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A post to recap the past week on your blog,
showcase books and things we have received.
Share news about what is coming up
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and on the book covers to access synopsis or review

JUST READ

 

Goddess Power: review live on 1/20
Sanshiro was reviewed here

CURRENTLY READING

 

Theological Territories: A David Bentley Hart Digest
Received for review through Edelweiss
Release date April 15
Orthodox theology book on Edelweiss.  By an author I like, but this collection of 26 essays is not so much about Orthodoxy so far.
See details below in the Book Journal section.

And Then, by Natsume Soseki (1909)
Reading for the  Japanese Literature Challenge 13 and for The Classics Club.
This is the 2nd volume in the trilogy I started, with Sanshiro.
“One of the central masterpieces of 20th-century Japanese literature, The Gate describes the everyday world of the humble clerk Sosuke and his wife Oyone, living in quiet obscurity in a house at the bottom of a cliff. Seemingly cursed with the inability to have children, the couple find themselves having to take responsibility for Sosuke’s younger brother Koroku. Oyone’s health begins to fail, and news that her estranged ex-husband will be visiting nearby finally promotes a sense of crisis in Sosuke and forces him temporarily to quit his life of quiet domesticity. Highly prized for the beauty of its description of the understated love between Sosuke and Oyone, the novel has nevertheless remained in many ways mysterious. An analysis of the novel by Damian Flanagan casts fresh insights into its complex symbolism and ideas, establishing The Gate as one of the most profound works of the modern age. ”

Audio book

The Haunted Bookshop (1918), by Christopher Morley
Sequel to the delightful classic book on books: Parnassus on Wheels
Am listening to it for The Classics Club.
“The new life the itinerant bookman delivers to Helen McGill, the narrator of Parnassus on Wheels, provides the romantic comedy that drives the novel. Published in 1917, Morley’s first love letter to the traffic in books remains a transporting entertainment. Its sequel, The Haunted Bookshop, finds Mifflin and McGill, now married, ensconced in Brooklyn. The novel’s rollicking plot provides ample doses of diversion, while allowing more room for Mifflin (and Morley) to expound on the intricacy of the bookseller’s art.”

BOOK UP NEXT

Last book in the trilogy after Sanshiro and And Then.
Will be reading for Japanese Literature Challenge 13 and The Classics Club.
“One of the central masterpieces of 20th-century Japanese literature, The Gate describes the everyday world of the humble clerk Sosuke and his wife Oyone, living in quiet obscurity in a house at the bottom of a cliff. Seemingly cursed with the inability to have children, the couple find themselves having to take responsibility for Sosuke’s younger brother Koroku. Oyone’s health begins to fail, and news that her estranged ex-husband will be visiting nearby finally promotes a sense of crisis in Sosuke and forces him temporarily to quit his life of quiet domesticity. Highly prized for the beauty of its description of the understated love between Sosuke and Oyone, the novel has nevertheless remained in many ways mysterious. An analysis of the novel by Damian Flanagan casts fresh insights into its complex symbolism and ideas, establishing The Gate as one of the most profound works of the modern age. ”

LAST 2 BOOKS ADDED TO MY GOODREADS TBR

   

Lanark
Published in 1981
Found on a book blog
“This work, originally published in 1981, has been hailed as the most influential Scottish novel of the second half of the 20th century. Its playful narrative techniques convey a profound message, personal and political, about humankind’s inability to love and yet our compulsion to go on trying.”

The Good Soldier
1915
Recommended by one of my French students
“”A Tale of Passion,” as its subtitle declares, The Good Soldier relates the complex social and sexual relationships between two couples, one English, one American, and the growing awareness by the American narrator John Dowell of the intrigues and passions behind their orderly Edwardian facade. It is the attitude of Dowell, his puzzlement, his uncertainty, and the seemingly haphazard manner of his narration that make the book so powerful and mysterious. Despite its catalogue of death, insanity, and despair, the novel has many comic moments, and has inspired the work of several distinguished writers, including Graham Greene.”

BOOKS RECEIVED THIS PAST WEEK

      

Goddess Power
Release day 2/4/20, received for review
Received, read, and reviewed in the same week, that’s highly unusual!!
Review live on 1/20

Logic Puzzles for Clever Kids
Release day 2/11/20, received for review

BOOK JOURNAL

1/13
📚 I managed to write 2 reviews, and I finished Sanshiro

1/14
📚 I started reading Goddess Power, and so loving it! As it’s focusing on only 10 goddesses, I was afraid it was going to be very limited, but the author actually manages to expand the focus in each chapter to offer a great overview of the whole of Greek (mostly) mythology.
📚 Am listening to The Haunted Bookshop, the sequel to Parnassus on Wheel, that I enjoyed a lot in December. Though this one starts much more slowly, with some long developments that are not very interesting and beside the plot, I think. However, like in the previous book, you can see the author had fun when he was writing it. Puns, funny remarks on society, etc.

1/15
📚 The Haunted Bookshop: more long passages outside the plot today, BUT they were actually interesting and strong positions against the War (the book was published in 1918). The plot itself is still dragging.
I wrote a review on Minimalism.
📚 I finished Goddess Power (review live on 1/20)
📚 Theological Territories: the second essay is even more difficult. It’s addressing Revelation and Givenness, by Jean-Luc Marion, an author I read decades ago. There’s also a lot about Heidegger. Alas, my fascinating philosophy years are far behind.

1/16
📚 I wrote a happy review on Sanshiro
📚 Didn’t read much tonight, as  went to see Richard III at my public library. Played by an interesting group, The Shakespeare Project of Chicago. The actors are mostly in street clothes, and they have their book, BUT believe me, it works, they are FABULOUS. I saw them play Hamlet last year. In 2020, they will play also Romeo and Juliet, and Measure For Measure.

1/17
📚 The Haunted Bookshop: it’s really not well put together, I think, at least compared to book 1 (Parnassus on Wheels) in this short series. There’s some type of mystery, but with so many digressions and reflections, it’s hardly a thriller.
Today, there were more digressions on peace/war. It made me sad to know that the author’s high hopes for peace alas after WWI , would soon be forgotten with WWII. And he died in 1957, so he witnessed another war.
There were cool passages on books. I especially like these two:
“I wish there could be an international peace conference of booksellers, for (you will smile at this) my own conviction is that the future happiness of the world depends in no small measure on them and on the librarians.”
“Long ago I fell back on books as the only permanent consolers. They are the one stainless and unimpeachable achievement of the human race. It saddens me to think that I shall have to die with thousands of books unread that would have given me noble and unblemished happiness. I will tell you a secret. I have never read King Lear, and have purposely refrained from doing so. If I were ever very ill I would only need to say to myself “You can’t die yet, you haven’t read Lear.” That would bring me round, I know it would.”
📚 I spent some time writing extensive notes for the essays I have already read in Theological Territories, to help with my final review. Otherwise, I may forget and everything will end in a mush at the end. This is NOT easy reading.

1/18
📚 Delving more in And Then. At first, the style seemed very different from Sanshiro. But now, it’s fun to identify the commonalities between these first two books of the trilogy.

THIS PAST WEEK ON
WORDS AND PEACE
and FRANCE BOOK TOURS

• 1/12: Sunday Post #20
• 1/13: Book review: The Fascinating Animal Book for Kids
• 1/14: Book review: Essential Keto Bread
• 1/15: Book review: Perfect Little Children
• 1/16: Book review: Minimalism Room By Room
• 1/17: Book review: Sanshiro

New book tour open for reviews/spotlights: Landing by Moonlight: a Novel of WWII, by Ciji Ware (Romantic thriller/Historical novel). Reserve your spot!

Book of the month giveaway

COMING UP ON WORDS AND PEACE

   

January-March: Japanese Literature Challenge 13

• 1/20: Book review: Goddess Power
• 1/21: Top Ten Tuesday on most recent additions to my TBR
• 1/22: Spotlight and giveaway on Permanent Weight Loss
• 1/23: Book review: The Healthy Breakfast Cookbook
• 1/24: Book review: Logic Puzzles For Clever Kids

HAVE YOU READ ANY OF THESE?
HOW WAS YOUR WEEK?