books

193d

<p>The Barbellion Prize is coming back! This essential literary prize which “celebrates and promotes writing that represents the experience of chronic illness and disability” has been on hiatus but is now relaunching. They need help to raise funds to cover the cost of running the prize and welcome any donations, please spread the word!<br>“As with disability in general, the literature of disability and chronic illness is too commonly turned away from, leaving non-disabled readers ignorant of the profound difference experienced by many and disallowing a voice to chronically ill and disabled writers. All of the volunteers working to support the prize are motivated by a desire to celebrate difference as represented in literature and to effect positive social change via that representation.”</p><p><a href="https://barbellionprize.org/donate/" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>barbellionprize.org/donate/</a></p><p><a href="/tags/bookstodon/" rel="tag">#bookstodon</a> <a href="/tags/reading/" rel="tag">#reading</a> <a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/chronicillness/" rel="tag">#chronicIllness</a> <a href="/tags/disability/" rel="tag">#Disability</a> <a href="/tags/disabled/" rel="tag">#disabled</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/publishing/" rel="tag">#publishing</a> <a href="/tags/internationaldayofpersonswithdisabilities/" rel="tag">#InternationalDayOfPersonsWithDisabilities</a> <a href="/tags/idpwd/" rel="tag">#IDPWD</a> @disability <span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span></p>

Edited 193d ago

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15d

<p>📚 Taiwan Travelogue by: Shuang-zi Yang</p><p>May 1938. The young novelist Aoyama Chizuko has sailed from her home in Nagasaki, Japan, and arrived in Taiwan. She’s been invited there by the Japanese government ruling the island, though she has no interest in their official banquets or imperialist agenda. Instead, Chizuko longs...</p><p><a href="https://bookblabla.com/book/taiwan-travelogue" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="bookblabla.com/book/taiwan-travelogue"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">bookblabla.com/book/taiwan-tra</span><span class="invisible">velogue</span></a></p><p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/reading/" rel="tag">#reading</a> <a href="/tags/libraries/" rel="tag">#libraries</a> <a href="/tags/fiction/" rel="tag">#fiction</a> <a href="/tags/literaryfiction/" rel="tag">#literaryfiction</a> <a href="/tags/historical/" rel="tag">#historical</a> <a href="/tags/generalfiction/" rel="tag">#generalfiction</a> <a href="/tags/lgbtq/" rel="tag">#lgbtq</a></p>

May 1938. The young novelist Aoyama Chizuko has sailed from her home in Nagasaki, Japan, and arrived in Taiwan. She’s been invited there by the Japanese government ruling the island, though she has no interest in their official banquets or imperialist agenda. Instead, Chizuko longs to experience real island life and to taste as much of its authentic cuisine as her famously monstrous appetite can bear.

Soon a Taiwanese woman—who is younger even than she is, and who shares the characters of her name is hired as her interpreter and makes her dreams come true. The charming, erudite, meticulous Chizuru arranges Chizuko’s travels all over the Land of the South and also proves to be an exceptional cook. Over scenic train rides and braised pork rice, lively banter and winter melon tea, Chizuko grows infatuated with her companion and intent on drawing her closer. But something causes Chizuru to keep her distance. It’s only after a heartbreaking separation that Chizuko begins to grasp what the “something” is.

Disguised as a translation of a rediscovered text by a Japanese writer, this novel was a sensation on its first publication in Mandarin Chinese in 2020 and won Taiwan’s highest literary honor, the Golden Tripod Award. Taiwan Travelogue unburies lost colonial histories and deftly reveals how power dynamics inflect our most intimate relationships.

A bittersweet story of love between two women, nested in an artful exploration of language, history, and power

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180d

<p>Books On My Winter 2025-2026 to-Read List: <a href="https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-books-on-my-winter-2025-2026-to-read-list/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-books-on-my-winter-2025-2026-to-read-list/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesda</span><span class="invisible">y-books-on-my-winter-2025-2026-to-read-list/</span></a> </p><p><a href="/tags/tbr/" rel="tag">#TBR</a> <a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#Books</a> <a href="/tags/amreading/" rel="tag">#AmReading</a></p><p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span></p>

A sprig of holly lying on an opened hardcover book that itself is lying on some rough rocks at the beach on a sunny day.

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1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1923.</p><p>A production of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus at The Old Vic, directed by Robert Atkins, is the first in London since 1857. It is also the first to restore the full original text since the playwright's time.</p><p>It is often seen as his attempt to emulate the violent & bloody revenge plays of his contemporaries, which were extremely popular with audiences throughout the 16th century.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titus_Andronicus" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titus_Andronicus"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titus_An</span><span class="invisible">dronicus</span></a></p><p>Titus Andronicus at PG<br><a href="https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/1507" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>gutenberg.org/ebooks/1507</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/theatre/" rel="tag">#theatre</a></p>

Title page of the first quarto of Titus Andronicus by Shakespeare, published 1594

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180d

<p>The Hidden History of Women Game Designers</p><p>Nineteenth-century women turned music lessons into interactive entertainment, complete with spinning wheels and ivory counters.</p><p>By: Carmel Raz </p><p><a href="https://daily.jstor.org/the-hidden-history-of-women-game-designers/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="daily.jstor.org/the-hidden-history-of-women-game-designers/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">daily.jstor.org/the-hidden-his</span><span class="invisible">tory-of-women-game-designers/</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/games/" rel="tag">#games</a> <a href="/tags/womenhistory/" rel="tag">#womenhistory</a></p>

Cover page of the book Instructions for Playing the Musical Games: Invented by Anne Young Edinburgh : Printed by C. Stewart, And Co. 1801

The title page of "Instructions for Playing the Musical Games" (1801) by Anne Young, printed in Edinburgh by C. Stewart and Co. This historic publication documents early educational musical games, featuring period typography and layout typical of early 19th-century Scottish printing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Gunn#/media/File:Instructions_for_Playing_the_Musical_Games,_Anne_Young.jpg

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1y

<p>Irish novelist Edith Somerville died <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1949.</p><p>She wrote in collaboration with her cousin "Martin Ross" (Violet Martin) under the pseudonym "Somerville and Ross". Together they published a series of fourteen stories and novels, the most popular of which were The Real Charlotte, published in 1894, and Some Experiences of an Irish R. M., published in 1899.</p><p>Books by E. Œ. Somerville at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/5334" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/5334"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/5334</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Somerville atop her horse Tarbush.

Source book page: https://archive.org/stream/irishmemories00some/irishmemories00some#page/n218/mode/1up

In the photograph, she appears composed and elegant, sitting confidently on her horse.

Somerville is dressed in traditional 19th-century riding attire. This would typically include a riding habit—likely a long, dark-colored skirt and jacket, tailored for horseback riding.

Her hair is styled modestly, often covered by a riding hat or bonnet, suitable for outdoor activity and in keeping with the fashion of the era.

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1y

<p>English philosopher and women's rights advocate Harriet Taylor Mill was born <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1807.</p><p>She is considered to have been a key contributor to many of John Stuart Mill’s most famous works, particularly "On Liberty" (1859) & "The Subjection of Women" (1869). Some of her own writings, such as her essay "The Enfranchisement of Women" (1851), argued for women's equality and their right to vote.</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Taylor_Mill" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_Taylor_Mill"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet_</span><span class="invisible">Taylor_Mill</span></a></p><p>Books by Harriet Taylor Mill at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/73404" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/73404</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a></p>

Harriet Mill, by unknown artist, Harriet Taylor Mill (née Harriet Hardy) (8 October 1807 – November 1858) was a philosopher and women's rights advocate. Her extant corpus of writing is very small, and she is largely remembered for her influence, which he said was very great, on her second husband, John Stuart Mill, one of the pre-eminent thinkers of the 19th century, Painting given to the National Portrait Gallery, London in 1982.

In the painting, Harriet Taylor Mill is presented with a refined and composed demeanor, reflecting her intellect and influence as a thinker. Her expression is calm yet thoughtful, with a sense of quiet determination that hints at her significant contributions to women's rights and social reform.

She has a delicate face, with fine features—perhaps high cheekbones, a soft jawline, and bright eyes that convey her sharp intellect. Her lips are often depicted with a slight, gentle smile or in a neutral, contemplative pose.

Her hair is styled in the fashion of the mid-19th century, likely parted in the center and arranged in neat waves or curls around her face, with the rest pulled back in a simple, elegant updo.

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180d

<p>📚 Merry Christmas, You Filthy Animal by: Meghan Quinn</p><p>There are two things you should know about Atlas 'Max' Maxheimer. One: he has the presence of a six-foot-four lumberjack with a knack for making people smile. Two: he lives and breathes the holidays. Not only is he the reigning victor of the annual to...</p><p><a href="https://bookblabla.com/book/merry-christmas-you-filthy-animal" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="bookblabla.com/book/merry-christmas-you-filthy-animal"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">bookblabla.com/book/merry-chri</span><span class="invisible">stmas-you-filthy-animal</span></a></p><p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/reading/" rel="tag">#reading</a> <a href="/tags/libraries/" rel="tag">#libraries</a> <a href="/tags/fiction/" rel="tag">#fiction</a> <a href="/tags/romance/" rel="tag">#romance</a> <a href="/tags/generalfiction/" rel="tag">#generalfiction</a> <a href="/tags/contemporaryfiction/" rel="tag">#contemporaryfiction</a> <a href="/tags/sports/" rel="tag">#sports</a></p>

There are two things you should know about Atlas 'Max' Maxheimer. One: he has the presence of a six-foot-four lumberjack with a knack for making people smile. Two: he lives and breathes the holidays. Not only is he the reigning victor of the annual town Christmas contest, but his family have a literal Christmas tree farm. 'Tis his damn season.

And she's going to ruin everything.

Betty is new in town, full of holiday cheer and, worst of all, is helping her uncle open a rival tree farm next door. Max is convinced she's out to destroy everything he loves. Betty thinks Max might be one sleigh short of a winter parade.

And they're having way too much fun trying to outdo each other.

After Christmas chaos, public humiliation and booby traps that Home Alone would be proud of, it only takes a blizzard, a romantic cottage and only one bed for the sparks between Max and Betty to ignite...

The perfect festive romance involving a very creative misuse of a popcorn garland, a grand Christmas romantic gesture and getting snowed in with only one bed...

🎄TROPES:
💕Small Towns
💕Banter
💕Rivals to Lovers
💕Forced Proximity
💕He Falls First
💕One Bed
💕A lot of spice 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️

But also expect...
Elite holiday movie references
A spicy moment with some chocolate covered cherries
Misuse of a popcorn garland...

READERS ARE OBSESSED WITH MEGHAN QUINN'S BOOKS...
'Outrageously laugh-out-loud funny' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'The way I completely

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193d

<p>New on my <a href="/tags/blog/" rel="tag">#blog</a>: "Books Reviewed: November 2025." <br><a href="https://itinerantlibrarian.wordpress.com/2025/12/03/books-reviewed-november-2025/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="itinerantlibrarian.wordpress.com/2025/12/03/books-reviewed-november-2025/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">itinerantlibrarian.wordpress.c</span><span class="invisible">om/2025/12/03/books-reviewed-november-2025/</span></a></p><p>A small wrap up this month, but still got something in. </p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/reading/" rel="tag">#reading</a> <a href="/tags/alchemicalthoughts/" rel="tag">#AlchemicalThoughts</a> <a href="/tags/reviews/" rel="tag">#reviews</a> <a href="/tags/bookreview/" rel="tag">#BookReview</a> <a href="/tags/bookstodon/" rel="tag">#bookstodon</a> <br> 💙📚</p><p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span></p>

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193d

<p>📚 The God of the Woods by: Liz Moore</p><p>Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And ...</p><p><a href="https://bookblabla.com/book/the-god-of-the-woods" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="bookblabla.com/book/the-god-of-the-woods"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">bookblabla.com/book/the-god-of</span><span class="invisible">-the-woods</span></a></p><p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/reading/" rel="tag">#reading</a> <a href="/tags/libraries/" rel="tag">#libraries</a> <a href="/tags/fiction/" rel="tag">#fiction</a> <a href="/tags/familylife/" rel="tag">#familylife</a> <a href="/tags/generalfiction/" rel="tag">#generalfiction</a> <a href="/tags/psychologicalfiction/" rel="tag">#psychologicalfiction</a> <a href="/tags/literary/" rel="tag">#literary</a></p>

Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.

As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER and ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES’S NOTABLE BOOKS OF THE YEAR

A NEW YORK TIMES "BEST THRILLER" and "BEST CRIME NOVEL" OF THE YEAR

PEOPLE MAGAZINE’S #1 BOOK OF THE YEAR

Extraordinary... Reminds me of Donna Tartt’s 1992 debut, The Secret History... I was so thoroughly submerged in a rich fictional world, that for hours I barely came up for air. Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air, NPR.

This expertly paced thriller has the kineticism of a well-crafted miniseries. The New Yorker

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193d

Story Graph?

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193d

<p>📚 Honey and Spice by: Bolu Babalola</p><p>Sweet like plantain, hot like pepper. They taste the best when together...<br>Sharp-tongued (and secretly soft-hearted) Kiki Banjo has just made a huge mistake. As an expert in relationship-evasion and the host of the popular student radio show Brown Sugar, she's made it her mission...</p><p><a href="https://bookblabla.com/book/honey-and-spice" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="bookblabla.com/book/honey-and-spice"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">bookblabla.com/book/honey-and-</span><span class="invisible">spice</span></a></p><p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/reading/" rel="tag">#reading</a> <a href="/tags/libraries/" rel="tag">#libraries</a> <a href="/tags/fiction/" rel="tag">#fiction</a> <a href="/tags/literaryfiction/" rel="tag">#literaryfiction</a> <a href="/tags/romance/" rel="tag">#romance</a> <a href="/tags/contemporaryfiction/" rel="tag">#contemporaryfiction</a> <a href="/tags/womenfiction/" rel="tag">#womenfiction</a></p>

Sweet like plantain, hot like pepper. They taste the best when together...
Sharp-tongued (and secretly soft-hearted) Kiki Banjo has just made a huge mistake. As an expert in relationship-evasion and the host of the popular student radio show Brown Sugar, she's made it her mission to make sure the women of the African-Caribbean Society at Whitewell University do not fall into the mess of "situationships", players, and heartbreak. But when the Queen of the Unbothered kisses Malakai Korede, the guy she just publicly denounced as "The Wastemen of Whitewell," in front of every Blackwellian on campus, she finds her show on the brink.

They're soon embroiled in a fake relationship to try and salvage their reputations and save their futures. Kiki has never surrendered her heart before, and a player like Malakai won't be the one to change that, no matter how charming he is or how electric their connection feels. But surprisingly entertaining study sessions and intimate, late-night talks at old-fashioned diners force Kiki to look beyond her own presumptions. Is she ready to open herself up to something deeper?

A gloriously funny and sparkling debut novel, Honey and Spice is full of delicious tension and romantic intrigue that will make you weak at the knees.
A smart, sexy summer read, which hits your brain and your romance buttons in one shot. Los Angeles Times

The ultimate summer romance... It's got all the juiciest, most satisfying romance tropes, but in Babalola's capable

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180d

<p>📚 Snap by: Susin Nielsen</p><p>Frances Partridge, fifty-five, is a beloved children’s author. Geraint Blevins, forty-one, is an auto mechanic and devoted family man. Parker Poplawski, twenty-three, is just starting her career as a wardrobe assistant on a hit TV show. What do these people have in common?</p><p>Nothing, that’s what. Until...</p><p><a href="https://bookblabla.com/book/snap" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>bookblabla.com/book/snap</a></p><p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/reading/" rel="tag">#reading</a> <a href="/tags/libraries/" rel="tag">#libraries</a> <a href="/tags/fiction/" rel="tag">#fiction</a> <a href="/tags/friendshipfiction/" rel="tag">#friendshipfiction</a> <a href="/tags/familylife/" rel="tag">#familylife</a> <a href="/tags/generalfiction/" rel="tag">#generalfiction</a> <a href="/tags/humorous/" rel="tag">#humorous</a></p>

Frances Partridge, fifty-five, is a beloved children’s author. Geraint Blevins, forty-one, is an auto mechanic and devoted family man. Parker Poplawski, twenty-three, is just starting her career as a wardrobe assistant on a hit TV show. What do these people have in common?

Nothing, that’s what. Until each of them reaches a breaking point and snaps in spectacular fashion. They meet in a court-mandated anger management class: three very different people, forced to spend a lot of time together, who slowly end up bonding and helping one another in unexpected ways, whether it’s to move on or to exact revenge.

Lighthearted, timely, and funny, Snap is Nielsen at the top of her storytelling game, delivering flawed but relatable characters whose heartaches, foibles, and choices will make you cringe as you laugh out loud.

A laugh-out-loud novel about the consequences of being pushed to the edge—and plummeting right over it

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1y

<p>This old image made me think of every single book lover in the Fediverse 📚📖<img src="https://eggplant.place/media/emoji/tech.lgbt/fediverse.png" class="emoji" alt=":fediverse:" title=":fediverse:"></p><p><a href="/tags/bookstodon/" rel="tag">#bookstodon</a> <a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/booklovers/" rel="tag">#booklovers</a></p>

A black and white photo of a book store called "Yesterday's Books" with "Any Book $1.00"

On the first floor, is a big sign "BOOKS will turn you on!"

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178d

<p>Was the Bayeux Tapestry Made for a Monastic Dining Hall?</p><p>A new study offers a fresh way of thinking about one of the most famous works of medieval art by asking a deceptively simple question: where was the Bayeux Tapestry originally meant to be seen? </p><p><a href="https://www.medievalists.net/2025/12/bayeux-tapestry-monastic-dining-hall/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.medievalists.net/2025/12/bayeux-tapestry-monastic-dining-hall/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.medievalists.net/2025/12/b</span><span class="invisible">ayeux-tapestry-monastic-dining-hall/</span></a></p><p>Original article:<br><a href="https://academic.oup.com/histres/advance-article/doi/10.1093/hisres/htaf029/8377922?login=false" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="academic.oup.com/histres/advance-article/doi/10.1093/hisres/htaf029/8377922?login=false"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">academic.oup.com/histres/advan</span><span class="invisible">ce-article/doi/10.1093/hisres/htaf029/8377922?login=false</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/old_manuscripts/" rel="tag">#old_manuscripts</a> <a href="/tags/history/" rel="tag">#history</a></p>

This scene from the Bayeux Tapestry shows a banquet held by the Norman leaders before the invasion of England.

At the center is a long, curved table laden with food—round loaves of bread, bowls, and drinking vessels—around which several Norman figures sit and gesture animatedly. One central figure, dressed as a bishop, raises his hand in a gesture of blessing, indicating that the meal is being formally blessed before it begins. The Latin inscription above the scene refers to this act of blessing.

To the sides, attendants prepare and serve food: one cuts meat, another carries dishes, and others hold drinking cups or signal to one another. Beneath the table, a servant hurries forward carrying a large wine vessel, emphasizing the scale of provisioning. Below this register, animals being prepared for food (such as livestock) appear, reinforcing the theme of feasting and supply.

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180d

<p>Great essay by Andrew Liptak on the loss of mass market paperbacks - "there are fewer opportunities to buy stories from new authors, and fewer places for people to encounter books in their everyday lives." </p><p><a href="https://www.andrewliptak.com/mass-market-paperback-novels-publishing-books/?ref=transfer-orbit-newsletter" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.andrewliptak.com/mass-market-paperback-novels-publishing-books/?ref=transfer-orbit-newsletter"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.andrewliptak.com/mass-mark</span><span class="invisible">et-paperback-novels-publishing-books/?ref=transfer-orbit-newsletter</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/publishing/" rel="tag">#publishing</a></p>

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178d

<p>The Drawing That Got a Renaissance Master Banished From Rome</p><p>Is all press still good press?</p><p>by Verity Babbs</p><p><a href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/art-bites-zuccaro-drawing-banished-from-rome-2710007" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="news.artnet.com/art-world/art-bites-zuccaro-drawing-banished-from-rome-2710007"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">news.artnet.com/art-world/art-</span><span class="invisible">bites-zuccaro-drawing-banished-from-rome-2710007</span></a></p><p>Renaissance art at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subjects/search/?query=renaissance+art" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subjects/search/?query=renaissance+art"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/subje</span><span class="invisible">cts/search/?query=renaissance+art</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/art/" rel="tag">#art</a> <a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/culture/" rel="tag">#culture</a></p>

Portrait of Federico Zuccaro, by Fede Galizia (1604), oil on canvas, at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.

It shows Zuccaro in three-quarter view against a dark, neutral background, emphasizing his face and upper body.

The sitter has short, thinning gray hair, a high forehead, and a neatly trimmed gray beard and mustache.

His expression is calm and introspective, with slightly downcast eyes.

He wears a dark, austere garment typical of late 16th–early 17th century elite fashion, offset by a crisp white collar.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fede_Galizia_-_Portrait_of_Federico_Zuccari_-_WGA8432.jpg

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1y

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1905.</p><p>The English actor-manager Sir Henry Irving collapses in his hotel, while playing Thomas Becket on tour in Bradford, dying soon afterwards. 'Into thy hands, O Lord, into thy hands', and though he lived for an hour or so longer he never spoke again" were his last words.</p><p>Becket and other plays by Baron Alfred Tennyson at PG:<br><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9162" rel="nofollow"><span class="invisible">https://</span>www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9162</a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/theatre/" rel="tag">#theatre</a></p>

Henry Irving as Thomas Becket.

Actor-manager Henry Irving (1838-1905) played the role of Thomas Becket in Becket by Alfred Lord Tennyson at the Lyceum Theatre in 1893. Becket was Irving's last role, he performed the character in Bradford in 1905 and died an hour after leaving the stage.

Bernard Partridge (1861-1945) was a painter and illustrator who became the principal cartoonist of Punch magazine. He acted at the Lyceum in his youth, using the name Bernard Gould, and made many drawings of Irving, some of which appeared in the theatre's souvenir programmes. His work has provided both a record of costumes and scenery and of the dramatic effect of Irving's performances.

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192d

Searching for eBook reader solution

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158d

<p>📚 The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by: Kiran Desai</p><p>When Sonia and Sunny first glimpse each other on an overnight train, they are immediately captivated yet also embarrassed by the fact that their grandparents had once tried to matchmake them, a clumsy meddling that served only to drive Sonia and Sunny apart.</p><p>Sonia, an aspiring novelist who recen...</p><p><a href="https://bookblabla.com/book/the-loneliness-of-sonia-and-sunny" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="bookblabla.com/book/the-loneliness-of-sonia-and-sunny"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">bookblabla.com/book/the-loneli</span><span class="invisible">ness-of-sonia-and-sunny</span></a></p><p><span class="h-card"><a href="https://fedigroups.social/@bookstodon" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@<span>bookstodon</span></a></span></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/reading/" rel="tag">#reading</a> <a href="/tags/libraries/" rel="tag">#libraries</a> <a href="/tags/fiction/" rel="tag">#fiction</a> <a href="/tags/literary/" rel="tag">#literary</a></p>

When Sonia and Sunny first glimpse each other on an overnight train, they are immediately captivated yet also embarrassed by the fact that their grandparents had once tried to matchmake them, a clumsy meddling that served only to drive Sonia and Sunny apart.

Sonia, an aspiring novelist who recently completed her studies in the snowy mountains of Vermont, has returned to her family in India. She fears that she is haunted by a dark spell cast by an artist to whom she had once turned for intimacy and inspiration. Sunny, a struggling journalist resettled in New York City, is attempting to flee his imperious mother and the violence of his warring clan. Uncertain of their future, Sonia and Sunny embark on a search for happiness together as they confront the many alienations of our modern world.

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny is the sweeping tale of two young people navigating the many forces that shape their lives: country, class, race, history, and the complicated bonds that link one generation to the next. A love story, a family saga, and a rich novel of ideas, it is the most ambitious and accomplished work yet by one of our greatest novelists.

A spellbinding story of two young people whose fates intersect and diverge across continents and years an epic of love and family, India and America, tradition and modernity, by the Booker Prize–winning author of The Inheritance of Loss

A transcendent triumph. not so much a novel as a marvel. The New York Times Book Review

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192d

<p>Ogden Nash makes a splash</p><p>Ogden Nash found success after The New Yorker hired him in 1930, launching a long career of humorous, playful verse. His earliest published poems enter public domain pretty soon.<br> <br>By John Mark Ockerbloom</p><p><a href="https://everybodyslibraries.com/2025/12/03/ogden-nash-makes-a-splash/" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="everybodyslibraries.com/2025/12/03/ogden-nash-makes-a-splash/"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">everybodyslibraries.com/2025/1</span><span class="invisible">2/03/ogden-nash-makes-a-splash/</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a> <a href="/tags/publicdomaindaycountdown/" rel="tag">#publicDomainDayCountdown</a></p>

Photo of panelist Ogden Nash and Dagmar from the television game show Masquerade Party.

This 1950s photo shows poet Ogden Nash with actress/TV personality Dagmar on the game show "Masquerade Party." Nash, wearing glasses and bow tie, sits at a panel desk while the glamorous Dagmar stands beside him.

via ABC Television

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogden_Nash#/media/File:Ogden_Nash_Dagmar_Masquerade_Party_1955.jpg

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192d

<p>How Ramanujan's formulae for pi connect to modern high energy physics</p><p>Most of us first hear about the irrational number π (pi)—rounded off as 3.14, with an infinite number of decimal digits—in school, where we learn about its use in the context of a circle. More recently, scientists have developed supercomputers that can estimate up to trillions of its digits.</p><p>by Rohini Subrahmanyam</p><p><a href="https://phys.org/news/2025-12-ramanujan-formulae-pi-modern-high.html" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="phys.org/news/2025-12-ramanujan-formulae-pi-modern-high.html"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">phys.org/news/2025-12-ramanuja</span><span class="invisible">n-formulae-pi-modern-high.html</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/mathematics/" rel="tag">#mathematics</a> <a href="/tags/physics/" rel="tag">#physics</a></p>

A pi pie.

A creative pie decorated with the pi symbol (π) in the center and the digits of pi (3.14159265358979323846...) written around the edges, creating a visual pun celebrating the mathematical constant.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi#/media/File:Pi_pie2.jpg

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1y

<p>"La reconnaissance a la mémoire courte."</p><p>Swiss philosopher & politician Benjamin Constant was born <a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1767. Author of numerous essays on political & religious issues, he also wrote psychological novels, such as Le Cahier rouge and Adolphe.</p><p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/5256" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/5256"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/5256</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a></p>

More details Roche - Portrait de Benjamin Constant (1767-1830), écrivain et homme politique - P1679 - Musée Carnavalet Hercule de Roche - https://www.parismuseescollections.paris.fr/en/node/153046

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179d

Can Bibliotherapy Heal the Pain of the World? <small class="notice" x-post-type-data="None"> Takahe has limited support for this type: <a href="https://literature.cafe/post/26981063">See Original Page</a> </small>

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192d

<p><a href="/tags/otd/" rel="tag">#OTD</a> in 1875, poet and novelist Rainer Maria Rilke is born</p><p>Rilke "was an Austrian poet and novelist. Acclaimed as an idiosyncratic and expressive poet, he is widely recognized as a significant writer in the German language. His work is viewed by critics and scholars as possessing undertones of mysticism, exploring themes of subjective experience and disbelief."</p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainer_Maria_Rilke" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainer_Maria_Rilke"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainer_M</span><span class="invisible">aria_Rilke</span></a></p><p>Rilke at PG:</p><p><a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/846" rel="nofollow" class="ellipsis" title="www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/846"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho</span><span class="invisible">r/846</span></a></p><p><a href="/tags/books/" rel="tag">#books</a> <a href="/tags/literature/" rel="tag">#literature</a> <a href="/tags/poetry/" rel="tag">#poetry</a></p>

Photograph of Rilke

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