Joseph Campbell

The State of the Reader: 12/18/19

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 12 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 12/4/19         The State of the Reader: 1/1/20–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Books Obtained: 5

  • Air Awakens by Elisa Kova (Air Awakens) – $0.00 @ Amazon
  • The First Girl Child by Amy Harmon – $1.99 @ Amazon
  • Extracted by R. R. Haywood (Extracted Trilogy) – $0.99 @ Amazon
  • The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke by Arthur C. Clarke – $0.00 @ Amazon
  • Mirrorstrike by Benjanun Sriduangkaew  (Her Pitiless Command) – $4.99 @ Amazon

Books Finished: 3

Title: Winterglass
Series: Her Pitiless Command
Author: Benjanun Sriduangkaew
Date Added: March 3, 2019
Date Started: November 21, 2019
Date Finished: December 5, 2019

Winterglass coverMedia: eBook/Kindle

The second book came out merely days after I finished this, and not only is that awesome because I can complete the duology, but it also proved me kind of right.  Let me explain…as mentioned in the last update, one of the main characters, the general Lussadh, uses she/her pronouns, but her titles are stereotypically masculine e.g. prince, lord, etc.  Later in the novel, Nuawa, the other MC mentions that she’s neither a man nor a woman (which means she’s non-binary or genderfluid I suppose), and in my head I’m seeing her as sort of a cross between my two favorite generals: Celes from FFVI and Sephiroth from FFVII who are female and male respectively but also super beautiful.  Lussadh is on the cover of the second book, and I WAS KINDA RIGHT.

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The State of the Reader: 12/4/19

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 6 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 10/23/19         The State of the Reader: 12/18/19–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Books Obtained: 7

Books Finished: 1

Title: Vita Nostra
Series: Метаморфозы (Metamorphoses)
Author: Marina & Sergey Dyachenko
Date Added: December 22, 2018
Date Started: September 23, 2019
Date Finished: November 20, 2019

Vita Nostra by Marina & Sergey DyachenkoMedia: eBook/Kindle

Most of my notes for this are in my Kindle copy, but this book was fantastic.  It’s described as similar to Harry Potter, but the only similarity is that both books are about going away to school.  While Rowling’s series certainly has its positives (and negatives, mostly due to the author not knowing when to just stop), Vita Nostra is an existential masterpiece that shares more paradigms with time loop narratives than HP, but I hesitate to compare it fully to any of those either.  It really is unique and shows why it’s so important to experience media from different cultures.  I’m sad none of the other books in the series have been translated, and I really hope that happens soon.

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The State of the Reader: 10/23/19

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 6 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 10/9/19         The State of the Reader: 12/4/19–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Books Obtained: 1

Books Finished: 1

Title: Kushiel’s Dart
Series Title: Phèdre’s Trilogy
Author: Jacqueline Carey
Date Added: February 21, 2012
Date Started: August 23, 2019

Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline CareyMedia: Hardback (Library)

Well I did it.  I finished a book I shelved as DNF years ago, and I’m glad I did.  I wound up using my last library renewal, though I managed to finish before the 21st.  I still didn’t return it because I worked from home that day, so.  I also bought this book AND the second one, because I loved it.  Whatever issue I had prior didn’t bother me now, and while it does have a long denouement, it makes sense for the scale of the story.

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The State of the Reader: 10/9/19

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 7 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 9/25/19         The State of the Reader: 10/23/19–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Books Obtained: 2

Currently Reading

Title: Faust
Author: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Date Added: August 24, 2014
Date Started: September 1, 2019

Faust by GoetheMedia: eBook/Kindle
Progress: 33%

Mephistopheles has finally shown up.  Now things are going to get interesting.

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The State of the Reader: 9/25/19

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 4 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 9/11/19         The State of the Reader: 10/9/19–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Books Obtained: 2

Books Finished: 1

Title: Traitor’s Blades
Series Title: Greatcoats
Author: Sebastien de Castell
Date Added: March 5, 2017
Date Started: August 26, 2019
Date Finished: September 25, 2019

Traitor's Blades by Sebastien de CastellMedia: eBook/Kindle

This story might have the most brutal twist of any I’ve ever read.  It was fucking fantastic, and I can’t wait to continue the series.

Currently Reading

Title: Faust
Author: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Date Added: August 24, 2014
Date Started: September 1, 2019

Faust by GoetheMedia: eBook/Kindle
Progress: 25%

I did not know this was written in (sort of) rhyming verse, but I’m not upset.  It gives it a nice flow.

Title: Kushiel’s Dart
Series Title: Phèdre’s Trilogy
Author: Jacqueline Carey
Date Added: February 21, 2012
Date Started: August 23, 2019

Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline CareyMedia: Hardback (Library)
Progress: 26%

This novel is like ASOIAF but less graphic and also told from one point of view.  A character literally talks verbatim about the “game of thrones” in reference to court politics.  There’s a reason for the dramatis personae in the beginning as well as the map; both of which I constantly refer to in order to keep up with who’s who and where’s where.

Title: The Hero With a Thousand Faces
Author: Joseph Campbell
Date Added: April 24, 2014
Date Started: December 3, 2018

The Hero With a Thousand FacesMedia: Hardback
Progress: 66%

“Society lapses into mistake and disaster.  The Little Ego has usurped the judgment seat of the Self.”  Campbell was a prognosticator.

I’m been drinking cider mimosas (apple cider and champagne).  It’s the perfect autumn contemporary to pumpkin spice as well as an alternative to regular OJ mimosas.  I’m kind of disappointed because I can’t find my favorite Halloween candy, mellowcreme pumpkins, in stores.  So I bought some from Amazon, and I don’t like them.  They’re Jelly Belly brand, and you’d think a company famous for its jellybeans would know how to make other candy (or…not?).  They kind of taste like orange slices (the candy) but with the consistency of the pumpkins, and I am not a fan.  The funny thing is Amazon had Brach’s brand available, but fancy TSN had to go with the more prestigious brand.  Live and learn I suppose.

What is your favorite Halloween candy?

<–The State of the Reader: 9/11/19         The State of the Reader: 10/9/19–>

The State of the Reader: 9/11/19

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 12 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 8/28/19         The State of the Reader: 9/25/19–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Books Obtained: 1

Books Finished: 1

Title: Tigana
Author: Guy Gavriel Kay
Date Added: February 9, 2016
Date Started: December 8, 2018
Date Finished: September 7, 2019

TiganaMedia: Paperback

This was the best book I’ve read this year.  The very last line leaves you in speculation even as Kay so nicely and poignantly wraps everything up.  This will be an elaborate review when I get to it, but I highly, highly recommend.

Currently Reading

Title: Faust
Author: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Date Added: August 24, 2014
Date Started: September 1, 2019

Faust by GoetheMedia: eBook/Kindle
Progress: 15%

Is this a fanfiction of the Book of Job, because it seems like the devil wants to torment Faust in a similar way, and God is like, “Eh, why not?”

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The State of the Reader: 8/14/19

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 6 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 7/31/19         The State of the Reader: 8/28/19–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Books Obtained: 1

Books Finished: 1

Title: The Case of Charles Dexter Ward
Author: H. P. Lovecraft
Date Added: March 15, 2013
Date Started: May 9, 2019
Date Finished: August 1, 2019

The Case of Charles Dexter Ward coverMedia: eBook/Kindle

Interesting tidbit: the MC of this isn’t the titular character, but rather Dr. Willett.  He’s the one who struggles to piece everything together before it’s too late, who traverses the horrors of the underground lair, who finds the alchemical dark materia used for nefarious purposes, and who uncovers the terrible truth.  Charles is a victim, and I definitely need to research alchemy.  I realized that after watching a Silent Hill video about it, which made me realize there’s a shit ton of it in FFVII, too.  More essays forthcoming.

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The State of the Reader: 7/31/19

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 7 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 7/17/19         The State of the Reader: 8/14/19–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Books Obtained

Currently Reading

Title: Snow White Learns Witchcraft: Stories and Poems
Author: Theodora Goss
Date Added: February 5, 2019
Date Started: May 5, 2019

Snow White Learns Witchcraft: Stories and Poems by Theodora GossMedia: eBook/Kindle
Progress: 41%

My favorite story so far is Blanchefleur and that’s not just because I love cats.

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The State of the Reader: 7/17/19

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 7 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 7/3/19         The State of the Reader: 7/31/19–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Finished: 1

Title: The Last Stitch Goes Through the Nose
Author: Moses Norton
Date Added: May 28, 2019
Date Started: June 13, 2019

The Last Stitch Goes Through the Nose by Moses NortonMedia: eBook/Kindle

This…is not a happy story.  It makes an important point that should lead to better outcomes, but it probably won’t.  If recent events have taught me anything it’s that we as a species learn nothing from the past.  I’ll more to say when I review.

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The State of the Reader: 7/3/19

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 6 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 6/19/19         The State of the Reader: 7/17/19–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Books Obtained: 3

Currently Reading

Title: The Last Stitch Goes Through the Nose
Author: Moses Norton
Date Added: May 28, 2019
Date Started: June 13, 2019

The Last Stitch Goes Through the Nose by Moses NortonMedia: eBook/Kindle
Progress: 80%

I should finish this before the end of this week!

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