What are you reading right now? (And, is it good? Would you recommend it? How did you choose it?)
I have so many books on my bedside table right now, but the one sitting right here next to me is The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller. I had never heard of it (yep, I've been a little out of the loop) until Care announced a Read-Along. I'd been wanting to join a read-along but most of the ones I'd come across either didn't appeal to me (*cough*StephenKing*cough*) or I couldn't get the book in time (Quiet--I'm still sad about missing that one. I may have to do my own catch-up post when my library copy finally comes in).Anyway--The Song of Achilles. So good! Miller interweaves her knowledge of history/the classics with a damned fine story. She intersperses just enough tidbits of the Greek language to keep the reader solidly rooted in Greece without overdoing it. And the characters! I've always liked Odysseus, but in this book he's actually one of my least favorite--which is not to say I dislike him, but that the others have come alive for me in such surprising ways.
[There is still time to join the read-along. Care's first post will be this weekend, and the pages fly by so if you got the book today you will catch up quickly. I will most likely be posting updates on Worducopia's Facebook page as well]
I already knew that I loved the book, having read it as a girl. But reading it with my boy has made me love him just that little bit more than I already did--for his appreciation of the humor in the language, and his recognition of the inherent sexism in some of Alcott's moralizing tangents, and most of all for his middle-of-the-book exclamation, "It's not that I want a ton of romance, but when are Laurie and Jo ever going to get together?!" Yes. But then it all works out, differently than a 12 year old expects it to but still perfectly, and there are life lessons in that which have lasted me into adulthood.
What are you reading right now?
I'm doing the Achilles readalong too and I've just loved it. It's hard to put it down.
ReplyDelete@Melissa, I'm glad you're loving it, too!
DeleteLittle Women is one of my favorite books. I can't wait to read it with my kids!
ReplyDeleteHappy reading!
@Dana, It's been really fun to share it with my son after all these years.
DeleteI keep hearing wonderful things about The Song of Achilles so I'm not surprised you're enjoying it. I'm reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - it's so good!
ReplyDelete@Bermudaonion, Glad to hear you picked up a Green book!
DeleteI love Little Women! How fun that you're reading it with your son.
ReplyDelete2 Kids and Tired Books BTT
Oh my gosh, Ali, I just totally teared up reading about your experience reading Little Women with Evan. You expressed it so beautifully! You know, I really feel bad for those who give up on reading aloud with their kids once they reach a certain age, because dang, it's just so rewarding! And I can tell from what you wrote that you feel the same. :)
ReplyDeleteSo much, Debi!
DeleteBen stopped wanted to read with us a few years ago, and we actually stopped reading aloud at all during that transition. It was so sad for me. Then one night Evan was in a horrible mood and so I started reading Winnie the Pooh to him, because that was always my cuddle-blanket book to read with Ben...and lo and behold, Evan actually didn't remember it! At all! He was all, "What are these stories?" I was shocked. We read both Pooh books together and by then we were back in the reading groove.
Ben lets me read to him again now--actually he asks me to read the books he's assigned for his online school, because he finds them dry when he reads them to himself. We're reading The Metamorphosis right now.
I should write a whole post about reading with big kids.
Oh, I hope you do write a post about that!!!
DeleteSong of Achilles is such a good book! I remember devouring it in a few days. Little Women is on my reading list for this month too. Maybe I'll read it with my daughter.
ReplyDelete