Category Archives: Humorous

Quiet Backwaters

Posted on May 30, 2019 by

The novels featured in today’s brief post (another for my Melville bicentennial celebration) are set on rivers. Two are classics, and the third deserves to be. I’ve read all three before, but they fit so neatly into my on-the-water theme … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Am reading, Animal tales, Humorous, Seafaring | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Amuse bouche: SF version

Posted on October 26, 2018 by

Guys Read: Other Worlds, ed. Jon Scieszka (2013, Harper Collins; Vol 4 of a series) Next week starts the main event of Witch Week, so I thought I’d lead you gently into it with a couple of quick reviews — … Continue reading →

Posted in Humorous, School setting, Science fiction | Leave a comment

Backward Rambles

Posted on July 23, 2018 by

Little Follies: The Personal History, Adventures, Experiences and Observations of Peter Leroy (So Far) (1995), Eric Kraft What do you remember from your childhood? How far back do your memories go? More importantly, how much can you trust your memories? … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction, Historical fiction, Humorous, Memoir, Series | Tagged | 3 Comments

“The chosen of All-Muggleton”

Posted on August 13, 2017 by

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

Bookshop for sale

Posted on September 14, 2016 by

The Bookshop (1978), Penelope Fitzgerald (156 pp.) Occasionally an ad appears in one of the papers I read about a bookstore for sale. The latest one is in the Scottish borders, and so enticing! The idea of living one’s life among books … Continue reading →

Posted in Bibliiomania, Fiction, Humorous, Support bookstores | Tagged | 2 Comments

Schools are still the same

Posted on August 27, 2016 by

Hundred Percent, Karen Romano Young (2016) Authors have gotten a lot of mileage out of the terrible years of schooling that kids must endure before adulthood swamps them with real life. Karen Roman Young adds to the stack with this … Continue reading →

Posted in Humorous, Review, School setting, YA Lit | Leave a comment

Proust drops in at 44 Scotland Street

Posted on August 8, 2016 by

Alexander McCall Smith, 44 Scotland Street series (2005 – no end in sight) If you like your soap operas literate, breezy, quirky, and in book form, then the prolific Mr. Smith* has a few options for you. I settled into … Continue reading →

Posted in 2016 Goals, Art, Fiction, Humorous, Roman fleuve, Series, Travel | Tagged , | 4 Comments