-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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.…
-
Tartuffe by Moliere
Book jot from January 2022: I just finished reading Tartuffe (1664) by Moliere, translated by John Wood and David Coward. It is the first thing I’ve read by him. I’m used to reading theatrical tragedies and a comedy was refreshingly unexpected. The play revolves around a religious hypocrite and his manipulative influence over a man…
-
A Pair of Blue Eyes by Thomas Hardy
I recently finished reading A Pair of Blue Eyes (1873) by Thomas Hardy. It was his third published book and one of many “Wessex” novels he wrote, Wessex being his imagined region of England. I have heard Hardy’s writing referred to as an acquired taste…I’m not sure if this is true, but I find his…
-
White Fang by Jack London
I just finished reading White Fang (1906), a novel by Jack London. The story of White Fang’s life begins in the northern territories of Canada during the Gold Rush of the 1890s. Born to Old One Eye, a wolf, and Kiche, a wolf-dog, White Fang’s world slowly expands from the cave of his birth to…
-
Gamebooks!
Here is a gallery of book covers from some gamebooks I really love! Thanks to Demian’s Gamebook website for the scans (I am not at home and unable to scan or photograph my own copies right now).
-
Prisoners of Pax Tharkas, Super Endless Quest #1 by Morris Simon and illustrated by Mark Nelson
I finished reading Prisoners of Pax Tharkas (1985), the first Super Endless Quest gamebook by TSR , written by Morris Simon and illustrated by Mark Nelson. This gamebook takes place in Krynn, the world of the Dragonlance saga. It is well-written, with an even, steady pace. The events take place contemporaneously with the early part…
-
Letters of Anton Chekhov to His Family and Friends
I finished reading Letters of Anton Chekhov to His Family and Friends, translated and with a biographical sketch by Constance Garnett. This is just what it sounds like—a large collection of letters Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) wrote to family and various friends. He wrote to his mother, brothers, and sister, his friend and editor (Suvorin), other writers…