Tag Archives: translation

The Trial, by Franz Kafka + graphic novel

Posted on July 26, 2009 by Thistle

Spoilers. Josef K. wakes up on his 30th birthday to find himself arrested. No one will tell him why, and he’s free to go about his own business in the meantime. Over the course of a year, he must defend … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose, Visual | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Death of Ivan Ilych, by Leo Tolstoy

Posted on June 17, 2009 by Thistle

What if my entire nature, my entire conscious life, simply was not the real thing? …Not the real thing. Everything you lived by and still live by is a lie, a deception that blinds you from the reality of life … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose | Tagged , | 1 Comment

A Bottle in the Gaza Sea, by Valerie Zenatti

Posted on June 4, 2009 by Thistle

When a bomb goes off in a cafe near Tal’s home in Jerusalem, she begins to write. At first, it’s just like a journal entry. Then, it becomes a letter to an as-of-yet unknown Palestinian. Tal has this idea that … Continue reading →

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Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke

Posted on May 29, 2009 by Thistle

Meggie’s father, Mo, has a gift. He can read a book aloud so realistically that characters leap from the page. Unfortunately, he once accidentally pulled several villains into this world, and they’ve chased him from place to place ever since. … Continue reading →

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One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Posted on May 11, 2009 by Thistle

This book is exactly what the title suggests: a look at one day in Ivan Denisovich (Shukhov)’s life. Shukhov was arrested on baseless charges – fairly common at that time – and was sentenced to ten years in a Siberian … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Diary of Anne Frank, by Anne Frank

Posted on May 9, 2009 by Thistle

Anne Frank began this diary on her 13th birthday, June 14, 1942. A couple months later, her family went into hiding in Amsterdam with two other families. For two years, they lived in tense conditions. The diary closes on August … Continue reading →

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Fathers and Sons, by Ivan Turgenev

Posted on April 27, 2009 by Thistle

I have never been a big fan of Russian literature. Granted, I’ve never read Dostoevsky or Solzhenitsyn. Either of them might turn out to be quite good when I finally get around to their books. As for now, though, I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose | Tagged , | 2 Comments

The Epic of Gilgamesh, by Anonymous

Posted on March 28, 2009 by Thistle

Most of today I’ve been practically an invalid, and have had to leave off reading Vanity Fair because it’s too heavy to carry in one hand. So, I pulled Gilgamesh off the shelf for a short, lighter read while I … Continue reading →

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The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho

Posted on March 25, 2009 by Thistle

I imagine this book isn’t for everyone. It’s more of a parable than a story, the language is almost semi-Biblical in tone (it’s a translation from Portuguese, but I imagine the tone is similar in the original), the events are … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas

Posted on March 7, 2009 by Thistle

Oh finally! I’m done. I suppose I’ll just say right off that while this book is certainly well written, I didn’t enjoy it very much. It wasn’t the length or anything, though I wish I’d have chosen the abridged version. … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , | 1 Comment