Reviews and Comments

Alexander

Alexander@bookwyrm.social

Joined 2 years, 1 month ago

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Hilaire Belloc: Cautionary verses (1980, Duckworth)

review cautionary verses

some are dated, some are nice some are funny, some are weird read for yourself is my advice and the odd pictures are a completely other story

Bertha Eckstein-Diener: Mütter und amazonen (German language, 1932, A. Langen)

review Mütter und Amazonen

Eckstein-Diener, behind the penname Sir Galahad, gives you a survey of the knowledge about history and forms of matriarchic societies of her time (that is a about 1930 ). interesting points : the language or style of Oswald Spengler, omnipresent in the whole book. it's an interesting thought for a study to follow the roots and branches of this kind of speaking and hot headed discussing throughout humanities the chapter about the spartans is kind of funny in a lewd way. it's all '300' in a fanfiction, but pretending to be science.

but be warned, it has the careless racism of it's time and doesn't shy cruelty in the name of traditions, which you have just to understand properly.

Bertha Eckstein-Diener: Mütter und amazonen (German language, 1932, A. Langen)

manchmal gibt es zu alten büchern gerne auch eine dreingabe. in diesem fall wohl eine alte to.read.liste. wäre das letzterscheinungsjahr aussagekräftig, wohl ungefähr aus dem jahr 1950. wie aus dieser zeit naheliegend, finde ich das nebeneinander so unterschiedlicher biografien spannend

...und das bei der freude an sachliteratur am ende etwas zur zerstreuung steht [die einschätzungen beruhen auf einer kurzen onlinerecherche]

Sir Galahad - Mütter und Amazonen, 1931 Freud - Totem und Tabu,1913 Benn - Kunst und Macht, 1934 Benn - Der (neue) Staat und die Intellektuellen, 1933 Fritz Usinger - Medusa. Aufsätze zu Bildern, 1940 [Kollaborateur] Bruno Frank - Tage des Königs, 1924 [Exilschriftsteller] Heinrich Blücher - Die Rolle der Gotik Giselher Wirsing - Der maßlose Kontinent, 1942 [Nazi]

zurück: Uzarski - Spanische Reise, 1921 [Emigrant] Leip - Abschied in Triest, 1949 [Kollaborateur] Valmore - Gedichte [Franz. Romantikerin] Vietta - Iphigenie in Amerika, 1949 [Innere Emigration] Tiedemann …

Richard Kühnau: Schlesische Sagen 2 - Elben-, Dämonen- und Teufelsagen (1911, B.G. Teubner) No rating

what's this about 'b' and 'f'? why is it called 'elben' but usually we say in german 'elfen'? looked up in the grimm, only to be more astonished: yes, there is the entry 'elben', but all of grimm's examples read 'elfen'. Can someone throw some light on the matter?

reviewed The Fisherman by John Langan

John Langan: The Fisherman (Paperback, 2016, Word Horde)

In upstate New York, in the woods around Woodstock, Dutchman's Creek flows out of the …

review: the fisherman

well, now: this is some kind of 'how would S. King write a Lovecraftian story', even with the obligated sex scene, which surprises you. it's not a bad book, i just don't really like this style. I get everything told, what appears vaguely at the edges of the field of view. and, to start a discussion about the 'true' genre of cosmic horror, it is not in the spirit, but uses expertly the staff and leitmotifs to write something about grieve and loss.

despite what i just said, it's fine and the old-man-narrator of the audiobook converts it into quite an enjoyable experience.

Jens U. Schubert, Susanne Bliemel: De Schatz von de Likedeelers (GraphicNovel, MOSAIK Steinchen für Steinchen Verlag)

Nådäm Abrax, Brabax un Califax in de Tiet reist sünd un in de Hansetiet jumpt, …

de schatz von de likedeelers

vielleicht nicht ganz so gut wie der erste band: die geschichte bekommt ein paar unnötige wendungen und zufälligkeiten verpasst. aber immer noch mit witzigen details in den totalen und mit einem schlussplädoyer für demkratische selbstverwaltung (nicht übertrieben)

Wenn man sich manche der reimpaare auf der zunge zergehen lässt, wünscht man sich, Käpt'n Blaubär würde es vorlesen. von Schack war mecklenburger

review heldensagen des firdusi 1/3

first volume out of three of a collection of tales from the Šāhnāme, in a german translation. i really enjoyed the adventures in verses, maybe sometimes a bit too much of a fairy tale by telling of character and emotion only in the broadest terms. on the other side, i'm not trained in the richness of this classic. as an ongoing story of a kingdom between light and darkness, endangered from without and within it is quite capturing and adds a loose but intriguing bond to the separate tales.

Gwendolyn Kiste: Reluctant Immortals (2022, Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers)

For fans of Mexican Gothic, from three-time Bram Stoker Award–winning author Gwendolyn Kiste comes a …

first third in. and i'm really enjoying her tight style of telling. in fact sometimes it is quite a relief, if the writer just supports your imagination enough to hang on but avoids all the details of interior and garment.

Walter Mehring: Paris in Brand (Hardcover, german language, Th. Knaur Nachfolger, Berlin)

Spannend und mit bissigem Witz schildert Mehring Aufstieg und Fall des „Spezialkorrespondenten“ Marduc, der mit …

Paris in Brand

on the first stage this is a satire of the public life and especially the livings of the 'content creators' in the year 1928 in Paris e.g. all over the world. written in a fast elliptical language of the great city with the tools and wording of the expressionism.

on the back stage Mehring dissolves all the grotesques in the lawful tides of capitalism. and because of his kind of (media) analysis he ends with a modern twist: you can't differentiate in the capitalist state between a revolution (or at least a riot) and the next Hollywood production.

so if you are interested in a seemingly outdated books which surprises you ...

commented on Good Omens by Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman: Good Omens (Hardcover, 2006, Turtleback Books)

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch is a 1990 novel …

first: how cool is this, people like your 'status' to start reading Good Omens! second: already after the first dialogue it seems impossible, not to hear Tennant and Sheen talking to each other (but that's fine)

GennaRose Nethercott: Thistlefoot (EBook, 2022, Anchor)

In the tradition of modern fairytales like American Gods and Spinning Silver comes a sweeping …

just started. it's odd, but my reaction to the beginning is that of joy and contentment, similar to the first read of ruff's fool on the hill.