I’m currently invested in the throes of Heian Era Japan, wandering the lose streets of Heian-kyō with the enchanting Sei Shōnagon (清少納言, c. 966 – 1017 or 1025) in her sensual, prosaic work the Pillow Book (c. 1000). And all the while I’m sharing stolen time between with her literary rival Murasaki Shikibu (紫 式部, English: Lady Murasaki; c. 973 or 978 – c. 1014 or 1031) whose epic Tale of Genji is in fact regarded as the. wait for it…
FIRST NOVEL EVER WRITTEN (at least for literary sake)
If I appear dramatic, well it’s well deserved.
Meanwhile i’m coursing through the Homeric epics, Iliad and Odyssey, and Virgil’s Aeneid, as part of my coursework this semester.
Did I mention I’ve returned to campus? Literally. Living on campus. In a dorm. A dorm. Dorm… worst idea ever? TBD… However, I’m loving it. Completely investing myself in this time of immense privilege to polish off my degree and return to the world anew.
The University of Missouri. Columbia, Missouri. All new to me. Much to explore, many stories to tell.
That said, I’m eager to reconnect with all of you in this time of immense loneliness and isolation — even dorm-living, once full of tireless undergrads and worn out grad students, are now lifeless, quite, and chances to connect few/far between… Again, I am not complaining, just looking for various ways to say this:
I miss you. All of you. And am thrilled to see what you have in store for me…
So what is it?
What was the last great book you read?
No judgment! Don’t hold back! I’m seeking stories, humble and epic alike, in which I might lose myself, invest my mind.
It’s been a good year for books, thanks for asking! https://crystaltrulove.com/books/ (I review all the books I read on my blog site). I miss my rousing blog community too, and inexplicably pandemic-related, my time with you all is much reduced. I only consistently reach out to the most beloved. I’m not sure I’d be in the mood to be on a campus these days, and aren’t most of them off-limits anyway? So you are in a unique world and I can understand why you’d be reveling in it.
Best books I read this year, in order of how “great” I feel them to be, since you asked for “great” books.
–Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X and Alex Haley
–The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
–Ghengis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford
–There, There by Tommy Orange
It’s early in the morning and I can’t think straight. It’s been a while since I’ve read a great book. I’m open to suggestions.
Stamped from the Beginning.