Category Archives: Books

Easily confused (30) Brothers

The Brothers Grimm: Grim brothers:

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Easily Confused (29) Spies, cold and warm

The spy who came in from the cold: The spy who wants to go to a warm country:

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Sad Things (7) Language Courses

Language Courses that have barely been used. Or not used at all. I believe millions of homes around the world are full of similar displays of short-lived motivation. One of my problems, apart from time and laziness, is that I … Continue reading

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Easily Confused (26) Feminism

Feminism, as seen by women: Feminism, as seen by academics: Feminism, as seen by men:

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Charles Ramsey is Burma Jones

My most favorite character in literature is Burma Jones. The only black, the only sane, possibly the smartest and yet the funniest person in A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, he works for “minimal wage” – not his only mispronunciation … Continue reading

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Sad Things (# 6) Library Books

Sad: Buying a book in a library book sale which had been in the stock of the library for several decades but which hasn’t been on loan to a reader even once. Even more sad: Not reading this book in … Continue reading

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Did you notice the Irony? (# 1)

Quite often when I read something that other people find tragic or outrageous or don’t even notice at all, I find that my first reaction is to think “Look at the irony behind that!” That is why I now start … Continue reading

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Easily Confused (10) Big Breasts

“Big Breasts & Wide Hips”, a book by the Nobel Prize winning Chinese author Mo Yan: Big breasts and wide hips in Malta: Big breasts and wide hips in my imagination:

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The Mo Yan Poll

My empty, questioning stare when I heard that this year’s Nobel Prize for Literature would go to the Chinese author Mo Yan showed me three things: that I don’t read enough books, that I don’t read enough literary supplements of … Continue reading

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“Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck

Since 2008 or 2009, I have heard the expression “worst recession since the Great Depression” more times than banks have asked for another bailout. I got tired and fed up by that constantly repeated statement because as little as I know … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Economics, USA | 15 Comments