Saturday 31 May 2014

Moby Dick and Other Bits

I noticed in a couple of blog posts that a Moby Dick read along has been set up for 1 June to mid July. Somebody worked out that if you read 15 pages a day you'll get through it.  Having had the book setting on a shelf for number of years and having tried to read it without success I had another look at it.

The book itself is a beautiful book.  I bought an iPod the other week and I have been downloading music onto it and decided why not download a book.  Well there was Moby Dick and it didn't cost much so I decided to give it a try. Then I decided to listen to it while holding the book and following along. I wasn't sure I'd like that but I am really enjoying it. The thing I like most about it is the narrator reads faster than I do and I had to get used to following along at a bit faster rate but I have now settled quite nicely into it.  The chapters, of which there are 150+ are very short and I am enjoying doing a few chapters at a time.

Better than that though is I am really enjoying the story so far.  The characters of Ishmael and Queequeg  are the important characters at the moment. We are only up to Chapter 11 and so far they are on the northeast coast of America and whalers and fishermen are everywhere. He has entered into a pub and found there is no place to sleep so he had to share a bed with Queequeg, a large, cannibalistic whaler from the other side of the world.  However the friendship they establish is touching and the scenes are very funny.   I read that Herman Melville never found fame in his own lifetime and I always think that is such a shame. Imagine writing the books that he did never to get recognition and then dying only to become well known afterwards and never knowing it.

I'm still working on The Penguin History of the World and will continue to do so but at a slower pace during the next month.  As the books aren't anything alike they won't interfere with each other.

Come next week though our book group meets to discuss the Tales of AJ Fikry then we have to get stuck into Wilkie Collins Moonstone which will be another kettle of fish.  Don't know how I'll go in June because I keep looking at the Kindle Deal of the Day and see these pretty interesting looking books for .99 cents. I need to stop thinking I'll read these books in between the bigger ones. It's a lot of fun though and as we're well and truly into the shortest days of the  year with winter fast approaching, I find the evenings long and need to filling.

On the other hand I have signed up to go to the gym with my husband during the week.  I have been putting it off for a long time but with my health being what it is I had a cardiologist tell me to get on with it in so many words and start becoming aerobic.  I only use the treadmill and some of the arm machines but with 30 to 40 minutes on a treadmill I might try some audio books at the same time.  I wonder if Moby Dick with go along with a track program on a treadmill.  I'll give it a try and let you know if it works.  Maybe I can get so caught up in the story I'll forget where I am.  I'm also rather worried about the whaling aspect of this book but need to keep it separate from my political beliefs of whaling. I'll try to think of it as the great literature it is.

Well that's me for the moment.  Today is a shopping and afternoon tea day with a dear friend and her wonderful 15 year old daughter so the whaling will be put aside until this evening.  I hope everyone has a good weekend and be sure to tell me what you're up to this weekend.

11 comments:

  1. I have also had a bit of a block with Moby Dick. I've had a copy on the shelves for a few years now but never get past Call me Ishmael, which is pathetic, I know. I've thought about the audio option. There are several editions on Audible with different narrators. Who's reading yours? He (I assume it's a man) seems to be right for you. I also love that Penguin Deluxe edition in your photo. Is that the one you're reading? I know it shouldn't make any difference which edition I read but I do love a beautiful book.

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    1. Hi Lyn, I am reading a Penguin version of this book. It is a lovely copy. I'm partial to Penguins- ha ha. I can't find the name of the narrator on the audio book. I didn't pay much for it. I think it was $5. something on Audible books. They have more expensive ones but this one is good. It's funny how at times we're more ready for books than at other times. Happens to us all.

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  2. I loved this post. I read bits of Moby Dick in high school but have never read the whole book. My nephew-in-law, who used to sail with my husband when we lived in New England, is currently reading it for the second time.

    I also like that you read several different kinds of books at one time, none of them 'interfering' with the others. I do that, too. A mystery, a travel book, a non-fiction book ... You've tempted me to buy The Penguin History of the World for my Kindle!

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  3. You know I actually bought the Kindle copy of Penguin History of the World b/c the original book is too heavy to hold for long and there are quite a few words during the history I don't know the definition of so the dictionary is very handy on the Kindle. I love the Kindle dictionary. Thanks for your comments. If you read Moby Dick let me know. haha

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    1. That's a big factor in my book buying: how difficult the book is to hold. I've developed arthritis in both of my thumbs, so it can get very painful reading big books or books that don't lie open easily. Neither of those problems with reading on my Kindle!

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    2. One of the many joys of e-readers. You can change the font, have easy downloads, perhaps too easy as I'm addicted to Kindle book deal of the day and it isn't hard to hold. I do like the looks and covers of real books but am using the Kindle more and more.

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    3. I still struggle with the Kindle and read it mostly only when travelling. I absolutely hate not being able to "see" where I am, not being able to flick backwards and forwards to check things. Theoretically it's easy but in practice, I don't like it. The bigger the book, the more likely I am to read the print copy! (Which is not what I would have expected when I bought it. I'm on my second one now too!)

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    4. Yes, I know what you mean. It is impossible to easily flick back and forth on a Kindle and sometimes I need to do that especially when there are lots of characters or a family tree at the front or something. We just can't get perfection. ha ha

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  4. Interesting Pam ... I haven't read Moby Dick but the whaling wouldn't concern me despite my beliefs. I seem to have a good ability to separate life from fiction, and can tolerate a lot in fiction that would absolutely bring me down in life. I'm fascinated by your attempt to read along to your iPod. I might give that a go sometime.

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  5. I can separate fiction and real life with humans but have a harder time with animals. But I do appreciate when this book was written whaling was an important pastime for a number of reasons. So I'll be okay. Thanks for your comment.

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  6. Ah, Moby Dick...maybe I'll get to it one day but just the thought of reading about whales and whaling and ships and not much else doesn't sound too appealing. Perhaps an audio book will be a better choice, indeed.
    Angela Carter Week is coming this Sunday, the 8th, just a quick reminder. I hope you can join us.

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