Intellectual Pursuits

Classes haven't even started, and I find that the amount of self education I am doing is getting a little out of control. I am currently in the midst of four books, kind of five.

"Smeddum"
"Smeddum" is an anthology of Lewis Grassic Gibbon's short stories and last novel. The novel was published posthumosly. A lot of his stories address the themes of Scots relation to the urban and rural life, marriage and loyalty and of course, human nature. I find them hard to read as some of the words are Scottish and i have to look them up. Otherwise they are deceptively simple.

"The Scottish Nation: 1700-2000"
So I am only on page 200 of this 500 page book. It covers Scottish history from right before the union to right after the union. It's very dense and reads like a textbook, only it's small enough to comfortably carry around.

"Selected Poems" by Robert Burns
Affectionatly called Robbie (pronounced Rabbie) Burns, I find his poetry difficult and tedious to get through. However, I have not given it enough chance and will try to read it some more in depth after I finish the rest of the books.

"To Rule the Waves: How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World" by Arthur Herman
This book has really and truly been shelved. It is very interesting and really fun to read, but honestly, I just don't have time. I read a chapter every once and a while. It's about the British Navy and how it formed and it's context in the rest of the world. I started reading it on the plane over here.

The semi fifth book I haven't started, but it's
"Sunset Song" by Lewis Grassic Gibbon
"Sunset Song" is part of a classic trilogy about a Scottish Town. It was recommended that we read it. So I will.