A Happy Learner Book Club discussion
Quarantine Reading!
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At the beginning of quarantine, before I really realized that we were even in it, I had started 3 books/series:
1. Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson
2. Leaf by Niggle by JRR Tolkien
3. Mere Christianity by CS Lewis
I've finished all 3 while isolated. I've also been reading a little bit of The Letters of JRR Tolkien (nearly) each day and started re-reading The Lord of the Rings as my nightly fall asleep read.
Although, as I said, I didn't know that we were headed into this when I began these books, I have found all of them to be remarkably relevant! The 3 works by Tolkien and Lewis were written in the 30s-50s which, of course, is the period of and directly preceding/following World War II. There have been many references to WWII during the pandemic, which made reading the words of those who lived through it even more fascinating! Tolkien's letters between himself and his son Christopher, who served in the war, have been particularly insightful. Regular references are made to "The Machine" which, although his own references were quite different, is something I think we can all identify with to an extent right now. It's easy to feel like just another cog in the machine when people's lives and deaths are just another (horrible) number reported on the news and our very livelihoods are uprooted to serve as "treatment" to this disease.
The Mistborn trilogy has also been a very interesting read at this time. A bit post-apocalyptic in nature, the fight, which ends up being against the elements, feels so relevant. It also goes through about as many twists and turns as the current events seem to be!
Beyond finishing up Letters and The Lord of Rings, I'll soon move on to The Way of Kings, also by Brandon Sanderson, to carry on with the Mistborn story. I'm also looking to start one of a couple memoirs about farming - either Wind in the Ash Tree or A Shepherd's Life. I'm also going to read Anne Bogel's book I'd Rather Be Reading.
At the beginning of quarantine, before I really realized that we were even in it, I had started 3 books/series:
1. Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson
2. Leaf by Niggle by JRR Tolkien
3. Mere Christianity by CS Lewis
I've finished all 3 while isolated. I've also been reading a little bit of The Letters of JRR Tolkien (nearly) each day and started re-reading The Lord of the Rings as my nightly fall asleep read.
Although, as I said, I didn't know that we were headed into this when I began these books, I have found all of them to be remarkably relevant! The 3 works by Tolkien and Lewis were written in the 30s-50s which, of course, is the period of and directly preceding/following World War II. There have been many references to WWII during the pandemic, which made reading the words of those who lived through it even more fascinating! Tolkien's letters between himself and his son Christopher, who served in the war, have been particularly insightful. Regular references are made to "The Machine" which, although his own references were quite different, is something I think we can all identify with to an extent right now. It's easy to feel like just another cog in the machine when people's lives and deaths are just another (horrible) number reported on the news and our very livelihoods are uprooted to serve as "treatment" to this disease.
The Mistborn trilogy has also been a very interesting read at this time. A bit post-apocalyptic in nature, the fight, which ends up being against the elements, feels so relevant. It also goes through about as many twists and turns as the current events seem to be!
Beyond finishing up Letters and The Lord of Rings, I'll soon move on to The Way of Kings, also by Brandon Sanderson, to carry on with the Mistborn story. I'm also looking to start one of a couple memoirs about farming - either Wind in the Ash Tree or A Shepherd's Life. I'm also going to read Anne Bogel's book I'd Rather Be Reading.
Okay, so I must share that I've started Till We Have Faces by CS Lewis and am struggling to put it down at night! I knew it was a retelling of Psyche and Cupid, but honestly didn't know what to expect. My greatest knowledge of the story came from the fictional telling of Lewis's writing the story in Becoming Mrs. Lewis. I'm not even sure how accurate that account is, but I can easily concur with Lewis, Tolkien, and others in feeling it is one of his best works.
Most of us are enduring some form of social isolation at the moment, whether it's official shelter-in-place orders, lockdowns, or just general advice. My state is in shelter-in-place, which we're trying to make pretty seriously. Admittedly, I thought this would lead to more time to read, but somehow, I'm still struggling to get it in! I need to work on that.
So, for the inaugural post - what have you been reading during quarantine? Are you able to read more than usual? Less than usual? About the same? How is what you're reading helping you get through this strange time in our history! Let's grab our teas and coffees and chat!