Are you looking forward to Reading the Theatre in March? I am! In the meantime, I've enjoyed putting together a list of some of my favorite books about the world of the stage (in which I would include puppetry, circus, opera, dance, and other stage arts as well as plays and musicals, by the way). … Continue reading Favorite books about the theater
Chris of Calmgrove asked if I was planning to post some visits to Swiss castles, given the theme of my blog. I thought that was a lovely idea, so I'll try to oblige! At the moment we are not really able to travel, but I was in the beautiful city of Solothurn the other day … Continue reading Postcards from Switzerland: Solothurn
My reading pace varies, but I usually finish between three and twelve books per month. I've gone through phases in my life where I record at least the title and author of every book, and since I started blogging seven years ago, I've kept that up. I've never written a review or even jotted notes … Continue reading Do you write about every book you read?
Congratulations to Raven Garland, winner of a copy of The Best of the Emerald City Book Review! Thanks to all who celebrated my seven years of blogging at ECBR. If you'd still like a copy of the book, it's available for sale now in EPUB, Kindle, and print format (from Lulu or Amazon). The print … Continue reading Best of the Best: My top picks from seven years of blogging
Ursula K. Le Guin, Malafrena (1979) When I was a fantasy-loving preteen, I bought the paperback copy of Orsinian Tales by Ursula K. Le Guin. It looked just like my copies of the Earthsea trilogy and The Wind's Twelve Quarters, and I expected to find more magical and otherworldly journeys within its pages. Instead, I … Continue reading A necessary passion: Malafrena
If you've ever tried to learn German, you know that it has some peculiar features. Some of these don't bother me that much, like piled-up consonant clusters, umlauts, and irregular verbs, but others make me want to tear my hairs out. Here are five of the things that I could definitely do without, auf Deutsch. … Continue reading Five things that bug me about German
For Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, the theme is "resolutions/hopes for 2021." Here are some of the books I want to read in 2021 - with a focus on nonfiction, since it's one of my resolves to read more of it. Totalitarian and oppressive regimes -- These are threatening and scary, … Continue reading Top Ten Nonfiction Books I Want to Read in 2021
Moss Hart, Act One (1959) I read Act One years ago, but was inspired to visit it again after reading Julie Andrews's memoir Home, which includes a priceless account of her experience in the Broadway production of My Fair Lady. Hart was the director, and if he hadn't been, Andrews might never have made it … Continue reading A dramatic transformation: Act One
It's time to sign up for another year of the Back to the Classics challenge, hosted by Karen of Books and Chocolate. Here are the categories Karen has chosen this year, and the books I think I might read to fill them (not that I ever actually stick to them): 1. A 19th century classic: … Continue reading Back to the Classics Challenge 2021
In the dismal days of late winter, as we enter the second year of pandemic-induced distancing and lockdowns, I'd like to introduce a theme that may provide a welcome counter-impulse and help us to look forward to the days when we can gather once more. As theatres around the world have been closed or severely … Continue reading Coming in March: Reading the Theatre
