Plot: In 1945, Barcelona, Spain, Daniel Sampere’s father, a bookseller, allows him to choose one book from the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. The father does this to comfort him after Daniel realizes he can no longer remember what his late mother looked like. He chooses The Shadow of the Wind by Barcelona author Julián Carax,Continue reading “Review of “The Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Zafón”
Tag Archives: magical realism
Review of “What You Are Looking For is In the Library” by Michiko Aoyama
Plot:This is a collection of five interrelated stories of people who come into the library in Hatori Community House in Tokyo. There, the librarian asks each person, “What are you looking for?” Ms. Sayuri Komachi, the librarian, is not a mousy person with black-framed winged glasses, but something of a presence. In the first story,Continue reading “Review of “What You Are Looking For is In the Library” by Michiko Aoyama”
Review of “Blindness” by José Saramago
The Stuff: Not all the cars take off when the light turns green. The man inside seems to be saying something, but it takes a while before anyone outside pays attention or stops to hear him. He cries, “I am blind.” The blindness struck suddenly and without warning. The man cannot drive any further. AnotherContinue reading “Review of “Blindness” by José Saramago”
Three Book Recommendations and How They Worked
Short Wave is a popular science (as opposed to a scholarly science) podcast put out by NPR I listen to occasionally. It covers a wide range of topics in 10-15 minute segments that are light, often funny, and usually quite informative. Veering off their usual foray into the natural world, the hosts on December 22Continue reading “Three Book Recommendations and How They Worked”
Review of “My Country is a Ghost” by Eugenia Triantafyllou
Plot:At first, Niovi tries to smuggle her mother’s ghost into the new country in a necklace. It doesn’t work. Foreign ghosts are not needed in the new land. “The only things [the ghosts] had to offer were stories and memories,” the reader is told. She has a choice. She can go back to Greece. SheContinue reading “Review of “My Country is a Ghost” by Eugenia Triantafyllou”
Reviews of Old and New Stories. Mostly Old 