6/27/2023 0 Comments First person murakami![]() The book is not without its charms and Murakami’s mild and affable authorial persona will please his fans. ![]() Among its themes are nostalgia, music and erotic reminiscence. ![]() Murakami’s 22nd book is a collection of eight short stories, some of them more obviously fictional than others, all narrated in the first person by an elderly writer (who in one story is explicitly named Haruki Murakami). (For proof that a birthdate in the 1940s needn’t correlate with poor writing in the 2020s, see Martin Amis’s amazing Inside Story.) All of which loosens my natural hesitancy to lay into a septuagenarian (Murakami was born in 1949) so that I can divulge up front that his latest, First Person Singular, is not very good. Whatever the phenomenally popular Japanese writer knocks out will sell by the truckload – the reviews just notify his throng of devotees that it’s time to buy a new Murakami. ![]() R eviewing a book by Haruki Murakami is to some degree a redundant act. ![]()
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6/26/2023 0 Comments Going home by a american![]() ![]() During World War II, however, this was not a viable option since older divisions included many soldiers who had arrived overseas as replacements in the final months of the war. After World War I, moreover, American divisions had been sent home as entire units. Following the Armistice of 1918, the US Army’s rapid and disorderly demobilization left it woefully undermanned. Pershing’s Chief of Staff during World War I, witnessed first hand the Army’s demobilization failures after that earlier war. Marshall, who had served as General John J. ![]() Marshall had anticipated this herculean task and charged the Special Planning Division in July 1943 with devising a system to determine which soldiers would occupy Germany, which soldiers would transfer to the Pacific, and which lucky soldiers would be sent home to their families. Since the US Army had a surplus of troops for those two missions, it also had to equitably identify and discharge millions of men who had fought in Europe. The biggest field army in US history had to transition into an occupation force, and hundreds of thousands of American soldiers in Europe had to redeploy halfway around the world for the expected invasion of Japan. When Germany surrendered to the Allies on May 8, 1945, the US Army suddenly faced an enormous new task. ![]() Top Image: American Soldiers of the US 9th Army cheer as the SS John Ericsson approaches Pier 84 in the Hudson River at the end of World War II. ![]() 6/26/2023 0 Comments Liberal fascist![]() ![]() ![]() The word has become a slur throughout the political spectrum since the defeat of the Axis powers in World War II, and it has been extremely uncommon for any political groups to call themselves fascist since 1945. Part of the difficulty arises from the fact that today there are very few self-identified fascists. Various scholars have sought to define fascism, and a list of such definitions can be found in the article definitions of fascism. Later, fascism became a more generic term that was meant to cover an entire class of authoritarian political ideologies, parties, and political systems, though no consensus was ever achieved on a precise definition of what it means to be "fascist". Originally, the term fascism was used by an Italian political movement that ruled Italy from 1922 to 1943 under the leadership of Benito Mussolini (see Italian fascism). The symbolism of the fasces suggested strength through unity a single rod is easily broken, while the bundle is very difficult to break. The term also comes from the fasces (rods bundled around an axe), which was an ancient Roman symbol of the authority of magistrates. The word fascism stems from the Italian word fascio (plural: fasci), which may mean bundle, as in a political or militant group, or a nation. Fascism ( IPA: ) is a radical political ideology that combines elements of corporatism, authoritarianism, nationalism, militarism, anti- liberalism and anti-communism. ![]() 6/26/2023 0 Comments A tale of two cities amazon![]() Ĭourageous and fiercely independent, the Amazons, commanded by their queen, regularly undertook extensive military expeditions into the far corners of the world, from Scythia to Thrace, Asia Minor and the Aegean Islands, reaching as far as Arabia and Egypt. Their society was closed to men and they only raised their daughters and returned their sons to their fathers, with whom they would only socialize briefly in order to reproduce. They were a group of female warriors and hunters, who were as skilled and courageous as men in physical agility, strength, archery, riding skills, and the arts of combat. In Greek mythology, the Amazons ( Ancient Greek: Ἀμαζόνες Amazónes, singular Ἀμαζών Amazōn, via Latin Amāzon code: lat promoted to code: la, -ŏnis code: lat promoted to code: la ) are portrayed in a number of ancient epic poems and legends, such as the Labours of Heracles, the Argonautica and the Iliad. "Amazon preparing for battle" (Queen Antiope or Hippolyta) or "Armed Venus", by Pierre-Eugène-Emile Hébert, 1860, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. ![]() 6/26/2023 0 Comments Noblesse Oblige by Uri Kurlianchik![]() ![]() What starts as an exclusive party in her honor is soon revealed to be something far more sinister: a depraved auction where the item on sale is her royal highness and the bidders are a who’s who of the galaxy’s worst scoundrels! With only enemies in sight and no way to call for help, the young princess has no choice but to rescue herself. To her dismay, an invitation to an isolated planetoid that could serve as the perfect home for the poor exiles turns out to be a ploy by the infamous Baron Von Schmidt to add yet another outrage to his repertoire. ![]() In a universe where corporate scions hold aristocratic titles and wield absolute power, a young princess embarks on a mission of mercy to find a new home for the refugees created by her father’s many wars. Summary Ahumorous sci fi adventure featuring a royal princess held hostage on an alien planet and her attempts to escape her captors. ![]() 6/25/2023 0 Comments Books by monica ali![]() Visit the Penguin Readers website Exclusively with the print edition, readers can unlock online resources including a digital book, audio edition, lesson plans and answer keys. ![]() ![]() Nazneen must try to look after her family and get used to a new, and very strange, country. But Brick Lane in London is very different from Nazneen's village, and she speaks no English. When Nazneen is 18, she marries a much older man and moves from Bangladesh to England to be with her husband. A small number of illustrations support the text. The longer text is made up of sentences with up to four clauses, introducing future continuous, reported questions, third conditional, was going to and ellipsis. Brick Lane, a Level 6 Reader, is B1+ in the CEFR framework. Before, during and after-reading questions test readers' story comprehension and develop vocabulary. Exercises at the back of each Reader help language learners to practise grammar, vocabulary, and key exam skills. The eight levels of Penguin Readers follow the Common European Framework of Reference for language learning ( CEFR ). Titles include popular classics, exciting contemporary fiction, and thought-provoking non-fiction, introducing language learners to bestselling authors and compelling content. With carefully adapted text, new illustrations and language learning exercises, the print edition also includes instructions to access supporting material online. ![]() Penguin Readers is an ELT graded reader series for learners of English as a foreign language. ![]() ![]() ![]() Alphabetically organized, the entries each feature suggestions for further reading. In addition to monsters appearing in English-language literature and film, the Encyclopedia also includes significant monsters in Spanish, French, Italian, German, Russian, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, African and Middle Eastern traditions. ![]() Generic entries such as 'ghost' and 'vampire' are cross-listed with important specific manifestations of that monster. Over 200 entries written by experts in the field are accompanied by an overview introduction by the editor. It is the first major reference book on monsters for the scholarly market. This concise Encyclopedia provides scholars and students with a comprehensive and authoritative A-Z of monsters throughout the ages. The Ashgate Encyclopedia of Literary and Cinematic Monsters by Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock (Editor) From vampires and demons to ghosts and zombies, interest in monsters in literature, film, and popular culture has never been stronger. ![]() 6/25/2023 0 Comments Facing the demon headmaster![]() ![]() So when a competition is announced to unmask the DJ, everyone wants to win and find out who he is. 9780192763723 Facing the Demon Headmaster 23.8000 NZD InStock /shop/books /shop/books/childrens-books /shop/books/childrens-books/fiction/general /shop/books/childrens-books/fiction Club Purple is the place to be! The mysterious DJ Pardoman is so cool, with his ever-changing electronic mask. Fast-paced and full of adventure, they're impossible to resist! When Dinah makes a shocking discovery she decides to investigate further, but has she fallen into a trap? Little does Dinah realize that the Demon Headmaster is about to use her in his most threatening plan yet!Great fun and just a littleīit frightening, Gillian Cross's Demon Headmaster books still hold readers under their hypnotic spell. ![]() Club Purple is the place to be! The mysterious DJ Pardoman is so cool, with his ever-changing electronic mask. ![]() When Dinah makes a shocking discovery she decides to investigate further, but has she fallen into a trap? Little does Dinah realize that the Demon Headmaster is about to use her in his most threatening plan yet!Great fun and just a littleīit frightening, Gillian Cross. ![]() ![]() 6/24/2023 0 Comments Where deer and antelope play![]() ![]() In my new book, I take a humorous, inspiring, and elucidating trip to America’s trails, farms, and frontier to examine the people who inhabit the land, what that has meant to them and us, and to the land itself, both historically and currently. ![]() “I have always felt a particular affection for the Land of the Free-not just for the people and their purported ideals but to the actual land itself: the bedrock, the topsoil, and everything in between that generates the health of your local watershed. A humorous and rousing set of literal and figurative sojourns as well as a mission statement about comprehending, protecting, and truly experiencing the outdoors, fueled by a conversation with Wendell Berry that inspired three journeys Nick Offerman undertook in 20. ![]() 6/24/2023 0 Comments Senlin ascends book![]() ![]() He starts off naive and self-assured, but also clearly lovable. I also have such a soft spot in my heart for Senlin. Anyway, it totally picked up at the end, and I love the hints at a nice little central mystery related to the tower itself, under the bigger mystery of Marya’s whereabouts. ![]() His resolve to find her turns into a true quest as he makes his way up the tower’s “ringdoms.” (Yes, there’s an echo of Dante’s Inferno there.)Ĭertain parts of this book moved a little slowly, but there was, of course, lots of worldbuilding to be done. But shortly after they get there, Marya disappears, and Senlin realizes the Tower isn’t all that he imagined it to be. They go to the famous Tower of Babel - a booming metropolis and reputed cultural center of the world that Senlin has long ached to see. He’s a schoolteacher in his small seaside village, recently married to a bright-spirited woman named Marya. The story is about a man named Thomas Senlin. I’m glad I finally did! It’s a fun adventure with humor and imagination, but also substance. Senlin Ascends, the first book in Josiah Bancroft’s recently completed Books of Babel quartet, has been waiting for me to pluck it off my shelf for at least two years. ![]() |