august already

Summer always goes too quickly. Although, with the heat and humidity in NYC this year, I'm looking forward to autumn. Summer Fridays are really what goes to quickly! Ah, those lazy Fridays at home with nothing to do and no one to answer to. . . . Of course, it doesn't actually turn out that way most of the time, but I can dream, right?
This is supposed to be an effort in speed-blogging, since it's time to go home, but I've got loads of books to talk about. So, in a nutshell:
31) Orpheus Lost by Janette Turner Hospital. This was good and interesting. The writing was good. It follows two people in love in post-September 11 America. She's American, he's not. The love story is beautiful but then it descends into the underworld with politics, fear, paranoia, and a really messed-up character from the woman's past. The man is a musician and I adored the parts of the narrative that spoke about the music. But that wasn't enough for me to keep it; I struggled with the fear and pain and sheer angst on these pages. Which was maybe the point of the book. It's very plausible, normal everyday people becoming accidentally caught up in political events that have larger meanings. I do recommend this book, but as I said, not a keeper for me.
32) The Buried Book by David Damrosch. I really enjoyed this book! It's about the discovery of the epic of Gilgamesh, the loss of it in ancient times, and the rediscovery in recent. Totally fun, interesting, and accessible. This encompasses archaeology, cultural studies, ancient literature, and the actual story of Gilgamesh. Great stuff! I totally recommend this to anyone who read Gilgamesh in college or for fun, or is into ancient literature or archaeology.
That's all; it's time to go. More books tomorrow!
Happy Monday!