Category Archives: Adult

The Believers, by Zoë Heller (audio)

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Thistle

The Litvinoff family is a dysfunctional bunch of socialist atheist political activists. Joel and Audrey play-act at a good marriage. Their daughter Rosa has given up the family values and is investigating Orthodox Judaism. Their daughter Karla is unhappy in … Continue reading →

Posted in 2011, Adult, Prose | Tagged | 1 Comment

Don Juan, by Lord Byron

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Thistle

This epic poem is a retelling of the legend of Don Juan. Don Juan is normally seen as a scoundrel and womanizer, but in Byron’s retelling, he is instead just a beautiful young man easily seduced by women. The poem … Continue reading →

Posted in 2011, Adult, Poetry | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Complete Stories, by William Somerset Maugham

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Thistle

I love Maugham and wanted to read his short stories as part of my short story project this year. I’ve since decided to give up the project and just finished reading the stories. There are quite a bit of them … Continue reading →

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The Lost City of Z, by David Grann (audio)

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Thistle

Before I begin this review, I have to admit something a little embarrassing. For a very long time, I thought this book was a zombie novel. I mean, “The Lost City of Z” just sounds like a zombie novel, right? … Continue reading →

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City of Veils, by Zoë Ferraris

Posted on March 19, 2011 by Thistle

When the body of a dead woman – beaten, burned, and bloated – turns up on the beach in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, an investigation begins into her death. I don’t normally read thrillers, but this one sounded interesting to me, … Continue reading →

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A Moveable Feast, by Ernest Hemingway

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Thistle

A Moveable Feast is a partial memoir, Hemingway’s look back on his life before he published any novels. At the time, he lived in Paris with his wife in poverty, rubbing elbows with other writers at the time in what’s … Continue reading →

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The Saga of Gosta Berling, by Selma Lagerlöf (audio)

Posted on March 11, 2011 by Thistle

I don’t begin to know how to describe this book. It starts as the tale of a priest, Gosta Berling, as he’s dismissed from his post and goes to live in a new place. He’s taken in by a woman … Continue reading →

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The Löwensköld Ring, by Selma Lagerlöf

Posted on March 11, 2011 by Thistle

When General Löwensköld dies, his fantastic ring is buried with him. When the grave is broken into and the ring stolen, the General returns from the dead to haunt the thieves and revenge the theft. He won’t rest until the … Continue reading →

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Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, by Frederick Douglass

Posted on March 10, 2011 by Thistle

This slim book is Douglass’s memoir of his life as a slave and escape into freedom. It’s more than just a memoir, though. It’s a statement against slavery, which may seem obvious or normal now but was a difficult and … Continue reading →

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Hedda Gabbler, by Henrik Ibsen

Posted on March 9, 2011 by Thistle

Hedda Gabler has married on a whim and is now bored out of her mind. She escapes that boredom by manipulating the people around her, especially those who have loved her in the past. After reading and loving A Doll’s … Continue reading →

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