Posted in Challenges, Reviews on Feb 12th, 2008 No Comments »
Edition 69 / Vítěslav Nezval ; Jindřich Štyrský
Twisted Spoon Press, 2004 (hardcover)
134 p. — translated by Jed Slast
Edition 69 was a six-volume series of works published in Czechoslovakia from 1931-1933 showcasing avant garde erotic writing and illustration. Spearheaded by Jindřich Štyrský, the volumes were kept from the usual distribution channels for restrictions by censorship […]
Posted in Challenges, Reviews on Jan 24th, 2008 1 Comment »
Confessions of a Mask / Yukio Mishima
New Directions, 1958 (paperback)
254 p. — translated by Meredith Weatherby
Yukio Mishima’s Confessions of a Mask turned out to be a lot more than I imagined and a little less than I had hoped. I initially approached this book through the lens of Japanese fiction. Knowing this was […]
Posted in Challenges, Reviews on Jan 13th, 2008 7 Comments »
The Woman in the Dunes / Kobo Abé
Vintage International, 1991 (paperback) [orig. 1964]
239 p. — translated by E. Dale Saunders
I have this goal–more of a hope really–that 2008 will be a better reading year than 2007. “Better,” in this case, is not a measurement of quantity of books, reading focus, or really anything having […]
Posted in Challenges, Reviews on Dec 29th, 2007 No Comments »
Last night I had awesome fun plans that got canceled, so on a whim, I decided to do what I’d read of some of you others doing, and that is to hole myself up in my house and read for 24 hours straight. I wanted to use the opportunity to clear off part of […]
Posted in Challenges on Dec 6th, 2007 1 Comment »
Chronically behind in everything, I present to you my official tiny reading list for Bellezza’s Japanese Literature Challenge. Three books. January 30, 2008. I can totally handle. I’m going out of town in a week, so lots of airport time awats… ok.
The Woman in the Dunes / Kobo Abe
Kokoro / […]
Posted in Challenges, Reviews on Dec 6th, 2007 1 Comment »
Eats, Shoots & Leaves / Lynne Truss
Gotham Books, 2006 (paperback) [orig. 2003]
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero-Tolerance Approach to Punctuation is the one charming little grammar book everyone should read. Yes, I like grammar, ok? I don’t use punctuation properly, especially on the Internet, but I am generally well-aware of the atrocities I […]
Posted in Challenges, Reviews on Nov 29th, 2007 4 Comments »
Speaker for the Dead / Orson Scott Card
Tor Books, 1994 (paperback) [orig. 1986]
My reading of Speaker of the Dead was inspired by the highest recommendation of a trusted source. I was reticent to do this review because there’s a lot involved in this book, so I’ve put it off for a full two weeks, […]
Posted in Challenges, Reviews on Nov 8th, 2007 2 Comments »
Amsterdam / Ian McEwan
Anchor Books, 1999 (paperback) [orig. 1998]
Amsterdam won the 1998 Booker Prize for Ian McEwan, with whose work I am otherwise unfamiliar. It’s short, but it took me forever to read because I just couldn’t muster up much interest.
When Molly Lane dies young, two of her old lovers show up at her […]
Posted in Challenges, Reviews on Nov 7th, 2007 6 Comments »
Stuart Little / E.B. White
Yearling, 1943 (paperback)
At first I thought my battered copy of Stuart Little was missing the last couple of chapters. It would make sense. The binding glue is pretty much dust at this point, the book smells like a dead animal in the attic, and, OH RIGHT, the story abruptly […]
Posted in Challenges on Nov 7th, 2007 7 Comments »
I already read a lot, but despite starting this blog, I never feel compelled to write about what I read unless I’ve somehow committed myself to doing so. This is sad. SO, I’ve decided to commit to the 888 Challenge, which is large, but open-ended. I’ll get me writing.
It’s easy. Pick […]