Category Archives: Year

The Original of Laura, by Vladimir Nabokov

Posted on April 8, 2011 by Thistle

This was an interesting book to read. Since it’s Nabokov’s last novel, very incomplete and written only in notes on index cards, it comes across as nothing more than fragments. I’ve been conflicted about reading this one since it came … Continue reading →

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The White Devil, by Justin Evans

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Thistle

Andrew Taylor is an American student sent to spend his senior year at a British boarding school, Harrow, because of some drug trouble he had at his last school at home. While he’s still adjusting to a new way of … Continue reading →

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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 →

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The Six Rules of Maybe, by Deb Caletti

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Thistle

This is the fourth book I’ve read by Deb Caletti and I enjoyed it, though not as much as The Nature of Jade or Wild Roses (my two favorites). As usual for Caletti, this book is wrapped up in family … Continue reading →

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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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Harry Potter et la Coupe de Feu, by JK Rowling

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Thistle

As I stated last year, this is my least favorite of the Harry Potter books. Thankfully, some of the things that really irritate me, like the repetition of phrases, aren’t anywhere near as noticeable to me when translated into French! … 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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