pickLaptev falls madly in love with Yulia who does not reciprocate his feelings but marries him anyway. They move to Moscow,the only thing that makes the marriage bearable for her.Both suffer. “There did not seem anything to talk about, and both had been silent since morning. From time to time he looked at her over the top of his book and thought:whether you marry for passionate love or entirely without love-isn‘t it all the same?”
so-soWe're back after winter break to talk about a books! We begin by discussing “The Spectre of Alexander Wolf“ by Gaito Gazdanov. A book with a tremendous premise but we discuss why the book fails to build on that.
Next we add a bunch of short stories to our TBR. Lots of interesting selections to look forward to!
https://open.spotify.com/episode/02ichtYoZ7hSJsreXPA3Yf
pickI‘ve been having the greatest reading adventures lately - diving into older works and translations and generally reading outside the mainstream North American publishing world. This collection of short stories by Gogol dives into the absurdity of life in pre-revolution Russia with its rigid hierarchy and social norms. The stories are sly and humorous and pokes fun at the establishment. Very much enjoyed!
Two bingos, thanks to strategic “Free“ space reading 😉
The library took Hood Feminism before I finished and it'll be weeks to get it again. I enjoyed the tagged enough to finish well-ahead of schedule. Discomfort was the most felt-in-the-body read and Skylark was hopeful-poignant-then sad. The two main characters in Night Boat had a rhythm to their conversation that reminds me of Godot (also because Irish and because waiting)
#BookSpinBingo
pickBold and evocative. Pushkin immerses the reader in Russian life and a Russian winter with his lively words and biting wit. His hero left much to be desired but Russia was the heroine of the story.
pick#OffMyShelf for short stories; anthology, or essays
I‘m really wishing I had taken a Russian literature class in college. I absolutely loved this short story collection. An incredible writer, Chekhov definitely transcends time. I can see why he‘s considered one of the greatest short story writers.
So this book is off my TBR shelf, but I‘m definitely keeping it & will revisit these stories often.
#2025OffMyShelf
#firstlinefriday
“In the hospital yard there stands a small lodge surrounded by a perfect forest of burdocks, nettles, and wild hemp.”
“But people have grown better,” observed the bailiff.
“In what way?”
“Cleverer.”
“Cleverer, maybe, that‘s true, young man; but what‘s the use of that? What earthly good is cleverness to people on the brink of ruin? One can perish without cleverness. What‘s the good of cleverness to a huntsman if there is no game?”
From The Pipe. Written in 1887. Still relevant (or even more so) in 2025.
so-soAn uneven chunkster about one man in a German settlement in Russia on the banks of the Volga. It couldn‘t quite decide if it wanted to be history, fairytale or magic realism - or maybe was purposefully speaking to these genres and I missed the point.
