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Athaliah by Jean Racine
I finished reading Athaliah by Jean Racine (translated by John Cairncross), a play first staged in 1691. Athaliah reads much like a Greco-Roman tragedy, although its subject matter and plot are derived from the Old Testament. I am not as familiar with the stories of the Old Testament as I am with many of the…
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Mystery terrarium
My daughter and I made what we’re calling a mystery terrarium yesterday. It’s a mystery because we used dirt from the front yard and some decomposed organic material scooped out of a crevice in the bed of our pickup truck for the soil and didn’t add any seeds or plants. The decayed organic hodgepodge from…
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MSM-07S Z’Gok
I finished putting together this mobile suit mecha model that my daughter and I have been working on. It was lots of fun! It’s articulated and easy to pose. It comes with a couple of stickers we haven’t put on yet. It could use a bit of sanding and it would be neat to add…
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Sonnet by Percy Bysshe Shelley
I read a sonnet by Percy Bysshe Shelley today. It was unfamiliar to me; I came across it in the book Five Hundred Years of English Poetry: Chaucer to Arnold edited by Barbara Lloyd-Evans. The text I read in the book does not include the word ‘painted’ in the first line, but all the examples…
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Rain (Lluvia)
Here is an excerpt from a poem a read recently; Rain (Lluvia) by Federico Garcia Lorca, translated by Stanley Appelbaum. My soul has the sadness of the calm rain, a resigned sadness for something unattainable; on my horizon I have a blazing star but my heart keeps me from running to gaze at it. Mi…
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The Miser by Molière
I finished reading The Miser by Molière (1668), translated by John Wood. It’s a five-act comedy and felt more farcical than the two comedies by Molière I’ve read previously. There were some very funny scenes and lines that made me laugh out loud. While there is much satire and humorous dialogue, the characters offer insightful…
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The Vanishing Tower by Michael Moorcock
I finished reading The Vanishing Tower (1970) by Michael Moorcock. It’s the fourth in the series I’ve read and perhaps my favorite. The pacing is excellent and the book maintains a steady and palpable mood. There are three sections within the book, each focusing on a different but connected adventure. The narrative doesn’t feel episodic…
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Corbiculae
The front yard is full of sunflowers and this bee has collected quite a load of pollen!
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Argonautika by Apollonios Rhodios
This is a book jot from June 2021: I just finished reading the Argonautika (3rd century BC) by Apollonius Rhodius, translated by Peter Green. It is an epic poem that relates the story of the Argonauts and the quest for the Golden Fleece. This edition includes a glossary that, at 67 pages, is full of…