-
When the pages run out: Onyx Storm
I closed Onyx Storm today, and for a while I just sat there—quiet, teary, suspended. It’s a strange sort of heartbreak, the kind that comes when a story you’ve lived inside suddenly stops, and the rest of it drifts just out of reach. Months, maybe years, before I’ll know what becomes of Violet and Xaden.… — read more
-
In-between Worlds: Basgiath and Ojai
In the midst of listening my way through Jiddu Krishnamurti’s Ojai lectures, I’ve also been swept into another ‘storm’ entirely. I closed Iron Flame only to open Onyx Storm in the very next breath. Rebecca Yarros’ Empyrean Series, beginning with Fourth Wing, has me hooked—dragons, battles, love, betrayal—the whole ride. But it’s more than just… — read more
-
“Kattjakten” by Lars Lerin
Baksidestext: Vintriga akvareller, kärlek till katter och ett fint vardagligt äventyr i juletid. Kattjakten är Lars Lerins fjärde barnbok, en berättelse i ord och akvarell. It snows over Värmland, over Hammarön, and over the yellow house where Gabriel and Rafael live. Two brothers, three and four years old. Each of them has a cat: Mimi… — read more
-
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Some novels undo us. One such novel is Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes’s classic, first published in 1966. It is tender, tragic, and piercingly human. It is told through the eyes of Charlie Gordon, a 32-year-old man with an IQ of 68. His uncle has arranged for him to hold a menial job at a… — read more
-
Starship Troopers, by Robert A. Heinlein
Few science fiction novels straddle controversy and admiration, like Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein. The book was first published in 1959 and is often discussed in the same breath as military propaganda, libertarian fantasy, or dystopian satire. What is less often acknowledged is how meticulously Heinlein constructs a philosophical machine disguised as a war… — read more
-
The Peace Tree From Hiroshima
Some books have the extraordinary power to touch the heart and leave a lasting impression, and Sandra Moore’s The Peace Tree from Hiroshima: The Little Bonsai with a Big Story is one such book. It recounts the true story of Miyajima, a 400-year-old bonsai tree that survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and became a… — read more
-
Robert Macfarlane: The Gifts of Reading
Reading this little gem brought me to tears. Macfarlane’s story of his friendship with Don, forged in the autumn and winter of 2000 as they taught English literature together at a university in Beijing, is a testament to the quiet power of books to connect souls. Their bond, built on shared stories and the act… — read more
-
Children’s Books: Not escapism, but findism
I’ve always believed children’s books hold a special kind of magic (see my related posts). Katherine Rundell said it best: they distill emotions into their purest forms. Think of them as literary vodka, she says. And you know what? She’s right. When I pick up a children’s book, they take me by the hand and… — read more
-
Turning the Page: Saying Goodbye to HBR
After more than ten years of being an avid reader of the Harvard Business Review, I’ve decided it’s (truly) time to let go of my subscription. It feels strange, almost like parting ways with an old mentor who’s been there through countless milestones in my career. But as seasons change, so do interests and priorities.… — read more
-
The Vegetarian
Han Kang’s The Vegetarian is a novel that delves into the complexities of human nature, societal pressures, and the consequences of defying expectations. Told through the perspectives of those around her—her husband (Part 1), brother-in-law (Part 2), and sister (Part 3)—the novel offers a fragmented and unsettling portrait of Yeong-hye’s descent into isolation and obsession.… — read more
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
