Traumatic Encounter with a Tabby

The most bizarre thing happened to me at Aardvark Books on Church Street yesterday. I walked into the mildew-smelling neighborhood used-book joint to see if I can find Rebecca West (Birds Fall Down) and several books on my list. Customers were sparse on Saturday morning and the store was very quiet and easy for browsing. [...]

[137] Slammerkin – Emma Donoghue

“She still breathed in what air there was and ate the little she could scrounge, though mostly for something to do. It was more that she no longer thought of herself as truly living, or as having anything left in the world to lose. Everyone she’d ever loved had left her, and always through her [...]

What is Reading?

Suggested by: Thisisnotabookclub
What is reading, anyway? Novels, comics, graphic novels, manga, e-books, audiobooks — which of these is reading these days? Are they all reading? Only some of them? What are your personal qualifications for something to be “reading” — why? If something isn’t reading, why not? Does it matter? Does it impact your desire [...]

Realism of Characters in War and Peace

Tolstoy’s techniques in characterization are part of the secret of his extraordinary realism, for one of the most difficult things for a novelist is to reveal the total personality of a character, as a person in real life reveals himself. The revelation of personality in real life comes about over a period of time by [...]

Napoleon and Discourse in War and Peace

Napoleon, as a character in Tolstoy’s War and Peace, is more than once described as having “plump little hands.” Nor does he “sit well or firmly in the saddle.” He is said to be “undersized,” with “fat thighs … short legs” and a “rotund stomach.” And he holds court smelling of “Eau-de-Cologne.” The issue here [...]

Answer to Song Riddle | Highway 1

Here I Am (Just When I Thought I Was Over You) by Air Supply.

Looks like George has a fun, fulfilling trip as well!

Tears, Getty

A while ago my friend Greg used to host this Friday tunes game in which bloggers are to guess from the lyrics he provided the song and the artist. So I decide to host a round of this game. Tears immediately welled up in my eyes and trickled down my face when this 1981-2 platinum [...]

Brothel Reads

Reading The Painter from Shanghai lifted my memory of another which had been recommended to me, Slammerkin, by Emma Donoghue. Before this book, I have no clue what slammerkin means. It’s an archaic word meaning both a loose gown and a loose woman. The novel takes its inspiration from the true story of Mary Saunders, [...]

Go Go Go…LA

Taking a road trip to LA to see some friends. Hope to stop by the Getty Museum and Malibu. George is coming as well. I have pre-scheduled updates to the blog, mostly reading update and some entries pertaining to War and Peace for those of you who are interested. Have a great Memorial Day weekend. [...]

Movie Tie-In: Books vs. Movie

Suggested by: Superfastreader:
Books and films both tell stories, but what we want from a book can be different from what we want from a movie. Is this true for you? If so, what’s the difference between a book and a movie?
I used to complain about how the films are not being faithful to the books. [...]