October 31 2010, 12:19 PM
More books that aren't necessarily classics but are just really good reads and worth using even your goofy Kindle browser to find since they are free. (More free ebook lists on this blog: http://emilymcmc.posterous.com/tag/free_ebooks .)
The Story of Mary MacLane, by Mary MacLane http://manybooks.net/titles/maclanemother07story_of_mary_maclane.html
This is the Go Ask Ogre of 100 years ago -- Mary MacLane is as powerfully honest, overblown and blunt as any modern 19-year-old. Amazing, but read it in small doses if you want to avoid reverting to your 19-year-old self yourself. I found this book via Emily Gould's article in Bitch magazine; the article isn't online, but Gould writes about it here: http://thingsiatethatilove.tumblr.com/post/1060056645/my-issue-of-the-make-believe-issue-of-bitch-came
This is the Go Ask Ogre of 100 years ago -- Mary MacLane is as powerfully honest, overblown and blunt as any modern 19-year-old. Amazing, but read it in small doses if you want to avoid reverting to your 19-year-old self yourself. I found this book via Emily Gould's article in Bitch magazine; the article isn't online, but Gould writes about it here: http://thingsiatethatilove.tumblr.com/post/1060056645/my-issue-of-the-make-believe-issue-of-bitch-came
Barks and Purrs, by Colette
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11737
Colette explores the emotional lives of a housecat and a pet dog. It's Colette, so sometimes it's funny and darling and sometimes really heartbreaking as an exploration of two alien sensibilities trying to make some kind of sense of the world they're in. The introduction is full of literary injokes; skip it unless that's your thing. Get the version with illustrations: from the link above, choose "Kindle with images."
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11737
Colette explores the emotional lives of a housecat and a pet dog. It's Colette, so sometimes it's funny and darling and sometimes really heartbreaking as an exploration of two alien sensibilities trying to make some kind of sense of the world they're in. The introduction is full of literary injokes; skip it unless that's your thing. Get the version with illustrations: from the link above, choose "Kindle with images."
The Pension Beaurepas, by Henry James
http://manybooks.net/titles/jameshenetext01penbr10.html
Whatever you think of Henry James and his style (I love it, you might not), this is just a good story about Americans in Europe, with lovely scene-setting and characters you can care about.
http://manybooks.net/titles/jameshenetext01penbr10.html
Whatever you think of Henry James and his style (I love it, you might not), this is just a good story about Americans in Europe, with lovely scene-setting and characters you can care about.
The Light Princess and Other Fairy Stories, by George MacDonald
http://manybooks.net/titles/macdonal1881118811.html
A good one to have on your reader for when you're up in the middle of the night and want to read something wonderful, witty and deep.
http://manybooks.net/titles/macdonal1881118811.html
A good one to have on your reader for when you're up in the middle of the night and want to read something wonderful, witty and deep.
Castles and Cave Dwellings of Europe, by Sabine Baring-Gould
http://manybooks.net/titles/baringgoetext058cave10.html
Exactly what it sounds like, and plenty of it. Defensive caves from feudal times, dens of robbers, cliff dwellings -- if you find this subject romantic and fascinating, this book is right there with you. The author gives lots of historical context to explain why people took to living in caves and cliffs, and how they lived there. Might be a good book to read if you're a rock-climber or hiker.
http://manybooks.net/titles/baringgoetext058cave10.html
Exactly what it sounds like, and plenty of it. Defensive caves from feudal times, dens of robbers, cliff dwellings -- if you find this subject romantic and fascinating, this book is right there with you. The author gives lots of historical context to explain why people took to living in caves and cliffs, and how they lived there. Might be a good book to read if you're a rock-climber or hiker.
The Edge of the Knife, by H. Beam Piper
http://manybooks.net/titles/piperh1858418584.html
A tense little story about a history professor who finds he can see into the future. Careful details make the story come alive, and make up for some one-dimensional secondary characters. The story evokes the post-McCarthy-era university system, and the preservation of tenure rights is a big issue. So is the tension between hiding what you know is true but can't admit, and bringing truths out into the open before society is ready to hear them. It's a fun read.
http://manybooks.net/titles/piperh1858418584.html
A tense little story about a history professor who finds he can see into the future. Careful details make the story come alive, and make up for some one-dimensional secondary characters. The story evokes the post-McCarthy-era university system, and the preservation of tenure rights is a big issue. So is the tension between hiding what you know is true but can't admit, and bringing truths out into the open before society is ready to hear them. It's a fun read.
The Enchanted April, by Elizabeth von Arnim
http://manybooks.net/titles/arnimeli1638916389-8.html
This charming book is sweet but not too sweet. The gray and rainy backdrop of post-WWI England lends depth to the story of four women looking to escape for an Italian holiday. (For instance, the two younger women, traveling alone, are assumed by everyone to be war widows.) It even makes the touch of magic realism very welcome. It's a page-turner -- take it on vacation or keep it for a sleepless night.
http://manybooks.net/titles/arnimeli1638916389-8.html
This charming book is sweet but not too sweet. The gray and rainy backdrop of post-WWI England lends depth to the story of four women looking to escape for an Italian holiday. (For instance, the two younger women, traveling alone, are assumed by everyone to be war widows.) It even makes the touch of magic realism very welcome. It's a page-turner -- take it on vacation or keep it for a sleepless night.
The Storm-Cloud of the Nineteenth Century, by John Ruskin
The title might sound allegorical, but the bulk of this lecture is really about clouds. His thesis is that the weather in early-1880s London is unusually gray, terrible and foreboding, and that this terrible weather has given rise to some equally terrible social conditions. If you're a student of weather and enjoy books like The Little Ice Age, this will be completely fascinating. It's also nifty to see the mind of an art critic applied to natural phenomena. This book is odd, to be sure, but worth checking out.
