Any book nerds here?

I'm assuming there are, since we all love ancient sources so much.

What have you been reading? Anything related to the religion?

I've been reading a wonderful translation of Ovid's Heroides, done by Clare Pollard (It's called Ovid's Heroines, by the way!). It's sort of my go-to book when I want something quick to read when I'm in some waiting room or whatever.

Also, since I'm an aspiring poet, I have a copy of Refusing Heaven by Jack Gilbert that I've been carrying around as well. Excellent poet, that man.

I've been trying to read a compilation of the works of Plato and the Orphic Argonautica during the free time I have. Which isn't much. Hooyah, Navy xD

I read fiction, mostly Lovecraft, but also other science fiction and fantasy books or anthologies. Besides that I am also reading a Dutch translation of Pausanias' "Description of Hellas".

J_Agathokles wrote:I read fiction, mostly Lovecraft, but also other science fiction and fantasy books or anthologies. Besides that I am also reading a Dutch translation of Pausanias' "Description of Hellas".

Hey Agathokles! Ever read Michel Houellebecq's book on Lovecraft? This French madman understands Lovecraft better than anyone. I'm a New Englander, I'd know.   

Out of Phlegethon wrote:

J_Agathokles wrote:I read fiction, mostly Lovecraft, but also other science fiction and fantasy books or anthologies. Besides that I am also reading a Dutch translation of Pausanias' "Description of Hellas".

Hey Agathokles!  Ever read Michel Houellebecq's book on Lovecraft?  This French madman understands Lovecraft better than anyone.  I'm a New Englander, I'd know.   

No I have not read that book, nor do I have a particular interest in reading something *about* Lovecraft.

I am a total book nerd. I haven't read a lot of books about Olympianism/Hellenism, but I might soon.

For the last few weeks I've been closeted with
Narain: Outline of Madva philosophy
Kumarappa: Hindu conception of the deity as culminating in Ramanuja
and this week I had to go back to the library for
Radhakrishnan: Indian philosophy
to get explanations of all the things that Narain assumes I already know.

I do get time for some fiction as well: I bought a collection of Edith Wharton stories the other day. With nearly 150 feet of bookshelves, I do have to exercise some restraint on buying, though!

I'm working right now on a translation of Apuleius' De Dogmate Platonis "On the Doctrine of Plato". As far as personal reading, I'm reading the original Latin Aeneid, and Juvenal, and Pliny the Younger's letters in translation. I have the Latin Satyricon around someplace waiting for me too, which I started but set aside due to lack of time. I'm about 3/4 of the way through Frank Herbert's Dune, but I keep losing interest. I also have Ammianus Marcellinus sitting around someplace waiting for me, an anthology of Medieval Latin texts, and Suetonius, and also a hardcopy of Marcus Aurelius waiting in my Amazon basket because reading online hurts my already weak eyes.

I've also got the Inheritance Cycle, by Christopher Paolini, on my iPhone <~< I obsess over those books.

It was actually those books that caused me to decide to become a vegetarian six years ago, long before I knew what Hellenism was

I'm reading Greek Religion by Walter Burkert and I have a couple books that I've already read. Can't remember their titles.

I've recently read Jenifer Larson's Greek Nymphs. It's very well written and deals with an aspect of Hellenism which we tend to forget in our urban environment. I doubt if there are many nymphs near London, but I feel that I'm neglecting Father Thames.

I just finished reading The Dawn of the Gods: Minoan and Micenean Influences on Greek Religion (I can't remember the authoress' name and I might not have gotten all of the title right).

Andromeda Amethyst wrote:I just finished reading The Dawn of the Gods

That's Jacquetta Hawkes. I knew of her as an archeologist, but I've not read this book. I suspect that views have moved on since her time, but Minoan religion is hard to get a grip on. You've got pictures and you've got inscriptions naming gods, but that's about it.

It reminds me of a story about the Maya. Their royals were buried with special crockery which had paintings, presumably of gods, and inscriptions. When the script was eventually deciphered, the inscriptions turned out to be things like "The Queen's Chocolate Cup" and "The King's Porridge Bowl" — nothing about those pictures! Getting religious information from archeology usually ends up with a lot of guess-work.