Reading The 1000 Books to Read Before I Die

A Review of The Song of Sacrifice By Janell Rhiannon  Hello 1000 Bookies.  I hope life is treating you well.  The latest book I have read is The Song of Sacrifice by Janell Rhiannon.  This is the first novel in a projected four book series revolving around the exploits of the Trojan War.  The point of view is told through the phenomenal female characters in the Greek Tragic Saga, although rest assured all your favorite male protagonists and antagonists are involved.  I loved every second of this novel. At 550 pages, it's a sizable book but an easy and quick read. The story is NOT boring. Many high school students would have rather read this version as opposed to The Iliad or The Odyssey .   The book follows the original Homeric legend of the Trojan War with a heavy reliance on Greek Mythology,  specifically the Greek gods and goddesses of the time—You will meet all your favorites—Zeus, Athena, Aphrodite, Apollo, and Hera. However, Th...

The First Gervase Fen Mystery Novel…two more to go… By Jim Romano Hey 1000 Bookies!!  This week I finished a fun murder mystery, The Case of the Gilded Fly .  One of its sequels is included on the 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die , ( The Case of the Moving Toyshop ). The author, Edmund Crispin, would write a total of 9 in this series, involving the literature professor turned detective, Gervase Fen.  Our “hero” is a literature and language professor who fancies himself a detective. His good friend, Sir Richard, is a detective who fancies himself a poet.  Fen is the head of St. Christopher’s School at Oxford which is a fictional school at the august university. As a hobby, Professor Fen loves to solve murders. The Moving Toyshop was the third in the series, with The Case of the Gilded Fly is the first.  Before we get to the third, I decided to read the first two, to get a feel for the author and style prior to moving to number 3.  In my research...

My Kind of Book Store….A Review of Parnassus on Wheels  The next stop on the 1000 Books to Read Before You Die takes us to 1917 Long Island, New York.  Written over a century ago, the Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley is a fun, whimsical book .  This novel and its sequel, The Haunted Bookshop are both on the 1000 Book list .   The book is an easy read at only about 100 pages.  I like to think the novel has two themes. The first theme—you are never too old to find love.  The second, you are never too old to have an adventure. So, what is a Parnassus? This reference comes from Greek Mythology—which instigates the reflection—most of our culture derives from Greek Mythology.  Mount Parnassus in mythology was the mountain where the Muses lived. The Muses inspired the dreamers, the poets and the storytellers. We all have a Muse in our lives. I myself have a 45 year old blond Muse at home.   The Parnassus on Wheels is an adven...