Week 1 Reading Options

For Week 2, I decided to leave my reading choice up to fate...

The results from the Crystal Ball were to read the unit on Ovid's Metamorphoses II. Honestly, I could not be happier with this choice, I fondly remember reading the stories of Persephone and Arachne before going to bed when I was younger. The stories of rape, deceit, and death are great for a twelve year old trying to fall asleep. (sarcasm)

As I was searching through the other possible readings to do for this semester, I saw the unit on Russian Folktales. One reason I am interested in reading this unit is partly because I took three semesters of the Russian language already in my undergraduate career. Another reason is I really enjoy the books by Dostoyevsky. Crime and Punishment is my favorite book of all time and the first that I have read in a different language. I hope by reading these folktales, I can gain a better grasp of the culture in Russia. It is a dream of mine to one day go and visit.

Cover of Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Another unit I saw that I plan to read actually made me laugh from the memory associated with it is the one over the Buddha. Last year, I went to visit a friend in Boulder, CO to go camping and hiking in the Flat Irons. While I was there, he and I were walking back to his apartment after grabbing some dinner and this guy shambles up to us, clearly high, and shoves the Dhammapada into my hands, he then leaned in real close to whisper "it changed my life, man" before stumbling down the street. I will admit, after reading the Dhammapada, I did have a different outlook on life.

Image of the Flat Iron Mountains during winter. Photo by Jesse Varner