2/9/2007

Reading In the Heart of the Sea, the Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, by Nathaniel Philbrick. It's the story of the real life event that Moby Dick was based on. Why is she reading it? It was on sale, three for the price of two.

Recently she read Wicked, by Gregory Maguire (one of the other sale books); the last of Diana Gabaldon's Highlander series (see also posts 12/19/06 and 10/1/06); and a book on Lord John Gregory. These are what she calls "Bart books."

Over the past three and a half months since she's been making a one hour commute (each way) and has read about fifteen books. What is the ideal Bart book? It has to be entertaining and teach you something. She has a head full of diverse trivia and is always happy to share when a subject she knows about comes up.

In the Heart of the Sea has taught her lots of details about whaling and, though she doesn't approve of it, she considers the historical period and has a lot of respect for these men. It was hard work. Here's some whaling facts, if you want the education without the entertainment...though the book review I linked to makes me want to abandon the two books I'm in the middle of and go right out and buy it, especially since it's on sale, but wait--then I'd have to buy three more instead of one more and I'd never finish anything.