A literary and cultural blog dedicated to book reviews, literary travel, art, museums, and thoughtful reading across borders and cultures.
“I’d spent most of my life struggling with daily human concerns. (…) Since my childhood I had forgotten how to see things with my own eyes (…); loneliness led me, in moments free of memory and consciousness, to see the brilliance of life again. (…) I don’t know whether I […]
Like a Mule Bringing Ice Cream to the Sun by the Nigerian writer, Sarah Ladipo Manyika is a life-affirming novel exploring ageing, personal independence, debilitating illnesses that affect us as we grow older, loneliness, friendship, loss, immigration, the importance of books in one’s life and the position of older women […]
I have prepared a list of book featuring older women at the centre of the story. I have tried to include books from various parts of the world: Nigeria, Ukraine,Argentina, Lebanon, Egypt, Israel, England, Italy and Germany and written mainly by female writers. I hope you will find this list […]
“(…) literature – (…) wants and strives to be a true part of the composite human record – that is, not words but a reality.” “Through these woods I have walked thousands of times. For many years I felt more at home here than anywhere else, including our own house. […]
Brian is a profoundly moving meditation on the meaning of a solitary life, on the role of art and cinema in shaping our perception of and connection to the world, on the hidden depths of the human soul often concealed for fear of misunderstanding and stigma, and on the importance […]
“I still exist in a work environment where I’m forced to mask because to expect accommodations would still be seen as asking too much in a world where most people know next to nothing on my neurotype. (…) I have accepted I may never have lasting friendships or know how […]
I have prepared the list of 15 books translated from various languages that can help you diversify your reading experience. I hope this list will be of use. 1 FRENCH: I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman I Who Have Never Known Men is a dystopian novel written […]
“We live so many lives within our lives – smaller lives with people who come and go, friends who disappear, children who grow up – and I never know which of these lives is meant to serve as the frame.” “With time I have come to understand that everything I […]
“When you look at a person’s life it’s easy to pass judgement if you don’t know them. The more you know the more you understand. Sometimes you find out what a person has gone through and you’re surprised they are even upright. Other times it’s the opposite, some people just […]
I have prepared a list of books with introverted characters who deeply connect to the landscape of their inner feelings and thoughts. I hope you will find this list of use and interest. 1 I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman “I discovered physical solitude, something so ordinary […]