Category Archives: Classic

ULYSSES+ Quarterly Report

NYC has had its usual share of rainy weather since the start of the year, which means that I’ve been making good progress on my ULYSSES+ project. In just 3 months, I’ve read 5 of the 12 books-published-in-1922 chosen as … Continue reading

Posted in Am reading, Animal tales, Castles and towers, Classic, Fantasy, Humorous, Newbery Award, Poetry, ULYSSES+ | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

#WitchWeek2020 Day 4: M R James and the Gothic Tradition

In this post, guest blogger Jean takes us to the world of M. R. James, famous for his creepy gothic tales, which have inspired several 20th and 21st century authors. Jean is a librarian blogging at Howling Frog Books who … Continue reading

Posted in Classic, Fantasy, Gothic, short stories, Witch Week | Tagged | 15 Comments

#WitchWeek2020 Day 2: A Gothic Reading of The Betrothed

Today’s guest blogger, e-Tinkerbell, lives in Italy, so it’s no surprise that she brings this classic Italian novel from the 19th century to our attention. e-Tinkerbell is a high school English teacher who loves literature, history… and shoes. She blogs … Continue reading

Posted in Classic, Gothic, Romance, Witch Week | Tagged | 9 Comments

Stress Reading

This month, as three crucial dates slouch nearer (31 October, 01 November, 03 November¹), my reading has been all about trying to keep calm. True, only one of these dates will have world-wide significance, its consequences possibly repeating and repeating … Continue reading

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A well-governed shark

It’s time for another progress report on my reading-the-sea project. For this post, I had planned to include notes on Melville’s Billy Budd, but I’ve been busy having fun instead — fun reading other books, that is, so BB will … Continue reading

Posted in Adventure, Am reading, Classic, History, Seafaring | Tagged , , , | 24 Comments

The voyage so far

As promised, here’s the first of what may be several updates on my tour of books set on water in honor of Herman Melville’s 200th birthday. Initially I had planned to make these reviews brief, but, well, you know … … Continue reading

Posted in Adventure, Classic, Fan fiction, History, Seafaring, Travel | Tagged , | 19 Comments

Sea Fever

Matching my current reading focus is John Masefield’s “Sea Fever” (quoted here, in full, from The Poetry Foundation’s website): I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a … Continue reading

Posted in Adventure, Am reading, Classic, Fiction, Seafaring | 10 Comments

Sea cruise, baby!

No need to get excited. I plan to travel virtually, in honor of Herman Melville’s 200th birthday. Over the next few months I’ll be aboard stories set on ships (with perhaps a rowboat or two) that will take me up … Continue reading

Posted in Adventure, Am reading, Classic, Fiction, History, Seafaring | Tagged | 8 Comments

“The chosen of All-Muggleton”

Packing for a lengthy trip that includes a great deal of moving on and off trains, buses, boats and trams (not to mention walking) presents a particular challenge for a reader who hopes to travel light: How many books should … Continue reading

Posted in Adventure, Classic, Fiction, Humorous, Travel, Travel book | Tagged | 8 Comments

When you run out of Jane Austen and the Brontës, try Mrs. Gaskell

Three more books to discuss for the 2015 Reading Challenge. I have to start with three quotes: [Mrs. Forrester explained] … in her day the only use people made of four-syllabled words was to teach how they should be spelt. … Continue reading

Posted in 2015 Reading Challenge, Classic, Historical fiction, Romance | Tagged | Leave a comment