Category: Classic

Book Review, Classic, European Literature, Fantasy, Fiction, French, German Literature, Graphic Novel, History, Non-fiction

Two with Pictures: The Singing Bones and Yvain, the Knight of the Lion

I’ve been doing some reading for work. Since I teach 7th grade history and English reading for work takes me places it might not take other grown men. Not that I mind. Two strong contenders for actual classroom use this time around. The first is M.T. Anderson’s graphic novel (illustrations by Andrea Offermann) Yvain, The Night of the Lion based on the 12th century French epic … Continue reading Two with Pictures: The Singing Bones and Yvain, the Knight of the Lion

james b chester
American Fiction, Book Review, California, Classic, Espionage, Fiction, Noir, Novel

A Book of Common Prayer by Joan Didion

A couple of weeks ago I renewed my subscription to Netflix, just in time to catch the new documentary about American author and essayists Joan Didion.  It’s an excellent tribute, very entertaining.  C.J., who normally only watches You Tube videos about old English houses, loved it. He was even inspired to try reading some of Ms. Didion’s essays. And I was inspired to pick up … Continue reading A Book of Common Prayer by Joan Didion

james b chester7 Comments
Book Review, Classic, English Literature, Fiction, Marriage Plot, Novel, Rants, Uncategorized

Jane Austen Read All-a-long Book 4: Emma

I gave up. Full confession. I tried, I really did. I even broke down and got an audio version to listen to during my commute to and from work. But I just couldn’t take it. I think it in part an effect of this little reading challenge project I set for myself. This was the fourth Jane Austen book in as many months for me. … Continue reading Jane Austen Read All-a-long Book 4: Emma

james b chester16 Comments
American Fiction, Book Review, Classic, Fiction, Noir, Novel, Science Fiction, Uncategorized

Damnation Alley by Roger Zelazny

My current passion for cool cover art led me to this book while browsing at Book Town Books in Grass Valley. The pulpy nature of the story is countered by the classy sophistication of the cover art.  But what does the art here have to do with anything? The book is about a hardened criminal released from a post-apocalyptic prison so he can drive a … Continue reading Damnation Alley by Roger Zelazny

james b chester4 Comments
Classic, Espionage, Fiction, Novel, Uncategorized

The Zero by Jess Walter

Jess Walter’s novel The Zero takes place in the aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks in 2001.  The hero is a policeman assigned to the disaster site in the months following the building’s destruction.  When the novel opens, he has the job of taking V.I.P.’s on private tours of Ground Zero or The Zero.  Soon, he is involved in a clandestine investigation into the disaster itself … Continue reading The Zero by Jess Walter

james b chester
American Fiction, Book Review, Classic, Fiction, Novel

Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

How is it that I’ve gone this many decades without knowing this book existed.  I was as big a fan of Kurt Vonnegut as any of the other nerds in my high school class. I even found copies of the existing Kilgore Trout novels an “author” any true Kurt Vonnegut fan will recognize. I thought I had read them all. Then one of the guests … Continue reading Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

james b chester4 Comments
American Fiction, Book Review, Classic, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Novel

Jimmy Corrigan The Smartest Kid on Earth by C. Ware

If you think graphic novels are easy to read, Jimmy Corrigan  by C. Ware will put you to the test. It will be worth it. I don’t know enough about graphic novels to say this with authority, but I think there’s a visual storytelling genius at work in Jimmy Corrigan. The way Mr. Ware uses the page impressed  me from the get-go.  Some pages are … Continue reading Jimmy Corrigan The Smartest Kid on Earth by C. Ware

james b chester3 Comments
Book Review, Classic, English Literature, Fiction, Marriage Plot, Novel, Uncategorized

Jane Austen Read All A-long: Mansfield Park

This is a “two-gasp” Jane Austen novel. While reading it, I gasped twice. Jane Austen has this way of suddenly throwing her reader for a loop with just a tiny slip of narrative so affecting it makes this reader gasp out loud. She is a master of plotting. My gasping came during the novel’s first half.  First when young Fanny Price is forgotten by her … Continue reading Jane Austen Read All A-long: Mansfield Park

james b chester12 Comments
Classic, Fiction, Novella, Russian Literature, Translation

My Life by Anton Chekov

Sometimes it can really help to have a professor guide your reading. This was one of those times.  I was well over halfway through Anton Chekhov’s novella My Life translated by Constance Garnett before I could decide just how satirical it was. To be honest before I could decide if it satirical or not. There is a lot of Russian literature from Mr. Chekhov’s day dealing with the … Continue reading My Life by Anton Chekov

james b chester6 Comments
American Fiction, Book Review, Classic, English Literature, Fiction, History, Irish Literature, Non-fiction, Ramble, Russian Literature, Uncategorized, Young Adult

Sunday Salon: Why the Booker Short List Ruins my Reading and Other Bookish Items

I’m one of those people who get excited over the Man Booker Prize.  Almost every year, once the long list is announced, I head over the my local library to get as many of the nominated books as I can.  Typically, there are a few not yet available in America, and there are a couple my library doesn’t have yet. So I check out two … Continue reading Sunday Salon: Why the Booker Short List Ruins my Reading and Other Bookish Items

james b chester15 Comments
Book Review, Classic, European Literature, Fiction, Novel, Russian Literature, Translation

The Letter Killers Club by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsk

Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsk’s novel, The Letter Killers Club, opens when an un-named narrator informs us he has been invited to attend  the weekly meeting of seven well-respected authors.  The author’s have come to the conclusion, most of them late in their careers, that by writing down their ideas they  prevent others from having them.  So instead of writing, they now meet once a week to tell … Continue reading The Letter Killers Club by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsk

james b chester
American Fiction, Book Review, Classic, Fiction, Novel, Uncategorized

How to Teach The Old Man and the Sea to 7th Graders

I teach two sets of 7th grade English to GATE students this year, so when I found a partial class set of Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea in the back of the book room, I thought why not give it a go.  See what happens.   What follows is my advice for anyone considering using The Old Man and the Sea with … Continue reading How to Teach The Old Man and the Sea to 7th Graders

james b chester3 Comments