July Currently Reading

     Summer time is a time of boredom for many students. No classes, far from friends, routine has been upended. And the lack of schedule leads to horrible boredom. Boredom leads to some interesting consequences for most people. Some people binge on Netflix. Some eat. Some take up crafts. I tried all of these but my boredom was not alleviated. Video games are usually a cure but as entertaining as The Evil Within was, there are only so many hours you can stare at the screen. So I was led to randomly choosing to begin the workout routine P90X and am now actively reading FIVE books. Not one, not two, not three. FIVE. My boredom has led to abs that hurt even when I laugh and random facts floating around my head.
    Here is my reading list for July! Enjoy the random list and my thoughts so far :)

Title: Cleopatra
Author: Stacy Schiff
Page Count: 302
Genre: Biography

Synopsis from Goodreads:

The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer brings to life the most intriguing woman in the history of the world: Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt.

Her palace shimmered with onyx, garnet, and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. Above all else, Cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and an ingenious negotiator. Though her life spanned fewer than forty years, it reshaped the contours of the ancient world.

She was married twice, each time to a brother. She waged a brutal civil war against the first when both were teenagers. She poisoned the second. Ultimately she dispensed with an ambitious sister as well; incest and assassination were family specialties. Cleopatra appears to have had sex with only two men. They happen, however, to have been Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, among the most prominent Romans of the day. Both were married to other women. Cleopatra had a child with Caesar and--after his murder--three more with his protégé. Already she was the wealthiest ruler in the Mediterranean; the relationship with Antony confirmed her status as the most influential woman of the age. The two would together attempt to forge a new empire, in an alliance that spelled their ends. Cleopatra has lodged herself in our imaginations ever since.

Famous long before she was notorious, Cleopatra has gone down in history for all the wrong reasons. Shakespeare and Shaw put words in her mouth. Michelangelo, Tiepolo, and Elizabeth Taylor put a face to her name. Along the way, Cleopatra's supple personality and the drama of her circumstances have been lost. In a masterly return to the classical sources, Stacy Schiff here boldly separates fact from fiction to rescue the magnetic queen whose death ushered in a new world order. Rich in detail, epic in scope, Schiff's is a luminous, deeply original reconstruction of a dazzling life.  

Thoughts so far:

I love the casual tone of this biography. Sometimes biographies can come across as condescending and talk down to the reader. This feels more like a conversation with a helpful teacher. It is an easy read that I think most people could get into. The information is laid out in an easy to absorb way and there have not been any lulls so far. I am only on page 30 so far and I am having so much fun and learning so much about the legendary queen. Did you know she is actually of Greek descent? I would absolutely recommend this one.

Title: The Bone Clocks
Author: David Mitchell
Page Count: 624
Genre: Fiction

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Following a scalding row with her mother, fifteen-year-old Holly Sykes slams the door on her old life. But Holly is no typical teenage runaway: a sensitive child once contacted by voices she knew only as “the radio people,” Holly is a lightning rod for psychic phenomena. Now, as she wanders deeper into the English countryside, visions and coincidences reorder her reality until they assume the aura of a nightmare brought to life.

For Holly has caught the attention of a cabal of dangerous mystics—and their enemies. But her lost weekend is merely the prelude to a shocking disappearance that leaves her family irrevocably scarred. This unsolved mystery will echo through every decade of Holly’s life, affecting all the people Holly loves—even the ones who are not yet born.

A Cambridge scholarship boy grooming himself for wealth and influence, a conflicted father who feels alive only while reporting from occupied Iraq, a middle-aged writer mourning his exile from the bestseller list—all have a part to play in this surreal, invisible war on the margins of our world. From the medieval Swiss Alps to the nineteenth-century Australian bush, from a hotel in Shanghai to a Manhattan townhouse in the near future, their stories come together in moments of everyday grace and extraordinary wonder.

Thoughts so far:

The unique voice of this novel is fun and memorable. There seems to be a bit of a paranormal spin on the story so far. It is on the slower side. I am 50 pages in and have not figured out what is going on. Holly, our main character, seems to be a bit immature and naïve but I could see her growing into a much more powerful later in the novel. Her youth does not venture into the realm of annoying though. I look forward to figuring out what is going on and would recommend it to people that enjoy British literature (the author lives in Ireland) and mysteries.

Title: Alan Turing: The Enigma
Author: Andrew Hodges
Page Count: 664
Genre: Biography

Synopsis from Goodreads:

It is only a slight exaggeration to say that the British mathematician Alan Turing (1912-1954) saved the Allies from the Nazis, invented the computer and artificial intelligence, and anticipated gay liberation by decades--all before his suicide at age forty-one. This acclaimed biography of the founder of computer science, with a new preface by the author that addresses Turing's royal pardon in 2013, is the definitive account of an extraordinary mind and life.

Capturing both the inner and outer drama of Turing's life, Andrew Hodges tells how Turing's revolutionary idea of 1936--the concept of a universal machine--laid the foundation for the modern computer and how Turing brought the idea to practical realization in 1945 with his electronic design. The book also tells how this work was directly related to Turing's leading role in breaking the German Enigma ciphers during World War II, a scientific triumph that was critical to Allied victory in the Atlantic. At the same time, this is the tragic account of a man who, despite his wartime service, was eventually arrested, stripped of his security clearance, and forced to undergo a humiliating treatment program--all for trying to live honestly in a society that defined homosexuality as a crime.

The inspiration for a major motion picture starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley, "The Imitation Game" is a gripping story of mathematics, computers, cryptography, and homosexual persecution.  

Thoughts so far:

The movie inspired by this biography is one of my all time favorites. It introduced me to the incredibly complex and inspiring Alan Turing. That being said, I am enjoying the biography. BUT I probably would not recommend it for absolutely every reader. Alan Turing was a mathematician. Andrew Hodges is also a mathematician. Both are incredibly intelligent men. If you are maybe a slower reader or have trouble with more difficult works you might not enjoy this biography. If you have at least a high school graduate reading level you should be fine. If you have a college undergraduate reading level it will probably be easier. I would recommend it to those that are interested in math, science, and history. Casual readers looking for a light read? Probably not.

Title: A Storm of Swords
Author: George R. R. Martin
Page Count: 1,128
Genre: Fantasy

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Here is the third volume in George R.R. Martin's magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings. Together, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.

Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, victim of the sorceress who holds him in her thrall. Young Robb still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world. And as opposing forces manoeuver for the final showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost limits of civilization, accompanied by a horde of mythical Others—a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords...

Thoughts so far:

I am over half way through this one! All of the Game of Thrones books take me forever to read. I started this one in January. I love them all but they are crazy long and I find taking breaks to read other works can make it easier to get through. I probably would have been further into this one but I took a couple month break when the person I was reading it with and I stopped talking. Now I'm back and I just read the Red Wedding scene (I will not explain further as to not spoil those surely very few people who do not know what that is...it would be much better to be surprised). George R. R. Martin certainly is a cheery fellow. I would recommend this series for fans of the HBO show, high fantasy, and individuals with great levels of dedication and patience. It is great fun! Not appropriate for very young readers. I often hide it from my young cousin who enthusiastically refers to it as "that dragon book".

Title: Red Victory: A History of the Russian Civil War
Author: W. Bruce Lincoln
Page Count: 526
Genre: Russian History

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Shortly after withdrawing from World War I, Russia descended into a bitter civil war unprecedented for its savagery: epidemics, battles, mass executions, forced labor, and famine claimed millions of lives. From 1918 to 1921, through great cities and tiny villages, across untouched forests and vast frozen wasteland, the Bolshevik "Reds" fought the anti-Communist Whites and their Allies (fourteen foreign countries contributed weapons, money, and troops—including 20,000 American soldiers). This landmark history re-creates the epic conflict that transformed Russia from the Empire of the Tsars into the Empire of the Commissars, while never losing sight of the horrifying human cost.

Thoughts so far:

I am not very far into this one (only a couple of pages) but I am excited to get further into this one. It is kind of interesting because the book was published in 1989 and refers to the Soviet Union in the present tense. That is going to take some getting used to. I chose this one based on my general interest in Russia. My second language is Russian and I took several Russian culture and history classes in college. In grad school I will be taking more Russian classes. It has been a fascination of mine for a long time. Should be fun to continue on with!


*I am also reading Zibaldone by Giacomo Leopardi but I am nowhere near far enough into the massive tome to give a good opinion. I'll put an update up soon though!