Books – Page 2 – Books that I love

Virgil

The Aeneid

by Neil.B.Ennis 11 July 2025 Shortlink

Title: The Aeneid
Author: Virgil
Written: 19BCE
Translator: David West (1990)
Pages: 307 Pages
Structure: 12 “books”, each consisting of 800 to 900 lines or about 25 pages long

The Details

The Aeneid by Virgil is a wonderful book.

It tells of the epic journey of a group of Trojans who, led by Aeneas, leave their ruined city after a decade-long war, in search of a new homeland, as promised by the gods.

Despite the promise of a new homeland, Aeneas and his countrymen are forced to deal with brutal opposition brought about by the goddess Juno (Hera), who still bears a grudge against Troy, and fears the prophesy that the descendants of Aeneas will one day defeat Juno’s favourite city, Carthage.

Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales

by Neil.B.Ennis 3 July 2025 Shortlink

Title: The Canterbury Tales
Author: Geoffrey Chaucer
Written: circa 1380 CE
Translator: Neville Coghill (1951)
Pages: 504 Pages
Structure: A series of 24 “tales”, each with its own prologue

The Details

Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales” is a delightful book.

Because it was originally written in Middle English, I decided to read a modern translation.

Dante

The Divine Comedy

by Neil.B.Ennis 31 May 2025 Shortlink

Title: The Divine Comedy
Author: Dante Alighieri
Written: 1308-1321
Translator: Michael Palma (2025)
Pages: 585
Structure: 3 “books”, each consisting of 33 or 34 “cantos”, each about 160 lines long

The Details

Dante’s “Divine Comedy” was one of the most difficult books I have read, but worth the effort.

It’s a 14th century account of one man’s descent to the depths of Hell, and his upward rise to the heights of heaven.

Homer

The Iliad

by Neil.B.Ennis 18 February 2025 Shortlink

Title: The Iliad
Author: Homer
Written: circa 700 BCE
Translator: Samuel Butler, 1898
Pages: 407
Structure: 24 “books”, each about 400 to 900 lines (10 to 20 pages) long.

The Details

The Iliad is the greatest book I have read. It’s hard work, but worth it. This epic of passion, bitterness, heartache and mercy are unparalleled in any literature or religious works available today. Any.

Uncategorised

Hello world!

by Neil.B.Ennis 1 January 2025 Shortlink

Thanks for visiting my blog about books.

At the start of 2025, I realized that I had not read as many books as I would have liked to, and decided to do something about it.

I feel like there are so many good books, and not enough time, so my strategy is to concentrate on the “great” works of literature. They might be difficult, but I figure reading is like riding a bike – riding up steep hills might be difficult at the start, but if you persevere, your legs get stronger, and you are able to visit more stunning places.

So it is with reading. I figure if I exercise the literary “muscles” in my head for a while, it might be easier for me to enjoy more good books, and (hopefully) gain a better insight into other times and places, and so have a better idea of what it means to be human.

Will it work? Who knows! But it’s worth trying.