The finishing line
Still reading Tais. Still enjoying it. For a few pages in the beginning I thought I had made another choice that does not go well with binge reading, but apparently the story is just too rich to put down. It's got everything -religion, love with just a smidgen of erotism(and to think that this book was considered too frivolous in the Soviet Union - laughable) , history, - you name it. And that just makes you want to read on and on. What I found particularly interesting is the descussions of religion - the difference between gods and godesses and how civillization changes when male gods and heroes become supreme. I also love the authors portrayal of the freedom from inhibition and cultivated natureleness of greek society (and how detrimental the the loss of those qualities can be). And yet I wonder how much of it is just romantization or possibly related to the kind of life the protagonist leads (since a hetera would be much more cultured and free then your average houswife). And another question: were heteras truly more muses then prostitutes? Yet when I asked all these qiestions, I realized its pointless to question the "reality" of historical fiction -history is just what historians interpret it to be, so why should artists who take the trouble to reserch not be given the same right.
Anyhow, even though I meant to return to reading physics, I just got stuck reading "Tais". And then I looked up at he clock and the twente four hours have elapsed.
So the stats are roughly 17 hours and 800 pages. I being the my usual sly self had no list do I cannot say how much I completed :)
Now to old business-general impressions on Hawking. One phrase comes to mind - its always pleasnt to talk to an intelligent person. And thats exactly how this book can be described -intelligent. Its goes aboout explaining difficult concepts simply and consisely ans with humor. Yet there is no sense of simplification, of popular science.
Not a bad way to spend a weekend. Or more like a weekend day in my case. It was great fun to read and write because I rarely get to capture immediate reactions, and sometimes they are surprising. And this was a great excuse to read something I ordinarily would not have found time to read. It was rather useful too, as I found the beginnings of things I needed for one story and possibly a high-light of another. Great thanks to Shanra, El, and Emma for cheering me along and making this more than being stuck in a room reading. And yes, I hereby pledge to take part in the next one.
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Anyhow, even though I meant to return to reading physics, I just got stuck reading "Tais". And then I looked up at he clock and the twente four hours have elapsed.
So the stats are roughly 17 hours and 800 pages. I being the my usual sly self had no list do I cannot say how much I completed :)
Now to old business-general impressions on Hawking. One phrase comes to mind - its always pleasnt to talk to an intelligent person. And thats exactly how this book can be described -intelligent. Its goes aboout explaining difficult concepts simply and consisely ans with humor. Yet there is no sense of simplification, of popular science.
Not a bad way to spend a weekend. Or more like a weekend day in my case. It was great fun to read and write because I rarely get to capture immediate reactions, and sometimes they are surprising. And this was a great excuse to read something I ordinarily would not have found time to read. It was rather useful too, as I found the beginnings of things I needed for one story and possibly a high-light of another. Great thanks to Shanra, El, and Emma for cheering me along and making this more than being stuck in a room reading. And yes, I hereby pledge to take part in the next one.
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