This is a meandering novella in which a world famous but waning writing wonders around Venice looking for something to inspire him and revitalize him or failing that, to kill him. Aschenbach was shot to fame in his youth for a novel about Frederick the Great and sort of set upon the path of literary prowess and literary greatness, but as he aged, it turned out that his burnt up too much of his vigor and talent in his youth, and now, only 50, he’s […]
And here’s why I was reading so many comics and YA this week
I will keep calling this History: A Novel because of the way it’s just emblazoned across the front of my copy. I will post the copy I read as a picture and link to the updated version of the differences between them. I learned about this writer after apparently already owning several works by her former husband Alberto Moravia, though not having read him yet, and from reading Elena Ferrante’s interview and essay collection Frantumaglia. In the Elena Ferrante collection, she makes several explicit references to Elsa Morante […]
Calvin might have a potato, but I have a broccoli.
I read the first two of these books when I was a kid about 1000 times each. I think Sideways Stories from Wayside School was like 1000 times, and maybe Wayside School is falling down is more like 900 times, if I am being accurate. Indeed, I bought both of these from the Scholastic book fair, with the weird onion skin newsprint foldable pamphlet. It was great. I swear to goodness I read these so many times. So: Sideways Stories from Wayside School: 30 stories […]
Unique does not mean alone.
Goodreads recently posted the Hugo Nominations for Novel and Graphic Story, and while I don’t think I am going to make my way through many of the nominated books, I did find a few I was interested in. I already knew about Ms. Marvel and the nomination pretty much sealed that I go ahead a read a few issues. Turns out my library had all six volumes available and so here we are. Oh, also this comment inspired me to do so: “”message 1: by […]
Dark times, polite society.
I have been looking for something to fill the gaps between audiobooks and I often turn to mystery novels to do so, especially ones with a strong voice and character, competent writing, and short enough to not get bogged down with. I had been reading Sue Grafton novels, but sometimes they’re a little too bland. I also was interested to sort of scoop my girlfriend on these books. She’s usually the one who knows all about a popular detective/mystery series before I do. She had […]
What else is there for me, if not this book?
There’s some real parallels between this weird little memoir and say, The Yellow-Wallpaper. This is a diary from about 3 months in a 19 year old bent on literary fame living in Butte, Montana in 1901. She mires in her isolation and her spiritual loneliness. She has visions of meeting with the devil himself were he to give her some sense of purpose and opportunity in the world. Well, she gets it, as this book shot her to fame and allowed her to live the Bohemian […]
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