So, I started reading Ben Hur by Lew Wallace because I love the movie, however, the book is incredibly dry. It reads like a textbook, and the first 70 pages are about the nativity story which, really, is quite boring. I finally figured this out around 30 pages in and skipped ahead to where Ben Hur’s story starts.

However, I just bought The Watchmen today, the graphic novel by by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, and will probably spend the next few days reading through that. I know quite a few people who have read it who say that it’s pretty amazing, so I’m excited to read it. Also, I’ve never read a graphic novel before, so this will be a first. I’ll keep you posted.

YES. lol.

(heads up, language warning)

Holla, meet my favorite poet, John Donne (1572-1631), and consequently my favorite poem:

Love’s Growth

I scarce believe my love to be so pure
As I had thought it was,
Because it doth endure
Vicissitude, and season, as the grass ;
Methinks I lied all winter, when I swore
My love was infinite, if spring make it more.
But if this medicine, love, which cures all sorrow
With more, not only be no quintessence,
But mix’d of all stuffs, vexing soul, or sense,
And of the sun his active vigour borrow,
Love’s not so pure, and abstract as they use
To say, which have no mistress but their Muse ;
But as all else, being elemented too,
Love sometimes would contemplate, sometimes do.
And yet no greater, but more eminent,
Love by the spring is grown ;
As in the firmament
Stars by the sun are not enlarged, but shown,
Gentle love deeds, as blossoms on a bough,
From love’s awakened root do bud out now.
If, as in water stirr’d more circles be
Produced by one, love such additions take,
Those like so many spheres but one heaven make,
For they are all concentric unto thee ;
And though each spring do add to love new heat,
As princes do in times of action get
New taxes, and remit them not in peace,
No winter shall abate this spring’s increase.

———–

Here are some definitions to help understand the poem a bit better:

Vicissitude: changeability
Quintessence: the absolute essence of a substance
Elemented: made up of more than one element
Spheres: planets

I should think very much that this poem is awesome. My other favorite John Donne poems are The Good Morrow, Lovers’ Infiniteness, A Fever, Death Be Not Proud, Batter My Heart, and A Hymn to God the Father.

Just thought I’d let you know that I have updated the Welcome to Gin and Tonic page with a bit more info about me and the blog, so you know who the heck is telling you, “ZOMG, you HAVE to read Without Remorse by Tom Clancy!”

Which you really should, btw. John Kelly is my hero.

Anyways, what you can probably expect in the next few posts, whenever they may be, is some stuff on Micromegas and Candide by Voltaire, House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski (first book in a long time that I abandoned due to ridiculousness), the poetry of John Donne and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I have not read any Paradise Lost in over a month, but I am not abandoning that, so sometime down the road there will still be Paradise Lost posts…

Also, if you’ve been with me since near the start of the blog, I am still reading through the Bible, although the pace has slowed. A lot. =P I won’t be posting so much on that though; I’m leaving theological/debate traffic for other blogs; I prefer to stay more in the books/literature niche.

Anyways, thanks for stopping by, hope to see you again soon!

I am so happy! Why? Because Levin is happy! For so long he had been so depressing and thinking about death all the time…but not anymore!

“So it’s no longer time to die?” said Stepan Arkadyich, pressing Levin’s hand affectionately.
“No-o-o!” said Levin.

I literally grinned ear to ear when I read that.

I havn’t done much reading in the past few days but I’m past the halfway point…I’m at page 453. I’m already trying to think of what books I should read next. I wish I were a faster reader sometimes…my list is huge.

I figure it’s a good idea to read two books at a time. One for when I’m on the train and such, and the other for spending a few hours in my room completely immersed. Here are books that I own but havn’t read yet. I need to read all the books I actually own before going out and buying more. Some of these I bought a year ago!

Hey there! This is a blog which I hope to use for writing mostly about books and literature etc. I am not as well-read as some people are, but hopefully that will change as time progresses. From Dante to Dekker, Chaucer to Clancy - hopefully you’ll see a bit of everything here.

 If you’re wondering why my blog is named after a beverage…. well, you either have not had gin and tonic or you have and do not like it – otherwise you would see it as a perfectly fitting name.

So thanks for visiting, I hope you will come by again soon!