Alas, we have reached the end of the semester… crazy to look back at all the books we’ve studied over the past three months. If anything, this course has shown me that I do in fact have time to read, and need to stop making excuses for why I’m too busy to do so. I’m […]
Ahh last book of the semester! This was definitely a fun one to end with. I watched the HBO show a few years ago and fell in love with the characters, so I had a preformed image of how they looked and acted. I watched the show with my dad, who is also Italian (but […]
I have mixed feelings about this week’s book. I guess it’s an interesting concept and all, but honestly I felt disappointed with the storyline overall. At the beginning, it’s clear that Saramago is having some fun imagining a country’s reaction to the sudden absence of death, describing in depth the various governmental and societal changes […]
This week’s book was an adrenaline filled, action-packed (yet surprisingly emotional) glimpse into the criminal Argentine world in the 1960s. I’m sure a lot of people had the impression while reading that this novel reads a lot like a film- you get this very clear picture of the characters’ actions through Piglia’s simple yet eloquent […]
It’s safe to say that I wasn’t aware of much of the historical/political context surrounding this novella, so upon initially reading I had the feeling I was missing something. It was helpful to learn about the history of Communist Romania and its totalitarian rule under Nicolas Ceausescu. Understanding the ubiquitous presence of the Securitate during […]
After reading this book I’ve come to the realization that we must kill the CEO of every single mega corporate conglomerate.–> Thanks to Jack for starting off this blog post strong. This novella was a lot to take in- I found it deeply unsettling from the very beginning, and perhaps this was the author’s intention. […]
Damn. This one was a lot to take in. I felt drawn into this book from the very beginning, when Natalia talks so bluntly about her dead mother and how she no longer has someone to guide her life decisions. From the start, it feels like Natalia doesn’t have a real sense of autonomy and […]
Okay, Black Shack Alley… this is a really good read, and though it can feel slow at times, I appreciate how Zobel brings us from the narrator’s life as just a small boy at the age of five all the way into his adolescence, without ever making the narrative feel rushed or forced. The simple […]
Well. This one had its moments. The first thing that jumps to mind, for everyone I’m sure, is Freud and his psychosexual theories. I’m not going to get into the details, as most people are probably familiar with these ideas (the Oedipus complex, etc.) but this novel clearly reflects some of those ideas, and I […]
Hmm… I have lots of thoughts on this novel but am not sure exactly where to start. I think it’s safe to say that this piece touches on a question we’ve all spent some time thinking about: where do we go when we die? I’ll be honest, when I read the description of The Shrouded […]
