B. Zelkovich > Recent Status Updates

I gave up on Chapter 3 and jumped ahead to Chapter 6, the only non-Mediterranean or European wreck in the book...

... managed a whopping FIVE PAGES in my 30m lunch break.

Think I'll finish this chapter, jump ahead to one or two that sound more interesting, and then mark this DNF'd. I have other books to read, y'all.

I'm so torn about this book. It's very dry and VERY British--the people he quotes, the discoveries he references are mainly Western, even when he's talking about Ancient Greek, Roman, Syrian, & Egyptian histories.

He also makes statements expecting the reader to just accept them, like "Mycenaean weapons were unlikely to be exported to Cornwall," but not explaining why that is.

Also, these paragraphs are TOO LONG.

This is a tough read, y'all...

I won't lie, his voice is very soothing and I've caught myself tuning out a few times, but I am still really enjoying this.

Oh boy. I'm trying, but I dunno if I can get this book done in one week...

Okay. Yes. I have thoroughly enjoyed each of these so far, and the first one—about her fathers?—actually made me tear up!

Patchett's prose is warm and friendly, and then casually deeps into something breathtaking. I really admire that.

Every single one of these have been a guy punch so far. Then I get whiplashed by a Pete Wentz quote at the start of part 2????

Iconic.

Well, I already liked the introduction more than I've liked the novels of hers I've read. Maybe nonfiction is where Patchett and I can peacefully co-exist.

Oh. This is SO much denser than I expected it to be. Again, I'm here for it. I am the intended audience here, I think. But uhhhhhh sorry book club members. This might not be your jam.

I am already very invested in this. His voice is marvelous, and I am very intrigued by the subject and his perspective on it.

Okayyyyy. So, already, this is better than listening to that audio narration. HOWEVER, this book is much more dense than I anticipated. That isn't necessarily a bad thing! I'm a shipwreck girly. No, really. I had a FAVORITE shipwreck as a kid (Lusitania, fyi). I am here for the depth (pun intended).

My book club just... might not agree with me on this one.

It's strange how this book makes me remember details from The Count that I'd forgotten. It's very condensed, obviously, but it's hitting all the major components. I am VERY curious how this last hour or so plays out...

Right now, this is making me want to reread The Count of Monte Cristo.

So far, these aren't the kind of poems you can rush through. They demand attention. Demand contemplation. I am seated and listening. Slowly, so I can try to understand.

I knew going in that this was a retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo, so I caught the setup of the coin and the packet immediately, but I am very curious how this plays out over the rest of the story.

Retelling Count as a novella seems very ambitious...

...Huh.

Girl, why would he haunt you? You're already haunting yourself enough for him.

"When I take out the Banko ware teapot now, it's because I want to remember. How sometimes when one body reaches toward another body, the space between them isn't space."

Okayyyyyy is there a weird timeloop thing happening here?

I got exactly 1:46 into the audiobook before I had to stop and return it to the library. I've always said, narrators make or break audiobooks, and... well.

I'll be reading a paper copy of this one.