![]() ![]() Someone once described this book as "snarky" to me and I think they got it dead wrong that's the usual way to handle satirical SF, by looking down your nose in hipper-than-thou mode at the foolishness of our blighted human race. True, some of his jokes might be a bit arch, but this is the kind of social satire we see all too rarely in SF. Having said all that, now this: Cory Doctorow is a talented guy, and his debut novel is a witty and inventive piece of work that succeeds on a surprisingly unpretentious level. (That's definitely what was going on when Neil Gaiman came to town.) You find yourself reviewing not the book you actually read, but the book you'd heard about and already built up expectations of beforehand. We litcrit wankers can be just as subject to communal reinforcement as anyone, and oftimes, when a majority of critics are in paroxysms of joy over some Hot New Talent, that's what's going on. (Though it also just wasn't that good a novel.) One reason I myself don't read other critics' reviews until well after I've read the novel in question is that I don't want to be influenced by implanted preconceptions. ![]() My own hyping of China Miéville, for instance, probably fed some of my disappointment in Iron Council. And I'm sure I've been as guilty of it as any other critic. ![]() ![]() I hate having my expectations built up too high. The problem with a writer's being on the receiving end of a big steaming mound of hype is that I'm immediately dubious. ![]()
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![]() ![]() Nu stiu si, pana la urma, nici nu intereseaza aproape deloc daca scriitorul a pornit de la un prototip sau l-a inventat pur si simplu. „Tatal real pe care il invoca in fragmentul citat mai inainte este, desigur, un simbol al acestei lumi scaldate in lumina eterna a zilei de vara, dar Ilie Moromete, varianta lui din roman, este creatia fictiunii epice, este un veritabil erou de roman. In realitate, in amintire imi zac fapte de violenta fara masura si chipuri intunecoase, infernale, dar pana acum nu le-am gasit un sens. Acest sentiment a ramas stabil si profund pentru toata viata, si de aceea cruzimea, cat si josnicia, omorurile si spanzurarile intalnite des la Rebreanu si Sadoveanu si existente, de altfel, si in viata taranilor nu si-au mai gasit loc si in lumea mea scaldata in lumina eterna a zilei de vara. ![]() ![]() „Scriind, totdeauna am admirat ceva, o creatie preexistenta, care mi-a fermecat nu numai copilaria, ci si maturitatea: eroul preferat, Moromete, care a existat in realitate, a fost tatal meu. ![]() ![]() No one ever knew the events of Anne’s life before she arrived at Green Gables. But when readers first meet Anne, she is only eleven and has just been sent from an orphanage to meet her new family. The story of the spunky red haired orphan from Prince Edward Island is known to millions, and copies of the eight titles in the series have never gone out of print. Montgomery’s coming of age classic Anne of Green Gables has enchanted generations of readers, both children and adults. ![]() Before Green Gables is the story of Anne Shirley’s life before her arrival at Green Gables a heartwarming tale of a precocious child whose lively imagination and relentless spirit help her to overcome difficult circumstances and of a young girl’s ability to love, learn, and above all, dream. Montgomery’s heirs to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the publication of the original novel. ![]() No separate player needed, no CDs, no downloads just press play! ‘A must read for generations of book lovers, this remarkable prequel to the classic Anne of Green Gables was specially authorized by L. An all in one format, the player and content are combined in one 2 ounce unit and it comes with everything you need to start listening immediately. Playaway is the easiest way to listen to a book on the go. ![]() ![]() The characters are developed in interesting ways (hello… who doesn’t love first person narrator bias?). You want to unearth the truth within the heaping pile of drama. This “thriller” is not so much a thriller in a scary way, but rather mysterious. PSA: And there is nothing wrong with that. No, it’s not earth-shattering literature, but it’s a tense, quick book that is purely a pleasure read. ![]() You are reading it (while wondering why you are reading it) and then you feel the satisfaction of living through fictional characters’ drama when you are done, you toss the book aside feeling delighted with your healthy dose of scandal and then move on with your life. This is a classic case of a guilty pleasure read. If you want to be completely surprised, shield those eyeballs!) I tried to eliminate any spoilers, but I moved the summary just in case. (Hence why I am putting the plot at the end of this review post. ![]() Honestly, it made the experience of reading it much more fun and interesting – I totally recommend approaching it this way! ![]() I went into Too Good to Be True without any knowledge of the plot. “ All I’m saying is that if he seems too good to be true, he probably is.” Wraps up too neatly at the end to be realistic ![]() ![]() Jack Zipes’s introduction traces the history of the book’s reception and explores the tensions that Salten experienced in his own life-as a hunter who also loved animals, and as an Austrian Jew who sought acceptance in Viennese society even as he faced persecution. ![]() ![]() ![]() Life in the forest is dangerous and precarious, and Bambi learns important lessons about survival as he grows to become a strong, heroic stag. Originally published in 1923, Salten’s story is more somber than the adaptations that followed it. This masterful new translation gives contemporary readers a fresh perspective on this moving allegorical tale and provides important details about its creator. For decades, readers’ images of Bambi have been shaped by the 1942 Walt Disney film-an idealized look at a fawn who represents nature’s innocence-which was based on a 1928 English translation of a novel by the Austrian Jewish writer Felix Salten. Most of us think we know the story of Bambi -but do we? The Original Bambi: The Story of a Life in the Forest (Princeton UP, 2022) is an all-new, illustrated translation of a literary classic that presents the story as it was meant to be told. ![]() ![]() ![]() and George and Martha are returning home after a night of drinks at a faculty party. The horror and anxiety of being trapped in a beyond-awkward situation remain but those feelings are tempered by a few moments in which the audience can breathe - until the next round of battling begins.Īs Edward Albee’s 1962 masterpiece opens, it’s already 2 a.m. Director Matthew MacDermid has ever so slightly lightened the play from some of the darker versions I’ve viewed over the years. They are ultimately tragic, at times comical but always compelling. ![]() It has been years since I have dropped in on George and Martha, the sniping hosts of one of theater’s most uncomfortable social gatherings in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.” The quarrelsome couple is onstage in a production by Oviedo’s The Ensemble Company, and as embodied by David Lowe and Janine Papin are in fine form.Īnd by fine form, I mean as complicated as ever. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() One look at her face, and I knew right away she was not human. The image of her standing in front of my desk still burns in my mind. “who cares to whom my inexistent soul belongs to when I will go on living forever?”Īnd the answer to his question will take the reader to a surprising journey of faith, discovery, the mysteries of immortality and beyond time itself.Įternal Darkness, Blood King is a true feast for all vampire lovers, and a new take on the immortal lore with unexpected twists and turns that will leave the reader asking for more.Įnter into the darkness of the world of Renzo Von Klatas Meet Renzo Von Klatas, a proud immortal who across two centuries of blood and death wonders if there still is some shred of human emotion inside of him, when he faces the unexpected by an ancient evil force that seems to be as powerful as he is- an evil force with the perfect bait the secret of how to turn immortals back into mortals in exchange for Renzo's soul. It's evil versus evil in a showdown of wits and will when the most ancient and wicked of forces challenge the most powerful and ruthless of modern vampires. ![]() ![]() While models and some photos of the plane are available, I have not been able to come up with any information regarding what type of U-boat was intended to be used or what the storage unit might have looked like. ![]() I would like to show the plane being recovered by the U-boat crew and would limit the scene to only as much of the deck and storage unit for the plane as is necessary to tell the story. ![]() My idea for the diorama is therefore somewhat hypothetical. However, the war's end also put an end to the project. From what I have been able to gather, the plan was to take the plane to sea on board a U-boat, from which it would be launched and recovered. I am planning a 1/32 scale diorama featuring the diminuative flying boat, the Hansa-Brandenburg W.20. Scarborough, who flew the North Atlantic searching for the Bismarck before heading to the Pacific. ![]() Some of you may know of my dad, the USN aviation writer W.E. I am new to this website and would like to ask for some guidance from those of you who are clearly passionate about this subject. ![]() ![]() ![]() The vast sweep of this historical adventure spans the lush poppy fields of the Ganges, the rolling high seas, and the exotic backstreets of Canton. As their old family ties are washed away, they, like their historical counterparts, come to view themselves as jahaj-bhais, or ship-brothers. In a time of colonial upheaval, fate has thrown together a diverse cast of Indians and Westerners on board, from a bankrupt raja to a widowed tribeswoman, from a mulatto American freedman to a free-spirited French orphan. Her destiny is a tumultuous voyage across the Indian Ocean shortly before the outbreak of the Opium Wars in China. ![]() which has plenty of action and adventure à la Dumas, but moments also of Tolstoyan penetration-and a drop or two of Dickensian sentiment" ( The Observer ).Īt the heart of this vibrant saga is a vast ship, the Ibis. The first in an epic trilogy, Amitav Ghosh's Sea of Poppies is "a remarkably rich saga. ![]() ![]() ![]() In their balanced approach, Toner and Freeland offer information in a supportive, noncondescending way and treat depression like the serious issue it is, all while maintaining an ultimately positive outlook. ![]() Though the exercises may seem a bit too much like those of a typical self-help book at times, they fit within the context of the chapter. ![]() Because this is written from a cognitive-behavior-therapy standpoint, the activities and journal entries are focused on identifying the reader’s thoughts and behaviors and modifying them. Divided into 11 chapters, the book first covers what depression is (differentiating it from suicide), how to find help, how thoughts and behaviors impact depression, and how to find hope even in the darkest of times. Teens battling depression, or who know someone who is depressed, or who simply need tips on self-care, should turn to this comprehensive and straightforward offering from the American Psychological Association. ![]() |