Category Archives: Adult

The Machine Stops, by EM Forster

Posted on January 16, 2010 by Thistle

Man, the flower of all flesh, the noblest of all creatures visible, man who had once made god in his image, and had mirrored his strength on the constellations, beautiful naked man was dying, strangled in the garments that he … Continue reading →

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Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens

Posted on January 15, 2010 by Thistle

A couple years back, I read A Christmas Carol. It was my first encounter with Charles Dickens, and I was not impressed. In fact, I absolutely hated the book and it took me weeks to get through it. His language … Continue reading →

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Native, by Mona Kuhn

Posted on January 14, 2010 by Thistle

I spent a lot of January studying and reading about Brazil, and supplemented all this by reading Native, a book of photography by Mona Kuhn. Kuhn is from Brazil and returned to it after being away for twenty years. The … Continue reading →

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Tales From Outer Suburbia, by Shaun Tan

Posted on January 12, 2010 by Thistle

This is a picture-book collection of 15 short stories. So far, this is my least favorite book by Shaun Tan, and that’s really just because it’s a SS collection. Like other collections, I felt rushed and overwhelmed reading it, even … Continue reading →

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Protected: Maus (vol 1), by Art Spiegelman

Posted on January 7, 2010 by Thistle

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

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Summer, by Edith Wharton

Posted on January 3, 2010 by Thistle

Spoilers. Charity Royall is the child of “mountain people” adopted by a lawyer in the nearby small, poor town of North Dormer. One summer, she has an affair with Lucius Harney, an educated visitor to the town. Bad stuff follows. … Continue reading →

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The Painted Veil, by William Somerset Maugham

Posted on December 17, 2009 by Thistle

I’m reviewing this book together with my good friend Karen of Books and Chocolate. Amanda: Hi Karen! Thanks for buddy-reviewing with me! I think I want to start out by talking about William Somerset Maugham. I first read one of … Continue reading →

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The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery

Posted on December 16, 2009 by Thistle

Renee is a concierge in her mid-50s. She’s spent most of her life maintaining her invisibility, hiding her intelligence under a mask of stereotypical peasant ignorance. Paloma is a super-smart twelve year old girl who lives in the building where … Continue reading →

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Asleep, by Banana Yoshimoto

Posted on December 9, 2009 by Thistle

Included in Asleep are three longer short stories by Banana Yoshimoto, translated from the Japanese by Michael Emmerich. Each in some way deal with sleep (whether physical or metaphorical). This is my first read by Yoshimoto, and I’m delighted to … Continue reading →

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Born on a Blue Day, by Daniel Tammet

Posted on December 4, 2009 by Thistle

I was born on 31 January 1979 – a Wednesday. I know it was a Wednesday, because the date is blue in my mind and Wednesdays are always blue. Daniel Tammet has savant syndrome. He can recite the numbers of … Continue reading →

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