Category: Books
My Cats by Charles Bukowski
I know. I know.
they are limited, have different
needs and
concerns.
but I watch and learn from them.
I like the little they know,
which is so
much.
they complain but never
worry,
they walk with a surprising dignity.
they sleep with a direct simplicity that
humans just can’t
understand.
their eyes are more
beautiful than our eyes.
and they can sleep 20 hours
a day
without
hesitation or
remorse.
when I am feeling
low
all I have to do is
watch my cats
and my
courage
returns.
I study these
creatures.
they are my
teachers.
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons – Book Review
A send-up of the early 20th century rural novel, this sharp and funny parody clearly outlived its subject of mockery and stands on its own as a highly amusing read.
The Luzhin Defense by Vladimir Nabokov – Book Review
This is a rare book that I loved mainly because it made my brain tingle with its brilliant, beautiful prose, even if I found it emotionally chilly and distant.
Rivals by Jilly Cooper – Book Review
Reading this book was a bit like binge-watching a long and addictive 80s soap opera, with a dash of beautiful English countryside.
Top Ten Tuesday – Books Set on a Farm
Thanksgiving is this week’s theme from That Artsy Reader Girl. We don’t celebrate it Down Under, but I thought I’d run with the general idea of harvest and farming.
Finders Keepers by Stephen King – Book Review
The second novel in the Bill Hodges thriller trilogy is a side quest rather than a true sequel to Mr Mercedes, but it makes for an entertaining return to some of King’s perennial topics: the power of literature to shape a life, and a fan with a dangerous obsession.
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick – Book Review
My first Philip K. Dick novel turned out to be an inventive, fast-paced mind-bender, throwing out ideas and philosophical questions like a tennis ball machine.
Top Ten Tuesday – Book Villains
Villains: you love them, you hate them, your favourite books wouldn’t be the same without them. This week’s topic from That Artsy Reader Girl is dedicated to the best of the worst.
As an aside, when making this list I had to separate the literary villains from their film versions. Someone like Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs is memorable to me mainly because of Anthony Hopkins’ portrayal rather than the original novel, so these are my favourite picks based on books alone.
Top Ten Tuesday – Reading in Paintings
It is Non-bookish Freebie at That Artsy Reader Girl. I thought I’d still keep it somewhat bookish while branching out into the world of art, with ten paintings depicting reading.
yggdrasille.com 