Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in BookClub.
Ten Writers I Can No Longer Read
One of the things I have learned after many years of reading and writing is that you are allowed to dismiss what you once loved; you are allowed to give up on writers who no longer speak to you and have set up a barrier in your mind to enjoyment of their work. I do not mean that I care that deeply about their political, racial, psychological or emotional issues (the list of acceptable writers would be incredibly short if I dismissed the ones who did not reach such high standards). I am simply concerned with what is on the page and how it makes me react, as Vladimir Nabokov once stated, “between the shoulder blades” (where you really do feel the work).
By Kendall Defoe 2 years ago in BookClub
Speaking Truth to Power
I've written a lot of reviews and critiques. Books. Movies. Employee evaluations. Employer evaluations. Submissions to a writers' group I was in. Long ago I decided that there was no point to what I call "golf-clap" reviews. A head nod, a weak smile, a smattering of polite applause. You know, the kind of response that says that everything everyone does is good, even if it isn't.
By Donald J. Bingle2 years ago in BookClub
Summer '23 Reads
This was a whirlwind summer. Not that I did anything fun or exciting, but just a lot happened. Well, I guess one or two exciting things happened (more on that down below). I wasn’t planning on doing one big summer recap, but I forgot to do one for June, and then I didn’t finish any novels in July, and alas.
By Victoria Brown2 years ago in BookClub
Infernal Insight. Top Story - September 2023.
I feel like something of a fraud teaching Dante’s Inferno for two reasons: 1. I must rely upon an English translation to do so effectively. I can tell a bolgia from a boulder and contrapasso from contraception, but my Italian is primitive at best. 2. I do not take the metaphysical or theological foundations of Dante’s work very seriously, insofar as I have a fraught relationship with Catholicism and remain obstinately agnostic. In spite of these considerations, I have continued to guide students through a translation of this astonishing text for many years as part of an introductory course in Comparative Literature. I think it would be irresponsible to ignore Dante's work in such a context, given its enormous historical and artistic significance. In the process, my understanding of moral and ethical matters has undergone a radical transformation. I have come to see betrayal as the most dreadful of transgressions, and to recognize that contemporary culture actually promotes and rewards the traitor at every turn.
By D. J. Reddall2 years ago in BookClub
Murder In The Family By Cara Hunter
So, I have a confession to make. I had not read a book in close to 10 years because I didn’t ever feel the need too. As soon as I left school, I put reading behind me and never looked back, until recently. I had some extra money, a suggestion for a book that was right down my alley from my boyfriend and went for it. I lost myself in this book, something I am not used to doing but very much enjoyed. This book had such a unique concept to it that I had no chance in resisting as soon as I opened the front cover and turned that first page, I was hooked.
By YesItsMocha2 years ago in BookClub
