The Iliad: Homer, translated by Robert Fagles

I read most of the actual books. I recall having a beat-up, used copy of “The Iliad” from the college book store but reading the book now, 40 years later, I’m pretty sure I didn’t actually read it back then.

Luckily, though, picking up a new copy, I recall the basic storyline from class discussions and the fact that “The Iliad” is a cultural milestone that has permeated the Western world so deeply that we almost can’t escape knowing something about the ancient Greek story.

“The Iliad” gave us Helen of Troy – “the face that launched a thousand ships”; Achilles – the mightiest warrior whose weakness was his “Achilles heel”; the sturdy Trojans – the warriors of Troy; Ajax – the powerful warrior whose name inspired the powerful modern cleanser; a Trojan horse – a large wooden horse presented as a gift but is really a covert invasion tool used to sneak enemy warriors into Troy, etc.

A few months ago, I picked up a copy of “The Iliad,” translated by Robert Fagles, a 20th century poet and translator, with a weighty introduction by Bernard Knox.

The translation comes from the writings that followed centuries of oral tradition of passing along the story generation to generation. Homer is considered the poet who created “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey,” both epic poems, circa 8th century B.C.

Basically, King Agamemnon has been conquering the Greek world. A treaty forged between Agamemnon and the city state of Troy is shattered when Paris, a prince of powerful Troy, seduces Helen, the wife of Agamemnon’s brother, and lures her back to Troy.

Agamemnon launches his vast armada to invade Troy. He has a powerful force but, learning no lessons from the actions of Paris, Agamemnon takes a woman away from his ally Achilles. Angered by Agamemnon’s move, Achilles camps near Troy but refuses to fight.

Without Achilles, Agamemnon’s forces cannot break the Trojans, who are led by the magnificent Hector, the heir apparent of Troy and Paris’ brother. Until a battlefield death spurs Achilles to rejoin the battle …

Throughout the story, both forces are helped and hindered by the Greek gods of Zeus, Hera, Apollo and other members of the Pantheon. Though powerful, the Greek gods display human foibles writ large.

What may surprise readers is the detail of violence in “The Iliad.” Modern video games have nothing on Homer. Decapitations, eviscerations and gore litter almost every page. Characters are brutally slaughtered then they are introduced. For example, Joe Greek Jr. is brutally killed; he is the son of Joe Greek Sr., known for his stealth and wealth and health … until now.

All said, “The Iliad” should be read or revisited whether you’ve read the book at some point in the past or the Cliff Notes. It is a classic for a reason, from the elegance of its lines, to the depth of its plot and characterizations, to its action and drama and tragedy.

Burn Book: Kara Swisher

For followers of all things tech for the past few decades, Kara Swisher has been an integral part of the coverage and breaking news for everything from Silicon Valley, Apple, Tesla, Google, Facebook, etc.

In “Burn Book: A Tech Love Story,” the famed journalist shares her stories behind the stories.

The idea of a “burn book” comes from the movie “Mean Girls.” It’s a book where the girls dump all of their snark on other girls in their high school. A burn book has been described as being like an evil yearbook.

And that’s sort of what Swisher does in her “Burn Book.” Except she’s not being “mean” to high school girls. She aims her investigative skills, laser wit and snark at mega-billionaires such as Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and especially Elon Musk. Make no mistake. Swisher does not suffer fools, but unlike the “Mean Girls,” she doesn’t push around subordinate subjects. She “punches up,” taking on the big boys in a fearless, “the emperor has no clothes” manner.

Swisher also shares her story. Growing up in a household where her father died at a young age while she was still a child, she became interested in journalism. Early in her career, she saw the importance of the rising tech market and began to look at the boy-wizzes behind the gadgets. Young men who all seemed to want to save the world … at first, before becoming ridiculously rich then becoming more interested in themselves and becoming richer, all while forcing their views of what salvation should be upon the world.

She gained her ability to speak her truth to power while working for John McLaughlin, host of the old panel discussion television show “The McLaughlin Group.” She was unafraid to tell McLaughlin what she thought about something and what she thought of him — a trait that followed her to The Wall Street Journal where her apex-boss was Rupert Murdoch.

“Burn Book” is a fascinating look at the rise of a superstar reporter’s career but it is really an intriguing look at the technological developments and the people behind them from the past quarter century.

Swisher writes with refreshing candor and the pages fly by at a burning pace.