My whole life has more or less led me to say, I don’t give a shit if someone was a general or not. Maybe it’s a the various media I’ve consumed as a kid, a teen, a college student, and now near forty, but I have never really in my life felt any respect or reverence towards the idea of generals. I will come back to this point. I can certainly say the same for Boris Vian, at least in this play. Unpublished in his […]
What also pleased him was the stone of this countryside
This is a 1959 novel by the French writer Julien Gracq. In this novel we find ourselves on the defensive lines between the German and French borders (or at least within the combat paths of the German army) in 1939 awaiting the imminent attack. We follow Lieutenant Grange as he commands or at least waits to command his small force guarding a French pillbox and observation post. While waiting for whatever is to come he begins an affair with a local woman named Mona. As […]
I wish for more
I picked up this 2017 collection of short stories because it featured contributions of several writers whose work I’ve reviewed before and liked, and the subject of djinn (or jinn or genies, whatever term you prefer) has been popping up on my radar quite a bit lately. The Djinn Falls in Love and Other Stories was a brilliant way for me to start CBR11 — immensely entertaining, sometimes provocative, and an entree to the works of writers new to me but whose work I will definitely be tracking down. The stories are a wonderful mix of styles and settings and shed light not only on the nature of the djinn but on human nature as well. The djinn, created by Allah from smokeless fire, are sometimes depicted as tricky and/or evil, but in some ways they are no different from humans.
Why Did I Not Read This Sooner
Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh My rating: 5 of 5 stars Wow. I’m trying to think of another book that introduces several different characters, makes me care about each one in different ways, somehow brings them all together without seeming too coincidental and leaves me wanting to read the next two books in the trilogy. In a very Dickensian manner, Mr. Ghosh introduces us to Dheeti, Zachary, Paulette, and Jodu. They serve as the four main characters in the book. The supporting characters are […]