blauracke – Page 16 – Cannonball Read 17

“The first thing that plague brought to our town was exile.”

The Plague by Albert Camus

March 11, 2020 by blauracke 5 Comments

In the French Algerian city of Oran, some time in the 1940s, the rats are coming out of the sewers to perish in the streets. Soon, the first people begin to die and it becomes clear that it is an oubreak of the bubonic plague. The city is subsequently sealed off and the inhabitants are left to fend for themselves. I saw this on my shelf and thought, although I realize that this may sound a bit morbid, why not re-read it now, in the […]

“Fear of the dark. Until I came here, I thought that was for children.”

Dark Matter by Michelle Paver

March 9, 2020 by blauracke Leave a Comment

In 1937, four young men travel to Spitsbergen where they plan to overwinter in a remote bay for scientific purposes. Through unfortunate circumstances and unforeseeable events, one of them is left there on his own, in the endless night of an Arctic winter, in a place the locals call haunted, with only a few dogs and his own thoughts as companions. What makes this book is the atmosphere. Paver manages to bring the Arctic wasteland to life by describing everything in a vivid and evocative […]

Less Bite Than I Imagined

Dracula by Bram Stoker

March 6, 2020 by blauracke Leave a Comment

Written in 1897, Bram Stoker’s Dracula is obviously one of the most famous horror stories of all time, introducing the character of Count Dracula and a slew of vampire lore. The story of the count travelling to England to spread his evil, and a group of men and women led by expert on the undead Abraham von Helsing trying to stop him, is told through a series of diary and journal entries, letters, telegrams, and newspaper articles. And herein already lies one of the fundamental […]

Staring at the Sun

Chasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens by Andrea Wulf

February 28, 2020 by blauracke Leave a Comment

In 1761 and 1769 respectively, scientists were anxiously awaiting a pair of events that only occurs approximately every 100 years: two transits of Venus between the Sun and the Earth. By observing these transits from different locations all over the globe, they hoped to be able to calculate the distance from the Earth to the Sun. The collaborative effort to collect data by scientists from many different countries was no easy task in the 18th century. The Seven Years’ War, for instance, split not only […]

Crime and Morality

The Saint-Fiacre Affair by Georges Simenon

February 21, 2020 by blauracke Leave a Comment

An anonymous letter announcing that a murder will happen on All Souls’ Day during early mass brings Inspector Maigret back to his hometown. While being dogged by memories of his youth he tries to find out the truth about an act leading to a death that may be immoral but not necessarily criminal. The setup of the mystery is rather strange because the success of the deadly plot hinges on the assumption that a fatal heart attack can be induced by a big enough shock. […]

There’s a Price on Everything

The Atom Station by Halldór Laxness

February 17, 2020 by blauracke Leave a Comment

In post-war Iceland, Ugla, a girl from the rural north, moves to Reykjavik to work in the household of a member of parliament where she slowly becomes aware of the problems that are plaguing the country. American politicians are trying to buy land in order to build a military base in preparation for an atomic war and the Icelandic government is willing to sell amid the protests of the people. To appease and distract, a discussion is held about bringing home the bones of one […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

About blauracke