The Torrents of Spring
Just finished reading Torrents of Spring the 1872 novella by Ivan Turgenev. It is partly autobiographical, centering on a young Russian landowner who falls in love for the first time while visiting the German city of Frankfurt.
Finished the last 2 #books in Vilhelm Moberg's #TheEmigrantNovels - The Settlers & The Last Letter Home. Loved this entire series about a Swedish family homesteading in late 1800s Minnesota - Also the basis for two great films. Highly recommended
James Baldwin on Giovanni's Room (1956)
I just finished Giovanni's Room and it has found a space on my favorite books of all time list. Perhaps I should have read this novel 40 years ago when I was in my mid 20s - but I'm not at all upset that I only discovered it now. I'm sure that it resonated in quite a different way for this 60 something single man.
James Baldwin on Giovanni's Room (1956)
I just finished Giovanni's Room and it has found a space on my favorite books of all time list. Perhaps I should have read this novel 40 years ago when I was in my mid 20s - but I'm not at all upset that I only discovered it now. I'm sure that it has resonated in quite a different way for this 60 something single man.
I just finished By the Sea - a novel by Nobel Prize winning author Abdulrazak Gurnah, first published in 2001. It is the Zanzibar born writer's sixth novel and was longlisted for the Booker Prize.
By the Sea is a complex tale narrated by two men who have immigrated to Britain. As they reveal their individual stories the reader sees how their lives have been deeply and tragically connected. Not an easy read , but for me well worth the effort.
Tevye the Dairyman & Motl the Cantor's Son
As a big fan of Fiddler on the Roof, I decided I should read the original Tevye stories. First published in 1894, Tevye 'tells' Aleichem the tales of his family, focusing on six of his seven daughters, Tzeitel, Chava, Hodel, Shprintze, Taybele, and Bielke. I was surprised by how different these tales proved to be from musical.
But the highlight here is the delightful adventures of the 'orphan' Motl in Aleichem's unfinished novel Motl and the Cantor's Son. These tales take us on the journey from poverty in the Shtetl, across Europe to the promise land of America. Motls' take on life is endearing and funny. I am amazed that these stories have never made it to film!
Just finished James Baldwin's Go Tell It On The Mountain ... Recently realized that I had never read anything by him and figured it was time to correct that!
Books Books Books
Just finished the 1994 novel "Paradise" by Abdulrazak Gurnah, winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize for Literature.
The Zanzibar born author takes us into the world of colonial Africa - A coming of age story filled with fascinating characters of differing backgrounds, each with a mysterious past that, once revealed will lead the main character to a surprising decision ...
Finished OE Rölvaag's Giants in the Earth - The Norwegian American author's novel on pioneer life in the Dakota Territory based on the experiences of his, and his wife's own families.
This book was absolutely dependent on the last few pages as to how I would feel about it ... For me, almost any other ending would have left me frustrated by the journey the story took.
Onto book 2! Finished #TheColourOfMagic, the first #Discworld book and starting to read the next one again.
Here are our #TerryPratchett dedicated bookshelves (there’s actually another one at the bottom for taller art and map books that wouldn’t fit). In the absence of a Rincewind, they’re accompanied by Sorceror Mickey 
and my beloved Stitch Halloween snowglobe.
#bookLovers #bookstodon #myBookShelf
Cleaning/organizing #MyBookShelf today! Feel free to judge my taste in books!
Somehow, with a few months between them, I bought two copies of the same book, one in Spanish and one in English! 
Wonderful! I love seeing how they are translated (too). 
#secondhandbooks #prelovedbooks #bookshelf #letelier #chile #mybookshelf #mislibros #labyrinth #laberinto #orlandoletelier
A fascinating look at my living-room library, circa 2020. Note the shocking lack of romance books. One would think the reason for this is shame, and one would be sorely mistaken. My devotion to romance began back in 2017, and by then I had already transitioned to e-books. Thus the noble genre of #Romance is severely underrepresented, for which I am a tad sad.
Care to share your own shelves?
