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… Continue reading Persuasion, or the story of a reluctant Jane Austen’s fan
Category: Classics
The Deshumanization of Art
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… Continue reading The Deshumanization of Art
A Room of One’s Own
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… Continue reading A Room of One’s Own
The House of the Seven Gables
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.… Continue reading The House of the Seven Gables
The Confessions, Agustin
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… Continue reading The Confessions, Agustin
My Antonia
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… Continue reading My Antonia
Guzmán de Alfarache
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… Continue reading Guzmán de Alfarache
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
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,… Continue reading The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Candide, by Voltaire
Candide, ou l'Optimisme is a French satire first published in 1759 by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment. My rating: ★★★★ out of 5 stars I have no idea why I've waited so long to read this book. I listened to it, along with another short tale called Zadig. I will review Zadig… Continue reading Candide, by Voltaire
Pavilion of Women
This review doubles up for the Back to the Classics, and the first completed title in my Classics Club list. Pavilion of Women, by Pearl S. Buck, 1946 Listened to book by Oasis Audio My rating, ★★★✫ Last year I read a few titles about China and Japan. My favorite was The Makioka Sisters. The Makioka Sisters… Continue reading Pavilion of Women
Joy and Emma
What you see, it's a glad scented box of trash bags, a present from my friend Erin. Erin is a young christian woman. She teaches science at a high school. She also taught the first lesson for the year for our monthly ladies' class. We are learning lessons from the book of Philippians. Her first… Continue reading Joy and Emma