M.'s bookshelf: all en-US Tue, 11 Feb 2025 14:41:13 -0800 60 M.'s bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[A Child in Winter: Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany with Caryll Houselander]]> 10433948 A Child in Winter is a faithful companion as you watch in Advent and grow large with the presence of God through Christmas and Epiphany.

You will enter these holy seasons with an increased faith, renewed joy, and the promise of transformation and fulfillment.

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144 Thomas Hoffman 1580512461 M. 0 to-read 4.56 2000 A Child in Winter: Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany with Caryll Houselander
author: Thomas Hoffman
name: M.
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2000
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/11
shelves: to-read
review:

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Mansfield Park 45032 488 Jane Austen M. 0 to-read 3.86 1814 Mansfield Park
author: Jane Austen
name: M.
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1814
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/27
shelves: to-read
review:

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Diario de un loco 15851831 41 Nikolai Gogol 8496817938 M. 0 to-read 3.59 1835 Diario de un loco
author: Nikolai Gogol
name: M.
average rating: 3.59
book published: 1835
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/10/10
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Bear 17557350 Isaac McCaslin is obsessed with hunting down Old Ben, a mythical bear that wreaks havoc on the forest. After this feat is accomplished, Isaac struggles with his relationship to nature and to the land, which is complicated when he inherits a large plantation in Yoknapatawapha County. “The Bear� is included in William Faulkner’s novel, Go Down, Moses.

Although primarily known for his novels, Faulkner wrote in a variety of formats, including plays, poetry, essays, screenplays, and short stories, many of which are highly acclaimed and anthologized. Like his novels, many of Faulkner’s short stories are set in fictional Yoknapatawapha County, a setting inspired by Lafayette County, where Faulkner spent most of his life. His first short story collection, These 13 (1931), includes many of his most frequently anthologized stories, including "A Rose for Emily", "Red Leaves" and "That Evening Sun."

HarperCollins brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the HarperCollins short-stories collection to build your digital library.

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200 William Faulkner 1443423203 M. 4 united-states, tales 3.62 1942 The Bear
author: William Faulkner
name: M.
average rating: 3.62
book published: 1942
rating: 4
read at: 2019/06/17
date added: 2024/09/27
shelves: united-states, tales
review:
This was my first time reading Faulkner in order to see what kind of tale was Eudora Welty mentioning in her book about writing, and I have enjoyed the building of the situation, far from the 19th century psychological realism, but closer to the character's inner thoughts and coming of age as the subjectivity of modernism would have it. I have yet to read more important works of his but this is a good start. I loved the dark atmosphere too.
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El Lenguaje Olvidado 21488641
Ěý

Este libro está basado en las clases de un curso preliminar dedicado a postgraduados y estudiantes. Dirigido, también, a los estudiantes de psiquiatría y psicología y al público general interesado en esta materia, este libro es una perfecta introducción a la compresión del lenguaje simbólico de los sueños.]]>
171 Erich Fromm 8449326893 M. 3 3.82 1951 El Lenguaje Olvidado
author: Erich Fromm
name: M.
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1951
rating: 3
read at: 2012/07/25
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: america, tales, theory, religion, united-states, role-models, psychology, modern-philosophy, philosophy, information, germany, introductions, mythology
review:

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<![CDATA[The Body & Society: Men, Women & Sexual Renunciation in Early Christianity]]> 3189693 The Body & Society was a groundbreaking study of the marriage & sexual practices of early Christians in the ancient Mediterranean & the Near East. To mark the 20th anniversary of its publication, Columbia will make available an edition that features a new introduction by the author. Brown will discuss the reception of the book since its debut in the scholarly community as well as the influential thought and literature it has produced.

The Body and Society focuses on the practice of permanent sexual renunciation-continence, celibacy, and life-long virginity-in Christian circles from the first to the fifth centuries AD. Brown follows early Christians' strange, disturbing preoccupations with sexuality and the body in great detail, tracing the reflection and controversy these notions generated among the period's great writers. Brown questions how theological views on sexuality and the human body both mirrored and shaped not only the uneven relationships between men and women, but also the complex interactions between the Roman aristocracy and their slaves, and between the married and the celibate. Figures discussed include Tertullian, Valentinus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Constantine, the Desert Fathers, Jerome, Ambrose, and Augustine, among others. Topics covered include asceticism and society in the Eastern Empire; martyrdom and prophecy; Gnostic spiritual guidance; promiscuity among the men and women of the church; monks and marriage in Egypt; the ascetic life of women in fourth-century Jerusalem; and-in order to ground the subject in a historical context-the body and society in the early Middle Ages.

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504 Peter Brown 0231144075 M. 0 to-read 4.25 1988 The Body & Society: Men, Women & Sexual Renunciation in Early Christianity
author: Peter Brown
name: M.
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1988
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/15
shelves: to-read
review:

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La Nariz 22071227
La nariz es un relato que contiene muchos elementos frecuentes en la obra de Gógol: es humorístico, muy divertido, disparatado, un tanto surrealista, y al mismo tiempo está basado en personajes y ambientes muy reales, pertenecientes a la sociedad de su tiempo y situados en la ciudad en la que vivió: San Petesburgo. Utiliza esa combinación de realidad y fantasía, para hacer una caricatura de la sociedad rusa de su tiempo. En particular, critica la vanidad, la ambición de poder y el exceso de preocupación por las convenciones sociales. La nariz es una excelente forma de empezar a conocer a su autor. El compositor Shostakóvich creó una ópera basada en este relato. Las excelentes ilustraciones de Esther Saura Múzquiz iluminan esta edición.]]>
80 Nikolai Gogol M. 0 to-read 3.50 1836 La Nariz
author: Nikolai Gogol
name: M.
average rating: 3.50
book published: 1836
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/15
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[On the Study of Sacred Scripture: Encyclical Letter Providentissimus Deus]]> 9681359
Essas são palavras de São João Paulo II em seu discurso por ocasião do centenário da Encíclica Providentissimus Deus, em 1993. É evidente a importância do texto para quem deseja estudar a Bíblia até nos dias atuais.

Esta edição é uma adaptação da tradução de Luís Maria da Silva Ramos (1903) para a ortografia atual e conta com capitulação baseada na versão italiana disponível no arquivo Vaticano.]]>
32 Pope Leo XIII 0819869228 M. 0 to-read 4.65 1893 On the Study of Sacred Scripture: Encyclical Letter Providentissimus Deus
author: Pope Leo XIII
name: M.
average rating: 4.65
book published: 1893
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/15
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Biblia de Jerusalén (Spanish Edition)]]> 20924275 1747 Ecole biblique de Jérusalem M. 5 catholic, currently-reading 4.65 1966 Biblia de Jerusalén (Spanish Edition)
author: Ecole biblique de Jérusalem
name: M.
average rating: 4.65
book published: 1966
rating: 5
read at: 2021/12/31
date added: 2024/09/13
shelves: catholic, currently-reading
review:

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<![CDATA[Rebel in the Ranks: Martin Luther, the Reformation, and the Conflicts That Continue to Shape Our World]]> 36196766 95 Theses in October 1517, he had no intention of starting a revolution. But very quickly his criticism of indulgences became a rejection of the papacy and the Catholic Church emphasizing the Bible as the sole authority for Christian faith, radicalizing a continent, fracturing the Holy Roman Empire, and dividing Western civilization in ways Luther—a deeply devout professor and spiritually-anxious Augustinian friar—could have never foreseen, nor would he have ever endorsed. From Germany to England, Luther’s ideas inspired spontaneous but sustained uprisings and insurrections against civic and religious leaders alike, pitted Catholics against Protestants, and because the Reformation movement extended far beyond the man who inspired it, Protestants against Protestants. The ensuing disruptions prompted responses that gave shape to the modern world, and the unintended and unanticipated consequences of the Reformation continue to influence the very communities, religions, and beliefs that surround us today.

How Luther inadvertently fractured the Catholic Church and reconfigured Western civilization is at the heart of renowned historian Brad Gregory’s Rebel in the Ranks. While recasting the portrait of Luther as a deliberate revolutionary, Gregory describes the cultural, political, and intellectual trends that informed him and helped give rise to the Reformation, which led to conflicting interpretations of the Bible, as well as the rise of competing churches, political conflicts, and social upheavals across Europe. Over the next five hundred years, as Gregory’s account shows, these conflicts eventually contributed to further epochal changes—from the Enlightenment and self-determination to moral relativism, modern capitalism, and consumerism, and in a cruel twist to Luther’s legacy, the freedom of every man and woman to practice no religion at all.ĚýĚý

With the scholarship of a world-class historian and the keen eye of a biographer, Gregory offers readers an in-depth portrait of Martin Luther, a reluctant rebel in the ranks, and a detailed examination of the Reformation to explain how the events that transpired five centuries ago still resonate—and influence us—today.]]>
297 Brad S. Gregory 0062471201 M. 0 to-read 3.93 2017 Rebel in the Ranks: Martin Luther, the Reformation, and the Conflicts That Continue to Shape Our World
author: Brad S. Gregory
name: M.
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/11
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Education of Children 12828759 57 Erasmus M. 0 to-read 3.47 1530 The Education of Children
author: Erasmus
name: M.
average rating: 3.47
book published: 1530
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/09/01
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Around the World in Eighty Days]]> 54479 252 Jules Verne 014044906X M. 4 3.95 1872 Around the World in Eighty Days
author: Jules Verne
name: M.
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1872
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: classics, france, science-fiction, novel, adventure, favorite-books
review:

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<![CDATA[King Arthur and His Knights: Selected Tales]]> 93276 272 Thomas Malory 0195019059 M. 0 to-read 4.12 1860 King Arthur and His Knights: Selected Tales
author: Thomas Malory
name: M.
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1860
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Call of Cthulhu 15730101 The Call of Cthulhu is a harrowing tale of the weakness of the human mind when confronted by powers and intelligences from beyond our world.]]> 43 H.P. Lovecraft M. 0 to-read 3.97 1928 The Call of Cthulhu
author: H.P. Lovecraft
name: M.
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1928
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution]]> 305826
"In order for all women to have real choices all along the line," Adrienne Rich writes, "we need fully to understand the power and powerlessness embodied in motherhood in patriarchal culture." Rich's investigation, in this influential and landmark book, concerns both experience and institution. The experience is her own - as a woman, a poet, a feminist, and a mother - but it is an experience determined by the institution, imposed in its many variations on all women everywhere. She draws on personal materials, history, research, and literature to create a document of universal importance.

One of our most distinguished poets, ADRIENNE RICH was born in Baltimore in 1929. Over the last forty years she has published more than seventeen volumes of poetry and five books of nonfiction prose, including Arts of the Possible: Essays and Conversations; On Lies, Secrets, and Silence: Blood, Bread, and Poetry; and What is Found There: Notebooks on Poetry and Politics. She has received numerous awards, including the Ruth Lilly Prize, the Lambda Book Award, the National Book Award, and the Lannan Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. She lives in California.]]>
322 Adrienne Rich 0393312844 M. 0 to-read 4.23 Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution
author: Adrienne Rich
name: M.
average rating: 4.23
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Unknown Masterpiece 10897164
Il faudra que Gillette, la compagne de Poussin, en qui Frenhofer espère trouver le modèle idéal cherché en vain depuis des années, soit admise dans l'atelier du peintre pour que, y pénétrant derrière elle, Porbus et Poussin découvrent le tableau dont Frenhofer gardait jalousement le secret. Et cette découverte les plongera dans la stupéfaction.

Ce « conte fantastique » à la manière d'Hoffmann est aussi une méditation sur le pouvoir de l'esprit dans le domaine de l'art. Il prend naturellement sa place parmi les Études philosophiques de La Comédie humaine.]]>
170 Honoré de Balzac M. 0 to-read 3.67 1831 The Unknown Masterpiece
author: Honoré de Balzac
name: M.
average rating: 3.67
book published: 1831
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/05/19
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Persians 237794 48 Aeschylus 1419177060 M. 3
One point worth nothing is that, the use of premonitory dreams that the Queen, Darius' wife, experiences give their fate a more unavoidable character, this resource has been largely used in posterior writings of all ages.

It's the second part of a trilogy, but this is the only part that has survived. Sometimes it's a bit surprising to consider the fact that something as old (it's from 472 b.C.) has persisted, not only the test of time in terms of preservation, but also in quality. I might not have much to say, but I definitely enjoyed it.]]>
3.64 -472 The Persians
author: Aeschylus
name: M.
average rating: 3.64
book published: -472
rating: 3
read at: 2014/08/18
date added: 2024/03/30
shelves:
review:
Reading it may be an easy a way to know a bit about ancient greek culture as well as recognize that some of the main topics of literature were present even back the, for there's the lament of the persinas that follows having lost the Battle of Salamis against the people from Athens, attributing it to a damnation given by gods. The ghost aparition of Darius allowes a reflection about death. Such are the wonders that have always been fundamental to humankind.

One point worth nothing is that, the use of premonitory dreams that the Queen, Darius' wife, experiences give their fate a more unavoidable character, this resource has been largely used in posterior writings of all ages.

It's the second part of a trilogy, but this is the only part that has survived. Sometimes it's a bit surprising to consider the fact that something as old (it's from 472 b.C.) has persisted, not only the test of time in terms of preservation, but also in quality. I might not have much to say, but I definitely enjoyed it.
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<![CDATA[One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich]]> 17125 The only English translation authorized by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

First published in the Soviet journal Novy Mir in 1962, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich stands as a classic of contemporary literature. The story of labor-camp inmate Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, it graphically describes his struggle to maintain his dignity in the face of communist oppression. An unforgettable portrait of the entire world of Stalin's forced work camps, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is one of the most extraordinary literary documents to have emerged from the Soviet Union and confirms Solzhenitsyn's stature as "a literary genius whose talent matches that of Dosotevsky, Turgenev, Tolstoy"--Harrison Salisbury

This unexpurgated 1991 translation by H. T. Willetts is the only authorized edition available, and fully captures the power and beauty of the original Russian.]]>
182 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn M. 3
18. A book that takes place in one single day


"—It must be 12 o'clock —explains Sukhov�, because the sun is at its peak.
—When the sun is at its peak —the captain announces� it's not 12 o' clock but 1 PM.
—How is it possible? —Sukhov is suprised�. But if already the ancients knew that at 12 o'clock the sun is at its peak
—It would be so for the ancients! —the captain drily replied�. But now an order has been published, by which the sun is in its peak at 1 PM.
—Who has published that order?
—The Soviet government!

The captain exits burdened with his buckets and Suhkhov doesn't want to fight. Was it true that even the sun obeys their orders?"

Ivan Suhkhov is in a concentration camp of Stalinist Russia among other inmates. He wishes not to be transferred to a socialist colony, where the hardships will be even worse. Through this novel, we get to know the people that surround him and a bit of their motives.

Scarcity, physical, moral and spiritual degradation, punishment and death are the daily bread for characters in this novel by Solzhenitsyn. Yet there's a message of hope put in an "unlikely" character for the Russian ideal. An intense, yet accessible read.
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3.98 1962 One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
author: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
name: M.
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1962
rating: 3
read at: 2019/04/26
date added: 2024/03/15
shelves: russia, novel, historical-fiction, communism, popsugar-challenge-2019
review:
Read for the PopSugar Challenge 2019

18. A book that takes place in one single day


"—It must be 12 o'clock —explains Sukhov�, because the sun is at its peak.
—When the sun is at its peak —the captain announces� it's not 12 o' clock but 1 PM.
—How is it possible? —Sukhov is suprised�. But if already the ancients knew that at 12 o'clock the sun is at its peak
—It would be so for the ancients! —the captain drily replied�. But now an order has been published, by which the sun is in its peak at 1 PM.
—Who has published that order?
—The Soviet government!

The captain exits burdened with his buckets and Suhkhov doesn't want to fight. Was it true that even the sun obeys their orders?"

Ivan Suhkhov is in a concentration camp of Stalinist Russia among other inmates. He wishes not to be transferred to a socialist colony, where the hardships will be even worse. Through this novel, we get to know the people that surround him and a bit of their motives.

Scarcity, physical, moral and spiritual degradation, punishment and death are the daily bread for characters in this novel by Solzhenitsyn. Yet there's a message of hope put in an "unlikely" character for the Russian ideal. An intense, yet accessible read.

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Poems of William Blake 18299542 45 William Blake M. 4 1. A Poetry Anthology

As others have said, there's a peaceful and mystical streak in Blake's poems more than in other romantics, with his frequent imagery of innocence, children and lambs almost interchangeable if it weren't by the ever present imagery of Christ. The world looks a fairer place where no children are unprotected, because the Shepherd always looks for them.
There are a few poems in this collection that explore sadness and desolation, but without indulging in the misery for its own sake. He also seemed very conscious of racial issues, which is very welcome.
I had never read Blake before, I knew he was famous, mainly for his Marriage of Heaven and Hell and Lewis' response in The Great Divorce, and The Tyger.
Now I have to read Chesterton's profile of him, because he surely seems an interesting man.]]>
3.97 1893 Poems of William Blake
author: William Blake
name: M.
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1893
rating: 4
read at: 2021/04/09
date added: 2024/03/01
shelves: romanticism, united-kingdom, poetry, 19-in-2021
review:
1. A Poetry Anthology

As others have said, there's a peaceful and mystical streak in Blake's poems more than in other romantics, with his frequent imagery of innocence, children and lambs almost interchangeable if it weren't by the ever present imagery of Christ. The world looks a fairer place where no children are unprotected, because the Shepherd always looks for them.
There are a few poems in this collection that explore sadness and desolation, but without indulging in the misery for its own sake. He also seemed very conscious of racial issues, which is very welcome.
I had never read Blake before, I knew he was famous, mainly for his Marriage of Heaven and Hell and Lewis' response in The Great Divorce, and The Tyger.
Now I have to read Chesterton's profile of him, because he surely seems an interesting man.
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<![CDATA[Las tres edades de la vida interior (tomo I): Preludio de la del cielo]]> 1675822 560 Réginald Garrigou-Lagrange 8482390473 M. 0 to-read 4.50 Las tres edades de la vida interior (tomo I): Preludio de la del cielo
author: Réginald Garrigou-Lagrange
name: M.
average rating: 4.50
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/23
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Tartar Steppe 83017 198 Dino Buzzati 1567923046 M. 5 4.24 1940 The Tartar Steppe
author: Dino Buzzati
name: M.
average rating: 4.24
book published: 1940
rating: 5
read at: 2012/10/18
date added: 2024/01/10
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[Boy in Darkness and Other Stories]]> 1939682 200 Mervyn Peake 072061306X M. 0 to-read 4.07 Boy in Darkness and Other Stories
author: Mervyn Peake
name: M.
average rating: 4.07
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/12/23
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Mirror of the Blessed Virgin Mary And The Psalter Of Our Lady]]> 11678823 312 Bonaventure 1453765336 M. 0 to-read 5.00 2009 The Mirror of the Blessed Virgin Mary And The Psalter Of Our Lady
author: Bonaventure
name: M.
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/11/26
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Olaf syn Auduna, vol. 2 (Olav Audunssøn #3-4)]]> 11389560 Rare Book 394 Sigrid Undset 8321103995 M. 0 to-read 4.13 Olaf syn Auduna, vol. 2 (Olav Audunssøn #3-4)
author: Sigrid Undset
name: M.
average rating: 4.13
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/11/06
shelves: to-read
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Margaret Roper 39058136
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.]]>
172 E.E. Reynolds 1377010074 M. 0 to-read 0.0 1960 Margaret Roper
author: E.E. Reynolds
name: M.
average rating: 0.0
book published: 1960
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/17
shelves: to-read
review:

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The White People 7739321 48 Arthur Machen 1406574198 M. 0 to-read 3.62 1904 The White People
author: Arthur Machen
name: M.
average rating: 3.62
book published: 1904
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/16
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Wreath (Kristin Lavransdatter, #1)]]> 6220

From the Trade Paperback edition.]]>
305 Sigrid Undset 0141180412 M. 0 to-read 4.09 1920 The Wreath (Kristin Lavransdatter, #1)
author: Sigrid Undset
name: M.
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1920
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/02
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Wife (Kristin Lavransdatter, #2)]]> 6216 In Kristin Lavransdatter (1920-1922), Sigrid Undset interweaves political, social, and religious history with the daily aspects of family life to create a colorful, richly detailed tapestry of Norway during the fourteenth-century. The trilogy, however, is more than a journey into the past. Undset's own life—her familiarity with Norse sagas and folklore and with a wide range of medieval literature, her experiences as a daughter, wife, and mother, and her deep religious faith—profoundly influenced her writing. Her grasp of the connections between past and present and of human nature itself, combined with the extraordinary quality of her writing, sets her works far above the genre of "historical novels." This new translation by Tina Nunnally—the first English version since Charles Archer's translation in the 1920s—captures Undset's strengths as a stylist. Nunnally, an award-winning translator, retains the natural dialog and lyrical flow of the original Norwegian, with its echoes of Old Norse legends, while deftly avoiding the stilted language and false archaisms of Archer's translation. In addition, she restores key passages left out of that edition.

Undset's ability to present a meticulously accurate historical portrait without sacrificing the poetry and narrative drive of masterful storytelling was particularly significant in her homeland. Granted independence in 1905 after five hundred years of foreign domination, Norway was eager to reclaim its national history and culture. Kristin Lavransdatter became a touchstone for Undset's contemporaries, and continues to be widely read by Norwegians today. In the more than 75 years since it was first published, it has also become a favorite throughout the world.

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402 Sigrid Undset 0141181281 M. 0 to-read 4.21 1921 The Wife (Kristin Lavransdatter, #2)
author: Sigrid Undset
name: M.
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1921
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/02
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Foundling 32111
Beginning with an incognito journey into the countryside to confront a blackmailer, he encounters a runaway school boy, a beautiful but airheaded orphan, one of literature's most appealing and well-spoken comic villains, and a series of alarming and even life threatening events from which he can extricate himself only with the help of his shy and lovely fiancé…]]>
406 Georgette Heyer 0373835493 M. 0 to-read 3.82 1948 The Foundling
author: Georgette Heyer
name: M.
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1948
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/08/02
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Soul of The Apostolate 753243 298 Jean-Baptiste Chautard 0895550318 M. 0 to-read 4.55 1937 The Soul of The Apostolate
author: Jean-Baptiste Chautard
name: M.
average rating: 4.55
book published: 1937
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/31
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Historia de la vida del BuscĂłn]]> 66167
Pablos (el Buscón) era hijo de una familia pobre y con problemas. Su padre, llamado Clemente Pablo era barbero, pero en el pueblo todos sabían cual era su verdadero oficio, pues robaba a sus clientes mientras les afeitaba o les cortaba el pelo. Por este mismo motivo ya había estado en la cárcel varias veces. De su madre Aldonza se decía que era bruja y que hacía pactos con el diablo. Ademas se rumoreaba por el pueblo que Pablos era hijo de un criado. Visto lo que había en su casa, Pablos decide entrar en un colegio, donde conoce a Diego, el que sera su inseparable amigo. A causa de un problema que tiene en el colegio se marcha y decide irse como criado y acompañante de Diego a una casa de estudiantes en Segovia. Allí conocen al licenciado Domine Cabra, clérigo, regidor de la casa y un gran tacaño que los mata de hambre. No conformes con la tacañería y comportamiento del licenciado y enfermos y desnutridos deciden marcharse a casa de Don Alonso Zúñiga (padre de Diego).

Con esta novela Francisco de Quevedo se adentró en el género picaresco que había sido iniciado por el Guzmán de Alfarache y el Lazarillo de Tormes.]]>
198 Francisco de Quevedo 1594566534 M. 3
15. A Satire

I was not supposed to, but I kinda dragged through this last one, even when I didn't like to do so, because it started as such a funny book that it disappointed me. Maybe it was the heat, my unability to concentrate... all in all, hoping for the re-read]]>
3.74 1626 Historia de la vida del BuscĂłn
author: Francisco de Quevedo
name: M.
average rating: 3.74
book published: 1626
rating: 3
read at: 2020/12/30
date added: 2023/07/29
shelves: renaissance, satire, spain, 20-for-2020-reads
review:
Read for

15. A Satire

I was not supposed to, but I kinda dragged through this last one, even when I didn't like to do so, because it started as such a funny book that it disappointed me. Maybe it was the heat, my unability to concentrate... all in all, hoping for the re-read
]]>
Londres 3090462 La Sra. Dalloway escribiĂł en 1931 para la revista Good Housekeeping sobre distintos aspectos de la vida, la arquitectura, las gentes y la historia de Londres. El primer artĂ­culo, titulado "Retrato de una londinense", se creĂ­a perdido hasta hace poco tiempo. Finalmente se encontrĂł en una biblioteca y ahora la serie se publica completa por primera vez.

En esta pequeña joya, Virginia Woolf traza, como si del cuaderno de apuntes de un pintor se tratara, el retrato de su Londres: la bruma de los muelles, la marea humana que fluye por Oxford Street, las casas de grandes escritores, los pináculos góticos de abadías y catedrales o el esplendor de la Cámara de los Comunes. Iluminados con fotografías de la época, estos textos se convierten en deliciosos paseos por una de las grandes capitales de la literatura occidental.]]>
96 Virginia Woolf 8426414958 M. 0 to-read 3.74 2004 Londres
author: Virginia Woolf
name: M.
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/27
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Voyage Out (The Virginia Woolf Library)]]> 148905 ]]> 375 Virginia Woolf 0156028050 M. 0 to-read 3.77 1915 The Voyage Out (The Virginia Woolf Library)
author: Virginia Woolf
name: M.
average rating: 3.77
book published: 1915
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/07/27
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Pied Piper of Hamelin (Classic Treasury 1 The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales, #5)]]> 55300090 20 John Patience M. 3 tales, kids-literature Curiosity killed the cat. 4.00 1985 The Pied Piper of Hamelin (Classic Treasury 1 The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales, #5)
author: John Patience
name: M.
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1985
rating: 3
read at: 2021/07/20
date added: 2023/01/07
shelves: tales, kids-literature
review:
Curiosity killed the cat.
]]>
Novelas ejemplares I 1289454 312 Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra 8437602211 M. 0 to-read 3.66 1613 Novelas ejemplares I
author: Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
name: M.
average rating: 3.66
book published: 1613
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/12/27
shelves: to-read
review:

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°ŐłóĂ©°ůè˛ő±đ 105400 320 François Mauriac 0141186224 M. 0 to-read 3.80 °ŐłóĂ©°ůè˛ő±đ
author: François Mauriac
name: M.
average rating: 3.80
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/12/13
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[LA PASIÓN POR LA VERDAD: La búsqueda incansable (RELIGION Y DESARROLLO ESPIRITUAL VI nº 3) (Spanish Edition)]]> 55264378
Este audiolibro contiene el desarrollo de los siguientes temas:


Obras filosĂłficas.
¿Qué es fenomenología?
Dos estudios sobre Edmund Husserl.
La fenomenología. Intervenciones en las “Journées d'Etudes de la Societé Thomiste�.
La fenomenología de Husserl y la filosofía de Sto. Tomás de Aquino.
MetafĂ­sica de la comunidad.
Please note: This audiobook is in Latin American Spanish.]]>
0 Edith Stein M. 0 currently-reading 5.00 1994 LA PASIÓN POR LA VERDAD: La búsqueda incansable (RELIGION Y DESARROLLO ESPIRITUAL VI nº 3) (Spanish Edition)
author: Edith Stein
name: M.
average rating: 5.00
book published: 1994
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/11/23
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[ELOGIO DE LA SED (El Pozo de Siquén nº 391) (Spanish Edition)]]> 44104183
La sed más profunda nos ofrece un viaje con con dos posibles recorridos. El primero, es el de la sed más cruda y real –la de las periferias del mundo, la de quien se muere o la de quien no encuentra salida�. El segundo, nos lanza a la sed de muchos por descubrir más y crecer humana y espiritualmente. Dos tipos de sed que se calman en un mismo manantial de agua viva, limpia y fresca, llamado Jesús.

JOSÉ TOLENTINO MENDONÇA es arzobispo, responsable del Archivo y de la Biblioteca del Vaticano y una de las voces más originales del Portugal contemporáneo. Doctor en Teología Bíblica, ha sido profesor de Nuevo Testamento en la Universidad Católica de Lisboa. Además de ensayista en el campo de la exégesis y la espiritualidad bíblica, tiene una obra poética que muchos reconocen como una de las más notables del panorama actual. Sus libros son superventas en Portugal y están siendo traducidos a varias lenguas. Es consultor del Pontificio Consejo para la Cultura. En la editorial Sal Terrae ha publicado recientemente «La construcción de Jesús. La sorpresa de un retrato» (2017).]]>
135 José Tolentino de Mendonça 8429328076 M. 4
Como anhela la cierva las corrientes de las aguas, así te anhela mi alma, ¡oh Dios!
Mi alma está sedienta de Dios, del Dios vivo: ¿Cuándo iré y veré la faz de Dios? (Sal 42, 2-3)]]>
4.27 ELOGIO DE LA SED (El Pozo de Siquén nº 391) (Spanish Edition)
author: José Tolentino de Mendonça
name: M.
average rating: 4.27
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2019/03/28
date added: 2022/11/10
shelves: catholic, portugal, lent-readings
review:
Excelente meditación de cuaresma de la pluma del Obispo Tolentino Mendonça, quien otorgara el retiro para el Papa y los obispos. Nuestra sed por Dios y la sed de Dios por noostros vista a través de la Biblia, y de textos contemporáneos como Clarice Lispector, Eduardo Galeano, Antoine de Saint Exupery, o las palabras del mismo Papa Francisco.

Como anhela la cierva las corrientes de las aguas, así te anhela mi alma, ¡oh Dios!
Mi alma está sedienta de Dios, del Dios vivo: ¿Cuándo iré y veré la faz de Dios? (Sal 42, 2-3)
]]>
Luther on Women: A Sourcebook 16756258 246 Susan C. Karant-Nunn 128016008X M. 0 currently-reading 5.00 2003 Luther on Women: A Sourcebook
author: Susan C. Karant-Nunn
name: M.
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2003
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/10/05
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Ciudad vivida: prácticas de espiritualidad en Buenos Aires]]> 48895117 256 Virginia Azcuy 9505007027 M. 3 argentina, theology, pastoral . 3.00 Ciudad vivida: prácticas de espiritualidad en Buenos Aires
author: Virginia Azcuy
name: M.
average rating: 3.00
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2019/12/18
date added: 2022/09/12
shelves: argentina, theology, pastoral
review:
.
]]>
The Story of an Hour 2267195 32 Kate Chopin 078915479X M. 3 united-states, tales . 4.08 1894 The Story of an Hour
author: Kate Chopin
name: M.
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1894
rating: 3
read at: 2019/12/23
date added: 2022/09/12
shelves: united-states, tales
review:
.
]]>
The Yellow Wall-Paper 286957
In a private journal, the woman records her growing obsession with the “horrid� wallpaper. Its strange pattern mutates in the moonlight, revealing what appears to be a human figure in the design. With nothing else to occupy her mind, the woman resolves to unlock the mystery of the wallpaper. Her quest, however, leads not to the truth, but into the darkest depths of madness.

A condemnation of the patriarchy, The Yellow Wallpaper explores with terrifying economy the oppression, grave misunderstanding, and willful dismissal of women in late nineteenth-century society.

First published in January 1892 in The New England Magazine.

Excerpt:
Out of another I get a lovely view of the bay and a little private wharf belonging to the estate. There is a beautiful shaded lane that runs down there from the house. I always fancy I see people walking in these numerous paths and arbors, but John has cautioned me not to give way to fancy in the least. He says that with my imaginative power and habit of story-making a nervous weakness like mine is sure to lead to all manner of excited fancies, and that I ought to use my will and good sense to check the tendency. So I try.]]>
62 Charlotte Perkins Gilman 1558611584 M. 0 gothic, tales, united-states 4.11 1892 The Yellow Wall-Paper
author: Charlotte Perkins Gilman
name: M.
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1892
rating: 0
read at: 2021/01/01
date added: 2022/09/12
shelves: gothic, tales, united-states
review:
I would say it's kinda gothic because of how disturbing it turns out to be and it seems I'm not alone in this interpretation. Loved it.
]]>
<![CDATA[The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1)]]> 38447
Funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing, The Handmaid's Tale is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and tour de force.]]>
311 Margaret Atwood 038549081X M. 2
At some point I think it drags on forever, and that it could do with a lot less of detail. I think Luke is the only character I liked, that everyone else seemed too one-dimensional in a stereotypical way or outright evil or alienated, but what else could you expect from such a society?

Ironically enough she has the occasional good point about the objectification of boredom in some kind of orientalist "art" (or even softcore porn), or inadvertently shows the contradictions of the feminist movement in the character of Offred's mother and her surroundings.

What is left unclear to me is whether males were considered some sort of Unbaby to keep Handmaidens isolated from the idea that they could give birth to a man because they were scared that if handmaidens knew, that would be revealing a crack in the dictatorship. But more than outright cruel, men are shown to be tools, even to their own passions. Women are more explicitly "evil" in their gestures (consider Serena Joy). And obviously, the existence of prostitution is supposed to show that such a system wouldn't really work but, the constant nudges to "choice", and "private religion", don't seem to set things straight either. Also, the makeup scene was sort of reminiscent of 1984, in a way. Although for Offred it was a question of remembering, it was about the simulation of male-female dynamics.

Banning sonograms sounds more like a pro-choice measure to deny the humanity of a baby, but okay, we will allow her to have this flaw. It's also curious that she would mention dehumanization. The anti-marriage mindset is also evident through their new names "Offred, Ofwarren, Ofglenn", which make them interchangeable if one of them should die.

Not the best dystopia I have read, but only two stars for the occasional good prose, and Luke himself which made the book bearable. It wil sound crazy, but I want to read more Atwood now.]]>
4.15 1985 The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1)
author: Margaret Atwood
name: M.
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1985
rating: 2
read at: 2017/12/28
date added: 2022/09/10
shelves: novel, feminism, utopia-dystopia, canada
review:
Occasionally good prose, an unbelieavable plot because we never get what is going on in other countries, because she took many features from different approaches to Christianity, because her reading of the Bible is intentionally trying to justify her vision of extremism. On the other hand, the Biblical intertextuality is either too apparent or too subtle. The fact that Offred was the Handmaid, and that her significant other was called Luke was not to be overlooked, for tradition says that St. Luke painted the first portrayal of Mary, and also listened the story from her to write the Gospel.

At some point I think it drags on forever, and that it could do with a lot less of detail. I think Luke is the only character I liked, that everyone else seemed too one-dimensional in a stereotypical way or outright evil or alienated, but what else could you expect from such a society?

Ironically enough she has the occasional good point about the objectification of boredom in some kind of orientalist "art" (or even softcore porn), or inadvertently shows the contradictions of the feminist movement in the character of Offred's mother and her surroundings.

What is left unclear to me is whether males were considered some sort of Unbaby to keep Handmaidens isolated from the idea that they could give birth to a man because they were scared that if handmaidens knew, that would be revealing a crack in the dictatorship. But more than outright cruel, men are shown to be tools, even to their own passions. Women are more explicitly "evil" in their gestures (consider Serena Joy). And obviously, the existence of prostitution is supposed to show that such a system wouldn't really work but, the constant nudges to "choice", and "private religion", don't seem to set things straight either. Also, the makeup scene was sort of reminiscent of 1984, in a way. Although for Offred it was a question of remembering, it was about the simulation of male-female dynamics.

Banning sonograms sounds more like a pro-choice measure to deny the humanity of a baby, but okay, we will allow her to have this flaw. It's also curious that she would mention dehumanization. The anti-marriage mindset is also evident through their new names "Offred, Ofwarren, Ofglenn", which make them interchangeable if one of them should die.

Not the best dystopia I have read, but only two stars for the occasional good prose, and Luke himself which made the book bearable. It wil sound crazy, but I want to read more Atwood now.
]]>
My Dark Vanessa 44890081
2000. Bright, ambitious, and yearning for adulthood, fifteen-year-old Vanessa Wye becomes entangled in an affair with Jacob Strane, her magnetic and guileful forty-two-year-old English teacher.

2017. Amid the rising wave of allegations against powerful men, a reckoning is coming due. Strane has been accused of sexual abuse by a former student, who reaches out to Vanessa, and now Vanessa suddenly finds herself facing an impossible choice: remain silent, firm in the belief that her teenage self willingly engaged in this relationship, or redefine herself and the events of her past. But how can Vanessa reject her first love, the man who fundamentally transformed her and has been a persistent presence in her life? Is it possible that the man she loved as a teenager—and who professed to worship only her—may be far different from what she has always believed?

Alternating between Vanessa’s present and her past, My Dark Vanessa juxtaposes memory and trauma with the breathless excitement of a teenage girl discovering the power her own body can wield. Thought-provoking and impossible to put down, this is a masterful portrayal of troubled adolescence and its repercussions that raises vital questions about agency, consent, complicity, and victimhood. Written with the haunting intimacy of The Girls and the creeping intensity of Room, My Dark Vanessa is an era-defining novel that brilliantly captures and reflects the shifting cultural mores transforming our relationships and society itself.]]>
373 Kate Elizabeth Russell 006294150X M. 1 feminism, united-states
Part a homage to Lolita, part modern-day commentary, it doesn't allow facts to be explained away so easily. It's extremely unsettling and far more explicit than Nabokov's novel by straight giving voice to the victim and living inside her head throughout the text. [spoilers removed]

It's true that only she and her rapist were the most defined characters, still, it has some merit for trying to write a reply to Lolita from the opposite point of view. I won't say it's the best thing I read this year, but it sure was interesting in itself.

Also, aside from that one character that struck me as filler, it's good to know men can be perfectly empathetic and okay as characters. But if you sum one plus one, the result is still two: While there was no specific reason for Vanessa to be made into a victim, and the blame lied on her rapist, her neglectful parents are to blame.

Now onto the negatives, which are spoilery: [spoilers removed].]]>
4.09 2020 My Dark Vanessa
author: Kate Elizabeth Russell
name: M.
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2020
rating: 1
read at: 2022/09/04
date added: 2022/09/05
shelves: feminism, united-states
review:
This book was a slow burn. Of course, you're waiting for Vanessa to snap out of it and admit what had been done to her, but it wasn't as simple as that. Not even the journalistic big moment that the novel seemed to be building so much momentum about. But no, it's just the mentality of journalists at work.

Part a homage to Lolita, part modern-day commentary, it doesn't allow facts to be explained away so easily. It's extremely unsettling and far more explicit than Nabokov's novel by straight giving voice to the victim and living inside her head throughout the text. [spoilers removed]

It's true that only she and her rapist were the most defined characters, still, it has some merit for trying to write a reply to Lolita from the opposite point of view. I won't say it's the best thing I read this year, but it sure was interesting in itself.

Also, aside from that one character that struck me as filler, it's good to know men can be perfectly empathetic and okay as characters. But if you sum one plus one, the result is still two: While there was no specific reason for Vanessa to be made into a victim, and the blame lied on her rapist, her neglectful parents are to blame.

Now onto the negatives, which are spoilery: [spoilers removed].
]]>
<![CDATA[The Sisters of Saint Nicola of The Almost Perpetual Motion vs the Lurch]]> 61484969 A new short story from Garth Nix, best-selling author of the Old Kingdom series.

In this raucous, steampunk tale a sacred order of scientist nuns battle against vicious Invaders from Mars and their murderous machines in an ongoing conflict that has lasted centuries.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.]]>
34 Garth Nix 1250867533 M. 1 steampunk I thought more of amazons than nuns at all

Read on TOR: ]]>
3.92 2022 The Sisters of Saint Nicola of The Almost Perpetual Motion vs the Lurch
author: Garth Nix
name: M.
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2022
rating: 1
read at: 2022/09/02
date added: 2022/09/02
shelves: steampunk
review:
The idea of steampunk filled with warrior scientist nuns could have so much potential. Except Nix prefers to have nuns for the cool imagery and with zero religious references, from the names to the hymns. They're not even celibate and even enter into non-committed relationships with druids (?).
I thought more of amazons than nuns at all

Read on TOR:
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<![CDATA[El señor de los anillos: III. El retorno del rey]]> 984745 416 J.R.R. Tolkien 9505470665 M. 5
I know the inspiration for Eowyn lies on the nurses of WWI and a Shakespearean text, but I also think of Judith (though not a widow, she also steps in favor of her people and kills a very important menacing figure).

Also in re-reading, Frodo comes out as even more heroic than the first time around.

_________________
[spoilers removed]]]>
4.55 1955 El señor de los anillos: III. El retorno del rey
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: M.
average rating: 4.55
book published: 1955
rating: 5
read at: 2013/03/06
date added: 2022/08/07
shelves: adventure, catholic, classics, fantasy, novel, united-kingdom, favorite-books
review:
2022 observations: it made sense for Aragorn to be loyal to his word, and be kind when letting Eowyn down, but at the same time not once she was condemned for fighting and doing what she knew best at the time. The appendix no longer feels like an information dump since not having that background on Aragorn would make the narrative lacking.

I know the inspiration for Eowyn lies on the nurses of WWI and a Shakespearean text, but I also think of Judith (though not a widow, she also steps in favor of her people and kills a very important menacing figure).

Also in re-reading, Frodo comes out as even more heroic than the first time around.

_________________
[spoilers removed]
]]>
<![CDATA[El retorno del rey (El señor de los anillos, #3)]]> 63358 603 J.R.R. Tolkien 8445075756 M. 0 4.63 1955 El retorno del rey (El señor de los anillos, #3)
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: M.
average rating: 4.63
book published: 1955
rating: 0
read at: 2022/08/07
date added: 2022/08/07
shelves:
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Las dos torres (El Señor de los Anillos, #2)]]> 15280 here

La Compañía se ha disuelto y sus integrantes emprenden caminos separados. Frodo y Sam continúan solos su viaje a lo largo del río Anduin, perseguidos por la sombra misteriosa de un ser extraño que también ambiciona la posesión del Anillo. Mientras, hombres, elfos y enanos se preparan para la batalla final contra las fuerzas del Señor del Mal.]]>
464 J.R.R. Tolkien M. 5
This book isn't like anything I have read before, and in a very good, kind of extraordinary way. I am sort of ashamed because my vocabulary will make it seem a simple review, but I'm trying so hard to put this into words...I hope you don't mind the mistakes and poorness.

The translation that Horne and Domenèch did is absolutely untouchable, perfect, almost poetical. The descriptions shine through the book and the use of words is measured, and as loyal to the original as possible, using all the richness of spanish language.

And now, going deep inside into the story, the development of the characters is outstanding, how they evolve through the book, even more remarkably than in The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, as they do things we would never have thought of and take part in fixing the consequences of their own actions.

If in the The Fellowship I got fascinated with the whole elfic world, its archers, the beautiful side of good in Tolkien's story, I'm equally amazed (if not more) by the description of evil, it's not simply a dark place, it's not simply that those characters enjoy being evil, there's so much more to it, in a veil of mystery, I don't think there's black vs. white, a kind of almost childish antagony, but characters good enough to have will and principles and those who don't.

I think my favorite character for this part of the series is Sam Gamyi. As I heard a teacher (and expert in Tolkien) say he's the human look inside that wonderful yet terrifying unknown world, he's the reflection of the perplexed reader, yet he's not passive, but a very strong character.

This is absolutely incredible, and I'm aware my review didn't do it justice.]]>
4.49 1954 Las dos torres (El Señor de los Anillos, #2)
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: M.
average rating: 4.49
book published: 1954
rating: 5
read at: 2012/12/14
date added: 2022/08/01
shelves: adventure, novel, catholic, fantasy, united-kingdom, favorite-books
review:
I'm not even sure where to start and I'm not even sure how many spoilers should I give.

This book isn't like anything I have read before, and in a very good, kind of extraordinary way. I am sort of ashamed because my vocabulary will make it seem a simple review, but I'm trying so hard to put this into words...I hope you don't mind the mistakes and poorness.

The translation that Horne and Domenèch did is absolutely untouchable, perfect, almost poetical. The descriptions shine through the book and the use of words is measured, and as loyal to the original as possible, using all the richness of spanish language.

And now, going deep inside into the story, the development of the characters is outstanding, how they evolve through the book, even more remarkably than in The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, as they do things we would never have thought of and take part in fixing the consequences of their own actions.

If in the The Fellowship I got fascinated with the whole elfic world, its archers, the beautiful side of good in Tolkien's story, I'm equally amazed (if not more) by the description of evil, it's not simply a dark place, it's not simply that those characters enjoy being evil, there's so much more to it, in a veil of mystery, I don't think there's black vs. white, a kind of almost childish antagony, but characters good enough to have will and principles and those who don't.

I think my favorite character for this part of the series is Sam Gamyi. As I heard a teacher (and expert in Tolkien) say he's the human look inside that wonderful yet terrifying unknown world, he's the reflection of the perplexed reader, yet he's not passive, but a very strong character.

This is absolutely incredible, and I'm aware my review didn't do it justice.
]]>
A Civil Contract 311132
Adam Deveril, the new Viscount Lynton, is madly in love with the beautiful Julia Oversley. But he has returned from the Peninsular War to find his family on the brink of ruin and his ancestral home mortgaged to the hilt. He has little choice when he is introduced to Mr. Jonathan Chawleigh, a City man of apparently unlimited wealth and no social ambitions for himself-but with his eyes firmly fixed on a suitable match for his only daughter, the quiet and decidedly plain Jenny Chawleigh.]]>
375 Georgette Heyer 0099474441 M. 0 to-read 3.70 1961 A Civil Contract
author: Georgette Heyer
name: M.
average rating: 3.70
book published: 1961
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/31
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Prophetic Imagination 97827 151 Walter Brueggemann 0800632877 M. 0 to-read 4.33 1978 The Prophetic Imagination
author: Walter Brueggemann
name: M.
average rating: 4.33
book published: 1978
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/29
shelves: to-read
review:

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La razĂłn de mi vida 54594299 One copy 317 Eva PerĂłn 9872396094 M. 0 currently-reading 4.00 1951 La razĂłn de mi vida
author: Eva PerĂłn
name: M.
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1951
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/27
shelves: currently-reading
review:

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<![CDATA[La Comunidad del Anillo (The Lord of the Rings, #1)]]> 227233 547 J.R.R. Tolkien 9505470673 M. 5
It's not only a ~book for kids~ or teenagers but an excellent story. The progression of the characters is the most relevant thing for me from the literary point. In a world of unreal beautiful (and / or sinister) creatures one would think that they're living under the Peter Pan never-grow up stereotype.

The fact the hobbits open their eyes and ears to whatever may come with the innocent eyes of a child and the determination of an adult person once they're on track, makes us think of personal progression which makes the novel more attractive. Not only the characters become more mature but their world gets affected by their choices.

Characters as Sam and Tom Bombadill are a perfect idea of why this kind of story does stand out too much. Sam is a kid fascinated with legends and elves that gets to grow up in such a little time, and he becomes self conscious of the risks during their adventure, but still he'll be loyal to his master and friend, Frodo.

Tom Bombadill is somebody who created the typical Robin Hood image on my mind. Lives on the forest, helps whoever might be weaker...but that's not the point. He's such a rare character in the good sesne of it. Spontanous, happy, charming. Even surprising because he seems to be the only one who doesn't surrender to the powers of the Ring.

Whether the Ring can be representing a "weapon" or an allegory for what happens with power, is something that has been up to debate for a lot of years. Tolkien refused any kind of "only interpretations" because there's so much meanings laying there, hoping to be discovered, and there's as many meanings as readers. To me, it's an allegory of power. It's beautiful and it attracts people, it can be used for good, but it can also corrupt people and make their worst come out in a finger snap. Boromir is the best example of this. Of course I'm not an expert on Tolkien's work neither I could interpret everything so easily, but...those are my two cents.]]>
4.38 1954 La Comunidad del Anillo (The Lord of the Rings, #1)
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: M.
average rating: 4.38
book published: 1954
rating: 5
read at: 2022/07/27
date added: 2022/07/27
shelves: favorite-books, adventure, catholic, celtic-mythology, classics, fantasy, teens-literature, middle-ages, mythology, novel
review:
Fantastic. It's incredible that this man had such a huge imagination. There's a lot of main characters, a whole new chronology, lots of places they visit and still everything is so well placed that you are able to keep track of the things that happen.

It's not only a ~book for kids~ or teenagers but an excellent story. The progression of the characters is the most relevant thing for me from the literary point. In a world of unreal beautiful (and / or sinister) creatures one would think that they're living under the Peter Pan never-grow up stereotype.

The fact the hobbits open their eyes and ears to whatever may come with the innocent eyes of a child and the determination of an adult person once they're on track, makes us think of personal progression which makes the novel more attractive. Not only the characters become more mature but their world gets affected by their choices.

Characters as Sam and Tom Bombadill are a perfect idea of why this kind of story does stand out too much. Sam is a kid fascinated with legends and elves that gets to grow up in such a little time, and he becomes self conscious of the risks during their adventure, but still he'll be loyal to his master and friend, Frodo.

Tom Bombadill is somebody who created the typical Robin Hood image on my mind. Lives on the forest, helps whoever might be weaker...but that's not the point. He's such a rare character in the good sesne of it. Spontanous, happy, charming. Even surprising because he seems to be the only one who doesn't surrender to the powers of the Ring.

Whether the Ring can be representing a "weapon" or an allegory for what happens with power, is something that has been up to debate for a lot of years. Tolkien refused any kind of "only interpretations" because there's so much meanings laying there, hoping to be discovered, and there's as many meanings as readers. To me, it's an allegory of power. It's beautiful and it attracts people, it can be used for good, but it can also corrupt people and make their worst come out in a finger snap. Boromir is the best example of this. Of course I'm not an expert on Tolkien's work neither I could interpret everything so easily, but...those are my two cents.
]]>
The Woman Warrior 25534223 252 Maxine Hong Kingston 1447275225 M. 0 to-read 3.69 1976 The Woman Warrior
author: Maxine Hong Kingston
name: M.
average rating: 3.69
book published: 1976
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/26
shelves: to-read
review:

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I Capture the Castle 33602148 I Capture the Castle tells the story of seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain and her family, who live in not-so-genteel poverty in a ramshackle old English castle. Here she strives, over six turbulent months, to hone her writing skills. She fills three notebooks with sharply funny yet poignant entries. Her journals candidly chronicle the great changes that take place within the castle's walls and her own first descent into love. By the time she pens her final entry, she has "captured the castle"-- and the heart of the reader-- in one of literature's most enchanting entertainments.]]> 390 Dodie Smith 1250146690 M. 0 to-read 4.03 1948 I Capture the Castle
author: Dodie Smith
name: M.
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1948
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/26
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Member of the Wedding 330244
The novel that became an award-winning play and a major motion picture and that has charmed generations of readers, Carson McCullers's classic The Member of the Wedding is now available in small-format trade paperback for the first time.

"A marvelous study of the agony of adolescence" (Detroit Free Press), The Member of the Wedding showcases Carson McCullers at her most sensitive, astute, and lasting best.

An alternate-cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.]]>
163 Carson McCullers 0618492399 M. 0 to-read 3.82 1946 The Member of the Wedding
author: Carson McCullers
name: M.
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1946
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/26
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Gaudy Night (Lord Peter Wimsey, #10)]]> 13623994 528 Dorothy L. Sayers 0062196537 M. 0 to-read 4.15 1935 Gaudy Night (Lord Peter Wimsey, #10)
author: Dorothy L. Sayers
name: M.
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1935
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/26
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Neurociencia en la escuela. Guía amigable (y sin bla bla) para entender cómo funciona el cerebro durante el aprendizaje]]> 61037748 Aprender es modificar el cerebro, dice la autora de este libro. Y es que el cerebro tiene una propiedad deslumbrante: se transforma con la experiencia. Pero para que el aprendizaje ocurra hace falta que se den ciertas condiciones. Algunas circunstancias pueden facilitarlo y otras, hacerlo más difícil. Lo cierto es que, en las últimas décadas, las neurociencias crearon un cuerpo de conocimiento sólido sobre los procesos que nos permiten a nosotros, humanitas y humanitos, incorporar saberes, desarrollar habilidades, resolver problemas y pensar creativamente. Es por eso que, con toda prudencia y respeto por la labor y el saber de los educadores, hoy hay un montón de ciencia que puede ayudar a pensar el trabajo en el aula y ofrecer herramientas valiosas.
Joven pionera en esto de combatir mitos y acercar la ciencia del cerebro a la educación, Andrea Goldin nos ayuda a entender, en términos simples y amables, qué pasa cuando aprendemos, tanto en la escuela como a lo largo de toda la vida. Sin falsas promesas y, sobre todo, sin arrogancia, responde a las preguntas centrales: ¿por qué la nutrición, el sueño o el juego son fundamentales? ¿Cómo funciona la memoria y qué papel cumple la atención? ¿Qué es la flexibilidad? ¿Cómo decidimos qué información procesamos y cuál dejamos pasar? ¿Cómo intervienen las emociones? También, cosas mucho más prácticas y concretas: ¿por qué algunos aprendizajes son más profundos? ¿Qué hace que un recuerdo sea perdurable? ¿Sirve estudiar de memoria? Y hasta cómo conviene periodizar el estudio.
Pero Neurociencia en la escuela no se concentra solo en el aprendizaje: propone también una neurociencia de la enseñanza, que ubica al docente en el centro. Y lo mejor de todo es que, sobre la base de estos conocimientos, maestros y maestras (¡y todos en general!) podemos hacer mucho en nuestra búsqueda de aprender y enseñar mejor.]]>
224 Andrea Goldin 987801147X M. 0 currently-reading 4.43 Neurociencia en la escuela. GuĂ­a amigable (y sin bla bla) para entender cĂłmo funciona el cerebro durante el aprendizaje
author: Andrea Goldin
name: M.
average rating: 4.43
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/23
shelves: currently-reading
review:

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El Hobbit 8877901
"Todos los que aman esos libros para niños que pueden ser leídos y releídos por adultos han de tomar buena cuenta de que una nueva estrella ha aparecido en esa constelación."
C. S. Lewis

"Tolkien era un narrador de genio."
LITERARY REVIEW]]>
310 J.R.R. Tolkien 9706906541 M. 5 Re-read ten years later.
A lot of of things have changed, especially my English, which has improved, but not the rating. I still like it but the revamping of clichés is evident, still the same comforting feeling. I still regret having rejected it for other books when I was 9, and someone gave me this to read.

_________________________

A fantastic book and a true classic aren't enough words to define it.

I still regret rejecting this book when it was borrowed to me about 9 years ago, but the experience and all the things read in the way helped me to appreciate it even more now, and what a change it is. Part of me thinks that I'd not have loved it like I do now.

The story is as good as a fantasy tale can get without recurring for the most part to clichés. It also does not create a world of its own in the purest sense as elfs and dwarfs among others are creatures that have been characters of many classic tales, like brothers Grimm's ones, but it does help to imagination as the originality of the concept is developed.

An interesting detail besides the obvious progression of the characters attitudes, mainly in the young Bilbo, is the role of birds and another wild creatures, but specially birds, as considering them like possible links between the heroes and its enemies, a way to help them and protect them during their travelling through dark and dangerous forests. None of them were doves. The same recurse can be seen in Tolkien's friend Lewis and the famous robin that guides Lucy and her brothers and sisters during a good part of the first part of The Narnia Chronicles.

Focusing in the whole reborn of many towns and not only an individual it's an excellent example of friendship and loyalty, even to us, adults that running our pupiles and fingers through these pages can feel like children again.]]>
4.26 1937 El Hobbit
author: J.R.R. Tolkien
name: M.
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1937
rating: 5
read at: 2022/07/18
date added: 2022/07/18
shelves: adventure, catholic, fantasy, united-kingdom, novel, favorite-books
review:

Re-read ten years later.
A lot of of things have changed, especially my English, which has improved, but not the rating. I still like it but the revamping of clichés is evident, still the same comforting feeling. I still regret having rejected it for other books when I was 9, and someone gave me this to read.

_________________________

A fantastic book and a true classic aren't enough words to define it.

I still regret rejecting this book when it was borrowed to me about 9 years ago, but the experience and all the things read in the way helped me to appreciate it even more now, and what a change it is. Part of me thinks that I'd not have loved it like I do now.

The story is as good as a fantasy tale can get without recurring for the most part to clichés. It also does not create a world of its own in the purest sense as elfs and dwarfs among others are creatures that have been characters of many classic tales, like brothers Grimm's ones, but it does help to imagination as the originality of the concept is developed.

An interesting detail besides the obvious progression of the characters attitudes, mainly in the young Bilbo, is the role of birds and another wild creatures, but specially birds, as considering them like possible links between the heroes and its enemies, a way to help them and protect them during their travelling through dark and dangerous forests. None of them were doves. The same recurse can be seen in Tolkien's friend Lewis and the famous robin that guides Lucy and her brothers and sisters during a good part of the first part of The Narnia Chronicles.

Focusing in the whole reborn of many towns and not only an individual it's an excellent example of friendship and loyalty, even to us, adults that running our pupiles and fingers through these pages can feel like children again.
]]>
<![CDATA[Rahel Varnhagen: The Life of a Jewess]]> 344043
Arendt draws a lively and complex portrait of a woman during the period of the Napoleonic wars and the early emancipation of the Jews, a figure who met and corresponded with some of the most celebrated authors, artists, and politicians of her time. She documents Rahel's attempts to earn legitimacy as a writer and gain access to the highest aristocratic circles, to assert for herself a position in German culture in spite of her gender and religion.

Arendt had almost completed a first draft of her book on Rahel by 1933 when she was forced into exile by the National Socialists. She continued her work on the manuscript in Paris and New York, but would not publish the book until 1958. Rahel Varnhagen became not just a study of a historical Jewish figure, but a poignant reflection on Arendt's own life and times, her first exploration of German-Jewish identity and the possibility of Jewish life in the face of unimaginable adversity.

For this first complete critical edition of the book in any language, Liliane Weissberg reconstructs the notes Arendt planned for Rahel Varnhagen but never fully executed. She reveals the extent to which Arendt wove the biography largely from the words of Rahel and her contemporaries. In her extended introduction, Weissberg reflects on Rahel's writings and on the importance of this text in the development of Arendt's political theory. Weissberg also reveals the hidden story of how Arendt manipulated documents relating to Rahel Varnhagen to claim for herself a university position and reparation payments from the postwar German state.]]>
388 Hannah Arendt 080186335X M. 0 to-read 3.74 1958 Rahel Varnhagen: The Life of a Jewess
author: Hannah Arendt
name: M.
average rating: 3.74
book published: 1958
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/17
shelves: to-read
review:

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El nuevo gobierno de Sancho 55666596 320 Leonardo Castellani 950991682X M. 3 argentina, catholic, humor En fin. Divertido, pero muy ceñido a la época. Así y todo, el genio de Castellani no se puede negar.]]> 3.00 El nuevo gobierno de Sancho
author: Leonardo Castellani
name: M.
average rating: 3.00
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2022/07/16
date added: 2022/07/16
shelves: argentina, catholic, humor
review:
No voy a decir que el libro está del todo mal, pero sí que si siguiera las indicaciones del último decreto, ni debiera estar leyéndolo...
En fin. Divertido, pero muy ceñido a la época. Así y todo, el genio de Castellani no se puede negar.
]]>
No Longer Human 194746 No Longer Human, this leading postwar Japanese writer's second novel, tells the poignant and fascinating story of a young man who is caught between the breakup of the traditions of a northern Japanese aristocratic family and the impact of Western ideas. In consequence, he feels himself "disqualified from being human" (a literal translation of the Japanese title).

Donald Keene, who translated this and Dazai's first novel, The Setting Sun, has said of the author's work: "His world � suggests Chekhov or possibly postwar France, � but there is a Japanese sensibility in the choice and presentation of the material. A Dazai novel is at once immediately intelligible in Western terms and quite unlike any Western book." His writing is in some ways reminiscent of Rimbaud, while he himself has often been called a forerunner of Yukio Mishima.

Cover painting by Noe Nojechowiz, from the collection of John and Barbara Duncan; design by Gertrude Huston]]>
176 Osamu Dazai M. 0 to-read 3.99 1948 No Longer Human
author: Osamu Dazai
name: M.
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1948
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/16
shelves: to-read
review:

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Heidi (Heidi, #1-2) 93 352 Johanna Spyri 0753454947 M. 0 currently-reading 4.02 1880 Heidi (Heidi, #1-2)
author: Johanna Spyri
name: M.
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1880
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/03
shelves: currently-reading
review:

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Solaris 95558
When Kris Kelvin arrives at the planet Solaris to study the ocean that covers its surface, he finds a painful, hitherto unconscious memory embodied in the living physical likeness of a long-dead lover. Others examining the planet, Kelvin learns, are plagued with their own repressed and newly corporeal memories. The Solaris ocean may be a massive brain that creates these incarnate memories, though its purpose in doing so is unknown, forcing the scientists to shift the focus of their quest and wonder if they can truly understand the universe without first understanding what lies within their hearts.]]>
204 Stanisław Lem M. 0 currently-reading 4.00 1961 Solaris
author: Stanisław Lem
name: M.
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1961
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/07/01
shelves: currently-reading
review:

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<![CDATA[Breakfast at Tiffany's and Three Stories]]> 9889 here.

It's New York in the 1940s, where the martinis flow from cocktail hour till breakfast at Tiffany's. And nice girls don't, except, of course, Holly Golightly. Pursued by Mafia gangsters and playboy millionaires, Holly is a fragile eyeful of tawny hair and turned-up nose, a heart-breaker, a perplexer, a traveller, a tease. She is irrepressibly 'top banana in the shock department', and one of the shining flowers of American fiction.

This edition also contains three stories: 'House of Flowers', 'A Diamond Guitar' and 'A Christmas Memory'.]]>
157 Truman Capote M. 0 to-read 3.76 1958 Breakfast at Tiffany's and Three Stories
author: Truman Capote
name: M.
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1958
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/06/15
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Delusions of Gender: The Real Science Behind Sex Differences]]> 55781986
Drawing on the latest research in neuroscience and psychology, Cordelia Fine debunks the myth of hardwired differences between men’s and women’s brains, unraveling the evidence behind such claims as men’s brains aren’t wired for empathy, and women’s brains aren’t made to fix cars. She then goes one step further, offering a very different explanation of the dissimilarities between men’s and women’s behavior. Instead of a “male brain� and a “female brain,� Fine gives us a glimpse of plastic, mutable minds that are continuously influenced by cultural assumptions about gender.

Delusions of Gender provides us with a much-needed corrective to the belief that men’s and women’s brains are intrinsically different—a belief that, as Fine shows with insight and humor—all too often works to the detriment of ourselves and our society.]]>
10 Cordelia Fine 1004019262 M. 0 4.00 2010 Delusions of Gender: The Real Science Behind Sex Differences
author: Cordelia Fine
name: M.
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/06/14
shelves: currently-reading, feminism, science, gender-ideology
review:

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El hombre en busca de sentido 1087293 En esta obra, Viktor E. Frankl explica la experiencia que le llevó al descubrimiento de la logoterapia. Prisionero, durante mucho tiempo, en los desalmados campos de concentración, él mismo sintió en su propio ser lo que significaba una existencia desnuda. ¿Cómo pudo él que todo lo había perdido, que había visto destruir todo lo que valía la pena, que padeció hambre, frío, brutalidades sin fin, que tantas veces estuvo a punto del exterminio, cómo pudo aceptar que la vida fuera digna de vivirla? El psiquiatra que personalmente ha tenido que enfrentarse a tales rigores merece que se le escuche, pues nadie como él para juzgar nuestra condición humana sabia y compasivamente. Las palabras del doctor Frankl alcanzan un temple sorprendentemente esperanzador sobre la capacidad humana de trascender sus dificultades y descubrir la verdad conveniente y orientadora.

]]>
157 Viktor E. Frankl 8425423317 M. 5
Lo digo porque no se reduce a un aspecto del hombre (Freud), no convierte al hombre en un todo autosuficiente (Jung), no lo considera solo desde el punto de vista del poder (Adler), ni niega la religiĂłn. Pero no soy psicĂłloga.

De cualquier manera, el tono personalista es evidente y enriquece la experiencia del campo de concentraciĂłn. Simplemente maravilloso. Muy recomendable.]]>
4.23 1946 El hombre en busca de sentido
author: Viktor E. Frankl
name: M.
average rating: 4.23
book published: 1946
rating: 5
read at: 2022/06/12
date added: 2022/06/12
shelves: religion, psychology, nazism, philosophy, audiobook
review:
Para mí, que ya había leído algo sobre logoterapia, esta es la más convincente de las escuelas psicológicas.

Lo digo porque no se reduce a un aspecto del hombre (Freud), no convierte al hombre en un todo autosuficiente (Jung), no lo considera solo desde el punto de vista del poder (Adler), ni niega la religiĂłn. Pero no soy psicĂłloga.

De cualquier manera, el tono personalista es evidente y enriquece la experiencia del campo de concentraciĂłn. Simplemente maravilloso. Muy recomendable.
]]>
Lady Windermere’s Fan 11398359 56 Oscar Wilde M. 5 play, ireland, classics
Lady Windermere has lived a sheltered, perfect life, and suddenly, she's given the wrong impression about her marriage by a friend. I will not spoil the rest of the plot, but if anything, it shows that this author should be credited more than by his immoral characters, often rich in ironic witticisms we attribute to the man itself. ]]>
4.10 1892 Lady Windermere’s Fan
author: Oscar Wilde
name: M.
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1892
rating: 5
read at: 2017/11/30
date added: 2022/06/09
shelves: play, ireland, classics
review:
A fantastic play about identity, honor, repentance, and the misunderstandings between men and women. Oscar Wilde is my favorite author and somehow I still have pending titles. It's much better to be able to read it in English after so many years, and without a dictionary.

Lady Windermere has lived a sheltered, perfect life, and suddenly, she's given the wrong impression about her marriage by a friend. I will not spoil the rest of the plot, but if anything, it shows that this author should be credited more than by his immoral characters, often rich in ironic witticisms we attribute to the man itself.
]]>
Memorias del subsuelo 517406 195 Fyodor Dostoevsky 8493347396 M. 4 russia, novel, 22-for-2022
Favorite Author of Your Favorite Author (1) : Flannery O'Connor

I liked this one better than The Brothers Karamazov, so sue me.
At its best, reminded me of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray or Nabokov's Lolita though I didn't expect it to have an open end like that.]]>
4.15 1864 Memorias del subsuelo
author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
name: M.
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1864
rating: 4
read at: 2022/06/05
date added: 2022/06/06
shelves: russia, novel, 22-for-2022
review:
Read for the Literary Life Reading Challenge 2022

Favorite Author of Your Favorite Author (1) : Flannery O'Connor

I liked this one better than The Brothers Karamazov, so sue me.
At its best, reminded me of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray or Nabokov's Lolita though I didn't expect it to have an open end like that.
]]>
<![CDATA[Los Asuncionistas en la Argentina]]> 61187962 Deja lo que tienes; después ven y sígueme.

Algunos, rechazando su palabra, se fueron tristes. Pero un nuevo sentido de la vida impregnĂł el espĂ­ritu de aquellos que emprendieron el seguimiento de Cristo: desde entonces sus corazones se llenaron de alegrĂ­a.

Entre éstos se encuentra el Fundador de la Congregación de los Agustinos de la Asunción. En el año 2010, los hijos espirituales del Venerable Manuel d'Alzon celebran 200 años de su nacimiento.

Una de las páginas apasionantes de su historia, los Asuncionistas comenzaron a escribirla hace 100 años en la Argentina, a donde llegaron en 1910, para encarnar entre nosotros el carisma del Fundador.

Este libro quiere narrar con gratitud lo que significó para los religiosos y laicos Asuncionistas el seguimiento de Jesucristo al modo del P. Manuel d'Alzon. Quienes lo lean podrán apreciar lo que esos hombres y mujeres heredaron de su familia religiosa y de sus fundadores. Y verán que las obras asuncionistas son estimadas, son grandes, si se quiere, porque las anima el espíritu del P. d'Alzon]]>
338 Roberto Favre M. 3 3.00 2010 Los Asuncionistas en la Argentina
author: Roberto Favre
name: M.
average rating: 3.00
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2022/05/30
date added: 2022/05/30
shelves: argentina, catholic, spirituality, history, france
review:

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<![CDATA[Cyberpunk and Cyberculture: Science Fiction and the Work of William Gibson]]> 22332 258 Dani Cavallaro 0485006073 M. 0 currently-reading 3.68 2000 Cyberpunk and Cyberculture: Science Fiction and the Work of William Gibson
author: Dani Cavallaro
name: M.
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2000
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/05/26
shelves: currently-reading
review:

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<![CDATA[Fratelli tutti. Sulla fraternitĂ  e l'amicizia sociale]]> 55553645 248 Pope Francis 8826605084 M. 4
9. A devotional work ]]>
4.38 2020 Fratelli tutti. Sulla fraternitĂ  e l'amicizia sociale
author: Pope Francis
name: M.
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/12/18
date added: 2022/05/25
shelves: catholic, magisterium, 20-for-2020-reads
review:
Read because it's necessary to keep up with Magisterium but also read for

9. A devotional work
]]>
Dear and Glorious Physician 59097 Vintage paperback 560 Taylor Caldwell 0553227882 M. 0 4.29 1958 Dear and Glorious Physician
author: Taylor Caldwell
name: M.
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1958
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/05/25
shelves: currently-reading, historical-fiction, scripture, middle-east, judaism, catholic
review:

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<![CDATA[My Battle Against Hitler: Faith, Truth, and Defiance in the Shadow of the Third Reich]]> 20819625
Dietrich von Hildebrand was a German Catholic thinker and teacher who in response to the rise of Nazism devoted the full force of his intellect to doing public battle with Hitler for the hearts and minds of the German people.

His story might well have been lost to us, were it not for a memoir, penned near the end of his life at the request of his younger wife. Here he tells of the scorn and ridicule he endured for sounding the alarm when many still viewed Hitler as a positive and inevitable force. He recounts the sorrow of having to leave his home, friends, and family in Germany to conduct his fight against the Nazis from Austria. He tells how he defiantly challenged Nazism in the public square, prompting the German ambassador in Vienna to describe him to Hitler as “the architect of the intellectual resistance." And throughout it all, he conveys his unwavering trust in God, even during his harrowing escape from Vienna and his desperate flight across Europe, with the Nazis always just one step behind.]]>
352 Dietrich von Hildebrand 0385347510 M. 3
8. A Biography or Memoir

I was way more interested in the essays but at least the memoirs helped me to get into his life. His arguments are very persuassive and worth pondering over.]]>
3.87 2014 My Battle Against Hitler: Faith, Truth, and Defiance in the Shadow of the Third Reich
author: Dietrich von Hildebrand
name: M.
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2021/01/07
date added: 2022/05/25
shelves: history, catholic, germany, memoir, 20-for-2020-reads
review:
Read for the Literary Life Challenge 2020. 20 for 2020

8. A Biography or Memoir

I was way more interested in the essays but at least the memoirs helped me to get into his life. His arguments are very persuassive and worth pondering over.
]]>
Amnesia (Spanish Edition) 23656078 Un hombre que se enamora perdidamente de Luisa, una mujer que no le convenía -ni a él ni a nadie-, pero que soportó hasta donde existió... sí, porque Luisa dejó de existir.

Tras un laborioso parto Luisa sufre una hemorragia severa, seguida de una anemia cerebral que finalmente vino a causar daños en su memoria. Tales daños fueron manifestándose cada vez más intensamente, hasta que vino a nacer una nueva mujer, Blanca.

]]>
26 Amado Nervo M. 3
7. International (Fiction or Non-fiction). Set on a country not my own (2)

Bastante original.

De Amado Nervo solo conocía algunos poemas sueltos. Se nota la influencia de Poe y hasta algo de Shelley, al fin y al cabo Pablo quiere crear a una mujer a su medida. Mantiene la intriga de qué pasa cuándo se descubre la verdad. [spoilers removed].

Hay mucho de gótico y romántico, hasta de ciencia ficción como se ha dicho en otros comentarios por la clase de referencias y giros argumentales.]]>
3.47 2014 Amnesia (Spanish Edition)
author: Amado Nervo
name: M.
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at: 2022/05/25
date added: 2022/05/25
shelves: gothic, modernism, mexico, novel, 22-for-2022
review:
Read for The Literary Life Podcast Reading Challenge: 2 for '22. Go Further Up and Further in

7. International (Fiction or Non-fiction). Set on a country not my own (2)

Bastante original.

De Amado Nervo solo conocía algunos poemas sueltos. Se nota la influencia de Poe y hasta algo de Shelley, al fin y al cabo Pablo quiere crear a una mujer a su medida. Mantiene la intriga de qué pasa cuándo se descubre la verdad. [spoilers removed].

Hay mucho de gótico y romántico, hasta de ciencia ficción como se ha dicho en otros comentarios por la clase de referencias y giros argumentales.
]]>
The Art of Piracy 48735922 Alternate France, 1871. Art historian Veronica Devine dreams of putting her husband’s betrayal behind her. So she’s grateful for the somewhat distracting mission to transport a valuable collection from a French chateau across the Atlantic. But before her voyage even begins, she’s attacked by thieves and saved by a mysterious stranger.

Luc, the Marquis de Monceau’s, fate is bound to an enchanted ancestral painting. After fleeing the Prussian invasion, his survival hinges on protecting an alias that preserves the rumor of his death. So when the beautiful woman he saves insists she has permission to remove his portraits, he has no choice but to escort her aboard a luxury airship.

Within the confines of the majestic vessel, Veronica and Luc soon discover they have more in common than a love of art. But cryptic messages, a clockwork automaton, and conniving passengers threaten to ground their romantic aspirations.

Will Veronica and Luc unravel the mystery of the masterpiece before dark forces from his past send their ship into the depths?

The Art of Piracy is the opening novella in the imaginative Inspector Davidson Mysteries steampunk romance series. If you like colorful characters, action-filled adventures, and intriguing settings, then you’ll adore Cecilia Dominic’s suspenseful drama.

Buy The Art of Piracy to paint the skies with love today! ]]>
146 Cecilia Dominic 1945074493 M. 1 I tried steampunk thinking the Victorian atmosphere would be more of my liking, but this writing is too modern and it mistakens romance by what you see on cheap movies. Some themes weren't that bad, but in the end it's not worth it. I only am thankful that it was short. ]]> 4.00 The Art of Piracy
author: Cecilia Dominic
name: M.
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 1
read at: 2022/05/25
date added: 2022/05/25
shelves: steampunk, novel, united-states
review:
Nope.
I tried steampunk thinking the Victorian atmosphere would be more of my liking, but this writing is too modern and it mistakens romance by what you see on cheap movies. Some themes weren't that bad, but in the end it's not worth it. I only am thankful that it was short.
]]>
The Way of the Samurai 162374 Hagakure contains the teachings of the samurai-turned-priest JĹŤchĹŤ Yamamoto (1659-1719), and was for generations preserved as moral and practical instructions for daimyo and samurai of Saga Han, a large domain in northwestern Kyushu. It later became known all over Japan, and during the Second World War JĹŤchō’s precept â€I found that the Way of the Samurai is deathâ€�, became a slogan to spur on Kamikaze pilots.

But the Hagakure is not only about death. In this, his adaptation and interpretation of it, Yukio Mishima deals with its teachings on action, subjectivity, strength of character, passion and love, and delights in giving prolific examples of Jōchō’s practical advice from proper behavior at a drinking party to child rearing. In the Hagakure, the most important influence on his life � and his death � Mishima saw striking similarities between his criticisms of materialistic post-war Japan and Jōchō’s criticisms of the sumptuous decadence of his contemporaries; and it is this emphasis which gives it its immediacy.]]>
166 Yukio Mishima 0465090893 M. 0 to-read 4.00 1967 The Way of the Samurai
author: Yukio Mishima
name: M.
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1967
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/05/25
shelves: to-read
review:

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Collected Poems, 1909-1962 142080
Poet, dramatist, critic, and editor, T. S. Eliot was one of the defining figures of twentieth-century poetry. This edition of Collected Poems 1909-1962 includes his verse from Prufrock and Other Observations (1917) to Four Quartets (1943), and includes such literary landmarks as 'The Waste Land' and 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'.]]>
240 T.S. Eliot 0151189781 M. 0 currently-reading 4.30 1963 Collected Poems, 1909-1962
author: T.S. Eliot
name: M.
average rating: 4.30
book published: 1963
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/05/24
shelves: currently-reading
review:

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<![CDATA[Feminism for the 99%: A Manifesto]]> 40667455
Taking as its inspiration the new wave of feminist militancy that has erupted globally, this manifesto makes a simple but powerful case: feminism shouldn’t start—or stop—with the drive to have women represented at the top of their professions. It must focus on those at the bottom, and fight for the world they deserve. And that means targeting capitalism. Feminism must be anticapitalist, eco-socialist and antiracist.]]>
85 Cinzia Arruzza 1788734424 M. 1 feminism
Not that some of their criticisms aren't on point: this is 2018, not 1848, and Marx undoubtedly did not consider personal aspects previous to production, not all of us are powerful corporate women who just have to 'Lean In', not all of us are suburban housewives. A lot of liberal feminism is mounted on the privilege gained through slave labor of poor and otherwise marginalized women. And parties ask us to side with the women, this is to vote for women politicians no matter how awful they are, or else we're traitors to the cause.
It's just that they don't seem to know what a woman is, nor really think about the consequences of an all powerful state until the very end. They don't seem to be very specific either, they casually write here and there that a feminism for the 99% of us has to care about other topics such as antiracism, ecology, but still reproduce the same practices. Also, not sure how 0.001% of population (queer, trans, non binary) enter into the 99%. Surely it's a very new worry proper of burgeois self reflection, you don't have time for that when you have to eat. I'm not sure how this cojoins identity and class politics, because I can assure you, starving people don't have fancy trans clinics (nor they need them).

Moreover, I'm a bit worried that they show hints of abolition of prisons, because wanting justice for victims and prison for rapists, apparently means you're part of a 'pro-prison' feminism. And even for laws against human trafficking, they argue that this is being in favor of deportations of migrants... I mean, they would do better to read on Foucault's sexism, and his idea that rape should not be punished.]]>
4.06 2019 Feminism for the 99%: A Manifesto
author: Cinzia Arruzza
name: M.
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2019
rating: 1
read at: 2022/05/22
date added: 2022/05/22
shelves: feminism
review:
I wasn't "feeling" it, you know?

Not that some of their criticisms aren't on point: this is 2018, not 1848, and Marx undoubtedly did not consider personal aspects previous to production, not all of us are powerful corporate women who just have to 'Lean In', not all of us are suburban housewives. A lot of liberal feminism is mounted on the privilege gained through slave labor of poor and otherwise marginalized women. And parties ask us to side with the women, this is to vote for women politicians no matter how awful they are, or else we're traitors to the cause.
It's just that they don't seem to know what a woman is, nor really think about the consequences of an all powerful state until the very end. They don't seem to be very specific either, they casually write here and there that a feminism for the 99% of us has to care about other topics such as antiracism, ecology, but still reproduce the same practices. Also, not sure how 0.001% of population (queer, trans, non binary) enter into the 99%. Surely it's a very new worry proper of burgeois self reflection, you don't have time for that when you have to eat. I'm not sure how this cojoins identity and class politics, because I can assure you, starving people don't have fancy trans clinics (nor they need them).

Moreover, I'm a bit worried that they show hints of abolition of prisons, because wanting justice for victims and prison for rapists, apparently means you're part of a 'pro-prison' feminism. And even for laws against human trafficking, they argue that this is being in favor of deportations of migrants... I mean, they would do better to read on Foucault's sexism, and his idea that rape should not be punished.
]]>
Justice in the Back Room 12246637 261 Selwyn Raab M. 0 to-read 3.80 1967 Justice in the Back Room
author: Selwyn Raab
name: M.
average rating: 3.80
book published: 1967
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/05/20
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Tales of the Greek Heroes: Retold From the Ancient Authors]]> 215463 288 Roger Lancelyn Green 0140366830 M. 5 22-for-2022
6. Inklings

By an Inkling (1)

A nice intro to the Greek mythological cycle by an Inkling, quoting poems and plays from Ancient Greek authors. Very succint but also engaging. My first time reading Green, not my last. Also I must admit I wasn't aware of him.]]>
3.88 1958 Tales of the Greek Heroes: Retold From the Ancient Authors
author: Roger Lancelyn Green
name: M.
average rating: 3.88
book published: 1958
rating: 5
read at: 2022/05/18
date added: 2022/05/19
shelves: 22-for-2022
review:
Read for The Literary Life Reading Challenge: 22 for '22, Go Further Up and Further In

6. Inklings

By an Inkling (1)

A nice intro to the Greek mythological cycle by an Inkling, quoting poems and plays from Ancient Greek authors. Very succint but also engaging. My first time reading Green, not my last. Also I must admit I wasn't aware of him.
]]>
<![CDATA[The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home]]> 115572
Newly revised and updated, The Well-Trained Mind includes detailed book lists with complete ordering information; up-to-date listings of resources, publications, and Internet links; and useful contacts.

An excellent resource for any family with a desire to incorporate a classical education in their home, whether as a curriculum or as a reference. (Educational Freedom Press)]]>
832 Susan Wise Bauer 0393059278 M. 0 to-read 4.31 1999 The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home
author: Susan Wise Bauer
name: M.
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1999
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/05/16
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Carta a un joven profesor: Por qué enseñar hoy (MICRO-MACRO REFERENCIAS nº 9) (Spanish Edition)]]> 38340782 128 AMV AGENCIA LITERARIA S.L. 8499807186 M. 4
History. Biography. Topical. Choose two books with "opposing perspectives" (2)

Merieu y Tiramonti están no en las antípodas, pero sí en franco desacuerdo en algunos puntos. Merieu no gusta de profetizar la tragedia inevitable, ni de suscitar ira inútil en sus lectores. Que al fin y al cabo, busca llegar a las nuevas generaciones de profesores. Sin romantizar lo que se presenta, pero logra infundir ánimo y pasión.

Tiene un tono ligeramente laicista que a veces abandona, por una visión casi cristiana. Una tendencia a la sinceridad que francamente me recuerda más a Dorothy Day y me cautiva. Nos recuerda que sistemas 'aparte', estamos llamados a ser el transmisor de aquellos conocimientos teniendo en cuenta que alguien está delante nuestro esperándolo todo, y también con una vida fuera de la escuela. Que es posible darlo todo y sentirse desanimado, pero que no hay otra manera de que nuestra existencia dé fruto.]]>
4.12 2006 Carta a un joven profesor: Por qué enseñar hoy (MICRO-MACRO REFERENCIAS nº 9) (Spanish Edition)
author: AMV AGENCIA LITERARIA S.L.
name: M.
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2022/05/16
date added: 2022/05/16
shelves: education, politics, france, 22-for-2022
review:
Read for the Literary Life Reading Challenge 2 for '22: Go Further Up and Further In

History. Biography. Topical. Choose two books with "opposing perspectives" (2)

Merieu y Tiramonti están no en las antípodas, pero sí en franco desacuerdo en algunos puntos. Merieu no gusta de profetizar la tragedia inevitable, ni de suscitar ira inútil en sus lectores. Que al fin y al cabo, busca llegar a las nuevas generaciones de profesores. Sin romantizar lo que se presenta, pero logra infundir ánimo y pasión.

Tiene un tono ligeramente laicista que a veces abandona, por una visión casi cristiana. Una tendencia a la sinceridad que francamente me recuerda más a Dorothy Day y me cautiva. Nos recuerda que sistemas 'aparte', estamos llamados a ser el transmisor de aquellos conocimientos teniendo en cuenta que alguien está delante nuestro esperándolo todo, y también con una vida fuera de la escuela. Que es posible darlo todo y sentirse desanimado, pero que no hay otra manera de que nuestra existencia dé fruto.
]]>
<![CDATA[El gran simulacro: El naufragio de la educación argentina (Spanish Edition)]]> 60788946 La pandemia por COVID-19 terminó de correr el velo que cubría este franco derrumbe y la falta de interés de los responsables por cualquier mejora en materia de educación.
Pero ¿cómo se inició esa crisis terminal? ¿Cuándo fue que aquel proyecto que se proponía igualador, de principios del siglo xx, se convirtió en una máquina de reproducir las desigualdades de origen de los estudiantes? ¿Qué se hizo tan mal para que el resultado fuera este? ¿Cuándo se dejó de enseñar y se pasó a simular? ¿Cómo revertir esta catástrofe?
Con más de cuarenta años dedicados a la investigación en educación, Guillermina Tiramonti denuncia y analiza en este libro el paulatino avance del asistencialismo en las aulas, el desarrollo de una pedagogía de la compasión que actúa sobre las conciencias, abandona la preocupación por los aprendizajes de los alumnos y menosprecia su función impulsora del progreso individual. Y además reflexiona y acerca propuestas para que nuestra educación comience a dialogar con las problemáticas del presente y el mundo del futuro.]]>
134 Guillermina Tiramonti 9875998451 M. 1 Read for the Literary Life Reading Challenge 2 for '22: Go Further Up and Further In

History. Biography. Topical. Choose two books with "opposing perspectives" (1)

Realmente pobre. No es que todo estuviese mal, pero habĂ­a errores de ediciĂłn y formato, y repeticiĂłn de argumentos vacĂ­os, como el recurso al "pobrismo" como origen de todos los males (que no define), la crĂ­tica destructiva a la Iglesia y a la religiĂłn en general, la exaltaciĂłn de ideales liberales tan solo para contraponerse a la izquierda.

Me interesó, sin embargo que le importase la inclusión de chicos pobres en el mundo digital y citase ejemplos como el de Arbusta que, sinceramente desconocía. Aunque estoy en profundo desacuerdo con gran parte del razonamiento, aprendí bastante de qué tener en cuenta y qué no, y creo que comparte algunas de mis frustraciones con el sistema.]]>
3.78 El gran simulacro: El naufragio de la educaciĂłn argentina (Spanish Edition)
author: Guillermina Tiramonti
name: M.
average rating: 3.78
book published:
rating: 1
read at: 2022/05/15
date added: 2022/05/16
shelves: argentina, politics, education, 22-for-2022
review:

Read for the Literary Life Reading Challenge 2 for '22: Go Further Up and Further In

History. Biography. Topical. Choose two books with "opposing perspectives" (1)

Realmente pobre. No es que todo estuviese mal, pero habĂ­a errores de ediciĂłn y formato, y repeticiĂłn de argumentos vacĂ­os, como el recurso al "pobrismo" como origen de todos los males (que no define), la crĂ­tica destructiva a la Iglesia y a la religiĂłn en general, la exaltaciĂłn de ideales liberales tan solo para contraponerse a la izquierda.

Me interesó, sin embargo que le importase la inclusión de chicos pobres en el mundo digital y citase ejemplos como el de Arbusta que, sinceramente desconocía. Aunque estoy en profundo desacuerdo con gran parte del razonamiento, aprendí bastante de qué tener en cuenta y qué no, y creo que comparte algunas de mis frustraciones con el sistema.
]]>
<![CDATA[Rusia frente a Ucrania: Imperios, pueblos, energĂ­a (Spanish Edition)]]> 60556809 171 Carlos Taibo Arias 8413524164 M. 3
Aprendí muchísimo más de lo que esperaba. ]]>
3.61 Rusia frente a Ucrania: Imperios, pueblos, energĂ­a (Spanish Edition)
author: Carlos Taibo Arias
name: M.
average rating: 3.61
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2022/05/01
date added: 2022/05/01
shelves: russia, ukraine, politics, history
review:
La verdad, no sé si estoy de acuerdo con todas las apreciaciones del autor. Sin embargo, creo que resultó mucho más medido de lo que esperaba. Sobre todo porque reconoció no poder predecir lo mucho que escalaría el conflicto y no caer en descalificaciones respecto de Zelensky por haber sido un actor cómico.

Aprendí muchísimo más de lo que esperaba.
]]>
Ruby Flynn 26003565 The darkest sins cast the longest shadow - or so they say. RUBY FLYNN, set mostly in Ireland, is the enthralling story of one family, haunted by ancient wrongs. A stunning new family saga from the No 1 bestselling author of The Four Streets trilogy.

The FitzDeanes are powerful. They have estates in England, a castle in Ireland and a growing shipping business in Liverpool. But in Ireland, during the famine, a great and terrible mistake was made, which would come to haunt the family for generations. Now young Ruby Flynn, rescued when the rest of her family died during the storms of 1947, reared and educated by nuns, arrives at Ballyford Castle, to work as a nursery maid. It is a fateful turning point for the FitzDeanes - and above all, for the beautiful and feisty Ruby Flynn herself.

]]>
352 Nadine Dorries 178408218X M. 1 ireland, novel
She's taken to the convent of the Blessed Heart (not Sacred or Immaculate but Blessed), and here the Reverend Mother (not the Superior, but the Reverend, is this Dune?) is mean to her because she, in a fit of fury broke a valuable "vase" that a Chicago priest brought: Sister Francis (the only good nun in the convent) and Charlotte (Lottie) rescue her from the anger of the Reverend Mother from there onwards and advise her to keep her temper. No other nun stands up for her, or anyone, ever, and everyone is particularly evil, except for Maria, a girl whose destiny seems prison who 'taught Ruby and Lottie more than the nuns ever did'. Maria ends up in a laundry which evokes the famously maligned Madgalene Laundries. [spoilers removed]

This book has a flavor of trying to mix up Emily and Charlotte Brontë with a good, old dose of Judi Dench and Steve Coogan's Philomena (a horrible movie by the way). Tortuous childhood, at risk youth, dysfunctional marriages, rich mysterious guys in Liverpool (Heathcliff-Rochester, are these any of you?), and the additional modern twist of having judgy religious characters alongside sexually liberated or aspiring to be sexually liberated girls, and unnecessary passages [spoilers removed]. Just a word to say or, rather, a sound to make: ew

I'm not saying modern authors can't follow the Brontë template succesfully, Carmen Laforet's Nada certainly did. This is not the case for Nadine Dorries' Ruby Flynn at all.

In fact everything is far from making us root for the main couple, [spoilers removed]. I know some people are upset by the rudeness of the characters in Wuthering Heights, but at least that had a point.

There are lots of pop references to make feel the casual reader accomplished, and that wouldn't be so bad... but really, I spent nights trying to think how I'd write this book for it to be better than it is, and here's my proposal:

[spoilers removed]]]>
3.93 2015 Ruby Flynn
author: Nadine Dorries
name: M.
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2015
rating: 1
read at: 2022/04/20
date added: 2022/04/20
shelves: ireland, novel
review:
The cover I saw on my edition would draw you in. But if you expected some historical fiction out of the Irish setting in 1947, prepare to be slightly disappointed. Ruby Flynn, our main character, is an orphan girl who is rescued from a snow storm by the country clerk. Though poor, the Flynns put all they had on buying good books and raising their kids on classic literature and instilling in her a special pride that shows up in her green eyes.

She's taken to the convent of the Blessed Heart (not Sacred or Immaculate but Blessed), and here the Reverend Mother (not the Superior, but the Reverend, is this Dune?) is mean to her because she, in a fit of fury broke a valuable "vase" that a Chicago priest brought: Sister Francis (the only good nun in the convent) and Charlotte (Lottie) rescue her from the anger of the Reverend Mother from there onwards and advise her to keep her temper. No other nun stands up for her, or anyone, ever, and everyone is particularly evil, except for Maria, a girl whose destiny seems prison who 'taught Ruby and Lottie more than the nuns ever did'. Maria ends up in a laundry which evokes the famously maligned Madgalene Laundries. [spoilers removed]

This book has a flavor of trying to mix up Emily and Charlotte Brontë with a good, old dose of Judi Dench and Steve Coogan's Philomena (a horrible movie by the way). Tortuous childhood, at risk youth, dysfunctional marriages, rich mysterious guys in Liverpool (Heathcliff-Rochester, are these any of you?), and the additional modern twist of having judgy religious characters alongside sexually liberated or aspiring to be sexually liberated girls, and unnecessary passages [spoilers removed]. Just a word to say or, rather, a sound to make: ew

I'm not saying modern authors can't follow the Brontë template succesfully, Carmen Laforet's Nada certainly did. This is not the case for Nadine Dorries' Ruby Flynn at all.

In fact everything is far from making us root for the main couple, [spoilers removed]. I know some people are upset by the rudeness of the characters in Wuthering Heights, but at least that had a point.

There are lots of pop references to make feel the casual reader accomplished, and that wouldn't be so bad... but really, I spent nights trying to think how I'd write this book for it to be better than it is, and here's my proposal:

[spoilers removed]
]]>
<![CDATA[Narrow Road to the Interior: And Other Writings (Shambhala Classics)]]> 175624 Narrow Road to the Interior, a travel diary of linked prose and haiku that recounts his journey through the far northern provinces of Japan. This volume includes a masterful translation of this celebrated work along with three other less well-known but important works by Basho: Travelogue of Weather-Beaten Bones, The Knapsack Notebook, and Sarashina Travelogue. There is also a selection of over two hundred fifty of Basho's finest haiku. In addition, the translator has provided an introduction detailing Basho's life and work and an essay on the art of haiku.]]> 224 Matsuo BashĹŤ 1570627169 M. 0 to-read 4.23 1999 Narrow Road to the Interior: And Other Writings (Shambhala Classics)
author: Matsuo BashĹŤ
name: M.
average rating: 4.23
book published: 1999
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/18
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Hojoki: Visions of a Torn World]]> 72085 96 Kamo no ChĹŤmei 1880656221 M. 0 to-read 4.12 1212 Hojoki: Visions of a Torn World
author: Kamo no ChĹŤmei
name: M.
average rating: 4.12
book published: 1212
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/18
shelves: to-read
review:

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No Man Is an Island 99690 272 Thomas Merton 1590302532 M. 4 4.14 1955 No Man Is an Island
author: Thomas Merton
name: M.
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1955
rating: 4
read at: 2022/04/18
date added: 2022/04/18
shelves: spirituality, catholic, lent-readings
review:
A primer on the spiritual life in the Catholic faith. Very interesting reflections as well: on sincerity, silence, solitude vs. loneliness and prayer, and a good lenten read overall
]]>
<![CDATA[Girl, Arise!: A Catholic Feminist's Invitation to Live Boldly, Love Your Faith, and Change the World]]> 42092554 Winner of a 2020 Catholic Press Association book award (second place, gender issues-inclusion in the Church).


Is it possible to be both a Catholic and a feminist? Claire Swinarski, writer and creator of The Catholic Feminist podcast, believes it is: “I’m a feminist for the same reason I’m bold and honest and sometimes ragey: because Jesus was all of those things.�

In Girl, Arise!, Swinarski reconciles the two identities by demonstrating the strength and abilities women have to share with the Body of Christ, the importance of women throughout the history of the faith, and how the love you experience through Christ and the Church can change you and the world around you.

In Girl, Arise!:A Catholic Feminist’s Invitation to Live Boldly, Love Your Faith, and Change the World Swinarski points out that while both “feminism� and “Catholicism� can mean different things to different people, both feminists and Catholics desire to make the world a better, fairer place. And she shows that by treating women with dignity equal to that of men—by calling them his friends and teaching them—Jesus acted as a feminist as well.

With humor and sass, Swinarski addresses her frustration with the traditional concerns churches ascribe to women, as shown by the many talks directed at women focused on marriage and modesty rather than social justice. But she pinpoints the areas where modern feminism goes too far, arguing against abortion and exploring what it means to serve others rather than focus on our own needs first.

Swinarski also tells the stories of holy women—including Vashti in the book of Esther, Sts. °ŐłóĂ©°ůè˛ő±đ of Lisieux and Joan of Arc, Mary Magdalene, and the Blessed Virgin Mary—to show how their faith influenced their actions, even when those actions went against traditional norms and roles of women.

You will be empowered to embrace your God-given abilities as you follow the women who have gone before you in faith who—by announcing Christ to his disciples, believing in God’s promises, and being faithful in hardship—changed the world.]]>
128 Claire Swinarski 1594718938 M. 3
This is not academic, it never intended to be, it reads like blog posts, because after all she was a podcaster. This is your classic "St. John Paul II was the most feminist pope we ever had" (probably true), and "it's OK if you struggle as long as you're open to an answer, even if it is not what you wanted to hear", it's more aimed at convincing liberals like she was that maybe indignation doesn't always mean you're right, and I think it's something a lot of people need to hear nowadays.

Especially liked the chapters on service-leadership and their intrinsic connection in Jesus, the chapter on forgiveness, and the chapter on abortion, or the saying that there is room for both contemplative and active in the Church (St. Joan and St. Therese). I'd say the book got better as it went on.]]>
4.24 2019 Girl, Arise!: A Catholic Feminist's Invitation to Live Boldly, Love Your Faith, and Change the World
author: Claire Swinarski
name: M.
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2022/04/16
date added: 2022/04/16
shelves: catholic, feminism, essays, audiobook, lent-readings
review:
Maybe I'm also out of the age range for the intended audience, again, girls in their late teens and early adulthood seem to be the public this is aimed at. And also because Claire Swinarski comes from a pretty liberal background and it shows (but she's pro-life, something it gained her many jabs at, and a . Her style is conversational and sometimes a bit juvenile ("Myriam was a rockstar").

This is not academic, it never intended to be, it reads like blog posts, because after all she was a podcaster. This is your classic "St. John Paul II was the most feminist pope we ever had" (probably true), and "it's OK if you struggle as long as you're open to an answer, even if it is not what you wanted to hear", it's more aimed at convincing liberals like she was that maybe indignation doesn't always mean you're right, and I think it's something a lot of people need to hear nowadays.

Especially liked the chapters on service-leadership and their intrinsic connection in Jesus, the chapter on forgiveness, and the chapter on abortion, or the saying that there is room for both contemplative and active in the Church (St. Joan and St. Therese). I'd say the book got better as it went on.
]]>
<![CDATA[La anarquía. La Compañía de las Indias Orientales y el expolio de la India]]> 57194130 En 1765, la Compañía de las Indias Orientales derrocó al joven emperador mogol y puso en su lugar un gobierno controlado por mercaderes ingleses que extorsionaba impuestos merced a su ejército privado. Fue este el momento que señaló la transformación de la Compañía de las Indias Orientales en algo muy distinto a una empresa: una corporación internacional pasó a ser un agresivo poder colonial. Durante el siguiente medio siglo, la Compañía continuó extendiendo su poder hasta que prácticamente toda la India al sur de Delhi era controlada desde un despacho londinense.

William Dalrymple, autor del aclamado El retorno de un rey, cuenta en La anarquía. La Compañía de las Indias orientales y el expolio de la India cómo el Imperio mogol, que había dominado el comercio y la manufactura mundiales, y que poseía recursos casi ilimitados, se derrumbó y fue reemplazado por una corporación multinacional enclavada a miles de kilómetros al otro lado del mundo que respondía a unos accionistas que jamás habían estado en la India y que no tenían la menor idea del país cuya riqueza les reportaba jugosos dividendos.

A partir de fuentes inéditas, Dalrymple narra la historia de la Compañía de las Indias Orientales como nunca se ha hecho: una historia sobre los devastadores resultados que puede tener el abuso de poder por parte de una gran corporación, y que resuena amenazadoramente familiar en nuestro siglo XXI de todopoderosas empresas transnacionales.

]]>
474 William Dalrymple 8412221273 M. 0 to-read 4.41 2019 La anarquía. La Compañía de las Indias Orientales y el expolio de la India
author: William Dalrymple
name: M.
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>
The Lost Tools of Learning 2772922 30 Dorothy L. Sayers M. 0 to-read 4.46 1947 The Lost Tools of Learning
author: Dorothy L. Sayers
name: M.
average rating: 4.46
book published: 1947
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>
Lysistrata 1591 Lysistrata a bawdy comedy without peer in the history of theatre.]]> 132 Aristophanes 0872206033 M. 4
6. An Ancient Greek Play

I've read The Frogs and seen a dramatization of The Clouds by Aristophanes before. I enjoyed him already, but this one was maybe the most entertaining one so far .

The plot is quite simple. Because Greek women are tired of war and the struggles it causes in their family and society, they go on a sex strike, under the command of Lysistrata, who helps everyone hold on until men agree to negotiate peace.

Hilarity ensues as women find ways to resist and annoy men enough (without mentioning the endless teasing). But some of the best parts of this were when Lysistrata dared to defy authority by saying that taking care of budget wouldn't really be much different from house chores, and if that men were unwilling to solve the conflict, maybe it was their turn to stand silent and subordinate.]]>
3.87 -423 Lysistrata
author: Aristophanes
name: M.
average rating: 3.87
book published: -423
rating: 4
read at: 2020/01/23
date added: 2022/04/14
shelves: sexuality, feminism, ancient-greek, comedy, play, humor, 20-for-2020-reads
review:
Read for

6. An Ancient Greek Play

I've read The Frogs and seen a dramatization of The Clouds by Aristophanes before. I enjoyed him already, but this one was maybe the most entertaining one so far .

The plot is quite simple. Because Greek women are tired of war and the struggles it causes in their family and society, they go on a sex strike, under the command of Lysistrata, who helps everyone hold on until men agree to negotiate peace.

Hilarity ensues as women find ways to resist and annoy men enough (without mentioning the endless teasing). But some of the best parts of this were when Lysistrata dared to defy authority by saying that taking care of budget wouldn't really be much different from house chores, and if that men were unwilling to solve the conflict, maybe it was their turn to stand silent and subordinate.
]]>
The Clouds 6537225 Play (Greek Comedy) 158 Aristophanes M. 0 to-read 3.47 -423 The Clouds
author: Aristophanes
name: M.
average rating: 3.47
book published: -423
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>
FDS Handbook 55216548
All the articles from the Handbook have been collected at the time of making of
this Handbook. Some edits might have been missed. New handbook entries will
be compiled in (possible) next editions.

� I have � NO set schedule for the subsequent editions. This may be the only first
Edition. (but I think it’s 99% complete!)

â—� I try to reference the users that wrote the articles of this handbook; the
usernames are written at the article’s end. Some article writers have deleted
their account, so I’ve indicated � Deleted User. All the handbook’s articles are
from the FemaleDatingStrategy’s subreddit. � I do not claim any of those entries
as being mine.

â—� If you wish me to make some changes in your article, please contact me via DM
(). I’ll do my best. Samely if you notice a mistake, or
wish to suggest a modification!

� I’ve taken a few liberties in modifying the articles for better readability (spelling
mistakes/typos, separated paragraphs, bolded words to accentuate the article’s
intention, added references to fellow chapters instead of links, etc.) but I seek to
keep the article’s idea intact as much as possible.

� Some words have racial tones (example: “Pickmeisha� versus “Pickme�), but I’ve
chosen to leave them as the author wrote them.

� I’m NOT a subreddit moderator and I’ve compiled this document as a practical ,
discreet document to read in one shot by myself. I wanted to give back to the
community that helped me, in some way, and I’m doing this for free. I’m NOT a
professional. � This handbook is supposed to be FREE. And if you bought it... you
got ripped, sorry.

� For press inquiries, � please contact the subreddit’s moderators�. All hate DMs will
be blocked.

So... That’s it!
Get cozy, settle down, and I wish that you have a nice reading!
˛Ń´Çľ±°ů˛ąÓËĄ]±Ő>
211 Moira Spice M. 2 feminism, sexuality
For those not in the know, FDS or Female Dating Strategy is a reddit forum where women discuss how to date accordingly to reduce the possibility of a bad experience in relationships pre or post marriage. Of course they don't offer an infallible method, but they do advise what should be motives for caution. The advice in itself is somewhat good and really uneven at its lowest ('if he makes a sarcastic remark, talk back'; 'nothing wrong with being a golddiger because men have had the upper hand of transactional relationships for too long', 'it all depends on what you want, even a friend with benefits' - sexual activity with no commitment though this one is mostly discouraged)

After reading it I would not consider it the female equivalent of The Red Pill because it doesn't endorse emotional, economical and sexual manipulation for the most part, though its advice can be way too 'esoteric' (you have to learn the slang: "market", people are defined as having "value" or not depending on how much effort they put into things, there are a few references to "genetics"). Nor it is a female equivalent of MGTOW or incels because they do not advocate for women not being into relationships ever.

That being said, I need to get into the negatives, because there are some, and which are very concerning, to me, outweighing the positives. There's a general vision of women as either men pleasers, or a "pickme(isha)", women willing to lower their standards and to do anything for male attention, even to their own detriment, or those in control or 'queens' (even though they're not perfect, they do not compromise their values), while men can be divided into "High Value" - "Low Value" - "No Value" depending on how much effort they will put into themselves and in an eventual relationship. Sometimes the language will overlap as one of the earlier posts calls women deemed as men pleasers a "Becky".

Another thing to look out is for the evolutionary psychology logic. While not deterministic in general, because they admit sexually degenerate men are not like this by default, they flip the narrative by arguing it's women who aren't made for monogamy (this is not used to justify cheating, but to justify dating several men at a time when the woman is discerning which one is the most likely candidate to be in a stable relationship with). While the same works positively by demythologyizing the coy-asexual woman, it says men are 'hardwired' to 'mate-guard'... I find this inconsistent with the possibility of willful celibacy, but I'll get on to their vision of religion later.

Once in a while the editor will repeat a post to stress its importance and warn the reader so they can skip it if they wish. One of these posts is a string of celebrity quotes used to suggest that men 'know right away' the woman they will marry, by showing examples of famous people (who tend to have divorces). Only one of them talks about getting to know the woman first, the rest talk about being starstruck at first sight, and one of them (Kanye West of all people, seriously? Kanye West?) says his relationship with Kim Kardashian was 'just like Romeo and Juliet' (please someone tell him how the book ended), and by the way Kanye West had its fair share of what this forum would deem 'LVM behaviors' (such as being into pornography and some scandalous episodes post divorce, such as stalking). The last quote is by Jason Momoa, who infamously told that the goal of fantasy was to be able to imagine things like 'raping beautiful women' is exhibited as an example: "His love for Bonet began when he was 8 and he saw her on TV. 'I was like 'Mommy, I want that one', Momoa told Corden 'I'm going to stalk you for the rest of my life and I'm going to get you". I know the idea is that there has to be some determination on the man's part but this is...scary.

One of its flaws is linking back to the reddit channel itself either for venting or for giving advice, the idea that a semi anonymous forum is sort of a tribe. There is a mish-mash of self-help, psychology best-sellers. There's a slight cult mentality marked by "a FDS woman would / would not" as encouragement / discouragement of certain actions, 'do things for you, do it for FDS' (this is one said when discussing letting go of the need of external validation)

There is an ambivalent attitude towards sex-reproduction: they know women are at disadvantage as far as reproductive matters are concerned and thus they encourage women to not to give in to sexual demands until the man has proven worthy, but will occasionally throw the idea that in some scenarios it's better to wear condoms, have an abortion than to be chained to an abusive man.

Another thing I find potentially dangerous is suggesting a scale of sexual experiences to progressively evaluate the man's behavior when told no. I think this could backfire really badly, and it also does not account for chastity. This is the part of the general lack of a religious background: religion is somewhat mentioned is to say that women must be 'inmovable movers' (talking about emotionally consistent reactions), the idea that pastors and youth leaders could be pedophiles, and that men who get defensive on unacceptable behavior will invoke God's name

The other problem in sexual mores is a secularized view generally arguing against saving sex for marriage, arguing for masturbation as a substitute to a bad relationship.

But as I said, it's not without its positives such as knowing women need time to work on themselves before dating again especially if they must change some worrying behaviors that could led them to the same mistakes.

Also the teaching of having to set boundaries, watch out for red flags, having caution in emotional attachment. They are generally against promiscuity, and in favor of a marriage-minded mentality that women must demand of possible suitors; against cohabiting before marriage. The most consistent part is the anti-lust stance: clarifying that following models in social media, flirting with other women and looking at pornography are bad in themselves and constitute cheating. I think of great value and consideration the opposition to crushes (as they feed false expectations, it's better to guard oneself emotionally) and 'building a man' (investing excessively on unrequited emotional support)

There's an opposition to bdsm-abuse kink as well as prostitution, polyamory and liberal feminism.
All while advocating for studying, learning and improving in a job-career, financial stability and security and legal knowledge to ensure a good future even if the relationship fails in advanced stages such as marriage. The only bad part is that they suggest divorce as a possibility, but not without acknowledging divorce affects women and children and puts them in a precarious economic situation.

A good thing that you don't often see in self-help is stressing the importance of family bonds and female friendships, and the scarcity of male friendships in a hypersexualized world; and the needed avoidance of drugs and alcohol stressing their potential to inhibit behaviors and turn decision making difficult. As for religion, it is later seen as a positive influence especially in breakup healing, and in a recreation of 12 steps Alcoholics Anonymous style.

Opposite to other small communities of reddit they are not into racist talk, they are acknowledging abortions could 'go wrong' (end in the death of the woman), are traumatizing, and the harms of deadbeat dads.

That being said there is potentially dangerous stuff as this could be used as a gateway to and has slightly second wave feminism vibes by quoting Audre Lorde and suggeting Gloria Steinem (heavily toned down: obviously no separatism because this is about dating) as well as too many pointings at yoga as possible practice (though not mandatory).

I will rate it two stars for the pieces of decent advice. ]]>
3.50 2020 FDS  Handbook
author: Moira Spice
name: M.
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2020
rating: 2
read at: 2022/04/14
date added: 2022/04/14
shelves: feminism, sexuality
review:
Why would I read a handbook of a reddit community? Don't I have something better to do? Probably, but I'm actually interested in the discourses women are exposed to on the internet.

For those not in the know, FDS or Female Dating Strategy is a reddit forum where women discuss how to date accordingly to reduce the possibility of a bad experience in relationships pre or post marriage. Of course they don't offer an infallible method, but they do advise what should be motives for caution. The advice in itself is somewhat good and really uneven at its lowest ('if he makes a sarcastic remark, talk back'; 'nothing wrong with being a golddiger because men have had the upper hand of transactional relationships for too long', 'it all depends on what you want, even a friend with benefits' - sexual activity with no commitment though this one is mostly discouraged)

After reading it I would not consider it the female equivalent of The Red Pill because it doesn't endorse emotional, economical and sexual manipulation for the most part, though its advice can be way too 'esoteric' (you have to learn the slang: "market", people are defined as having "value" or not depending on how much effort they put into things, there are a few references to "genetics"). Nor it is a female equivalent of MGTOW or incels because they do not advocate for women not being into relationships ever.

That being said, I need to get into the negatives, because there are some, and which are very concerning, to me, outweighing the positives. There's a general vision of women as either men pleasers, or a "pickme(isha)", women willing to lower their standards and to do anything for male attention, even to their own detriment, or those in control or 'queens' (even though they're not perfect, they do not compromise their values), while men can be divided into "High Value" - "Low Value" - "No Value" depending on how much effort they will put into themselves and in an eventual relationship. Sometimes the language will overlap as one of the earlier posts calls women deemed as men pleasers a "Becky".

Another thing to look out is for the evolutionary psychology logic. While not deterministic in general, because they admit sexually degenerate men are not like this by default, they flip the narrative by arguing it's women who aren't made for monogamy (this is not used to justify cheating, but to justify dating several men at a time when the woman is discerning which one is the most likely candidate to be in a stable relationship with). While the same works positively by demythologyizing the coy-asexual woman, it says men are 'hardwired' to 'mate-guard'... I find this inconsistent with the possibility of willful celibacy, but I'll get on to their vision of religion later.

Once in a while the editor will repeat a post to stress its importance and warn the reader so they can skip it if they wish. One of these posts is a string of celebrity quotes used to suggest that men 'know right away' the woman they will marry, by showing examples of famous people (who tend to have divorces). Only one of them talks about getting to know the woman first, the rest talk about being starstruck at first sight, and one of them (Kanye West of all people, seriously? Kanye West?) says his relationship with Kim Kardashian was 'just like Romeo and Juliet' (please someone tell him how the book ended), and by the way Kanye West had its fair share of what this forum would deem 'LVM behaviors' (such as being into pornography and some scandalous episodes post divorce, such as stalking). The last quote is by Jason Momoa, who infamously told that the goal of fantasy was to be able to imagine things like 'raping beautiful women' is exhibited as an example: "His love for Bonet began when he was 8 and he saw her on TV. 'I was like 'Mommy, I want that one', Momoa told Corden 'I'm going to stalk you for the rest of my life and I'm going to get you". I know the idea is that there has to be some determination on the man's part but this is...scary.

One of its flaws is linking back to the reddit channel itself either for venting or for giving advice, the idea that a semi anonymous forum is sort of a tribe. There is a mish-mash of self-help, psychology best-sellers. There's a slight cult mentality marked by "a FDS woman would / would not" as encouragement / discouragement of certain actions, 'do things for you, do it for FDS' (this is one said when discussing letting go of the need of external validation)

There is an ambivalent attitude towards sex-reproduction: they know women are at disadvantage as far as reproductive matters are concerned and thus they encourage women to not to give in to sexual demands until the man has proven worthy, but will occasionally throw the idea that in some scenarios it's better to wear condoms, have an abortion than to be chained to an abusive man.

Another thing I find potentially dangerous is suggesting a scale of sexual experiences to progressively evaluate the man's behavior when told no. I think this could backfire really badly, and it also does not account for chastity. This is the part of the general lack of a religious background: religion is somewhat mentioned is to say that women must be 'inmovable movers' (talking about emotionally consistent reactions), the idea that pastors and youth leaders could be pedophiles, and that men who get defensive on unacceptable behavior will invoke God's name

The other problem in sexual mores is a secularized view generally arguing against saving sex for marriage, arguing for masturbation as a substitute to a bad relationship.

But as I said, it's not without its positives such as knowing women need time to work on themselves before dating again especially if they must change some worrying behaviors that could led them to the same mistakes.

Also the teaching of having to set boundaries, watch out for red flags, having caution in emotional attachment. They are generally against promiscuity, and in favor of a marriage-minded mentality that women must demand of possible suitors; against cohabiting before marriage. The most consistent part is the anti-lust stance: clarifying that following models in social media, flirting with other women and looking at pornography are bad in themselves and constitute cheating. I think of great value and consideration the opposition to crushes (as they feed false expectations, it's better to guard oneself emotionally) and 'building a man' (investing excessively on unrequited emotional support)

There's an opposition to bdsm-abuse kink as well as prostitution, polyamory and liberal feminism.
All while advocating for studying, learning and improving in a job-career, financial stability and security and legal knowledge to ensure a good future even if the relationship fails in advanced stages such as marriage. The only bad part is that they suggest divorce as a possibility, but not without acknowledging divorce affects women and children and puts them in a precarious economic situation.

A good thing that you don't often see in self-help is stressing the importance of family bonds and female friendships, and the scarcity of male friendships in a hypersexualized world; and the needed avoidance of drugs and alcohol stressing their potential to inhibit behaviors and turn decision making difficult. As for religion, it is later seen as a positive influence especially in breakup healing, and in a recreation of 12 steps Alcoholics Anonymous style.

Opposite to other small communities of reddit they are not into racist talk, they are acknowledging abortions could 'go wrong' (end in the death of the woman), are traumatizing, and the harms of deadbeat dads.

That being said there is potentially dangerous stuff as this could be used as a gateway to and has slightly second wave feminism vibes by quoting Audre Lorde and suggeting Gloria Steinem (heavily toned down: obviously no separatism because this is about dating) as well as too many pointings at yoga as possible practice (though not mandatory).

I will rate it two stars for the pieces of decent advice.
]]>
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 46041199 A fierce international bestseller that launched Korea’s new feminist movement, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 follows one woman’s psychic deterioration in the face of rigid misogyny.

Truly, flawlessly, completely, she became that person.

In a small, tidy apartment on the outskirts of the frenzied metropolis of Seoul lives Kim Jiyoung. A thirtysomething-year-old “millennial everywoman,� she has recently left her white-collar desk job—in order to care for her newborn daughter full-time—as so many Korean women are expected to do. But she quickly begins to exhibit strange symptoms that alarm her husband, parents, and in-laws: Jiyoung impersonates the voices of other women—alive and even dead, both known and unknown to her. As she plunges deeper into this psychosis, her discomfited husband sends her to a male psychiatrist.

In a chilling, eerily truncated third-person voice, Jiyoung’s entire life is recounted to the psychiatrist—a narrative infused with disparate elements of frustration, perseverance, and submission. Born in 1982 and given the most common name for Korean baby girls, Jiyoung quickly becomes the unfavored sister to her princeling little brother. Always, her behavior is policed by the male figures around her—from the elementary school teachers who enforce strict uniforms for girls, to the coworkers who install a hidden camera in the women’s restroom and post their photos online. In her father’s eyes, it is Jiyoung’s fault that men harass her late at night; in her husband’s eyes, it is Jiyoung’s duty to forsake her career to take care of him and their child—to put them first.

Jiyoung’s painfully common life is juxtaposed against a backdrop of an advancing Korea, as it abandons “family planning� birth control policies and passes new legislation against gender discrimination. But can her doctor flawlessly, completely cure her, or even discover what truly ails her?

Rendered in minimalist yet lacerating prose, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 sits at the center of our global #MeToo movement and announces the arrival of writer of international significance]]>
163 Cho Nam-Joo 1631496700 M. 0 to-read 4.17 2016 Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982
author: Cho Nam-Joo
name: M.
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/12
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>
When Women Become Priests 2195074 320 Kelley A. Raab 0231113358 M. 0 currently-reading 4.00 2000 When Women Become Priests
author: Kelley A. Raab
name: M.
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2000
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/04/11
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]>
<![CDATA[Go Bravely: Becoming the Woman You Were Created to Be]]> 36287958
Emily Wilson Hussem used to feel the same way. In Go Bravely , the Catholic musician and speaker offers twenty bits of advice that will equip you to tackle your deepest concerns about relationships, self-esteem, and dating while strengthening your faith at the same time.

"Sometimes even the smallest acts of living out faith require great bravery."

In Go Bravely , Wilson Hussem offers readers warm and friendly encouragement as she shares her experiences with other young women as their youth minister as well as her own struggles with insecurity, relationships, loving and forgiving herself, and living her faith. You’ll feel right at home as she challenges you to be a light in the world while simultaneously offering you easy-to-digest advice on your most pressing questions.

Fresh off figuring out who she is as a daughter of God, how to cultivate healthy friendships, how to save sex for marriage, and how to develop a prayer life, Wilson Hussem gives you advice about what she learned in the midst of becoming a young woman. Aware of the information overload that young people face today, she shares simple wisdom for bravely living your faith, such These are basic ideas, Wilson Hussem says, but taking care of yourself and loving others are easy tenets of our faith to forget. A book that can be read in short snippets or in one sitting, Go Bravely offers you the encouragement and tools you need to live out your Christian faith with purpose and zeal.]]>
160 Emily Wilson Hussem 1594718253 M. 3
1. That it is Christian fiction. A book isn't fiction by default. While I'm on it, nonfiction is not every single piece of writing that's 'not fiction' but real events told with fictional resources, think of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. This is a book where Catholic speaker and YouTuber Emily Wilson Hussem takes part of her experiences to give girls and women practical advice. This one is a nerdy bone to pick with some classification done nowadays, I'd argue it's minor, but I've also seen this kind of book referred to as "novels", and it's not a novel, because again it's not fictional.

2. That it's "too Catholic as opposed to Christian", that includes too many papal quotes and not Biblical ones. First, Catholicism is Christianity, and secondly I only recall 2 papal quotes out of 22 chapters, Biblical quotes were abundant, either one, sometimes two per chapter and related to the topic at hand.

3. That it is self help, well this is a bit more debatable because people tend to classify any book concerning life advice as self help even when Emily says that you cannot change and be a better person without having a community (of friends, especially female friends, in Church...), so it's not about 'helping yourself' as if you held the key to your own happiness without relying on God.

4. That Emily speaks from a "privileged white cishet point of view". It's true that some examples are outlandish (the whole going abroad on her honeymoon or because of tourism), but the book is not about that, she uses these experiences as starting points. And at no point she hides that she is a woman, a married one at that. Should those of us who are not resent her for that? Should we think she has no authority to think of universal experiences such as the harm of gossip or is it only something "unprivileged", "nonwhite" and "non heterosexual" people should speak about as if suffering did not happen to everyone? (Yes, to some more than others, but the point still stands). And in no way she discusses sexuality beyond the fact that we're called to an integrated living of it (aka chastity which is not just abstinence).

Maybe I am a bit past the age group this book is directed to, but that does not mean I do not see its value for teenage girls.

Emily compassionately tells the truths we need to hear, and using her own life experiences, and scriptural backing , she provides a solid foundation to encourage us to live our faith

I found some passages particularly moving and inspiring. I like how the chapters on modesty and chastity and loving your body (which means exercise or food take new meanings, because they're not to make your body into something it's not) or kindness towards other women and a healthy reaction when trying to heal from the hurt caused by gossip tie into each other nicely, too.

It made a great lent listen, daily slowing down to listen to each chapter and taking one liners once I was finished.

Personally I also cringed with her 'yum! chicken' passages but those are not too many, understandable given the audience. I've followed her on YouTube for quite a while and found myself in agreement with most of her takes, especially concerning how to set boundaries and how not to freak out because of ridiculous expectations of the world.

So thank you, Emily, for this book. Maybe it's the kind of advice I neded before going to college even though the reality of college is very different to that of the US.]]>
4.25 Go Bravely: Becoming the Woman You Were Created to Be
author: Emily Wilson Hussem
name: M.
average rating: 4.25
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2022/04/10
date added: 2022/04/10
shelves: lent-readings, catholic, audiobook
review:
I have seen some misconceptions about this book.

1. That it is Christian fiction. A book isn't fiction by default. While I'm on it, nonfiction is not every single piece of writing that's 'not fiction' but real events told with fictional resources, think of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. This is a book where Catholic speaker and YouTuber Emily Wilson Hussem takes part of her experiences to give girls and women practical advice. This one is a nerdy bone to pick with some classification done nowadays, I'd argue it's minor, but I've also seen this kind of book referred to as "novels", and it's not a novel, because again it's not fictional.

2. That it's "too Catholic as opposed to Christian", that includes too many papal quotes and not Biblical ones. First, Catholicism is Christianity, and secondly I only recall 2 papal quotes out of 22 chapters, Biblical quotes were abundant, either one, sometimes two per chapter and related to the topic at hand.

3. That it is self help, well this is a bit more debatable because people tend to classify any book concerning life advice as self help even when Emily says that you cannot change and be a better person without having a community (of friends, especially female friends, in Church...), so it's not about 'helping yourself' as if you held the key to your own happiness without relying on God.

4. That Emily speaks from a "privileged white cishet point of view". It's true that some examples are outlandish (the whole going abroad on her honeymoon or because of tourism), but the book is not about that, she uses these experiences as starting points. And at no point she hides that she is a woman, a married one at that. Should those of us who are not resent her for that? Should we think she has no authority to think of universal experiences such as the harm of gossip or is it only something "unprivileged", "nonwhite" and "non heterosexual" people should speak about as if suffering did not happen to everyone? (Yes, to some more than others, but the point still stands). And in no way she discusses sexuality beyond the fact that we're called to an integrated living of it (aka chastity which is not just abstinence).

Maybe I am a bit past the age group this book is directed to, but that does not mean I do not see its value for teenage girls.

Emily compassionately tells the truths we need to hear, and using her own life experiences, and scriptural backing , she provides a solid foundation to encourage us to live our faith

I found some passages particularly moving and inspiring. I like how the chapters on modesty and chastity and loving your body (which means exercise or food take new meanings, because they're not to make your body into something it's not) or kindness towards other women and a healthy reaction when trying to heal from the hurt caused by gossip tie into each other nicely, too.

It made a great lent listen, daily slowing down to listen to each chapter and taking one liners once I was finished.

Personally I also cringed with her 'yum! chicken' passages but those are not too many, understandable given the audience. I've followed her on YouTube for quite a while and found myself in agreement with most of her takes, especially concerning how to set boundaries and how not to freak out because of ridiculous expectations of the world.

So thank you, Emily, for this book. Maybe it's the kind of advice I neded before going to college even though the reality of college is very different to that of the US.
]]>
<![CDATA[The Little Book of Jewish Celebrations]]> 20706696 176 Ronald Tauber 1452131414 M. 4 judaism, lent-readings 4.38 2014 The Little Book of Jewish Celebrations
author: Ronald Tauber
name: M.
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2022/04/10
date added: 2022/04/10
shelves: judaism, lent-readings
review:
I knew most of this due to my studies. But there were little things (yet significant things) I learned and the drawings are beautiful
]]>
4.48 Psychosis 146548 4.48 Psychosis sees the ultimate narrowing of Sarah Kane's focus in her work. The struggle of the self to remain intact has moved in her work from civil war, into the family, into the couple, into the individual, and finally into the theatre of phychosis: the mind itself. This play was written in 1999 shortly before the playwright took her own life at age 28. On the page, the piece looks like a poem. No characters are named, and even their number is unspecified. It could be a journey through one person's mind, or an interview between a doctor and his patient.]]> 48 Sarah Kane 0413748308 M. 0 to-read 4.26 2000 4.48 Psychosis
author: Sarah Kane
name: M.
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2000
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/04/08
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review:

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<![CDATA[Behind Putin's Curtain: Friendships and Misadventures Inside Russia]]> 44286963 304 Stephan Orth 1771643676 M. 0 to-read 3.60 Behind Putin's Curtain: Friendships and Misadventures Inside Russia
author: Stephan Orth
name: M.
average rating: 3.60
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2022/04/07
shelves: to-read
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