Crack The Book: A Beginner's Guide to Reading the Great Books

Happy Birthday America!

America's 250th is just behind us, but I didn't want to let the holiday go by unnoticed--it's a big one! This is a repeat of Week 36 from last year, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America. Never read them? Neither had I--but they aren't long and, wow, are they worth the time. And what better time than now? If you'd like to listen to other episodes that are especially American, check out these episodes: Week 43: Frederick Douglass and W.E.B. DuBois (Frederick Douglass is a MUST READ for every American!) Week 39: 19th Century American Literature Week 47: 20th Century American Short Stories We'll be back next week to talk about everyone's favorite rogue, Tom Jones. I'm so excited for this one--it's one of the funniest novels I've read in a long time! LINK The complete list of Crack the Book Episodes (Amazon affiliate links): https://cheryldrury.substack.com/p/crack-the-book-start-here?r=u3t2r [https://cheryldrury.substack.com/p/crack-the-book-start-here?r=u3t2r] CONNECT To read more of my writing, visit my Substack - https://www.cheryldrury.substack.com [https://www.cheryldrury.substack.com/]. Follow me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cldrury/ [https://www.instagram.com/cldrury/] Like what you heard? Buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/crackthebook [https://ko-fi.com/crackthebook] LISTEN Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5GpySInw1e8IqNQvXow7Lv?si=9ebd5508daa245bd [https://open.spotify.com/show/5GpySInw1e8IqNQvXow7Lv?si=9ebd5508daa245bd] Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crack-the-book/id1749793321 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crack-the-book/id1749793321] Captivate - https://crackthebook.captivate.fm [https://crackthebook.captivate.fm/]

A Fat Knight and a King: Henry IV Part 2 and Falstaff

Back for more Shakespeare! This week it's Henry IV Part 2 (following up last month's Part 1)--but with the addition of the book Year of the Fat Knight by Shakespearean actor Antony Sher. Part One's pairings of characters give way to one central relationship in Part 2: fathers and sons. It's much more serious as Prince Hal moves closer to assuming the throne: how much will he follow his father's wishes for him? How can he create his kingly presence with Falstaff acting as his best friend and surrogate father? And who, if anyone, might fill that advisor/father role when Hal loses his own? On top of this play, I read the wonderful Year of the Fat Knight. Sher was Falstaff in the productions of Henry IV from Royal Shakespeare Company, the ones I watched, and he was marvelous. I spotted this book when we were in Stratford last summer and decided that this was the perfect month to read it. Sher's memoir is amazing, full of all kinds of anecdotes about not only this play but being a Shakespearean actor in general. I strongly feel that you can't experience a Shakespeare play without seeing it in some form, and Sher's memoir made me see why. It's a true vocation to act in a play like this--embodying the complicated language so that it seems natural, filling in the blanks of a personality that Shakespeare leaves, deciding exactly how to appear in front of an audience. I'm really happy I read this one. Next week--Happy Birthday, America! LINK The complete list of Crack the Book Episodes (Amazon affiliate links): https://cheryldrury.substack.com/p/crack-the-book-start-here?r=u3t2r [https://cheryldrury.substack.com/p/crack-the-book-start-here?r=u3t2r] Henry IV Part 2 (RSC Production) [https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0DK4116FW/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r] Year of the Fat Knight [https://amzn.to/44zUavV](Antony Sher) [https://amzn.to/44zUavV] CONNECT To read more of my writing, visit my Substack - https://www.cheryldrury.substack.com [https://www.cheryldrury.substack.com/]. Follow me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cldrury/ [https://www.instagram.com/cldrury/] Like what you heard? Buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/crackthebook [https://ko-fi.com/crackthebook] LISTEN Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5GpySInw1e8IqNQvXow7Lv?si=9ebd5508daa245bd [https://open.spotify.com/show/5GpySInw1e8IqNQvXow7Lv?si=9ebd5508daa245bd] Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crack-the-book/id1749793321 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crack-the-book/id1749793321] Captivate - https://crackthebook.captivate.fm [https://crackthebook.captivate.fm/]

Who Started English History? Venerable Bede Speaks.

If you're like me, England always seemed to emerge from the mists of history more or less fully formed and with Henry VIII as king. Obviously, I was mistaken! And this week, with Venerable Bede, I found out what was really lurking back in those mists. Our friend (because he definitely becomes our friend) Bede writes his Ecclesiatical History of the English People in 731. Long before most people's idea of history even begins, Bede has set down a story of adventure, heroism and bravery as he tells how Christianity spread across the island of Britain. Simply put, I loved everything about this book. Reading what I call "near-contemporaneous history" lets us hear directly from people writing hundreds or even thousands of years ago. It's become some of my favorite reading, because you truly can start to see the world through very different eyes. The differences we have are as sharp as the evidence of shared humanity. That's very true in this book. Bede shares stories of saints--and most aren't distant strangers. They are friends, or friends-of-friends, who put their lives at risk to spread the Gospel. There was so much to admire in this book. I read this book as part of my preparation for a trip to England in June, and I'm excited to see how it pays off! But even without that, this is a worthy addition to any library that has an English bent. LINK The complete list of Crack the Book Episodes (Amazon affiliate links): https://cheryldrury.substack.com/p/crack-the-book-start-here?r=u3t2r [https://cheryldrury.substack.com/p/crack-the-book-start-here?r=u3t2r] CONNECT To read more of my writing, visit my Substack - https://www.cheryldrury.substack.com [https://www.cheryldrury.substack.com/]. Follow me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cldrury/ [https://www.instagram.com/cldrury/] Like what you heard? Buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/crackthebook [https://ko-fi.com/crackthebook] LISTEN Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5GpySInw1e8IqNQvXow7Lv?si=9ebd5508daa245bd [https://open.spotify.com/show/5GpySInw1e8IqNQvXow7Lv?si=9ebd5508daa245bd] Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crack-the-book/id1749793321 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crack-the-book/id1749793321] Captivate - https://crackthebook.captivate.fm [https://crackthebook.captivate.fm/]

Reading My Way to England

Finally—the first unit of reading this year! We are reading all kinds of English literature, from histories to plays, and even some poetry, and this is the episode I share with you what’s on the list. When we decided to go on this trip to England, I thought this was a great time to combine an old routine of “pre-vacation reading” with my newfound enjoyment of old, classic, and even “great” books. This is the first time I’ve put together anything more than just one or two titles, though, and I’m interested to see how it works out. While I haven’t finished everything yet, here is what’s on the list right now: 1. Venerable Bede—An Ecclesiastical History of England (Honestly way more fun than it sounds) 2. Alfred the Great—A History of the Anglo-Saxon People (and Vikings!) 3. Bijan Omrani—God Is an Englishman (modern history that talks about English Christianity and the Church of England) 4. Henry Fielding—The History of Thomas Jones, a Foundling (I’ve never read anything that more embodies the word “rollicking”) 5. Anne Brontë—The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (less rollicking for sure) 6. The Book of Common Prayer (1662 Edition) 7. Helene Hanff—84, Charing Cross Road and Q’s Legacy (set in London but that’s okay) 8. James Herriott—All Creatures Great and Small (for Yorkshire atmosphere) 9. William Shakespeare—Henry IV Parts 1 and 2; Henry V (the history England THINKS is true) I’ve already read many of these, but we are only leaving for our trip this week. So come with me while we see if this helps, was too much, or maybe I missed the mark entirely! What should I add for a trip to Yorkshire and Scotland? Let me know! LINK The complete list of Crack the Book Episodes (Amazon affiliate links): https://cheryldrury.substack.com/p/crack-the-book-start-here?r=u3t2r [https://cheryldrury.substack.com/p/crack-the-book-start-here?r=u3t2r] CONNECT To read more of my writing, visit my Substack - https://www.cheryldrury.substack.com [https://www.cheryldrury.substack.com/]. Follow me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cldrury/ [https://www.instagram.com/cldrury/] Like what you heard? Buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/crackthebook [https://ko-fi.com/crackthebook] LISTEN Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5GpySInw1e8IqNQvXow7Lv?si=9ebd5508daa245bd [https://open.spotify.com/show/5GpySInw1e8IqNQvXow7Lv?si=9ebd5508daa245bd] Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crack-the-book/id1749793321 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crack-the-book/id1749793321] Captivate - https://crackthebook.captivate.fm [https://crackthebook.captivate.fm/]

From the Mississippi to Macondo: Huckleberry Finn and One Hundred Years of Solitude

This week we take a look at two novels that were on last year’s reading list. Why are we revisiting them? Because we only read a couple of chapters of each one, and that wasn’t enough! First up, Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I shared last year that this was one I only had bad memories of from high school, but rediscovering it as an adult was a real treat. In particular, we talk about: * The centrality of Huck’s relationship with Jim, and how Huck grows and changes * Twain’s remarkable use of vernacular * The vivid locations and their relationship to Twain’s earlier writing Finally, we get into the details of the ending—it’s fairly controversial. Did Twain rush the ending or did he mean it as a warning on the nature of change? Then we move on to Gabriel Garcia-Marquez’ One Hundred Years of Solitude. This is a beautiful book, not for everyone but certainly a great book. We discuss: * Generational novels, and how the structure cyclical patterns and repeated names creates a dreamlike mood for this novel * How the magical realism here emerges as a natural part of the environment and not through any apparent supernatural activity * Various tensions, like isolation and connection, or ephemerality and stability, that are at work both in the family and the town of Macondo. * Whether the town of Macondo is itself the main character of the novel. Finally, we end with a couple of things I’ve learned lately that are improving my reading. First, I’ve started to recognize that writing a little about each book helps me to resolve what I think about that book. Second, great (and even good) books tend to illuminate each other, making your world bigger, while less worthy books tend to run together. Another argument for great books! LINK The complete list of Crack the Book Episodes: https://cheryldrury.substack.com/p/crack-the-book-start-here?r=u3t2r [https://cheryldrury.substack.com/p/crack-the-book-start-here?r=u3t2r] CONNECT To read more of my writing, visit my Substack - https://www.cheryldrury.substack.com [https://www.cheryldrury.substack.com/]. Follow me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cldrury/ [https://www.instagram.com/cldrury/] Like what you heard? Buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/crackthebook [https://ko-fi.com/crackthebook] LISTEN Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5GpySInw1e8IqNQvXow7Lv?si=9ebd5508daa245bd [https://open.spotify.com/show/5GpySInw1e8IqNQvXow7Lv?si=9ebd5508daa245bd] Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crack-the-book/id1749793321 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crack-the-book/id1749793321] Captivate - https://crackthebook.captivate.fm [https://crackthebook.captivate.fm/] All links to Amazon are affiliate links.