Literature
February was bloody cold. Canadian winters are not for the faint of heart and if you don't take the necessary precautions, frostbite is the least of your worries. One of the biggest news stories in Toronto this month involved a 3-year old who wandered away from his home in the early hours of the morning and was found dead a few hours later, only a couple hundred meters away. Just tragic. I can't even imagine what it would be like to be homeless in this city. It's insane. Even bundled up in layers with a thick winter-coat, toque, heavy-duty boots and gloves doesn't prevent the cold from going right to my bones in a manner of seconds. Walking to work in this weather is no picnic, let me assure you. Nor is having to work in the back-room of a warehouse with the door always opening and closing. Then again, it could be worse right? How these homeless people are able to survive on the streets day in and day out in subzero temperatures is beyond me. Sometimes we take it for granted of how good we really have it. I may not have a lot of money but consider myself blessed to have roof over my head, central heating and food on the table. It's a privilege to be able to cozy up on the couch with a warm mug of hot-chocolate and a good book.
I am so glad February is now over because that means it should be warming up a little bit as we make our way into March. What a relief! I can't handle -30 temperatures anymore. Despite the lousy weather, February was a busy month for me, reading wise. It also marked my return back to the blogging world from a long hiatus. I'd like to take the opportunity to thank those individuals who expressed their concern, welcoming me back with kindness and support. You know who you are. It truly means a lot to me.
I didn't manage to read as many novels this month because much of my time was devoted to reading a prodigious amount of poetry for the The Literary Movement Challenge and writing reviews/updating the blog.
Total books read: 4
Storm Front (Dresden Files #1) by Jim Butcher
The Martian by Andy Weir (kindle)
Memento Mori by Muriel Spark
Carnival by Rawi Hage
Favorite novel of the month: Memento Mori
Poetry: Astrophil and Stella by Philip Sidney, Hero and Leander by Christoper Marlowe, The Miller's Tale by Chaucer.
Literary Criticism: A Defense of Poesy by Philip Sidney
Short stories: Alice Munro, Dorothy Parker, Kurt Vonnegut.
Overall, it was a productive month and I'm proud of myself for actually following through with a reading challenge for once. Granted, there is still January's Literary Movement to catch up on since I joined up late but I dread having to read anything from the medieval period. I can't stand Middle-English! I also joined up for two other challenges (Reading England and Deal Me In) and hope to make a substantial dent in both of them during March.
How was everyone else's February? Did you reach your reading goals? Was there any new literary discoveries? Are you proud of any reviews/write-ups you did? Did you come across any interesting posts on other blogs? I sincerely hope you were able to stay warm at least!
- April In Review (or How I Od'ed On Romantic Lit And Went On Hiatus)
Bender rules.For how much longer is anyone's guess. In retrospect, trying to read The Prelude by William Wordsworth in a single sitting may not have been the wisest decision on my part. I clearly got overzealous in my determination to do a crash-course...
- The Defense Of Poesy By Philip Sidney
"Nature never set forth the earth in so rich tapestry as divers poets have done; neither with so pleasant rivers, fruitful trees, sweet-smelling flowers, nor whatsoever else may make the too much loved earth more lovely. Her world is brazen, the poets...
- Astrophil And Stella By Philip Sidney
"Look in thy hear and write."For the month of February, The Literary Movement Challenge focuses on the Renaissance. Initially, I was going to take the easy route and just read Shakespeare but he has already received more attention and scholarly research...
- Literary Movement Reading Challenge
Once again, I'm late to the party but I hope to make up for it within the next few months. This will be an intense year-long event hosted by Fanda over at Fanda Classiclit so a shout out to her for organizing it all. Participants will be required...
- I'm Still Here...sorta.
I sincerely apologize for the inconsistent lack of posts this month although my absence is largely in part due to settling back into college life again and working extra hours at my dead-end job. Talk about hectic! The first couple of weeks have gone...
Literature
February in Review: Or how I froze my ass, returned to blogging and read a ton of poetry...
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| A frozen Lake Ontario. |
I am so glad February is now over because that means it should be warming up a little bit as we make our way into March. What a relief! I can't handle -30 temperatures anymore. Despite the lousy weather, February was a busy month for me, reading wise. It also marked my return back to the blogging world from a long hiatus. I'd like to take the opportunity to thank those individuals who expressed their concern, welcoming me back with kindness and support. You know who you are. It truly means a lot to me.
I didn't manage to read as many novels this month because much of my time was devoted to reading a prodigious amount of poetry for the The Literary Movement Challenge and writing reviews/updating the blog.
Total books read: 4
Storm Front (Dresden Files #1) by Jim Butcher
The Martian by Andy Weir (kindle)
Memento Mori by Muriel Spark
Carnival by Rawi Hage
Favorite novel of the month: Memento Mori
Poetry: Astrophil and Stella by Philip Sidney, Hero and Leander by Christoper Marlowe, The Miller's Tale by Chaucer.
Literary Criticism: A Defense of Poesy by Philip Sidney
Short stories: Alice Munro, Dorothy Parker, Kurt Vonnegut.
Overall, it was a productive month and I'm proud of myself for actually following through with a reading challenge for once. Granted, there is still January's Literary Movement to catch up on since I joined up late but I dread having to read anything from the medieval period. I can't stand Middle-English! I also joined up for two other challenges (Reading England and Deal Me In) and hope to make a substantial dent in both of them during March.
How was everyone else's February? Did you reach your reading goals? Was there any new literary discoveries? Are you proud of any reviews/write-ups you did? Did you come across any interesting posts on other blogs? I sincerely hope you were able to stay warm at least!
- April In Review (or How I Od'ed On Romantic Lit And Went On Hiatus)
Bender rules.For how much longer is anyone's guess. In retrospect, trying to read The Prelude by William Wordsworth in a single sitting may not have been the wisest decision on my part. I clearly got overzealous in my determination to do a crash-course...
- The Defense Of Poesy By Philip Sidney
"Nature never set forth the earth in so rich tapestry as divers poets have done; neither with so pleasant rivers, fruitful trees, sweet-smelling flowers, nor whatsoever else may make the too much loved earth more lovely. Her world is brazen, the poets...
- Astrophil And Stella By Philip Sidney
"Look in thy hear and write."For the month of February, The Literary Movement Challenge focuses on the Renaissance. Initially, I was going to take the easy route and just read Shakespeare but he has already received more attention and scholarly research...
- Literary Movement Reading Challenge
Once again, I'm late to the party but I hope to make up for it within the next few months. This will be an intense year-long event hosted by Fanda over at Fanda Classiclit so a shout out to her for organizing it all. Participants will be required...
- I'm Still Here...sorta.
I sincerely apologize for the inconsistent lack of posts this month although my absence is largely in part due to settling back into college life again and working extra hours at my dead-end job. Talk about hectic! The first couple of weeks have gone...