird. Almost nothing happened and when I finished I didn’t care about the characters, I was just joyful that I was done! I don’t think Virginia Woolf is for me.

I had a lot of fun reading so many different books– for college no less– and having to dissect them so intensely. It stretched me and made me think in new ways I hadn’t before. I tried books I would never read and had always wanted to read. Reading with a teacher guiding you is so helpful. The teacher knows the book so well that they can point out things you may have missed or help you know more about the book. This specific teacher wanted me to come to conclusions and make discoveries on my own time which I appreciated so much.

Honestly, besides reading for classes, I did not read much. I really tried but I was so busy that I couldn’t find the time. So, I worked to use my homework reading to invest and care about each book. My books for homework replaced reading for fun. That caused me to turn my homework into fun instead of work.

Which of these books would interest you the most? Have you read any of these? Let me know in the comments! Also, be on the lookout for the top book of 2021, which I’ll be posting on January 1st!