HeyJaredCrack The Book: A Beginner's Guide to Reading the Great Books
Confused by Confucius? Daunted by Dante? Shook by Shakespeare? I get it! I'm Cheryl, a reader exploring the world's most influential books one episode at a time. I don't do lectures, and I can't do jargon.
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 11
- Latest publication
- Sep 15, 2026
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- Earliest in this view
- Jul 7, 2026
Latest episodes
The Known Unknowns of the Iliad (opens the original)
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It's great that we're reading the Iliad, but sometimes it feels like you've walked into a party that where everyone knows everyone--except you! This week my son and Classics scholar Jack joins me to talk about the backstories in the Iliad. There are many, but the three we break down in particular are: The backstory of the Atrides family: Agamemnon and Menelaus come from a house that has been cursed from a child sacrifice several generations earlier. And Agamemnon in particular has perpetuated th
Who Is the Real Enemy? The Iliad, Books 1-6 (opens the original)
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Today's the day we start The Iliad ! In this episode, I summarize the action thus far, in Books 1-6. I also discuss a few key points that I've noticed in the reading: The story opens in a way I really didn't expect: with the Greeks arguing amongst themselves after being at war with the Trojans for NINE years. The names (something I mentioned last week) can really trip you up. But there's a reason for some of it, and it isn't what you might expect. Homer, a Greek, is surprisingly evenhanded with
The Greatest Stories Ever Told? Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, and Virgil's Aeneid (opens the original)
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This fall, Crack the Book is heading into the ancient world with an epic reading project: Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey , followed by Virgil’s Aeneid . We’ll move at a beginner-friendly pace, keeping our eyes on the forest rather than examining every leaf, while exploring the history, mythology, translations, movies, and enormous cultural influence of these stories. I’ll be reading Robert Fagles as my primary translation, while dipping into versions by Emily Wilson, W.H.D. Rouse, and Sarah Ruden to
Shakespeare's As You Like It: A Comedy You Can Fall In Love With (opens the original)
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This month’s Shakespeare is As You Like It —and after my less-than-enthusiastic experience with A Midsummer Night’s Dream , I’m relieved to discover that Shakespearean comedy really can be funny. The plot is completely ridiculous: banished dukes, feuding brothers, improbable disguises, love at first sight, a lion, a religious conversion, and four marriages. Somehow, it works. But because this is Shakespeare, the comedy also sneaks in bigger ideas: primogeniture and sibling rivalry, country life
The Hits (and Misses!) of a Travel-Wise Reading List (opens the original)
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This week, I’m wrapping up my season of “Brit Lit” by looking back at an ambitious reading project built around a trip through England. My goal was to arrive with some understanding of English history, a feel for the landscape and literature of northern England, and a grounding in English Christianity. Some choices were spectacular: Bede and Bijan Omrani became invaluable guides to the places we visited, while Tom Jones , The Tenant of Wildfell Hall , and Shakespeare’s history plays brought the
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