Topic: contemporary literature
New with Topic: contemporary literature
mattviews posted a blog entry
[249] A Visitation of Spirits – Randall Kenan
It was then that he would realize that he was different and vulnerable and that the simple joy of being in love and expressing...
It was then that he would realize that he was different and vulnerable and that the simple joy of being in love and expressing...
mattviews posted a blog entry
[248] Giovanni’s Room – James Baldwin
“I was in terrible confusion. Sometimes I thought, but this is your life. Stop fighting it. Stop fighting. Or I thought,...
“I was in terrible confusion. Sometimes I thought, but this is your life. Stop fighting it. Stop fighting. Or I thought,...
mattviews posted a blog entry
The Judgment
I unearthed a few forgotten books when I organized the bookcases. Surprises are always in store for weeding: new, unread,...
I unearthed a few forgotten books when I organized the bookcases. Surprises are always in store for weeding: new, unread,...
mattviews posted a blog entry
[247] The World of Normal Boys – K.M. Soehnlein
“But mostly he wants to get away from this room; more than that, he wants to slip into the swarming darkness at the back...
“But mostly he wants to get away from this room; more than that, he wants to slip into the swarming darkness at the back...
mattviews posted a blog entry
[246] Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh
“The human soul enjoys these rare, classic periods, but, apart from them, we are seldom single or unique; we keep company...
“The human soul enjoys these rare, classic periods, but, apart from them, we are seldom single or unique; we keep company...
RJ posted a blog entry
Cemetery Dance by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
Cemetery Dance Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child ISBN 10: 1600242650 ISBN 13: 9781600242656 Grand Central...
Cemetery Dance Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child ISBN 10: 1600242650 ISBN 13: 9781600242656 Grand Central...
mattviews posted a blog entry
[244] The Year of Ice – Brian Malloy
But if Randy’s death taught me anything, it’s that life is short. I know it’s nuts, it’s impulsive, I...
But if Randy’s death taught me anything, it’s that life is short. I know it’s nuts, it’s impulsive, I...
mattviews posted a blog entry
[242] The Calligrapher’s Daughter – Eugenia Kim
“You must always think first of your family, your father, and put your own thoughts and desires last. We live in hard...
“You must always think first of your family, your father, and put your own thoughts and desires last. We live in hard...
mattviews posted a blog entry
[241] Maurice – E.M. Forster
Read my first review from almost three years ago.Maurice looked at him with tenderness. He was studying him, as in the...
Read my first review from almost three years ago.Maurice looked at him with tenderness. He was studying him, as in the...
mattviews posted a blog entry
[239] Surprising Myself – Christopher Bram
“It frightened me because Corey was a guy. I wanted to protect it because such a love was so ridiculous and fragile. Love...
“It frightened me because Corey was a guy. I wanted to protect it because such a love was so ridiculous and fragile. Love...
mattviews posted a blog entry
[237] Fixer Chao – Han Ong
“I had entered this world of privilege where the people had taken me in as one of their own, and had been entirely...
“I had entered this world of privilege where the people had taken me in as one of their own, and had been entirely...
mattviews posted a blog entry
Chinese Women in Fixer Chao
For a debut novel, and that the protagonist is not morally attractive, Fixer Chao is surprisingly not a bad read. I picked up...
For a debut novel, and that the protagonist is not morally attractive, Fixer Chao is surprisingly not a bad read. I picked up...
mattviews posted a blog entry
[236] The End of the Affair – Graham Greene
“And yet I could feel no trust: in the act of love I could be arrogant, but alone I had only to look in the mirror to see...
“And yet I could feel no trust: in the act of love I could be arrogant, but alone I had only to look in the mirror to see...
mattviews posted a blog entry
[235] Sing Them Home – Stephanie Kallos
When he asked Larken what was going on and did it seem like the kids at school were avoiding them, she snorted darkly and said,...
When he asked Larken what was going on and did it seem like the kids at school were avoiding them, she snorted darkly and said,...
mattviews posted a blog entry
Sing Them Home Teaser
I usually don’t do teaser, but this one really resonates. Between brother and sister, now grown up, but are still...
I usually don’t do teaser, but this one really resonates. Between brother and sister, now grown up, but are still...
mattviews posted a blog entry
[233] Crystal Boys – Hsien-yung Pai
“In this kingdom of ours there are no distinctions of social rank, eminence, age, or strength. What we share in common...
“In this kingdom of ours there are no distinctions of social rank, eminence, age, or strength. What we share in common...
mattviews posted a blog entry
Reciprocating “You-Ask-the-Question” BTT
This week’s BTT question calls for reciprocation on readers’ part. Each participant could ask a question they’ve...
This week’s BTT question calls for reciprocation on readers’ part. Each participant could ask a question they’ve...
mattviews posted a blog entry
Modernism in the Eyes of Pai Hsien-yung
I started Crystal Boys (Sons of Sin 孽子 in original Chinese text) by Pai Hsien-yung, who is generally considered among the...
I started Crystal Boys (Sons of Sin 孽子 in original Chinese text) by Pai Hsien-yung, who is generally considered among the...
mattviews posted a blog entry
[232] Gods and Monsters – Christopher Bram
He screws up everything Clay’s been taught to feel about the world, and yet Clay does not want to avoid him. It’s...
He screws up everything Clay’s been taught to feel about the world, and yet Clay does not want to avoid him. It’s...
mattviews posted a blog entry
[224] Exiles in America – Christopher Bram
“You have to trust yourself and the other person. There are no guarantees here. The world is an unreal place. You want...
“You have to trust yourself and the other person. There are no guarantees here. The world is an unreal place. You want...
mattviews posted a blog entry
[223] Prime Time – Douglas Dean
“He had almost forgotten the intoxication of such moments, it had been so long since anything like this had happened to...
“He had almost forgotten the intoxication of such moments, it had been so long since anything like this had happened to...
mattviews posted a blog entry
Recent Best: Shanghai Girls
What’s the best book you’ve read recently?I certainly see this question coming. Lisa See’s Shanghai Girls is a book...
What’s the best book you’ve read recently?I certainly see this question coming. Lisa See’s Shanghai Girls is a book...
mattviews posted a blog entry
[221] The Jane Austen Book Club – Karen Joy Fowler
Half of what Jane says is said ironically. Irony is a way of saying two things at once. The thing you’ve said and that...
Half of what Jane says is said ironically. Irony is a way of saying two things at once. The thing you’ve said and that...
mattviews posted a blog entry
Reading Notes: Tender
“He supposed many men meant no more than that when they said they were in love—not a wild submergence of soul, a...
“He supposed many men meant no more than that when they said they were in love—not a wild submergence of soul, a...
mattviews posted a blog entry
[217] Beijing: A Novel – Philip Gambone
“Do you know how many times in my life I’ve done just that? Go with my heart? It’s getting to be a cliché...
“Do you know how many times in my life I’ve done just that? Go with my heart? It’s getting to be a cliché...
mattviews posted a blog entry
[215] Shanghai Girls – Lisa See
You’re not the only ones here on a lie . . . Look at the people in this restaurant. Look at the people who work in China...
You’re not the only ones here on a lie . . . Look at the people in this restaurant. Look at the people who work in China...
mattviews posted a blog entry
[214] Strings Attached – Nick Nolan
He felt the familiar flames of self-hatred spark then leap skyward once again, fanned by the certainty that he will never be a...
He felt the familiar flames of self-hatred spark then leap skyward once again, fanned by the certainty that he will never be a...
mattviews posted a blog entry
[213] The Joy Luck Club – Amy Tan
It’s hard to keep your Chinese face in America. At the beginning, before I even arrived, I had to hide my true...
It’s hard to keep your Chinese face in America. At the beginning, before I even arrived, I had to hide my true...
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