Today I’m on a mission. I’m bringing awareness to my last read, a book that I’d call a minor work, but a book with major ramifications. At a time when we readers value the voices of minorities, I present you a Peruvian writer, Clorinda Matto de Turner, born on September 11, 1852, in Cusco, and…
I remember reading this book when I was young, and finding it of profit. It’s zero intimidating. Doesn’t it startle you a bit, to commune in thought and gain wisdom from a Roman Emperor who was born on April 26th, year 121, and died on March 17th, 180? His stoic philosophy came across clearer this…
I had been debating whether I should read a book by Angelou or Morrison, but was scared at the prospect. As much as I want to read everything and all, I’m more and more aware with age that one must choose. My 9th grader’s English teacher has required this book for her class. I then…
I’ve been thinking about the 2020 Back to the Classics categories, and how I wanted to read more in Spanish, and I decided to search for some good Spanish books from the 19th century, a century that many people read a lot from in English, and also in Russian, French, but not so much in…
Yay! Karen so graciously has launched this amazing challenge once more! It’s the 7th year of the challenge, it’ll be my 6th. I said before that I didn’t want to do any challenge this year. Ahem. I meant I don’t want to force myself into any challenge. I don’t want to take it as any…
When I saw Cleo’s Iliad’s read along, and found some good friends willing to participate in it, I decided to join too. I had a moment of doubt, as I read the first pages and felt confused. I remembered that, no matter that I had read this once before, I had to go back to…
I was reading Ruth’s interesting entry with this title, It’s so Classic Book Tag, hosted by Rebellious Writing, and I realized that she tagged me to do it. I’m supposed to tag five others to do this, but I don’t know if you’d like to do it. I’m thinking about Janakay, Chris, Kim, Sherry, Maria…
Lately I’ve been mulling over some long iconic classics of the size of Don Quixote, Moby Dick, One Hundred Years of Solitude, A Tale of Two Cities (or almost any Dickens), Les Miserables, Midnight’s Children, War and Peace (many Russian titles), Fortunata and Jacinta… What makes us want to read them, keep reading them, love…
I need your help, my intrepid readers. On March 28th, 2017, I published my Classics Club List. It was a 50 or more list of classics I committed to read in 5 years or less. Little did I know that in two years and five months, I’d already have read 72 classics, and reviewed over…
Wow, guys. I’m truly excited. I didn’t think this idea was going to have the warm reception it did. There’s quite a lot of you who want to read Don Quixote in company. I know some of you in person, many from Goodreads or your blogs, and there’s a few new people. I want to…
BACK TO THE CLASSICS, 2019 More book posts! Back to the Classics 2018 is in the books. Time to pick fresh titles for the new year. I had fun photographing my beauties. I wanted to take the pictures in my backyard, on the grass and by the stack of wood, but it started to rain,…
Once more, I’ve completed the challenge. I’ve read the 12 books per category, and other classics that could have fit too. Each title has a link, and in this wrap up post, I’m also adding a short comment of what I think about each book. 1. A 19th century classic – any book published between…
What’s all that fuss over Jane Austen? I just didn’t get it. Apparently, I needed some persuasion to find out, -he he. In Madrid, during my high school years, we didn’t have to read Jane Austen. I don’t believe we should force ourselves to read this or that unless it’s a cheerfully and self-imposed dutiful…
The Dehumanization of Art, and Other Essays, Ortega y Gasset When I bought this book, the title sounded to me as something negative that art was, according to Ortega, undergoing, its dehumanization. As I read the essays, (the first one who gives title to the book, and which contains different sections, being the longest), I…
A Room of One’s Own, by Virginia Woolf Essay, published in 1929, ★★★✫ My first longer book by the author (I had only read and much enjoyed another essay, How Should One Read a Book? in a collection of essays by various authors. This essay is aimed to answer the question of the role of women…
The House of the Seven Gables, ★★★✫ Nathaniel Hawthorne, written in 1850, published in 1851 ★★★★★ Not to miss, worth re-reading ★★★★ Books that surely have stayed with me. ★★★ Very enjoyable read, recommendable. ★★ Meh. Nothing remarkable. ★ Run. The half star, ✫, would make it closer to the higher category, an in-between of sorts.…
I started to read Agustin Confessions in July. It took me six months to read it, and I’m glad I took it slowly. I won’t try to give a complete analysis of the book, or get into deep theological questions. My purpose is to give a simple review of how the book related to me…
My Antonia, Willa Cather, 1918 ★★★★★ Not to miss, worth re-reading ★★★★★ Not to miss, worth re-reading ★★★★ Books that surely have stayed with me. ★★★ Very enjoyable read, recommendable. ★★ Meh. Nothing remarkable. ★ Run. The half star, ✫, would make it closer to the higher category, an in-between of sorts. I had been wanting to read My Antonia for…
GUZMÁN DE ALFARACHE ★★★★✫ Originally published: 1599 Author: Mateo Alemán Genre: Picaresque Fiction Translator: James Mabbe Published in English: 1622 I’m so sad to see there’s no papercopy of this book in English. I’ve found this, though, http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/… What’s neat about that, it’s that the translation into English by James Mabbe happened close in time to…
Curious case of Benjamin Button, F. Scott Fitzgerald ★★★★ Duration: 02:55:46 Includes: Lost decade — Three hours between planes — Bridal party — Babylon revisited. F. Scott Fitzgerald – Author Scott Brick – Narrator Grover Gardner – Narrator Ray Porter – Narrator Jeff Cummings – Narrator Paul Michael Garcia – Narrator This was a short audio,…
