Beowulf (Old English, 8th century(?))

I had never read this and saw it as a Kindle item - so why not? Seems like it's the kind of thing that should be read.  

But it is rather hard to follow. Beowulf crosses some body of water to hep King Hrothgar of Denmark - Hrothgar's royal hall is regularly attacked at night by a monster named Grendel. Beowulf pledges to defeat the monster without using weapons, and succeeds by tearing off Grendel's arm, after which Grendel dies.

They celebrate - but on the next (or one of the next) night Grendel's nasty mother (a swamp resident) attacks the hall and kills a key warrior. Beowulf gets into Ma's underwater den and kills her by using a giant's sword conveniently found there.  

Beowulf goes home and becomes king.  The story then jumps forward ~50 years. A dragon with an immense treasure hoard (Smaug-like!) is disturbed by a thief and starts attacking the kingdom. Beowulf and a few warriors go to take on the dragon.  All the men but one abandon Beowulf.  But he gets the job done, though mortally wounded.

Didn't take much time, I didn't love reading it but am glad I did. 

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark (William Shakespeare, 1599-1601)

Another Shakespeare classic that somehow I've never read.  I wasn't particularly looking forward to it, but found the story entirely engaging.  

Yes, it is a tragedy! The ghost of Hamlet's murdered father sets much of the plot in motion. Hamlet unhappy with his uncle (the murderer) who took over the throne as well as Hamlet's mother. Questions about Hamlet's sanity. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern aren't good friends to Hamlet and pay a price.  Ophelia (now I get the pre-Raphaelite painting). Polonius, Laertes. 

More famous quotes than I knew, examples - 

• to thine own self be true
• neither a borrower nor a lender be
• more honored in the breach than the observance
• something is rotten in the state of Denmark
• There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in our philosophy
• Brevity is the soul of wit.
• Though this be madness, yet there is method in't.
• To be, or not to be, that is the question.
• The lady protests too much, methinks

Really happy to have read this, long overdue.

A Line in the World - A year on the North Sea Coast (Dorthe Nors, 2021)

Saw a favorable review and gave the book a try - I liked it.

Very much out of my experience geographically - author explores the rugged west coast of Denmark - where she has, or at least had, family ties.  Kind of connected, but kind of not.

EXCEPT - I read this shortly after our visit up to Nome - this made it much, much easier to imagine the coastal ruggedness that the author describes.

And - there is some overlap with the feel of return visits to Iowa over the years.