Category: psychological

Under and Over Painting.

Book Review for “The Marriage Portrait” by Maggie O'Farrell. Summary: "In the winter of 1561, Lucrezia, Duchess of Ferrara, is taken on an unexpected visit to a country villa by her husband, Alfonso. As they sit down to dinner in the icy hall it occurs to Lucrezia that Alfonso has a sinister purpose in bringing … Continue reading Under and Over Painting. →

Prophetic or Pathetic?

Book Review for “Delphi” by Clare Pollard. Summary: "Covid-19 has arrived in London, and the entire world quickly succumbs to the surreal, chaotic mundanity of screens, isolation, and the disasters small and large that have plagued recent history. As our unnamed narrator—a classics academic immersed in her studies of ancient prophecies—navigates the tightening grip of … Continue reading Prophetic or Pathetic? →

#CCSpin #30 Review – Know Thy Self.

Book Review for “Demian” by Hermann Hess. Summary: “In ‘Demian’, Hermann Hesse dramatizes the dilemma of the marked man, the outcast, the quasi-criminal hero who rejects society and strives to find a higher meaning in a strange world of his own making.” This edition is translated by Michael Roloff and Michael Lebeck, which also includes … Continue reading #CCSpin #30 Review – Know Thy Self. →

TCL’s Top Ten (or more) Favorite Books of 2021.

2021- the Year of 4.75 stars! This past year has seen me read more books than ever. I'm guessing that's because of several reasons. The pandemic meant more time at home, and that, combined with my now being retired for over a year, meant more time for reading overall. There are other reasons I read … Continue reading TCL’s Top Ten (or more) Favorite Books of 2021. →

TCL’s #NovNov 4 – Classic Wharton.

Book Review for “Ethan Frome” by Edith Wharton. Summary: "The classic novel of despair, forbidden emotions, and sexual undercurrents set against the austere New England countryside. Ethan Frome works his unproductive farm and struggles to maintain a bearable existence with his difficult, suspicious and hypochondriac wife, Zeena. But when Zeena's vivacious cousin enters their household … Continue reading TCL’s #NovNov 4 – Classic Wharton. →

Gotten to a Nunnery…

Book Review for “Learwife” by J.R. Thorp. Summary: "Word has come. Care-bent King Lear is dead, driven mad and betrayed. His three daughters too, broken in battle. But someone has survived: Lear's queen. Exiled to a nunnery years ago, written out of history, her name forgotten. Now she can tell her story. Though her grief … Continue reading Gotten to a Nunnery… →

… and then there were…

Book Review for “The Invisible Host” by Gwen Bristow and Bruce Manning. Summary: "New Orleans, 1930. Eight guests are invited to a party at a luxurious penthouse apartment, yet on arrival it turns out that no one knows who their mysterious host actually is. The latter does not openly appear, but instead communicates with the … Continue reading … and then there were… →

#ShortStorySunday – Homework for the October #6Degrees Meme.

Book Story Review for the Short Story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. Summary: "[This] is a short story by Shirley Jackson, first published in the June 26, 1948, issue of The New Yorker. Written the same month it was published, it is ranked today as "one of the most famous short stories in the history … Continue reading #ShortStorySunday – Homework for the October #6Degrees Meme. →

She Who Schooled St. Oswald’s.

Book Review for “A Narrow Door” by Joanne Harris. Summary: "It's an incendiary moment for St Oswald's school. For the first time in its history, a headmistress is in power, the gates opening to girls. Rebecca Buckfast has spilled blood to reach this position. Barely forty, she is just starting to reap the harvest of … Continue reading She Who Schooled St. Oswald’s. →

TCL’s Can’t Wait Wednesday #3 – Recent Book Haul!

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Tag Jill on your CWW posts … Continue reading TCL’s Can’t Wait Wednesday #3 – Recent Book Haul! →