Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong
CBR Bingo - Verse, for this lovely book of poetry I am an avid reader - and I love a good poem, especially one embedded into a narrative. When a character reads a poem in a novel, I always think, I should read more poetry. But I rarely have the patience to finish an entire book of poetry. This … [Read more]
You Can't Take it With You by George S Kaufman and Moss Hart
This is a slapstick and sentimental play from 1936 by Moss Hart and George S Kaufman. Kaufman is most famous for this play, along with co-writing with Hart, Edna Ferber, and Ring Lardner at various times for plays and adaptations. He's also probably the main character model for Barton Fink. Moss … [Read more]
Tonio Kroger by Thomas Mann
Mario and the Magician by Thomas Mann
Tonio Kroger - Tonio Kroger (short for Antonio) is a dark-haired German lad when we begin this novella. We learn soon thereafter that his father is from the far North (Norway it seems) and his mother is from Southern clime (Spain or Italy it seems). In the opening scene, school has just let out … [Read more]
Maybe by Lillian Hellman
The Children's Hour by Lillian Hellman
Maybe - 3/5 Stars Maybe is a short novella, and possibly the only in Hellman's career. It's hard to know exactly what the book is because it's written as a mini-biography circulating around a specific interaction. Normally I wouldn't think too much about this distinction but Hellman wrote three … [Read more]
Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw
Saint Joan - 4/5 I don't know what I actually know about Joan of Arc, and almost all my references points are either the not very good Luc Besson movie "The Messenger" with Mila Jovavich which was interesting in a lot of ways but a failure in many others, from a Simpsons episode, and of course, … [Read more]
King Lear by William Shakespeare
King Lear - King Lear is often considered Shakespeare's best play and I guess it just depends on who you ask. Not being old yet myself, I still think it's Hamlet, but maybe as I get older I will better understand. I definitely think it's the most relatable play outside of the confines of … [Read more]
