What Am I Reading Wednesday - January 8

As it’s the first WAIRW of the year, let’s take stock. ( I read 108 books cover-to-cover last year. )

What I Just Finished Reading

The Goddess of Buttercups and Daisies – Martin Millar
Martin Millar plays tricks, not only on his characters, but on anyone who assumes that his bare bones prose equates to lack of narrative depth. In fact, he writes some of the most intricately plotted fiction around, and The Goddess of Buttercups and Daisies stays true to form. The novel is about Aristophanes staging a play as Athens and Sparta negotiate to end the Peloponnesian War. But it’s also about demagogues, and professional rivalry, and age old vendettas versus forgiveness, and the battle between optimism and pessimism, and the power of art, and how class and gender play into all of these things. It’s poignant and funny, and Millar’s brilliant observation and abiding love for theater and his characters shines throughout.


What I Am Currently Reading

The Half-Drowned Prince – Linnea Hartsuyker
This is one of those novels that didn’t take off for me until I was almost half of the way through, but once it gripped me, it gripped me tightly. Unsurprisingly, I’m far more interested in how Hartsuyker’s female protagonists—particularly Svanhild—negotiate the societal constraints of 9th century Norway, than the raping, pillaging, and revenge vendettas of her male leads.


What I'm Reading Next
I acquired no new books this week, in accordance with the 3:1 rule described here. I'll probably focus on finishing one or more of the favorite rereads--Grossman, Monette, or Whalen Turner--I've got ongoing by next week.


これで以上です。