In my last Make me read it poll, blog readers selected Sweet Bean Paste as the book I should read next, out of several that I'd recommended to the library. And I enjoyed it, but I find that I do not have much to say about it. It was a heartfelt little tale about prejudice … Continue reading You made me read it, and Around the World update
Category: Literature
Spiritual Memoir Review: Spare
What? Prince Harry's royal tell-all Spare, a spiritual memoir? I admit that I did not initially pick it up as one. But as I read, it made me think about the role of royalty in regard to spirituality. For that alone, I decided to count it for my spiritual memoir challenge -- in the category … Continue reading Spiritual Memoir Review: Spare
Krabat: The Third Year
I'm very pleased that I finished reading Krabat by Otfried Preußler this summer. Taking it slowly, one part per month, helped me get through and feel that I'd made a real step in German fluency. Here follows my summary of the third part in German and English, and some final thoughts in English. Nach Michals … Continue reading Krabat: The Third Year
Krabat: The Second Year
This year for my Summer in Other Languages self-challenge, I am reading the novel Krabat by Otfreid Preußler. As I did with my reading of Die Kleine Hexe two years ago, I’m posting a summary in German and English, plus some thoughts in English. I’ll focus at first on my impressions from reading the book … Continue reading Krabat: The Second Year
Would you like to join the Enchanted Circle?
So far, my blog newsletter has been merely a summary of recent posts (which I just noticed has not been sending since December of 2022 -- I need to fix that this month!) I've decided to start something new and send out a newsletter that is not merely a repetition of blog content, but will … Continue reading Would you like to join the Enchanted Circle?
Voyage au centre de la Terre – #ParisInJuly2023
For my personal challenge to read books in other languages than English, I've been greatly helped by an online book discussion group hosted by Emma of Words and Peace, who this year also took up the hosting of beloved blog event Paris in July. For our summer read, we had already decided to take a … Continue reading Voyage au centre de la Terre – #ParisInJuly2023
#20BooksofSummer23: The Salt Path
Raynor Winn, The Salt Path (2019) After The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, I read another book about catastrophic loss that calls into question what we truly need, what is most essential. In Bauby's memoir of being almost completely paralyzed, he lost his power of movement and normal modes of communication. In Raynor Winn's The … Continue reading #20BooksofSummer23: The Salt Path
Krabat: The First Year
This year for my Summer in Other Languages self-challenge, I am reading the novel Krabat by Otfreid Preußler. As I did with my reading of Die Kleine Hexe two years ago, I'm going to post a summary in German and English, plus some thoughts in English. I'll focus at first on my impressions from reading … Continue reading Krabat: The First Year
#20BooksofSummer23: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Le scaphandre et le papillon was recommended to me some years ago by a French-speaking English student who thought I might enjoy reading it in the original language. I have not so far managed to do that, but I have finally read the English translation, and I was blown away. It's an extraordinary document of … Continue reading #20BooksofSummer23: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Readalong of Voyage au centre de la terre
Just a reminder that a chapter-a-day readalong of the book by Jules Verne is starting today, with discussion in French on the Discord channel hosted by Emma of Words and Peace. Let me or Emma know if you'd like to join the group! If you want to read in English (or another language) that's fine … Continue reading Readalong of Voyage au centre de la terre