Nobody wrote about forest food like Brian Jacques.
Martin the Warrior, etc. What a wonderful series of books. I loved reading them to both of our kids.
Martin the Warrior, etc. What a wonderful series of books. I loved reading them to both of our kids.
Josu
Emperor
BTW, my fostered daughter is "stealing" my reading time. Since she is with us, we have read several children's books but I am not finding too much time to continue reading Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay.
I read first part in a jiffy, however I am stuck with the second part because I am not enjoying this Dianora's story. On the other hand I am considering to user my free time to prepare some certification exams I have been suggested for my professional career.
I read first part in a jiffy, however I am stuck with the second part because I am not enjoying this Dianora's story. On the other hand I am considering to user my free time to prepare some certification exams I have been suggested for my professional career.
sophie
Break My Heart
Havin a grand ol time with my new book
Bonyduck Campersang
Staring into the distance
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2022
- Messages
- 4,681
I have been reading Best Russian Short Stories (collected by Thomas Seltzer) on and off for a year or two.
The very first story was The Queen of Spades, a disappointing read because I was led to suppose there would be more to the story, it ended with a jarring abruptness.
Nikolai Gogol's The Cloak was very well-written, even if it ended drearily after what seems to be the fashion of Russian stories.
But the real stand-out so far is Maxim Gorky's Her Lover, it's a gut punch in literary form. This story is the reason I'm writing this post, it's the sort of story one would like to recommend to everyone any chance one could get.
The very first story was The Queen of Spades, a disappointing read because I was led to suppose there would be more to the story, it ended with a jarring abruptness.
Nikolai Gogol's The Cloak was very well-written, even if it ended drearily after what seems to be the fashion of Russian stories.
But the real stand-out so far is Maxim Gorky's Her Lover, it's a gut punch in literary form. This story is the reason I'm writing this post, it's the sort of story one would like to recommend to everyone any chance one could get.
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EnglishEdward
Deity
Yesterday I finished reading:
Lost in Time
by
A G Riddle
Good read, although ending became predictable and too happy..
Lost in Time
by
A G Riddle
LOST IN TIME by A. G. Riddle (BOOK REVIEW) | Fantasy-Hive
Today, Nils reviews A. G. Riddle's standalone time-travel thriller LOST IN TIME: "easy to devour in one sitting, it’s easy to be wholly immersed into this twisty time travel tale"
fantasy-hive.co.uk
LOST IN TIME by A. G. Riddle (BOOK REVIEW) | Fantasy-Hive
Today, Nils reviews A. G. Riddle's standalone time-travel thriller LOST IN TIME: "easy to devour in one sitting, it’s easy to be wholly immersed into this twisty time travel tale"
fantasy-hive.co.uk
Good read, although ending became predictable and too happy..
The overcoat is likely the most important story in russian literature, in regards to what it allowed to come after. It's also what Dostoevsky claims in so many words: "We all came out from beneath the overcoat".
The end is trying to change the bleakness of the story before it - it wasn't to my liking either, but neither can it detract from the rest ^^
SS-18 ICBM
Oscillator
Fulfillment by Alec MacGills is about "Winning and Losing in One-Click America", by using Amazon as a lens to visualize increasing inequality in the US. Personal stories of average Americans are masterfully intertwined with analysis of trends in pursuit of this goal. Amazon's tremendous growth is reflected in the fortunes of "hyperprosperous cities" like Seattle and Washington, D.C., leading to rising incomes and housing prices. The national capital has particularly benefited from the rise of lobbying, which Amazon wields in its quest for tax incentives around America. In recent decade, Amazon's warehouses and data centers have proliferated in declining middle America, which hasn't led to as much prosperity and even causes workplace accidents. Such incidents are downplayed due to the company's lack of transparency. The plight of the working class isn't helped by the Democrats focusing on becoming the party of urban professionals in the hyperprosperous cities. Left unchecked, these widening chasms of inequality threaten to tear apart the very fabric of American society.
Starter Villain by John Scalzi. A wonderful quick read (262 pages) about a school teacher thrust into the world of world wide crime syndicates. Not to be missed future tech included for free!
Caesar of Bread
Ronald Reagan's #1 Hater
Recently finished Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler and loved it! It’s about a 19th century Norwegian woman who doesn’t like her house and the man she’s married to.
bene_legionary
Believes in love
In the past couple weeks I finished a couple of books from Standard Ebooks. Apparently, they're all love stories in the end. Well, I'm happy for them, if anything.
Earlier I finished The Eleventh Virgin by Dorothy Day, which is apparently an autobiography of herself up to just before she became very religious; the book is mostly about her radical life in New York. (I have to admit I picked the book up randomly and I hadn't heard of Day before the book. No, it was not because of the title.) The book was interesting by the way that it made me consider how much more other people had to work to get to their place, although for reasons that are probably petty for other people. I have to admit I've been pretty lucky and I should be more thankful that my education and housing is secure and that my family is there for me. Not that June ("Dorothy") didn't have that, but it seemed apparent that it was less secure than what I have almost for granted (and should remind myself otherwise...) e.g., from the portrayal of the male members of her family that they simply don't exist – hell, they don't even get names, her father is just "Mr. Henreddy" and leaves his wife, "Mother Grace", to do everything for their 5 children. Perhaps I'm too sensitive in some areas and too insensitive in others, but that's what it evoked in me.
Today I finished Night and Day by Virginia Woolf. The descriptions are intense (but I've got no authority on the feelings of love) and remind me of Anna Karenina sometimes where everything is rushing to the head and all confusing. That did not help for some parts of the book where I just had to press on because I didn't understand what was going on. There is also a liberal use of commas, which are, in some cases, tending to be quite on the annoying side, if you get lost in reading sentences, like I do often, and am trying to replicate now. (Seriously. The mental pause I take every time is draining – but I liked the book enough to read it for hours at a time.) I also liked the descriptions of city life and I tried to picture myself on the Embankment where some of the pivotal moments of this book occur.
I've read that this is her "conventional" novel, so I wonder what her other books are like. I've read a book by her husband, Leonard Woolf, when I was much younger, called The Village in the Jungle. It's considered an adopted classic in Sri Lanka where it is set, and it was probably too complex for me when I read it; the book is about the dominating authority of the madness of the jungle, and what it does to the lives of the people who live in it; it's beautifully sad in the end. An unfortunately overlooked book internationally. You can find it on Project Gutenberg.
Earlier I finished The Eleventh Virgin by Dorothy Day, which is apparently an autobiography of herself up to just before she became very religious; the book is mostly about her radical life in New York. (I have to admit I picked the book up randomly and I hadn't heard of Day before the book. No, it was not because of the title.) The book was interesting by the way that it made me consider how much more other people had to work to get to their place, although for reasons that are probably petty for other people. I have to admit I've been pretty lucky and I should be more thankful that my education and housing is secure and that my family is there for me. Not that June ("Dorothy") didn't have that, but it seemed apparent that it was less secure than what I have almost for granted (and should remind myself otherwise...) e.g., from the portrayal of the male members of her family that they simply don't exist – hell, they don't even get names, her father is just "Mr. Henreddy" and leaves his wife, "Mother Grace", to do everything for their 5 children. Perhaps I'm too sensitive in some areas and too insensitive in others, but that's what it evoked in me.
Spoiler Book spoilers :
Today I finished Night and Day by Virginia Woolf. The descriptions are intense (but I've got no authority on the feelings of love) and remind me of Anna Karenina sometimes where everything is rushing to the head and all confusing. That did not help for some parts of the book where I just had to press on because I didn't understand what was going on. There is also a liberal use of commas, which are, in some cases, tending to be quite on the annoying side, if you get lost in reading sentences, like I do often, and am trying to replicate now. (Seriously. The mental pause I take every time is draining – but I liked the book enough to read it for hours at a time.) I also liked the descriptions of city life and I tried to picture myself on the Embankment where some of the pivotal moments of this book occur.
Spoiler Book spoilers :
I've read that this is her "conventional" novel, so I wonder what her other books are like. I've read a book by her husband, Leonard Woolf, when I was much younger, called The Village in the Jungle. It's considered an adopted classic in Sri Lanka where it is set, and it was probably too complex for me when I read it; the book is about the dominating authority of the madness of the jungle, and what it does to the lives of the people who live in it; it's beautifully sad in the end. An unfortunately overlooked book internationally. You can find it on Project Gutenberg.
Hitler's American Friends, which is hit and miss. It addresses "German sympathizers" in the United States in the 1930s-1940s, which is encompasses ethnic Germans who supported the "new Germany"; those whose political and economic interests made them interested in fascism; non-interventionists, and American companies with private interests in Germany. Many of the characters the author is highlighting are interesting in themselves, but his handling of them is clumsy. He refers to Coughlin's 16 points as "fascist", but the only descriptions I can find of Coughlin's "sixteen points" are fairly vague: the most substantial content I've turned up is a 1965 biography of Coughlin that was sharply critical of his antisemitism, but referred to the economic plan as "reform capitalism" or "mild socialism", with aspects of agrarianism and presumably some distributist influence.
On a related note there's this Prequel by Rachel Maddow. It's about US fascism in the 1930s.
I've seen that one but am...iffy about it. Not too attracted by a politically-charged journalist writing history. If my library obtains it I may take a look. Thanks!
EnglishEdward
Deity
A couple of days ago, I finished reading:
The Bone House
by
Stephen R Lawhead
which is a fantasy story set about people travelling to different
places and times in alternative worlds via running through ley-lines.
That book is actually book 2 in a Bright Empires novel series
I have not read any of its other books. Anyway, this particular book
came across as a series of well written adventure short stories,
supposedly joined together in by some rather dubious plot logic.
Good read as second hand, but I wouldn't pay full price for such.
The Bone House
by
Stephen R Lawhead
which is a fantasy story set about people travelling to different
places and times in alternative worlds via running through ley-lines.
That book is actually book 2 in a Bright Empires novel series
I have not read any of its other books. Anyway, this particular book
came across as a series of well written adventure short stories,
supposedly joined together in by some rather dubious plot logic.
Good read as second hand, but I wouldn't pay full price for such.
bene_legionary
Believes in love
I'm currently reading One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. I'm only a fifth of the way through it, but I feel like I have to say it's quite an intense book sometimes. Things change so quickly I forget which Jose Arcadio or Aureliano is which (and there are about 3 of each!!!) But it has been good so far... sometimes tragic.
EULALIAAAAA!
Currently reading All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren, a fictional account of Huey Long, and Christina Hoff Summer's The War Against Boys.
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2007
- Messages
- 9,306
Currently partway through Lady Death: The Memoirs of Stalin's Sniper. The sub-title of the posthumously-published autobiography is taking a bit of liberty, as she was not Stalin's personal sniper per se, but recognized by Stalin personally for her sniping abilities. But the Lady Death part is pretty accurate, and a historically accurate nickname, and the author was one of the most prolific snipers of WWII.
What makes it such a good read is that she also has style and some sense of humor in writing. It's not simply a tally of all 309 of the fascist invaders that fell to her shooting, and she doesn't get too deep into the weeds on the technical matters, aiming for a general audience. Instead, she highlights aspects of the training and the warfare that are distinctive and set the tone for the overall experience.
These range from lighthearted encounters with comrades, to the horrific scenes witnessed in an attack after a successful Katyusha rocket artillery barrage, to the tragic tales of the abuses of civilians by the invading troops, to the success and folly of an effort to imitate reports of Finnish snipers by shooting a machine gun nest from the branches of a copse of maple trees.
It is a relatively uplifting tale considering how many of her comrades lose their lives, and how relatively frequently she is injured. I think in part this is due to her personality and skills being unusually well-qualified for the role - there is a bit of Ernst Jünger in terms of doing well in an environment most do poorly in. But she also admits that part of their positive outlook was due to her regiment being somewhat shielded from the greater catastrophe, being stationed in the one sector of the front that wasn't an unmitigated disaster in 1941. Yes, it didn't start out in a very promising fashion, being issued a spade and one (yes, one) grenade as weapons upon signing up, not a rifle to be seen... but after being pushed back to Odessa fairly quickly, they spent two months successfully beating back the Romanians and even going on successful counter-attacks. One could be forgiven for thinking they were valiantly stopping the foe when not realizing that everywhere else, the foe was advancing by hundreds of miles.
All in all, recommended. An interesting picture of a dramatic time to live through, and military history that can be learned in an approachable manner.
What makes it such a good read is that she also has style and some sense of humor in writing. It's not simply a tally of all 309 of the fascist invaders that fell to her shooting, and she doesn't get too deep into the weeds on the technical matters, aiming for a general audience. Instead, she highlights aspects of the training and the warfare that are distinctive and set the tone for the overall experience.
These range from lighthearted encounters with comrades, to the horrific scenes witnessed in an attack after a successful Katyusha rocket artillery barrage, to the tragic tales of the abuses of civilians by the invading troops, to the success and folly of an effort to imitate reports of Finnish snipers by shooting a machine gun nest from the branches of a copse of maple trees.
It is a relatively uplifting tale considering how many of her comrades lose their lives, and how relatively frequently she is injured. I think in part this is due to her personality and skills being unusually well-qualified for the role - there is a bit of Ernst Jünger in terms of doing well in an environment most do poorly in. But she also admits that part of their positive outlook was due to her regiment being somewhat shielded from the greater catastrophe, being stationed in the one sector of the front that wasn't an unmitigated disaster in 1941. Yes, it didn't start out in a very promising fashion, being issued a spade and one (yes, one) grenade as weapons upon signing up, not a rifle to be seen... but after being pushed back to Odessa fairly quickly, they spent two months successfully beating back the Romanians and even going on successful counter-attacks. One could be forgiven for thinking they were valiantly stopping the foe when not realizing that everywhere else, the foe was advancing by hundreds of miles.
All in all, recommended. An interesting picture of a dramatic time to live through, and military history that can be learned in an approachable manner.
bene_legionary
Believes in love
I have just finished One Hundred Years of Solitude. What a bewildering book! The connection of the Buendías with Macondo is parallel to the connection of Silindu's family with Beddagama in The Village in the Jungle, while the way the story is told is almost like Catch-22 in the way that the book spoils to you in passing references the occurence of events in the far future, and how they reflect in the future and back into the present. Parts of it are horrifying, or tragically funny, or contain bitterness encapsulated in sentences lasting three pages. The end is, well, disturbing, and yet it is predicted from the start of the book... circumstances are cyclical.
I do not find it a very quotable book, but I respect how it wraps up six generations of a family.
I do not find it a very quotable book, but I respect how it wraps up six generations of a family.
Just finished All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren, about the rise and fall of a politician loosely inspired by Governor Huey P Long.
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