I think we've got to forge ahead with The Iliad as planned, but I wouldn't be averse to reading Gilgamesh, which would be entirely new to me, later on.

That's why we're going to take it in easy stages, I hope with lots of discussion. I'm looking forward to it, too. :)

OT: Sorry for the sequential posts; multi-quote isn't working for me right now.

This sounds exciting. I've read parts of the Iliad but never read the entire thing so would like to join you. Besides it fits my goal to read 100 never before read books. Happy New Year.

Any real interest in tackling the Odyssey as well?

That is a very cool spreadsheet. I really like the chart. I was following the 2011 challenge and was also using Google Docs to keep track of my reading. Then in mid-April I got lazy and stopped updating the list. :(


Issybird, what version of the Iliad will you be reading?

Thank you! I spent a little more time on it than I probably should have, but I also learned a lot about google docs doing it. It is actually what kept me on track, as you can see in the early part of the year, I didn't keep very good track, it wasn't till I got this going that I did keep track.

Wecome aboard, tponzo!

After we read the Iliad, we can see if there's any interest. I think the Odyssey is a more fun read. And then we can forge on to the Aeneid! :D

I had thought I'd read the Lattimore translation, but then I decided on the Fagles (which I ordered in DTB). If I stumble across my Lattimore copy (I think there's one around here somewhere, left over from my college days) in the next few days, I'll read a few pages of each and then decide. I know several will be reading one of the public domain translations available here at MR. It will be interesting to see how the texts differ and to get a sense of readability.

Oh, certainly after the Iliad. I won't even pretend that I can handle both of those at the same time.

I would like to have Black Rain, and hopefully Storm Front both finished in time to start The Iliad. If Black Rain goes well (and quickly) I might be able to fit Fool Moon in as well, since both Dresden books will be rereads.

Count me in as interested in the Iliad/Odyssey read-along. I bought this translation last year but I have yet to tackle it. I always figured I would need some hand-holding to get through it, so a read-along would be great :)

I also have an "omnibus" version with both, but I, for the life of me, can not remember where I got it.

Edit: The Iliad, however, is the Alexander Pope translation.

I squeaked in with 102 books for 2011 by reading some of the shortest books on my to-read list in the last week just so I could reach my goal of 100 books. According to Goodreads I read a total of 29,380 pages though, so at about 300 pages a book, I guess that averages out to a fairly respectable number. I could have read much more if I hadn't just stopped reading for about 3 months for some unknown reason about the middle of the year. Out of 102, 89 of the books I read in 2011 were on my kindle.

For 2012, I'm setting a few goals for myself.
1) Read a minimum of 100 books.

Out of those 100+ books..

2) Participate in Goodreads' Lifetime reading challenge - read atleast 1 book published in each year since I was born. This means I will read at least 1 book published in every year since 1976 to present.

3) Read my way through the 3 bags of paperbacks sitting in the garage and donate them back to the thrift store I got them from the in the first place. And resolve NOT to succumb to their $1/bag of books sale again at least not until those books are gone. (When I purchased the books they ALL fit in a single bag, I had to separate them into 3 bags to be able to carry them without ripping the bag.

While the following are not strictly reading challenges, they are book related, so I'm adding them here.

4) Organize the boxes of books I have in the garage and clear out my bookshelves, getting rid of books I have no desire to read again, as well as ancient computer manuals (Photoshop 3.0 anyone?) Sort my bookshelves to put like books together so I can actually find a book when I'm looking for it. (craft, design, fiber arts, cookbooks, etc)

5) Load my 10 GB or so of ebooks I have into Calibre, weed out the duds and organize the remainder into some sort of meaningful order so I can actually see what I own and find things to read from there instead of going in search of something new each time I'm looking for a book.

And just for fun:
6) Learn how to put together an ebook and start working on a cookbook that contains my own and my mom's favorite recipes.

Don't forget to set out your goals and track progress over in the List Thread.

Regarding the Iliad:

I started reading the Leaf, Lang and Meyers translation of 1891, the one available as an epub at MR, and found it a difficult read. I also obtained the free translation by Alexander Pope from Kobo and found it somewhat better. I think I may stick with this one or perhaps I will obtain a copy of the Samuel Butler as well before coming coming to a decision.

:thanks: I wouldn't want people to look for alternate translations here, if they need to go to PG or other sites.

I decided that it was worth it to me to get a modern version, to make this as easy as possible. I looked at e-options, but they were hard to identify. The Fagles edition seems to be available for Kindle, but it's not cheap. I ended up ordering a DTB from Amazon for a nominal sum, but I must admit that the resulting tome is potentially herniating.

I've decided to kick off my 50 books in 2012 challenge with The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I've been meaning to read this one for a while and now seemed like a good time. I've also decided to read some Clive Cussler this year.