Book Quotes

  

"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." Benjamin Franklin

So true. We always said that when we bought books or educational toys for our sons and it truly paid off. The loved reading, did well in school and at university and have great jobs now.

"If you want to read the future, you must leaf through the past." André Malraux

So many people seem to forget that.

"The right book in the hands of the right person at exactly the right moment can change their life forever." Libby Page, This Book Made Me Think of You

Definitely. Unfortunately, those who would need these books most don't seem to be interested in that.

Find more book quotes here. 

The Classics Club: The Classics Spin #46

  

"Words and Peace" is a blog I've been following for a couple of years and I have always found some interesting new (or old) books there, especially French ones.

On her page, I found the posts by The Classics Club asking us to create a post, this time before next Sunday 15^th November 2026, and list our choice of any twenty books that remain "to be read" on our Classics Club list. They'll then post a number from 1 through 20 and we have time until Sunday 3^rd January 2027 to read it.

This time, I read the book from my old list (Classics Spin #45) (All Our Wordly Goods) plus "William - an Englishman" by Cicely Hamilton. So, I have two new books to add to my list. As before, I have listed only ten books and repeated them. The books are all in chronological order.

1. Petronius Arbiter, Titus (Petron) "Satyricon. The Book of Satyrlike Adventures" (Satyricon liber) - late 1^st century
2. Dumas, Alexandre fils "Camille: The Lady of the Camellias" (La Dame aux Camélias) - 1848
3. Conrad, Joseph "Victory: An Island Tale" - 1915
4. Hesse, Hermann "Wir nehmen die Welt nur zu ernst" [We just take the world too seriously] - 1928
5. Hemingway, Ernest "A Farewell to Arms" - 1929
6. Meigs, Cornelia "Invincible Louisa" - 1933
7. Krleža, Miroslav "On the Edge of Reason" (Na rubu pameti) - 1938
8. Zweig, Stefan "The Royal Game/Chess" (Schachnovelle) - 1942
9. Huxley, Aldous "Ape and Essence" - 1948
10. Plaidy, Jean "The Sixth Wife: The Story of Katharine Parr" - 1953
11. Petronius Arbiter, Titus (Petron) "Satyricon. The Book of Satyrlike Adventures" (Satyricon liber) - late 1^st century
12. Dumas, Alexandre fils "Camille: The Lady of the Camellias" (La Dame aux Camélias) - 1848
13. Conrad, Joseph "Victory: An Island Tale" - 1915
14. Hesse, Hermann "Wir nehmen die Welt nur zu ernst" [We just take the world too seriously] - 1928
15. Hemingway, Ernest "A Farewell to Arms" - 1929
16. Meigs, Cornelia "Invincible Louisa" - 1933
17. Krleža, Miroslav "On the Edge of Reason" (Na rubu pameti) - 1938
18. Zweig, Stefan "The Royal Game/Chess" (Schachnovelle) - 1942
19. Huxley, Aldous "Ape and Essence" - 1948
20. Plaidy, Jean "The Sixth Wife: The Story of Katharine Parr" - 1953

This is a great idea for all of us who want to read more classics. Go ahead, get your own list. I can't wait to see what I get to read this time.

Here are all the books on my original Classics Club list.

And here is a list of all the books I read with the Classics Spin.

Márai, Sándor "Embers"

Márai, Sándor "Embers" (Hungarian: A gyertyák csonkig égnek) - 1942

A book from our German book club (October 2026).

The description sounded promising: a childhood friend comes to visit after more than 40 years. There is also a subplot involving the protagonist’s wife, which seemed like it might be interesting.

The book isn’t very long—just over 200 pages—yet it feels incredibly drawn-out. The actual content would have sufficed for a short story. The beginning is decent enough: two boys from different backgrounds meet and become friends. However, it’s hard to truly connect with them; conversations aren’t even rendered in indirect speech, making it difficult to relate to either character.

The young woman is also only mentioned in passing; you barely get to know her at all.

And the ending—when the two men finally meet. You hope for some kind of resolution, but what you get is meager, to say the least.

All in all, it’s a shame! It could have been a lovely story.

Most of the other readers, however, quite liked the book, even though they did have a few criticisms of their own.

Book Description:

"As darkness settles on a forgotten castle at the foot of the Carpathian mountains, two men sit down to a final dinner together. They have not seen one another in forty-one years. At their last meeting, in the company of a beautiful woman, an unspoken act of betrayal left all three lives shattered - and each of them alone. Tonight, as wine stirs the blood, it is time to talk of old passions and that last, fateful meeting."

Six Degrees of Separation ~ Passing

Nella Larsen
"Passing" - 2026

#6Degrees of Separation:

from Passing to From the Land of the Moon

#6Degrees is a monthly link-up hosted by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. I love the idea. Thank you, Kate. See more about this challenge, its history, further books and how I found this here. 

The starter book this month is one of our own books. In recognition of Novellas in November (which I know lots of us participate in), we start with a novella that’s on our reading list.

I don't read or enjoy many novellas but I thought I'd keep with the starter book and  list the last good novellas read:

Larsen, Nella "Passing" - 1929

A "black" woman who is white enough to be considered "white" and "passes" as "white". 

Takahashi, Yuta "The Chibineko Kitchen" (Japanese: ちびねこ亭の思い出ごはん 黒猫と初恋サンドイッチ/Chibinekoteino omoidegohan kuronekoto hatsukoisandoitchi) (Meals to Remember at the Chibineko Kitchen #1) - 2020

I am sure we all have wanted to have one last conversation with a deceased loved one. Now, the Chibineko Kitchen makes this possible. 

Barbal i Farré, Maria "Stone in a Landslide" (Catalan: Pedra de tartera) - 1985

We have a great insight into the lives of the people in Catalonia at the beginning of the last century, how their lives were changed by the Spanish Civil War. 

Fosse, Jon "Morning and Evening" (Norwegian: Morgon og kveld) - 2001

A fascinating story about the life and death of a man. A simple story about the passing of an old hardworking fisherman with a humble life. No embellishments needed, a plain reflection on an ordinary life.

Coetzee, J.M. "Waiting for the Barbarians" - 1980

This story could take place in any corrupt country, in any dictatorship. 

The description of the protagonist, the magistrate in a small post on the border of "the Empire" is very good. We see how he goes from thinking he is a loyal servant of a fair government to the discovery that the so-called barbarians are oppressed by the regime and those who think they are better than others for whatever reason.

Meri, Veijo "The Manila Rope" (Finnish: Manillaköysi) - 1957

A war story, yet quite funny. Soldiers on their way home for home leave during the war keep telling each other stories of what happened to them or others and their way back and to the battlefields or even on the battlefields. Most of the tales are pretty humorous.

Definitely an anti-war story. 

Agus, Milena "From the Land of the Moon" (Italian: Mal di pietre) - 2006

An interesting tale about the life of a woman who cannot break out of the prescribed path. A short but very powerful story about family history, told by the granddaughter of the woman in question.

* * *

This month, it's easy to find the the connection between the starter book and the last one since they are all novellas. Happy Novellas in November month!

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Spell the Month in Books ~ November 2026

Reviews from the Stacks

I found this on one of the blogs I follow, Books are the New Black who found it at One Book More. It was originally created by Reviews from the Stacks, and the idea is to spell the month using the first letter of book titles.

November: Africa 

Since we choose our own topics at the moment, it is always a little harder. 

I tried to find some books written by Africans or about Africa - some are only loosely connected. I am sorry.

November

N

Dangarembga, Tsitisi "Nervous Conditions" - 1988 - Zimbabwe

This story gives us a glimpse into the life of 13-year-old Tambudzei, a girl from Zimbabwe in the 1960s. One rarely reads books by African women. A fantastic book that describes the situation of women in almost every society. 

O

Unigwe, Chika "On Black Sisters' Street" (Dutch: Fata Morgana) - 2007

4 African girls live in Antwerp, Belgium. A beautiful city. But the life of the girls is not that beautiful, they were brought to Europe to work as prostitutes, their Antwerp is the red light district.

V

Bennett, Brit "The Vanishing Half" - 2020

Not one of my favourite books but it fits the topic. Too many stereotypes. But the story keeps growing until, in the end, we get a pretty decent book about the life or women, the problems with racism, bringing up children, etc.

E

Waltari, Mika "The Egyptian" (SF: Sinuhe Egyptiläinen) - 1945

The Finnish author studied ancient cultures and theology and the facts in this book are accurate. He couldn’t print war books at the time, so instead he wrote this one. 

The book covers not only Egyptian history but also everything about the human nature, its goodness and its cruelty. 

M

Mahfouz, Naguib "Midaq Alley" (Arabic: زقاق المدق/Zuqaq El Midaq) - 1947

You get to know the people living in Midaq Alley as if you've lived among them for most of your life.

A war rages in Europe and makes its waves into Egypt, as well, though not the way we might think.

B

Gordimer, Nadine "Burger's Daughter" - 1979

A prolific author from South Africa, she writes about politics, she's a woman and she received the Nobel Prize for Literature.The story is loosely based on the life of Bram Fischer and his family, especially his daughter.  He was a South African lawyer, known for his anti-apartheid activism, became most popular as Nelson Mandela's defence lawyer.

The book teaches us about South Africa, their history, the apartheid system and that there have been people fighting against it, even if there could have been more.

E

Ondaatje, Michael "The English Patient" - 1992

One of the books that is not necessarily about Africa. Who is the author talking about? At what time is he talking? Before the war? During the war? After the war? Are they in Italy or in Egypt, in Canada or India? 
But I found no other "book that fits in Africa".

R

Andrew, Sally "Recipes for Love & Murder. A Tannie Maria Mystery" - 2015

Tannie Maria is a very active woman who can stand up for herself. And she has to prove that as her town is chased by an evil killer. Together with her two (female) colleagues, she hunts the hunter. Not just a crime story but also a recipe book.

* * *

Happy Reading!

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#ThrowbackThursday. November 2016

I've been doing ThrowbackThursdays for a while but I noticed that I wrote a lot of reviews in a short time when I first started. So, I post more than one Throwback every week. These are my reviews from November 2016.

If you are looking for more bloggers who participate here, there is always a post on The Chocolate Lady's website where you can also add yours.
I recommend almost all the books I read that month. I only left out one that is part of the series I recommended several times before.

Angelou, Maya "Mom & Me & Mom" - 2013

Maya Angelou's writing is gripping. She writes in a way as if you sit there listening to her telling a story. A really good story. Her mother must have been a remarkable woman, as she was remarkable herself.
I learnt a lot about Maya Angelou and her family but I also learnt a lot about myself and my relationship to my late mother.

Arnold, Catharine "Globe: Life in Shakespeare's London" - 2014
A great non-fiction book about The Globe, how it first was built in Shakespeare's time and what it meant for the world of acting back then and how it influenced our world of the theatre today.

Atkinson, Kate "Behind the Scenes at the Museum" - 1995

Ruby tells her story, her mother's story, her grandmother's story and the story of all the women in her family. 

Grass, Günter "Peeling the Onion" (German: Beim Häuten der Zwiebel) - 2006
A biography by one of Germany's greatest authors, not just one but three books where he talks about his life, growing up in between the two wars etc.

Štimec, Spomenka "Croatian War Nocturnal" (Esperanto: Kroata Milita Noktlibro) - 1993
This is not just the diary of a girl who speaks Esperanto about her life during the Balkan wars, her life and that of her family and friends, and often about their deaths, as well. It is a view into life during wartime. Snippets of several lives that are affected that build a big picture together.

Oates, Joyce Carol "The Accursed"

Oates, Joyce Carol "The Accursed" - 2013

As already announced in my Hello September post and my Buddy Read post, Lisa @Capitvated Reader and myself were hosting a buddy read in October 2026. 

I have written a post every week - with spoilers, see here:

Buddy Read Part 1 
Buddy Read Part 2 
Buddy Read Part 3 
Buddy Read Part 4 

Lisa's posts:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3 
Part 4  
Final Review 

Here is a short summary for those readers who have not read this book and don't want to read the spoilers before reading it themselves.

I am not a big fan of fantasy or fantastic, mythical figures. I probably wouldn't have even looked at the book were it not by one of my favourite authors and for a dear blogger friend who invited me to join her buddy read.

This is definitely a combination of a vampire story, social commentary, satire, fictional history, gothic tale. I tried to concentrate on the social commentary and satire as that is what I love most, and not just in JCO. But it certainly has all those elements in it. Definitely also some horror, I can see Tim Burton making a movie out of this.

All in all, I am really glad I read this book. And I am really glad I read this with my buddy Lisa. If you plan to read this in future, follow our reading plan and join in the discussion once you have finished a part, no matter how quick you are.

This is definitely a challenging and highly interesting read! 

Book Description:

"This eerie tale of psychological horror sees the real inhabitants of turn-of-the-century Princeton fall under the influence of a supernatural power. New Jersey, 1905: soon-to-be commander-in-chief Woodrow Wilson is president of Princeton University. On a nearby farm, Socialist author Upton Sinclair, enjoying the success of his novel 'The Jungle', has taken up residence with his family. This is a quiet, bookish community - elite, intellectual and indisputably privileged. But when a savage lynching in a nearby town is hushed up, a horrifying chain of events is initiated - until it becomes apparent that the families of Princeton have been beset by a powerful curse. The Devil has come to this little town and not a soul will be spared. 'The Accursed' marks new territory for the masterful Joyce Carol Oates - narrated with her unmistakable psychological insight, it combines beautifully transporting historical detail with chilling fantastical elements to stunning effect."