I seemed to favor non-fiction this week.
The "Deal Me In" card this week is the Ace of Hearts and the story is Drone by Miles Klee (in Watchlist : 32 stories by persons of
interest).
Not particularly good. It may be intended as a drug induced hallucination. Whatever.
from the library...
Miss Grief and Other Stories by Constance Fenimore Woolson
I really liked these stories. Will read more by her on Gutenberg
After the Fire by Henning Mankell; translated from the Swedish by Laurie Thompson
There is some mystery in this novel (who set the fire) but it's more about coming to terms with aging.
Istanbul: a Tale of Three Cities by Bettany Hughes
A comprehensive history of the city and its place in world history.
The Bettencourt Affair: The World's Richest Woman and the Scandal That Rocked Paris by Tom Sancton
The author says this isn't going to be gossipy--but how can it not be? A good read.
The Secret Life of the American Musical: How Broadway Shows Are Built by Jack Viertel
Another good read.
Sunday, January 28, 2018
January (fourth week) 2018 Reads
Oops, went to the library, found some good stuff. In addition to the Hungarian novel (see below), I picked up a book of short stories by Constance Fenimore Woolson which I had requested and a non-fiction on Istanbul.
The "Deal Me In" card this week is the 7 of Diamonds so once again I head to Project Gutenberg for The Excursion by Edwina Stanton Babcock (1875-1965) (in The Best Short Stories of 1917)
A snooty woman gets her comeuppance on a steamboat excursion.
A brief bio from The Best Short Stories of 1917: "Babcock, Edwina Stanton. Born at Nyack, N. Y. One of eleven children. Academic experience up to age of twenty-three, one year in private school. Attended extension classes in English, Teachers' College, Columbia University. Author "Greek Wayfarers," a volume of verse. First short story, "The Diary of a Cat," Harper's Magazine, August, 1904. Her deepest enthusiasms are children, the mountains of Greece, the French Theatre, and the Irish imagination. She lives at Nyack, N. Y., and Nantucket, Mass."
from the library...
Katalin Street by Magda Szabó; translated from the Hungarian by Len Rix
Excellent!
from my shelves...
The Odyssey by Homer: translated from the Greek by Emily Wilson
Bartleby & Co. by Enrique Vila-Matas; translated from the Spanish by Jonathan Dunne
This was so much fun. I didn't want it to end.
The "Deal Me In" card this week is the 7 of Diamonds so once again I head to Project Gutenberg for The Excursion by Edwina Stanton Babcock (1875-1965) (in The Best Short Stories of 1917)
A snooty woman gets her comeuppance on a steamboat excursion.
A brief bio from The Best Short Stories of 1917: "Babcock, Edwina Stanton. Born at Nyack, N. Y. One of eleven children. Academic experience up to age of twenty-three, one year in private school. Attended extension classes in English, Teachers' College, Columbia University. Author "Greek Wayfarers," a volume of verse. First short story, "The Diary of a Cat," Harper's Magazine, August, 1904. Her deepest enthusiasms are children, the mountains of Greece, the French Theatre, and the Irish imagination. She lives at Nyack, N. Y., and Nantucket, Mass."
from the library...
Katalin Street by Magda Szabó; translated from the Hungarian by Len Rix
Excellent!
from my shelves...
The Odyssey by Homer: translated from the Greek by Emily Wilson
Bartleby & Co. by Enrique Vila-Matas; translated from the Spanish by Jonathan Dunne
This was so much fun. I didn't want it to end.
Saturday, January 20, 2018
January (third week) 2018 Reads
Only brief notes and no images on the blog this week. But I have been reading.
The "Deal Me In" card this week is the 4 of Diamonds. It brings a nice, old fashioned ghost story: The Shadows on the Wall (in The Wind in the Rose-bush and Other Stories of the Supernatural, by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman).
Freeman (1852-1930) was an American writer. She lived in Massachusetts and Vermont and wrote about New England life. Much of her work is available on Project Gutenberg and also on American Literature.com.
from the library...
Karate Chop: Stories by Dorthe Nors; translated from the Danish by Martin Aitken
Loved these stories.
The Makioka Sisters by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki: translated from the Japanese by Edward Seidensticker
If Jane Austin had been Japanese....
Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor
A beautifully written book that doesn't go anywhere.
from my shelves...
The Golden Cockerel & Other Writings by Juan Rulfo: translated from the Spanish by Douglas J. Weatherford
The "Deal Me In" card this week is the 4 of Diamonds. It brings a nice, old fashioned ghost story: The Shadows on the Wall (in The Wind in the Rose-bush and Other Stories of the Supernatural, by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman).
Freeman (1852-1930) was an American writer. She lived in Massachusetts and Vermont and wrote about New England life. Much of her work is available on Project Gutenberg and also on American Literature.com.
from the library...
Karate Chop: Stories by Dorthe Nors; translated from the Danish by Martin Aitken
Loved these stories.
The Makioka Sisters by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki: translated from the Japanese by Edward Seidensticker
If Jane Austin had been Japanese....
Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor
A beautifully written book that doesn't go anywhere.
from my shelves...
The Golden Cockerel & Other Writings by Juan Rulfo: translated from the Spanish by Douglas J. Weatherford
Saturday, January 13, 2018
January (second week) 2018 Reads
The "Deal Me In" story this week was a so..so one about a new mother. The three novels I read were all really good, the noir was good, and the non-fiction on translation theory was excellent.
Card: 6 of Hearts
Story: Bravery by Charles Baxter (in The best American short stories, 2013)
Meh...
from the Library...
The Strays by Emily Bitto
Australian girl grows up in the shadow of her best friend's eccentric family. Set in the 1930s.
The Ocean in the Closet by Yuko Taniguchi
Ten year old Japanese-American girl searches her family background to better understand her disturbed parents. Set in 1978 San Francisco and Japan. Narrative moves between the girl's account and that of her great uncle. The uncle's story has many flashbacks to the time of the post WW2 American occupation of Japan.
Trieste by Daša Drndić ; translated from the Croatian by Ellen Elias-Bursać
A complicated story of Jewish-Italian family in WW2. Fictional narrative is interspersed with much factual documentary of Nazi atrocities, particularly the Lebensborn project. Very difficult read.
from my shelves...
Montreal Noir edited by John McFetridge and Jacques Filippi
Most of the ten anthologies I have read from the Akashic Noir series have been good, but this one is one of my favorites. The stories feature a variety of protagonists and situations. Who expects to find, among the usual suspects, guys who hunt coyotes for sport in the burbs of Montreal?
Free review copy from publisher through Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
Literary Translation and the Making of Originals by Karen Emmerich; Brian James Baer , Michelle Woods
Card: 6 of Hearts
Story: Bravery by Charles Baxter (in The best American short stories, 2013)
Meh...
from the Library...
The Strays by Emily Bitto
Australian girl grows up in the shadow of her best friend's eccentric family. Set in the 1930s.
The Ocean in the Closet by Yuko Taniguchi
Ten year old Japanese-American girl searches her family background to better understand her disturbed parents. Set in 1978 San Francisco and Japan. Narrative moves between the girl's account and that of her great uncle. The uncle's story has many flashbacks to the time of the post WW2 American occupation of Japan.
Trieste by Daša Drndić ; translated from the Croatian by Ellen Elias-Bursać
A complicated story of Jewish-Italian family in WW2. Fictional narrative is interspersed with much factual documentary of Nazi atrocities, particularly the Lebensborn project. Very difficult read.
from my shelves...
Montreal Noir edited by John McFetridge and Jacques Filippi
Most of the ten anthologies I have read from the Akashic Noir series have been good, but this one is one of my favorites. The stories feature a variety of protagonists and situations. Who expects to find, among the usual suspects, guys who hunt coyotes for sport in the burbs of Montreal?
Free review copy from publisher through Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
Literary Translation and the Making of Originals by Karen Emmerich; Brian James Baer , Michelle Woods
Saturday, January 06, 2018
January (first week) 2018 Reads
Had some fun online whilst snowed in. Actually it's not the snow that's keeping me in --the roads are clear-- it's the bitter cold that says "you pay for heating, stay in and enjoy it."
I started off my "short story" challenge with a short essay, not a short story.
Card: 9 of Clubs
Story: The Other Chile (Cecilia and Patricia) by Angie Cruz
A brief look at the lives of hotel maids in Santiago Chile. They discuss working conditions, politics, and love. Very informative.
Angie Cruz Is founder and editor of Aster(ix), a Journal of Literature, Art, Criticism. Lots of good reading there.
Art online...
Venice Clay Artists : Ceramics and Pottery Arts and Resources is one of my favorite online art and artisan sites. Their display Gusto mache mucho papier figures presents delightful, whimsical papier mache figures. "Animated puppets, dolls, figurines, lidded boxes, lightweight props for
theatre and stage productions and sculptures are some of the
applications still using papier mache in the arts. The focus here is on
five current papier mache artists: Natalia Mendoza from Barcelona,
Brazilian artists Fábio de Souza Pinheiro and Ubiratã Trindade,
Colombian Mauricio Perez and Chicagoan Tato Correa."
I love these photos (from Maxim on Instagram) of old St Petersburg apartments. There are hundreds of pictures. I can't read Russian but I put this one through Google translation and here is what I got:
"This kindergarten in the former apartment on the Fontanka embankment, 24. Of course, before the revolution it was not just an apartment, but one of the richest apartments in the city, occupying the whole floor. Now one half of it is still residential, and in the second one there is a kindergarten for many years. By the way, if you want to spoil the historical interior, paint the walls in a pastel green and lay a booming laminate."
I started off my "short story" challenge with a short essay, not a short story.
Card: 9 of ClubsStory: The Other Chile (Cecilia and Patricia) by Angie Cruz
A brief look at the lives of hotel maids in Santiago Chile. They discuss working conditions, politics, and love. Very informative.
Angie Cruz Is founder and editor of Aster(ix), a Journal of Literature, Art, Criticism. Lots of good reading there.
Art online...
 |
| Girl riding penny farthing bike by Natalia Mendoza |
I love these photos (from Maxim on Instagram) of old St Petersburg apartments. There are hundreds of pictures. I can't read Russian but I put this one through Google translation and here is what I got:
"This kindergarten in the former apartment on the Fontanka embankment, 24. Of course, before the revolution it was not just an apartment, but one of the richest apartments in the city, occupying the whole floor. Now one half of it is still residential, and in the second one there is a kindergarten for many years. By the way, if you want to spoil the historical interior, paint the walls in a pastel green and lay a booming laminate."
from my shelves...
Phantoms on the Bookshelves by Jacques Bonnet; translated from the French by Siân Reynolds
This was a delightful surprise Christmas gift. I wasn't on my wish list, but only because I hadn't heard about it. A charming book about a private book collection.
The Brahmadells by Jóanes Nielsen; translated from the Faroese by Kerri A. Pierce
A kind of disjointed, quirky multi-generational novel concerning members of a Faroese family. At times I lost track of who was who and where they were in time. I was fun sorting it all out.
Another winner from my Open Letter Books subscription.
Monday, January 01, 2018
2018 Reading : Looking Ahead
Another year, another stack of books. Another Goodreads challenge. I'm setting it at fewer books than last year. I did overreach my goal of 215 (I read 222) for 2017. But this year I'm aiming for slower reads. Setting it at an ambitious 200.
I don't know how much of this will actually happen but here is what I want to do:
Work on my "owned-but-unread" shelf: I did pretty well with this in 2017. I had 410 on it last New Year's Day. It now has 331. Considering acquisitions of approximately 80 books, I did OK. Some was weeding out books I knew I would never read, but still I'm happy with these numbers.
The Christmas gifts: I'll be reading these five during 2018. I've already started the first two and I'm taking them slowly. Interesting that the three by Vila-Matas all have different translators...
Literary Translation and the Making of Originals by Karen Emmerich, Brian James Baer (Editor) Phantoms on the Bookshelves by Jacques Bonnet; translated from the French by Siân Reynolds
Because She Never Asked by Enrique Vila-Matas; translated from the Spanish by Valerie Miles
Bartleby & Co. by Enrique Vila-Matas; translated from the Spanish by Jonathan Dunne
Never Any End to Paris by Enrique Vila-Matas; translated from the Spanish by Anne McLean
Two Month Review: I really enjoyed this project last year and look forward to continuing. Here are the first 4:
First: Georgi Gospodinov’s The Physics of Sorrow
Next: Mikhail Shiskin’s Maidenhair
Then: Dubravka Ugresic’s Fox
And: Rodrigo Fresán’s The Bottom of the Sky.
Other slow reads...
The new translation of Homer's Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson
A rereading of Tristam Shandy. I wrote a truly horrible undergraduate paper on this--and got the truly horrible grade I deserved--I really loved the book and it's time to re-reread without the pressure.
At Swim Two Birds--I have no idea if this is a fast or slow read, but I expect it will be slow.
As always...short stories...
Deal Me In Short Story challenge: Another project I enjoyed in 2017 so will do again in 2018. Here's my Roster
Plus I will work my way through other collections and anthologies not mentioned on the roster.
Enough...for now
I don't know how much of this will actually happen but here is what I want to do:
Work on my "owned-but-unread" shelf: I did pretty well with this in 2017. I had 410 on it last New Year's Day. It now has 331. Considering acquisitions of approximately 80 books, I did OK. Some was weeding out books I knew I would never read, but still I'm happy with these numbers.
The Christmas gifts: I'll be reading these five during 2018. I've already started the first two and I'm taking them slowly. Interesting that the three by Vila-Matas all have different translators...
Literary Translation and the Making of Originals by Karen Emmerich, Brian James Baer (Editor) Phantoms on the Bookshelves by Jacques Bonnet; translated from the French by Siân Reynolds
Because She Never Asked by Enrique Vila-Matas; translated from the Spanish by Valerie Miles
Bartleby & Co. by Enrique Vila-Matas; translated from the Spanish by Jonathan Dunne
Never Any End to Paris by Enrique Vila-Matas; translated from the Spanish by Anne McLean
Two Month Review: I really enjoyed this project last year and look forward to continuing. Here are the first 4:
First: Georgi Gospodinov’s The Physics of Sorrow
Next: Mikhail Shiskin’s Maidenhair
Then: Dubravka Ugresic’s Fox
And: Rodrigo Fresán’s The Bottom of the Sky.
Other slow reads...
The new translation of Homer's Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson
A rereading of Tristam Shandy. I wrote a truly horrible undergraduate paper on this--and got the truly horrible grade I deserved--I really loved the book and it's time to re-reread without the pressure.
At Swim Two Birds--I have no idea if this is a fast or slow read, but I expect it will be slow.
As always...short stories...
Deal Me In Short Story challenge: Another project I enjoyed in 2017 so will do again in 2018. Here's my Roster
Plus I will work my way through other collections and anthologies not mentioned on the roster.
Enough...for now
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