The Odyssey ~ Book 1

When I was told that we were going to be reading The Odyssey, I was both excited and surprised.  I have read Homer's masterpiece before, along with The Iliad, and had no problem reading it the first time.  I was even more surprised to see how few others had read either one of Homer's most renowned works of literature.  Because I have read The Odyssey before, I found myself needing very little preparation to read.  I simply picked up the book knowing who each character was, how they corresponded with each other and how the plot was lain out.  I did realize very quickly that I have read a different version from the one I just recently received.  There are many differences between the two versions that almost get on my nerves.  Many of the main characters have different names, such as Athena's alternative name, Minerva.  The most irritating difference is how this version uses the name "Ulysses" for the main character, while the first version I read used "Odysseus."  Personally, I find that Odysseus makes more sense, as it corresponds with the title. 
My habit in active reading is to write the "dumbed down" version of the text in the margin.  As I do this, I use abbreviations of names and places, such as "Tele" for Telemachus and "Ith" for Ithaca.  Being the stubborn reader I am, I refuse to stop writing "Ody" for Ulysses, no matter what version I am reading. 
Regarding my opinions on the story itself, I find The Odyssey to be my favorite of the epic poems I have read.  The fact that this 174 page booklet is actually classified as a poem blows my mind.  I see The Odyssey as an ancient adventure, like the hundreds of years old version of Star wars, or something like that.  By reading about Odysseus and his adventures through the Mediterranean area of the world, I have gained a great amount of knowledge about that area of the world during that time period.  For example, Ithaca is a thin island south of Italy now known as Crete (I believe?).  We learn about geography, culture, government and religious beliefs through a story that is referred to (on the surface) as a poem about a war general trying to return home.
I find Homer works to be easier to read than Shakespeare, especially when read in this version.  The first version I read was slightly more prose and verse, where this one is in more of a sentence-y form.  It may the fact that The Odyssey was translated fairly recently, where Shakespeare was written during the Renaissance, making the language of Homer more understandable for us.
Regarding the plot of Book 1, it has hardly begun to dig in.  The image of the story is just beginning to settle!  Most characters have barely been introduced, like Penelope, Telemachus, the suitors and even Odysseus. 
There's not much else to say other than that the story is going to get MUCH better after Book 1. 
Sayonara!