Meet Molly: a quirky, spirited twenty-five-year old, widowed for 6 years, living in picturesque Hillsboro with her aunt amidst gossipy neighbors, on a strict diet, and in serious boy trouble. There's Arthur, her childhood sweetheart; then, there's the enigmatic, charming Judge Wade; and of course, there's her cousin Tom; and then, her infuriating neighbor, John Moore... But who will melt her heart? It is Arthur's return, and his seemingly simple request of wanting to see her in the same blue dress she wore when he left, that throws everything into turmoil... Sometimes, one can only find some solace in one's garden. Narrated in a refreshingly modern and playful style by none other than Molly herself, this book is the British magazine version; there’s a significantly different American novel version. (Summary by Elli, Julie VW and Stav Nisser)...

Fiction, Romance

I am going to tell you something about a little girl who was always saying and doing funny things, and very often getting into trouble. Her name was Prudy Parlin, and she and her sister Susy, three years older, lived in Portland, in the State of Maine, though every summer they went to Willowbrook, to visit their grandmother. (From chapter 1 )...

Children

Erewhon, or Over the Range is a novel by Samuel Butler, published anonymously in 1872. The title is also the name of a country, supposedly discovered by the protagonist. In the novel, it is not revealed in which part of the world Erewhon is, but it is clear that it is a fictional country. Butler meant the title to be read as the word Nowhere backwards, even though the letters h and w are transposed. It is likely that he did this to protect himself from accusations of being unpatriotic, although Erewhon is obviously a satire of Victorian society. (summary from wikipedia)...

Science fiction, Satire

This was the weekly poetry project for 14 May 2006. Spring’s flowers come and go all too quickly, but Wordsworth’s classic poem reminds us that their blessings last....

Poetry

Die Totenstadt erschien 1901 im Rahmen der 10 Hefte umfassenden Serie „Aus dem Reiche der Phantasie“, wobei jedes Heft eine abgeschlossene Geschichte ist. Die Reihe wurde von Robert Kraft in Genre der Jules Verne’schen Schriften gehalten und für die Jugend geschrieben. Sie erschien im Münchmeyer Verlag. (Summary by Wassermann)...

Fantasy, Fiction

I Fästmön, andra delen av En Nyckfull kvinna, lämnar bruksförvalteren Helmer Dagby under en tid för att kunna vara hos sin döende mor. Under hans frånvaro dyker en ny person upp på Dagby, ryttmästaren Abbe Linden, kallad kusin Abbe, en levnadsglad man beredd till allt slags upptåg, och med en egen agenda. Han blir en rival till såväl greve Herman som herr Helmer. Den nyckfulla Edith Sternfelt kämpar med sina känslor för bruksförvaltaren. När han väl återkommit till Dagby efter modern död anar de båda vilka känslor de innerst inne har för varandra, men ändå söker dölja. Till slut fattar Edith i hastigt mod och desperation, efter ett meningsutbyte med modern, beslutet att till slut ge sitt jag till greven, och Edit är plötsligt förlovad och fästmö, till moderns stora glädje. Men det blir inte så enkelt. (Sammanfattning: Lars Rolander)...

Fiction, Literature

After his father’s death Gerard Roylake returns from Germany to take up his inheritance at Trimley Deen. On one evening he meets his childhood friend, Cristel Toller. They fall in love, but there is a crux. A deaf man, called The Lodger is obsessed with Cristel. He invites Gerard to tea with evil intentions… and Gerard accepts the invitation. The book is written in the first person and tells the story from Gerard's point of view. (Summary by Diana Majlinger)...

Literature, Fiction

The ordering novelty in the New Testament is that it places the Gospel of John and the First Epistle of John at the beginning before the Gospel of Matthew, thus placing the Acts of the Apostles immediately after the Gospel of Luke. Work on the translation began in 1853 by a London businessman called Ferrar Fenton (1832–1920). The complete Bible was first published in 1903, though parts were published as separate volumes during the preceding 11 years. The translation is noted for a rearranging of the books of the Bible into what the author believed was the correct chronological order. His translation of the New Testament is based on the Greek text of Westcott and Hort....

Religion, Ancient Texts

Altamirano nos da a creer que este cuento es una historia verídica, que le fue contada por el narrador. Es, simplemente, la historia de un soldado que se encuentra con un cura en las montañas el día de Nochebuena, y pasa con él y con su pueblo la noche de fiestas. (Resumen de Karen Savage)...

Fiction, Literature, Holiday

The Time Machine is a science fiction novella by H. G. Wells, published in 1895 for the first time and later adapted into at least two feature films of the same name, as well as two television versions, and a large number of comic book adaptations. It indirectly inspired many more works of fiction in many media. This 32,000 word story is generally credited with the popularisation of the concept of time travel using a vehicle that allows an operator to travel purposefully and selectively. The term time machine, coined by Wells, is now universally used to refer to such a vehicle....

Science fiction

Le mystère est grand. On a essayé de tuer mademoiselle Stangerson dans une chambre fermée de l'intérieur, aucun accès visible, volets clos... Qui a voulu perpétrer ce meurtre et surtout, comment a-t-il procédé ? (Résumé par Naf Brusa)...

Fiction, Literature, Mystery

Plain speaking is necessary in any discussion of religion, for if the freethinker attacks the religious dogmas with hesitation, the orthodox believer assumes that it is with regret that the freethinker would remove the crutch that supports the orthodox. And all religious beliefs are crutches hindering the free locomotive efforts of an advancing humanity. There are no problems related to human progress and happiness in this age which any theology can solve, and which the teachings of freethought cannot do better and without the aid of encumbrances. (Summary from the preface)...

Religion, Science

The Vernal Equinox signals the time when the winter’s cold mantle begins to succumb to the warming influences of the oncoming spring. Fay Inchfawn (nee Elizabeth Rebecca Ward) took the springtime of 1920 as her inspiration for the bright promise of beauty and new life described in Early Spring. volunteers bring you eight different readings of this magical work to celebrate the Vernal Equinox. This was the weekly poetry project for the week of March 19, 2006. (Summary by Chip)...

Poetry

The 13th century Icelandic Völsungasaga is usually read by people studying the Poetic Edda or Wagner's Ring - which obscures the fact it is a much better story than practically everything derived from it. A riddle-telling dragon, a broken sword, a hooded mysterious wanderer - cannibalism, incest, mutilation, and sensitive hearts. This is R-rated Tolkien - and the unashamedly archaic Magnússon-Morris translation is up for the adventure. Passages spoken in Old Norse are taken from the edition of Sophus Bugge, Berlin, 1891. (Summary by Corpang)...

Adventure, Fantasy, Ancient Texts

This 1922 book by poet and sometime cultural critic Vachel Lindsay might have been the first to treat the then-new medium of moving pictures as an art form, one that was potentially as rich, complex, mysterious as far older ones, and whose physical and aesthetic properties were only starting to be understood. The highlight of the book might be “The Motion Picture of Fairy Splendor,” which examines the relationship between film storytelling, magic, myths, legends and bedtime stories. It’s discombobulating, in a good way, to read Lindsay’s attempts to grapple with what, precisely, cinema is. Being supposedly sophisticated 21st century people, we all feel as though we know what cinema is, and don’t need to have the basics explained to us, but this is really just vanity and ignorance talking. Bottom line: You haven’t really, seriously thought about movies — what they are, and what they can and cannot do, and become — until you’ve read this book. (Salon.com)...

Art

A dragon who flies out of a magical book; one whose purr quiets a fussy baby; another who eats an entire pack of tame hunting-hippopotomuses: These eight dragon tales are filled with the imaginative wit of children's author Edith Nesbit. (Summary by Laurie Anne Walden)...

Children, Short stories, Fantasy

An Ideal Husband is an 1895 comedy by Oscar Wilde which revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honor. The action is set in London, in the present, and takes place within a single day. Sooner or later, Wilde notes, we shall all have to pay for what we do. But he adds that, No one should be entirely judged by their past. (Summary from Wikipedia)...

Comedy, Play

豊島与志雄 (1890-1955) は、『レ・ミゼラブル』や、『ジャン・クリストフ』の翻訳で知られている。しかし、多数の児童文学の作品を書いている。多作で、青空文庫には、３００タイトル以上が登録されている。『コーカサスの禿鷹』は、禿鷹が一番高い山を探し求める話である。最後に、高い山がどれか分かった時、禿鷹は、雷に打たれ死んでしまうという結末を迎える。 TOYOSHIMA Yoshio is known as the translator for 'Les Misérables' and 'Jean Christophe', but he also wrote numerous books for children. There are more than 300 of his works registered at Aozora Bunko. 'The Vulture in the Caucasus' is a story where the vulture tries to locate the tallest mountain. When he finally finds the tallest mountain, he is hit by a thunderbolt. (Summary by Uchida Masatomo)...

Children, Fairy tales, Myths/Legends, Nature, Animals

Resurrection is the last of Tolstoy's major fiction works published in his lifetime. Tolstoy intended the novel as an exposition of injustice of man-made laws and the hypocrisy of institutionalized church. It was first published serially in the magazine Niva as an effort to raise funds for the resettlement of the Dukhobors. The story concerns a nobleman named Nekhlyudov, who seeks redemption for a sin committed years earlier. His brief affair with a maid resulted in her being fired and ending up in prostitution. The book treats his attempts to help her out of her current misery, but also focuses on his personal mental and moral struggle.(Summary from Wikipedia)...

Literature

Out of Time’s Abyss is an Edgar Rice Burroughs science fiction novel, the third of his Caspak trilogy. The sequence was first published in Blue Book Magazine as a three-part serial in the issues for September, October and November 1918, with Out of Time's Abyss forming the third installment. The complete trilogy was later combined for publication in book form under the title of The Land That Time Forgot (properly speaking the title of the first part) by A. C. McClurg in June 1924. Beginning with the Ace Books editions of the 1960s, the three segments have usually been issued as separate short novels. The third of these is treated in this article. Summary by Wikipedia)...

Fiction, Fantasy