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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Homer, a Greek, is surprisingly evenhanded with good guys on both the Greek and Trojan side. In fact, Trojan Hector seems like he will be the moral center of the story.
4. Helen is, well, Helen is odd. Does she feel trapped? Does she even like Menelaus or Paris? I hope we hear from her more, but I don't have high hopes.

So, one-quarter of the way into the Iliad, it's been an interesting ride. It's very, very bloody, but it's a war book, so maybe that is just the way things are? We'll see--next week! We'll be taking a look at more of the Iliad, and we are also going to talk about what is missing. Next week: the Backstories of the Iliad.

BOOKS IN THIS EPISODE

The Iliad: Translated by Fagles, Rouse, and Wilson.

CONNECT

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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 versus court life, the costs of travel, and, most memorably, the famous “All the world’s a stage” speech. I also share why I don’t recommend Kenneth Branagh’s movie adaptation and give As You Like It a B+. Plus, a preview of our fall Shakespeare lineup and the upcoming Iliad/Odyssey/Aeneid reading project.

BOOKS IN THIS EPISODE

As You Like It

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The complete list of Crack the Book Episodes (Amazon affiliate links): https://cheryldrury.substack.com/p/crack-the-book-start-here?r=u3t2r

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Kenneth Branagh's As You Like It Trailer

St. Philip's Academy 2026 Convocation (Not available yet but I'll link when it is!)

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Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crack-the-book/id1749793321

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Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was one of the biggest surprises on my British reading list. Set on the Yorkshire moors, this 1848 novel begins as a mystery about a woman with an unknown past, but quickly becomes a remarkably honest examination of alcoholism, domestic violence, social expectations, and the limited choices available to women.

I explore why Anne’s unflinching realism put her at odds with her sister Charlotte, how their own family experiences shaped the novel, and why its themes still feel strikingly modern. I also discuss the book’s unusual dual first-person narrative, why I think it deserves far more attention than it receives, and why it makes an excellent next step for readers who love Jane Austen but are ready for something darker and more challenging.

We also discuss audiobooks. Is it "really" reading, or is a kind of cheat? I share what the research says--and what it doesn't--and share a little of my own experience, too.

BOOKS IN THIS EPISODE

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë

A History of Tom Jones, A Foundling by Henry Fielding

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri

As You Wish by Carey Elwes

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

CONNECT

The complete list of Crack the Book Episodes (Amazon affiliate links): https://cheryldrury.substack.com/p/crack-the-book-start-here?r=u3t2r

To read more of my writing, visit my Substack - https://www.cheryldrury.substack.com.

Follow me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cldrury/

Like what you heard? Buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/crackthebook

LISTEN

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5GpySInw1e8IqNQvXow7Lv?si=9ebd5508daa245bd

Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crack-the-book/id1749793321

Captivate - https://crackthebook.captivate.fm

What a treat! When I spotted Dan Jones' 2024 biography of Henry V in the bookstore, I couldn't resist. In this episode we explore how history and drama can collide. What makes something "true?" Is it the story you repeat to yourself, or the actual facts that not everyone remembers?

I loved being able to read this book against Shakespeare's Henriad. Would it spoil the spell that Shakespeare had cast over me, disturb the golden glow that I held our Harry in? Find out in this episode.

BOOKS IN THIS EPISODE

Henry V: The Astonishing Triumph of England's Greatest Warrior King (Dan Jones)

Henry V (Shakespeare, Folger Shakespeare Library)

CONNECT

Kenneth Branagh's Henry V St. Crispin's Day Speech (Seriously go watch it!)

The complete list of Crack the Book Episodes (Amazon affiliate links): https://cheryldrury.substack.com/p/crack-the-book-start-here?r=u3t2r

To read more of my writing, visit my Substack - https://www.cheryldrury.substack.com.

Follow me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cldrury/

Like what you heard? Buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/crackthebook

LISTEN

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5GpySInw1e8IqNQvXow7Lv?si=9ebd5508daa245bd

Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crack-the-book/id1749793321

Captivate - https://crackthebook.captivate.fm

Back with our once-a-month Shakespeare, this week wrapping up the trilogy of Henry plays with my personal favorite, Henry V.

This week I did a quick review of how I read Shakespeare--movie, Folgers Shakespeare edition--and then we jumped into the play. After the humor of Falstaff and the exploits of our Prince Harry, Henry V is decidedly more serious. Prince Harry has become King Henry V, and he's going to war to claim the French throne.

Shakespeare gives us a guide, the Chorus, who navigates the action as we watch Harry lead his army through the siege at Harfleur and the slog to Calais. The ragged army arrives at the field of Agincourt vastly outnumbered by a fresh French army when Henry gives what I think is one of the finest speeches in all of Shakespeare (although I have only nine other plays to compare to!). The "band of brothers" St. Crispin's Day speech is one for the ages!

The play isn't only about battles, though. We see Harry struggle with betrayal and the consequences of leadership, and we see him court Princess Katherine of France in some of the lighter moments of the play. And while we no longer have Falstaff, the French leadership provide their own share of comic relief, which must have played well in Elizabethan England, too.

By the way, you truly MUST watch the Kenneth Branagh movie, Henry V. As of July 2026 it's included in Amazon Prime--this is a movie that will win over the most anti-Shakespeare person in your life.

Next month we take on our first comedy, As You Like It. And we are choosing plays to read in the coming months over on the Substack chat--please let me know what you want to read! That link is below.

And next week, we take a closer look at the historical Henry V with Dan Brown's 2024 biography. Will the real Henry V please stand up?

BOOKS IN THIS EPISODE

The Folgers Shakespeare Library: Henry IV Part 1, Part 2; Henry V; As You Like It

Dan Brown's Henry V

CONNECT

Let's talk about Shakespeare: Crack the Book Substack Chat

The complete list of Crack the Book Episodes (Amazon affiliate links): https://cheryldrury.substack.com/p/crack-the-book-start-here?r=u3t2r

To read more of my writing, visit my Substack - https://www.cheryldrury.substack.com.

Follow me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cldrury/

Like what you heard? Buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/crackthebook

LISTEN

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5GpySInw1e8IqNQvXow7Lv?si=9ebd5508daa245bd

Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crack-the-book/id1749793321

Captivate - https://crackthebook.captivate.fm

A modern history--I think the first one of the podcast! Bijan Omrani's 2025 book God is an Englishman presented a thesis that I couldn't resist, that the history of England can't be unwoven from Christianity, and to ignore the Church is to reject all the things that make England English.

We take a look at the basis of Omrani's argument, and a closer look at a few aspects of English life: art, literature, architecture, and education. I think Omrani makes a good case. He's a church warden as well as an historian, and he calls to question the idea that a purely secular England can remain the country that he loves.

It's an interesting argument, especially at a time when Christianity in particular is being driven from public life in England. He's at his best when examining history, and weaker as he tries to reconcile himself to the current atmosphere of England, prescribing more compromise in hopes of turning the culture, regaining things like commonly sung hymns or a shared ideal of beauty.

But Englishman offers a solid place to consider culture from. Sometimes I think he stretches his points a little far, but overall it's an interesting take on the origins of culture, the things you just take for granted. They came from somewhere; we reject them at our peril.

BOOKS IN THIS EPISODE

Is God an Englishman? (Bijan Omrani)

CONNECT

The complete list of Crack the Book Episodes (Amazon affiliate links): https://cheryldrury.substack.com/p/crack-the-book-start-here?r=u3t2r

To read more of my writing, visit my Substack - https://www.cheryldrury.substack.com.

Follow me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cldrury/

Like what you heard? Buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/crackthebook

LISTEN

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5GpySInw1e8IqNQvXow7Lv?si=9ebd5508daa245bd

Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/crack-the-book/id1749793321

Captivate - https://crackthebook.captivate.fm