I am both re-reading Villette right now (by Charlotte Bronte), and reading The Home for the first time (by Fredrika Bremer). Charlotte Bronte is world famous, of course. Fredrika Bremer, an author from Sweden, may not be famous right now, but she was back in her day, even in the USA. The Loserville library has… Continue reading Charlotte Bronte and Fredrika Bremer
Tag: books
Welfare and Pioneer Girl
I'm reading "Pioneer Girl" by Laura Ingalls Wilder. This is the first autobiography she wrote of her life, before she started writing the "Little House" books. I always assumed the Little House books were the truth and nothing but the truth, but based on "Pioneer Girl", I am finding out this is not the case.… Continue reading Welfare and Pioneer Girl
Comparing the American and Arabic versions of Harry Potter
I've been reading the Arabic translation of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone". I got it from the Loserville Central Library. The Arabic translation is very faithful, I have discovered, and in general it is a word-for-word translation. But if you look carefully, you'll find some deviations. Here's some examples all from the scene of… Continue reading Comparing the American and Arabic versions of Harry Potter
The food they eat in “Magic for Marigold”
This is one of my favorite books. It's by the same author who wrote Anne of Green Gables. One thing that always intrigued me about this book is the food they are described as eating. According to "Magic for Marigold", which is set in the 1920s, all they ate back then was cake and pudding… Continue reading The food they eat in “Magic for Marigold”
Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote her husband into her books
I love the author of Anne of Green Gables. On a quiet, remote shelf on the eighth floor of Davis Library in Chapel Hill, I found her biography "The Gift of Wings" and read it all. And it described her marriage and how damaging it turned out to be -- to both of them. He… Continue reading Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote her husband into her books
The central library in Los Angeles
The entire city of Loserville, I mean, Los Angeles, is a giant trashy dump. So imagine my surprise when I went to the main branch of the library and found it to be a very nice place. Los Angeles putting money and resources into something that you don't have to be rich to access??? How… Continue reading The central library in Los Angeles
Judy Blume movie in Concord
Union Street is the main street of Concord, North Carolina. It's been partly closed off the past few months because they're doing construction. But on Sunday, both sides of the street were blocked from traffic. So towards sunset, we set off to see what the occasion was. Maybe some kind of street festival, now that… Continue reading Judy Blume movie in Concord
How old is Anne of Green Gables in each book?
It's simple enough for the first few books, because it's mentioned, and the passage of her birthdays is commemorated. But then, there's a little hiccup that occurs in the timing right around book #4! And past book 5, her age isn't really mentioned, until book 8, and at that point, the accounting is all wrong… Continue reading How old is Anne of Green Gables in each book?
Crossnore
One day I was riding around in the mountains, and we passed a sign for "Crossnore, 5 miles." I sat and thought, Crossnore, Crossnore ... where have I heard that before? The only thing I could think of was reading the book "The Suitcases" in middle school, which I had really, really loved, and re-read… Continue reading Crossnore
All the books Lucy Maud Montgomery mentions reading in her journals
When I read the journals of Lucy Maud Montgomery, she kept on mentioning all the books she was reading. She was writing between about 1886 and 1940. So it's books from that era or earlier. Eventually, I got interested and wanted to read them myself, and started keeping a list of them. Here are all… Continue reading All the books Lucy Maud Montgomery mentions reading in her journals
