Favorite Reads this Week

Interesting Article

What Should We Do With The Violence In The Iliad On The Circe Institue
This is one that I'm going to have to re-read several times. Bret Saunders looks at the colossal violence in the Iliad and the way that Homer presents it in contrast to the peaceful life that Troy could have enjoyed. It has often been noted situational irony that Homer employs to frame the war, such as Diomedes and Glaucos exchanging armor in an echo of the lopsided trade that Troy has made for Helen, but I am intrigued by Saunder's description of the three types of similes Homer uses to highlight the tragic dichotomy. I may revisit this later on one day (the Iliad is one of my favorite poems), but it is an excellent read. I would be very interested to hear thoughts from you all on Saunder's piece and the Iliad in general.

Favorite Blog Posts

How To Find Time To Read More On Paper Fury
A quick and humorous take on how we can be more intentional about spending time reading. It is easy to get caught up in the fun and ease of social media, movies, and video games. If we want to read, we've got to be intentional about it.

Christ Is Write
So this isn't a blog post, but a blog in it's entirety that I stumbled across this week and have been reading through. Lots of very interesting stuff, especially for those interested in writing. I highly recommend that you look it over. Tessa Hall is currently in the midst of a series on navigating the publishing industry that looks very thorough and helpful.

and finally...
The Martin Hospitality Cover Reveal on The Left-Handed Typist
My friend Abigayle has just released the cover for her upcoming novel Martin Hospitality, which will be available February 4th! I'm really excited about this, as Abigayle has not only been kind enough to let me pick her brain about a cornucopia of subjects and her experiences in writing this novel, but has been willing to let me share some of her insights her. Next week, I'll be doing an author spotlight with Abigayle to talk in depth about her experience getting published and the process that went into her book.


I'm still putting the finishing touches on the next Tolkien article, and will hopefully have it up tomorrow. The more I dig and try to understand Tolkien, the more complexity and nuance I find. Hope you all have had a wonderful week and are ready for a restful/productive weekend. Let me know what you read this week that you enjoyed and found helpful!