There is one form of power that has fascinated me ever since I was a girl, even though it has been widely colonized by men: the power of storytelling. Telling stories really is a kind of power, and not an insignificant one. Stories give shape to experience, sometimes by accommodating traditional literary forms, sometimes by […]
Quotation: Elena Ferrante: Storytelling as Power Read More »
Novels Mentioned The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, translated by Berliani M. Nugrahani The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman My Brilliant Friend (and 3 companion novels) by by Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin, translated by Ken Liu Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier The Book Thief by Markus
15 Novels: Learning History through Reading Fiction Read More »
“She took things too seriously. She was difficult and unyielding. That’s why Susan Sontag’s work matters so much even now.” This is how I see her monstrosity: residing not in whether she was or was not likeable, but in her relentlessness, and her refusal to pander. The word ‘monster’ comes from the Latin monere, to
Quotation: Susan Sontag Was a Monster Read More »
When I posted about The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, I wondered how many people actually engage with the text of mysteries or thrillers instead of just skimming to find out how the story ends. Michaelides leads the reader along so scintillatingly that a large part of the pleasure of reading this novel lies in
Close Reading: A Pivotal Scene in “The Silent Patient” Read More »
While exploring other book blogs after I came home from my vacation, I discovered the 6 DEGREES OF SEPARATION MEME. I was immediately drawn to it because I like the way it makes me think about how the books I read may be related. Here, from the meme description page, is how it works: Books
6 Degrees of Separation: From “The Dry” to “Oliver Twist” Read More »
I take no pleasure in reporting this. Back in 2017 I read Jay Asher’s book Thirteen Reasons Why in preparation for the Netflix series. I wrote about the mixed messages I found in the book, which disturbed me so much that I refused to watch the Netflix production, in Thoughts on “Thirteen Reasons Why.” Now
Worst Fears Realized: Results of “Thirteen Reasons Why” Read More »
What? I read only three books this month? I can’t even begin to figure out how I read so little. The Three-Body Problem is quite long, but still . . . What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty Pan Macmillan, 2009, rpt.2018 Recommended When we had to come home early from our world cruise, we flew
Books I Read in April Read More »
It’s time for another CC Spin, The Classics Club Spin #20. Yes, this is the event that made me decide it was time to redo my entire Classics Club list. This spin is based on that new list. Here’s the procedure: By Monday, April 22nd, I am to create a list of 20 books from
The Classics Club Spin #20 Read More »
A recent call for a Classics Club Spin reminded me that I need to re-examine my Classics Club commitment. When I originally signed up for the Classics Club back in March 2014, I put together a list of just over 50 books that I pledged to read by March 1, 2019. Well, that date has
New Classics Club List Read More »
We were scheduled to return home from our world cruise on May 11, but during late March, while we were visiting Australia, I began to feel what I thought was the start of a sinus infection. The ship’s doctor said, “No, I think you have something wrong in your tooth.” He sent me to a
A Sea Change: Coming Home Early Read More »
