Tag: suicide
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The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
No one like her. I’m so struck by her way of using words: A dispassionate white sun shone at the summit of the sky. I wanted to hone myself on it till I grew saintly and thin and essential as the blade of a knife. My edition includes the story surrounding publication, along with a…
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Slow River by Nicola Griffith
After a dud attempt with John Darnielle’s newest (sadly), and waaaaaay too much reading on the internet, I figured the best way to break my reading slump was with a tried and true favorite. Nicola Griffith is currently touring for her newest book in the Hild sequence, and I just read Spear, so why not…
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Among Women Only by Cesare Pavese
Of course I had to let D.D. Paige redeem Pavese, after the terrible translations of The Beautiful Summer. Among Women Only is maybe my favorite Pavese of the three I’ve read so far. It contains just remarkable amounts of depth and thoughtfulness. After the war, Clelia, who works for a fashion house, returns to her…
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Little Fish by Casey Plett
I keep seeing her books on Libby and thinking… I should give her another try. I didn’t like her collection of stories that much, though I think I liked them as individual stories ok. Well, I had my kindle while waiting to leave a jam-packed parking lot and thought I’d give Little Fish a try.…
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Dissipatio H.G. By Guido Morselli
God, this was a fun one. Lackluster, suicidal Italian tries to commit suicide, fails, and emerges to find out he’s seemingly the only person left on the planet. In fits of fear and hope, philosophy and Freudian analysis, he travels back and forth between major cities whiling away his time as last “ex-human.” This one…
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American War by Omar El Akkad
I used to see the hardcover of this book on our New Releases table at the bookstore, and loved the cover. I was drawn in by the idea of an Arab-American take on American dystopia. I was obsessed with science fiction at the time, so this book has stayed in the back of my mind…
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Journey by Moonlight, by Antal Szerb
I loved this book! Prose was tight and clear yet beautiful. The plot moved at a reliable pace, which worked really well in concert with all the twists and tangles of the characters’ lives. The translator (Len Rix)’s work seems really deft and thoughtful here. From the publisher (NYRB’s description, much much preferable to the…
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Last Summer in the City by Gianfranco Calligarich
YES. This one really hit the spot. This year I have been less interested in the next formally inventive/original novel, and more interested in books that make me feel good. Not necessarily happy books, but books with strong atmosphere and sense of place. This one was all that. It follows a 30-year-old man from Milan…