I know May is still three months away, but I just want to gauge interest and see what you all think. I loved reading Paradise Lost a decade ago when I was in college and I’ve been thinking it’s about time to revisit it. The language of the poem was so beautiful, and I loved the retelling of the Adam and Eve story.

Because it is epic poetry (and it’s so great I’d love for others to join me!), I’m hoping that someone else might like to read along with me. My copy (Norton Critical Edition) is about 300 pages, and there are 12 books. I’d probably post once a week about three of the books, and I could link to any participant’s posts each week too.

Here’s the idea:

Week of May 3: Books 1-3

Week of May 10: Books 4-6

Week of May 17: Books 7-9

Week of May 24: Books 10-12

Is three books a week reasonable for other people that might be interested? We could do two books a week, and go into June, but then it might feel slow, I don’t know.

Why May? Well, I’m participating in the Lord of the Rings read-along starting next month and going through April and I need to also read Crime and Punishment for my April book club. May gives me time to get ready for it. Besides, doesn’t the story of Adam and Eve in a garden just call for springtime? (At least, it will be springtime for the Northern hemisphere.) I could also wait until June if that’s better for others.

And one other thing: I need a catchy name. I almost called it Milton in May, but since Woolf in Winter is kind of the same thing, I don’t want to appear to be copying on the alliteration thing…

Would you like to join me in reading Paradise Lost? Even just one person reading with me would make me happy!