Posts Tagged ‘novels’
It’s here! Beach reading season 2018
I always love this time of year. The spring sunshine blesses us, and it’s time to start heading out to the beach once again with a good novel tucked in the beach bag. Earlier this week my younger son had a track meet in Ostia, the small city west of Rome and on the sea.…
Read MoreGarcía Márquez on authors and pilots
“I’m happy when I’m traveling to know that the pilots are better pilots than I am a writer.” —Gabriel García-Márquez I love this quote from brilliant Colombian novelist Gabriel García-Márquez (1927 -2014). While García-Márquez, a truly gifted and original writer, is being modest, he also raises an important point. A pilot must demonstrate technical skill and mastery to…
Read MoreWhen I really don’t like a book…
I’m a big fan of books. Paper books, that is. I do far too much reading on computers at work, and when I return home or travel, I want to read real books, turn crisp pages, watch the number of pages accumulate as I work my way through a novel. Sadly for me, I don’t…
Read MoreAuthors as Martians, according to Martin Amis
“I think all writers are Martians. They come and say, You haven’t been seeing this place right.” —Martin Amis An interesting take on writers by talented British novelist Martin Amis. I like this imagery of a novelist as a Martian – giving his or her unique take on (perhaps oft visited) subject matter, with the…
Read MoreA hilarious take on the literary classics from Thug Notes
Way back when I was in high school, Cliff Notes were the preferred reviews both for kids like me who loved to read and wanted to learn more and those who hoped to avoid reading the full novel by instead skimming the short summary and the accompanying literary themes. Today there’s a hilarious new take…
Read MoreShivers on the slopes: Book reviews
I spent last week skiing with my sons. I always enjoy skiing, but one of the activities I enjoy most after an exhausting day of physical activity is curling up in a warm space with a steaming cup of tea and reading a good novel. When we ski, my kids and I ski from the…
Read MoreThree cheers for translated fiction
Many moons ago, I was in a Book Club with a member who proclaimed we should “never” read translated fiction. “After all,” she loved to stress, “we’ll never run out of fiction written in the English language.” Yes, technically I suppose this is true. But what a narrow world view… Not surprisingly, I didn’t stay…
Read MoreBook Review: Eligible
I’m a huge Jane Austen fan, and so I was very interested when I heard about The Austen Project: a plan to retell Austen’s six novels set in modern times, and reinterpreted by six different contemporary authors. I enjoyed the modern version of Sense and Sensibility by Joanna Trolloppe. But then I pretty much gave up…
Read MoreAuthor Marguerite Yourcenar on why we read
“Books are a way of learning to feel more acutely.” – Marguerite Yourcenar Sage words from the French author (1903-1987) most famous for her novel Memoirs of Hadrian. Perhaps this author knows best, having so effectively written from the perspective of 1st Century AD Roman Emperor. Books have a way of opening us up to…
Read MoreAnother New Year, another Goodreads Reading Challenge
It’s that time of year again for those of us who love reading – time to set our reading goals for 2018. Every year I sign up for the Goodreads Reading Challenge, and 2018 is no exception. I’ve pledged to read 45 novels in the new year. I generally meet my challenge, but if I…
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