The Vulgar Eclectic

Tag: reading

  • Robin Hood, Outlaw of Barnsdale and Sherwood Forest

    With some help a couple of days ago, I got a few boxes of books out of storage. What fun going through them and getting them out on shelves! I came across two books that I am very pleased to have out of the darkness of storage and back into the daylight of a home…

  • 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…

  • 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,…

  • 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…

  • The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks

    Here’s a book jot from September 2021: I finished reading The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks (1980). It’s a children’s novel that takes place in contemporary Britain. The story revolves around an old medicine cabinet and antique key. When used together, they impart a magic that turns small plastic toys into living…

  • comics!

    I’ve picked up a number of comics recently, some at a little hole-in-the-wall shop near where my family gets together for the holidays and some from online and two from my niece for Christmas! Here’s a mishmash of covers: