The summer heat has The Afternoon thinking of long afternoons on the beach with an umbrella laden drink and a great beach read. In the past we’ve turned to trashy romance novels and cheap-shot chick lit for our waterside reading, but a new book we just got in the store may change all that. Beowulf on the Beach is a literature guide to all the books you may have avoided in the past for being too intellectual, heavy, or (dare I say) even boring. The author, Jack Murnighan, wants you to give these books a second chance and see that these are classics for a reason, and not because of their extensive descriptions of fields of wheat. Murnighan gives you the lowdown on each book, telling you Quirky Facts, the Best Line, and even What’s Sexy (yes there are sexy scenes in The Sound and the Fury and Ulysses), to try to find the best book for you. There is even a What to Skip section, telling you pages, chapters, even scenes in Shakespeare’s plays that are redundant, boring, or just not worth your precious summer time. If you’ve found it hard to get into literature in the past, or you’re tired of being judged for your shallow taste in books, pick up Beowulf on the Beach and get ready to wear out your library card.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Cry 'Wulf
The summer heat has The Afternoon thinking of long afternoons on the beach with an umbrella laden drink and a great beach read. In the past we’ve turned to trashy romance novels and cheap-shot chick lit for our waterside reading, but a new book we just got in the store may change all that. Beowulf on the Beach is a literature guide to all the books you may have avoided in the past for being too intellectual, heavy, or (dare I say) even boring. The author, Jack Murnighan, wants you to give these books a second chance and see that these are classics for a reason, and not because of their extensive descriptions of fields of wheat. Murnighan gives you the lowdown on each book, telling you Quirky Facts, the Best Line, and even What’s Sexy (yes there are sexy scenes in The Sound and the Fury and Ulysses), to try to find the best book for you. There is even a What to Skip section, telling you pages, chapters, even scenes in Shakespeare’s plays that are redundant, boring, or just not worth your precious summer time. If you’ve found it hard to get into literature in the past, or you’re tired of being judged for your shallow taste in books, pick up Beowulf on the Beach and get ready to wear out your library card.