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My Apprenticeship by Maxim Gorky
I just finished reading My Apprenticeship (translated by Margaret Wettlin and Hellen Altschuler) and originally published in 1916. This is the second part of an autobiographical trilogy. The title is sometimes translated into English as Amid Attendants and In the World This book was a wonderful reading experience. Gorky puts you inside the head of a…
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Snapdragon by Kat Leyh
A few days ago, I finished reading the graphic novel Snapdragon, written and illustrated by Kat Leyh and published in 2020. The main character, Snapdragon, is a middle school kid navigating her world the best she can. Along the way, the readers meet those who populate that world–particularly her mother, her best friend, and an…
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Terrarium update
I was away for about two weeks and was concerned what state the bug terrarium would be in upon my return. Thankfully, all seems well. There are so many roly polies…still a little concerned about overpopulation and think a centipede might be a beneficial addition. The Japanese beetle and the green stink bug are alive…
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Basking
Here is Pebble, getting some autumn sun!
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Bug terrarium
My daughter and I have been keeping a bug terrarium for the last several weeks. It began as a roly-poly and springtail habitat but the list of inhabitants has now grown to include a Japanese beetle, a little spider, fungus gnats (unintentional tenants), a giant black beetle (that I think is a desert stink beetle?),…
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Hunger by Knut Hamsun
A book jot from January 2022: I just finished reading Hunger (1890) by Knut Hamsun, translated by Robert Bly. This novel is narrated by an unnamed protagonist living in the city of Christiania (modern-day Oslo) near the end of the 19th century. He is extremely destitute, often homeless, and his penurious existence combined with a…
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Wulf the Barbarian
In a continuation of my recent sword and sorcery (and specifically barbarian) comic book reading foray, I jumped into the world of Wulf the Barbarian by Atlas Comics. This is the Atlas publisher from the 1970s, usually referred to as Atlas/Seaboard to distinguish it from the much earlier pre-Marvel Atlas of the 1950s. If Claw…
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Bajazet by Jean Racine
I recently read Bajazet, a tragedy in five acts written by Jean Racine (translated by Robert Bruce Boswell) and first staged in 1672. The setting is the Ottoman Empire in the early 17th century. The characters and plot are inspired by what was, at the time, recent history, which is unusual for Racine’s historical plays.…
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Claw the Unconquered
Sword and sorcery is a genre that I find often appealing and only sometimes satisfying. Perhaps it is the propensity for a general deficiency in characterization, or the oft over-used tropes and situations. Regardless, it’s a realm of fiction I return to time and again and, despite my previous criticisms, thoroughly enjoy. Recently I delved…