Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Should 2013 be the year of the official Moby Dick Throwdown?

Okay, I swear to god that I'm not going to be totally lame and post nothing but pictures all the time. My reading is galloping along at a respectable pace, and I'm working on a couple of posts with actual words in them. But in the meantime, I couldn't not tell you about this awesome print that arrived in the mail from my wonderful friend Shona:


And a close-up:


This print is, of course, part of Shona's ongoing campaign to get me to read her favourite novel, Moby Dick. And get this, she sent it to me before she even knew that I'd (a) revived this site, and (b) pledged to read "new books that I secretly believe I'll hate, despite the fact that lots of people say they're good".

What do you think? Is this a sign? Should 2013 be the year of the official Moby Dick Throwdown? If I do it, will you join me?

(Print available here, if you're interested.)

9 comments:

Matthew E said...

Go for it. You know, it's not a bad read at all. When I read it I was expecting it to be all dark and portentous and everything, but it really isn't. It's a sailing adventure story with a pleasant narrative voice, and every now and then you have to smile politely at a chapter about how whales really are fish despite what the biologists say. You might be surprised at how easy it goes down.

Shona said...

Oh, it totally should be! I wouldn't say it was my *favourite* novel, but I was flush from just having finished it when we first met (when Sam was a newborn, can you imagine?!). And it's the only heavyweight classic that I think you have missed out on. After you are done, you can read the almost equally wonderful "Ahab's Wife" by Sena Jeter Naslund.

Go on, I read "War and Peace" on your exhortation and it was well worth it. Or at least try out the sky on the poster and see if it grabs you!

Monty Ashley said...

I enjoyed reading Moby Dick. Parts of it are funny!

Trasherati said...

I'll read it if you'll read it. My husband swears it's awesome, but I've avoided it for 48 years.
It might be time : )

Violet said...

YES! I would whole heartedly reccomend it to....anyone, really. I picked it up and read it (no, really) in 4th grade and have read it every year or two since. No kidding.

Anonymous said...

Oh, you must! If only because that poster is so gorgeous.

Pat said...

Yes, it seems I need support to read anything but anatomy books these days so please make me read Moby Dick.

Brent Waggoner said...

I found your blog while googling my own blog, The Fifty Books Project, and I think this poster is amazing. Wish I had it to hang in my office.

Moby-Dick is a really great book, funny, ambitious, dense--short chapters too. I think you should read it because it's great. Then post about it!

Anonymous said...

I, too, put off reading Moby Dick. When I finally forced myself to do it, I found that I actually enjoyed it. It illustrated for me a world that I knew nothing about and I found it fascinating. Just do it... It's really not that bad!