J.R.R. Tolkien is the beloved author of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, but there are lesser-known tales he penned that deserve our attention. Here, then, is another masterpiece of his, a short story that most have never encountered: Leaf by Niggle. Really, the title should be read […]
Author: Maia Gaskovski
Top Three Reads of 2020
Once upon a time, in a kingdom far away, our beloved former book-columnist, Alessandra Gugliotti, gave us her book recommendations of 2019. Now, fifty-two weeks and two days later, here, once more, are three of my own battered favourites to adorn your shelf. Here you will find volumes that will […]
By the Hearth
In this house, there are numerous copies and editions of A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, stowed away in Ikea bookshelves. Traditionally, during the Advent season, the whole family congregates together on some evenings and we read the story aloud to each other. This tale is a pressed flora specimen […]
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: It’s All in the Title
CAUTION: This book may cause you to commence incognito literary meetings in your bedroom closet, drink gallons of tea, and read Charles Lamb’s essays by the light of a gas lamp. I first discovered it in the glass display window by the 33 bus station on Wanderstrasse in Basel, Switzerland. […]
The Suspects
“The impossible could not have happened, therefore the impossible must be possible in spite of appearances.” ~ Agatha Christie, Murder on the Orient Express I first encountered this book in a Swiss airport a few years ago, while we were waiting for our flight. There was a book kiosk near […]