The truth was, he thought that what newspapers and books referred to as ‘the horrors of solitary confinement’ were grossly exaggerated. He would rather have too little company than too much of the wrong sort. Arthur & George by Julian Barnes Arthur & George by Julian Barnes, Vintage Books 2006, p. 211 There are times… Continue reading ‘Too little company’
A 1920s Delight: The Glimpses of the Moon Review
“To turn the world upside down”
“[W]e... care not what you set up, so you pull merrily down what stands in our way... for it is our profession to turn the world upside down, and we live ever the blithest life when the downer side is uppermost.”The Monastery by Sir Walter Scott The Monastery by Sir Walter Scott Some days the… Continue reading “To turn the world upside down”
Gretel and the Dark Book Review
Bookshelf Reorganization: Do it for the aesthetic
I don’t need a job—I make work for myself. If only I could figure out a way to monetize it. For instance, this very week, instead of doing the necessaries around the house, I decided to compile an itemized list of every book on my shelf, its height, type (hard or softcover), whether it had… Continue reading Bookshelf Reorganization: Do it for the aesthetic
‘It seemed to him’
One night as they lay lurking in the fireless dark, Túrin looked on his life, and it seemed to him that it might well be bettered. The Children of Húrin The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien I just adore the dry understatement of this epiphany. Although I would deny charges of lurking, I too… Continue reading ‘It seemed to him’
The Vignette-Novel Paradox: The Last Train to London Book Review
Keep Libraries Lame
It’s not a bad thing if libraries provide extra reading programs, internet access, conference spaces for educational talks, etc... But should they be expected to be the equivalent of a community centre, including daycares, outreaches, youth activity centres and the like in order to validate their continued spatial existence?
The Wrong Words
The wrong words. They were true a hundred times over, yet they sounded like a lie. Hadn’t he always known it? Words were useless. At times they might sound wonderful, but they let you down the moment you really needed them. You could never find the right words, never, and where would you look for… Continue reading The Wrong Words
Don’t Sleep on Raymond Chandler: The Big Sleep Book Review
The Big Sleep by Raymond ChandlerMy rating: 4 of 5 starsEver since I saw the murky, black-and-white film noir (a dizzying merry-go-round of murders and mayhem with a new character and a new accusation every five minutes that was Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in a classic gumshoe and siren routine), I've been wanting to… Continue reading Don’t Sleep on Raymond Chandler: The Big Sleep Book Review