Reblogged saintcirce
Hans Zatzka
Austrian, 1859-1945
“A Water Idyll” (details)
Reblogged anya-studies-blog
a cup of coffee to heal the soul ☕️
Reblogged goldengirlschildhood
i get the sense the folks at the atlantic were as annoyed as i was that only one single book of poetry made it onto the NYT list of the “best one hundred books of the 21st century.” so they made their own list of the best 25 books of poetry. give it a read!
Reblogged readingloveswounds
i love the word "ostensibly", you can write some mean ass sentences with it
Reblogged diotimas
*sexting* oh yeah I checked out that book you mentioned
Monthly Mini Reviews — February 2025
Two months in a row, I'm on a roll! You can read January's mini reviews here.
Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa
This is a bittersweet little novel about isolation, finding purpose, and learning how to make sweet bean paste. I loved that it centred around an unlikely friendship formed between an elderly woman, a middle-aged man, and a high school student — all brought together by dokayaki — and the parallels between their lives but the writing (or maybe the translation?) lacked some of the delicacy I wanted, especially concerning Tokue’s illness. It just felt a little heavy-handed at times.
Overall, it’s a really lovely book.
Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
Reading this book was an experience, to say the least.
It’s split into three parts: part one was a slog, part two was also a bit of a slog (although less so than part one), and part three was batshit. There’s a lot of exposition in the first section and, honestly, it’s really dull. I struggled to get through it because I didn’t care about the characters or their motives or their relationships. I just wanted to get to the plot. When the plot finally arrived in part three, everything happens too quickly and by the end you’re left staring at the book wondering what the hell you just read.
The title is a nod to Macbeth and the book is very interested in power dynamics but it’s no Shakespearean tragedy and I was left wanting.
Murder At Mount Fuji by Shizuko Natsuki
I have mixed feelings about this book for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the English version, which was first published in 1984, changes one of the main characters to an American woman for reasons unknown — probably to make it more marketable to an American audience at the time but still, they could have translated the original for today’s audience. Secondly, the writing is so stilted that I really struggled with the first few chapters. It was painful to read at times.
Saying that, I did enjoy the book, especially once the police got involved and the investigation into the murder got underway. There are so many twists in this and I loved every single one of them.
Reblogged
Hello! The idea of this zine was a more informal history journal and much shorter, consisting of about 4 essays 500-1000 words a piece.
I want the zine open to be everyone. Anyone can submit a nonfiction, history focused essay and the 4 chosen writers will receive $25 USD each (via paypal). All fields of history are welcome.
Reblogged aliteraryprincess
January 2025 Reading Wrap Up
I read 10 books in January, which is a very high number for me right now, but January always tends to be the month were I read the most books. I was super happy with what I read this month, and I enjoyed a lot of 5 star reads, but there were a few disappointments.
1.A Dark and Drowning Tide by Allison Saft, 3/5 stars. This was my first book of the year, and a bit of a let-down. I've read Saft's other books and liked them all, but this one was an outlier. I liked the folklore and magic, but didn't care much for the characters and themes.
2.Spindle's End by Robin McKinley, 4/5 stars. I want to read everything McKinley's written, and this was the next one I picked up. I loved the magic and worldbuilding, as well as the changes she made from the classic or disney story. I loved the focus on friendship and family love as well.
3.The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer. This is a new essay published by Kimmerer which I listened to on audio. Another thought provoking and necessary essay about how we live and interact with the world.
4.Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant, 5/5 stars. This was my Random TBR pick for the month, and this book had been on my tbr since 2020. I had such a good time reading this sci-fi horror, and I did not want to put this down. I enjoyed the deep sea horror, our ensemble cast, and the plausibly mad biology.
5. A Little Princess by Francis Hodgson Burnett, 4/5 stars. This was my other Random TBR pick for the month, and has been on my tbr since 2018. This was a classic I never read growing up, but I was glad to read it as an adult. I didn't love this as much as The Secret Garden, but I can see why it's so beloved.
6.Buried Deep and Other Stories by Naomi Novik, 5/5 stars. I don't typically gravitate towards short story collections, but I'm so glad I picked this up. This was a mix of short stories from her publishes series, plus original works. The sneak peak at her newest project was a treat, I recommend picking this up if you are interested!
7.Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid, 2/5 stars. This was another disappointment, but one I can't say I didn't see coming. I've liked all of Reid's other works, but this was not good. I do think Reid is a talented writer, and the writing is very strong, but the rest of this is just not good. Bad portrayal of the middle ages, xenophobic of scotland, butchered the characters from the original. :(
8.The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by HG Parry, 5/5 stars. A new favorite, and HG Parry keeps getting better and better. This is a dark academia magic school book about faeries, portals, 1920s England, classism, friendship, and trying to fix things. I loved this book from start to finish, and it's my favorite I read this month.
9. Melmoth by Sarah Perry, 3/5 stars. An interesting little gothic (horror-ish) novel set primarily in Prague. This was much more gothic and dark than I was anticipating, with a bit of a speculative twist. I can't say I enjoyed this book a whole lot, but rather appreciated the writing, the story, and craft of it.
10. Forging Silver into Stars by Brigid Kemmerer, 5/5 stars. A reread that I enjoyed just as much as the first time in 2022. This is one of the few YA series I'm still reading and loving, and I can't wait to pick up the second book which just released at the end of the month. I've been waiting years for it, and can finally see what happens next!
Overall, very strong month and a good way to start the new year! I hope the rest of my year stays as strong, and I'm hoping to pick up a new series to start in February!