-
Bus Station Mystery (The Boxcar Children #18) by Gertrude Chandler Warner
Here is an old book jot from September 2021: I finished reading Bus Station Mystery (1974), the 18th book in the Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner. In this story, the four Alden siblings are once again involved in an unanticipated adventure. This time, a bus station, a river, and a paint factory are…
-
Of Knights and Matches
Isn’t this a neat matchbook? I don’t remember where I came across it, but it was years ago. I held onto it because I found it pleasing and only recently rediscovered it when I was going through some stuff. It now has a place in a printers box hanging on the wall.
-
Journey of the Magi
Here are a few lines from a wonderful poem by T. S. Eliot: At the end we preferred to travel all night,Sleeping in snatches,With the voices singing in our ears, sayingThat this was all folly. Read the full poem here: poets.org
-
A Matter of Life by Jeffrey Brown
I just finished reading A Matter of Life (2013) by Jeffrey Brown. This is a graphic novel that describes itself on the back cover as “an autobiographical meditation on fatherhood and faith.” This is a wonderfully sweet, poignant book that feels honest and personal. Even though it’s about someone else’s life, it made me think…
-
A Slew of Comics
I went to a comic book store yesterday that I’ve never been to before. It was a great shop, with quite a lot of back issues. They had a dollar bin, which is something I love and don’t find a lot anymore. If you bought 25 comics, the price dropped to 80¢ an issue. The…
-
Autobiography of Joseph Scaliger
I just finished reading the Autobiography of Joseph Scaliger, translated by George W. Robinson and published in English in 1927. The subtitle gives a good idea of what makes up the book in addition to the opening autobiography: with Autobiographical Selections from his Letters, His Testament, and the Funeral Orations by Daniel Heinsius and Dominicus…
-
The Infant by Denís Fonvízin
I finished reading The Infant by Denís Fonvízin (1782; Nèdorosl’), a play in five acts. It is translated by Joshua Cooper and is the earliest play included in a collection of Russian theater titled Four Russian Plays. This was a lot of fun to read. There was quite a bit of witty humor, social critique,…
-
Impecunious, an etymology
Impecunious Merriam Webster’s definition: having very little or no money usually habitually : PENNILESS This is a fun word to say…something about the combination of sounds…the ‘p’ followed by the hard ‘c’, and then the ‘yoo’ sound. Anyway, it’s a nice word. A fancy way of saying “poor”. The reason I mention it here is…
-
Home Front by Joel Rosenberg
Here’s another belated book jot, from September 2021: I finished reading Home Front by Joel Rosenberg (2003). It’s categorized as mystery fiction, but is very light on mystery. I read a series of fantasy novels by this author when I was in my early teens and recently came across this book. It takes place in…