LIBRITUDINE

This is a beautiful story, crafted like a fairy tale and as entertaining as a fantasy novel. The characters are each more compelling than the last—with an honorable mention for the dog and the godmother—and none of them fit neatly into a clear moral hierarchy; instead, they’re all part of a complex mix of values. A Kingfisher that increasingly resembles my idol, Naomi Novik, and is an absolute must-read.

I already knew that Wharton wrote beautiful short stories—just read my review of *New York Stories*—but every time I’m amazed at how she manages, in 18 pages (in this case), to stir such deep emotions in me. Once I finished reading and caught my breath, I couldn’t help but keep reflecting on these new truths—truths that I may have known before, but never in such explicit terms.

I wasn't all that thrilled by the story, because Maisie was a little girl who always seemed much older than her age (a less cynical version of Wednesday Addams), and all that partner-swapping seemed a bit over the top to me in the end. Plus, it's boring—terribly boring—or at least it was for me, but maybe it's just that I'm tired and it's too hot.

The first book in this series didn't really grab me, so much so that I wasn't sure if I'd continue with the series; Liam and Peyton, on the other hand, won me over right away, and somehow I just couldn't put the book down until I finished it. Now I'm sure I'll continue with the series, especially since I know who the next protagonist is.....

Il primo di questa serie mi aveva lasciato un po'indifferente, tanto che non sapevo se avrei continuato la serie; Liam e Peyton invece mi sono piaciuti tanto subito e in qualche modo non sono riuscita a staccarmi da loro fino a che non ho finito il libro. Ora sono sicura che continueró la serie, anche perché so chi é la prossima protagonista.....

The formatting of the digital copy I received was terrible, and the stories flowed into one another without a break, causing me more than a few problems. My favourites, however tragic and disturbing they may be, are the first and the last. I have, however, read better work by this author; though as far as short stories are concerned, there is no doubt that he has the ability, at least in my view, to fully convey an atmosphere (preferably an extremely poigant one) in very few words. Not surprisingly, I always find the whole thing particularly powerful.

La formattazione della copia digitale che ho ricevuto in anticipo era pessima e i racconti fluivano l'uno nell'altro senza soluzione di continuitá, creandomi piú di qualche problema. I miei preferiti, per quanto tragici e disturbanti sono il primo e l'ultimo. Ho letto comunque cose migliori scritte da questo autore, anche se per quanto riguarda i racconti, é indubbio che abbia la capacitá, almeno secondo me, di rendere pienamente un'atmosfera (meglio se estremamente pesante) in pochissime parole. Non a caso, trovo sempre il tutto particolarmente forte.

In my opinion, this novel lacks some of the lightheartedness that these two authors have gotten me used to—and perhaps not just me. Luca and Emery are definitely a good couple with great chemistry, but somehow there aren’t the usual banter between them, perhaps because the premise is a bit too dramatic. I admit I wouldn’t mind seeing a sequel featuring the vet and the shirtless guy as the main characters, but somehow in this book there isn’t much balance between the topics covered and the plot development, and I don’t know how else to put it.

Secondo me a questo romanzo manca un po' della leggerezza a cui queste due autrici mi hanno abituato, e magari non solo a me. La Luca ed Emery sono sicuramente una bella coppia con tanta chimica, ma in qualche modo non ci sono le solite battute tra i due, forse anche perché la premessa é un po' troppo drammatica. Ammetto che non mi dispiacerebbe vedere un seguito che abbia tra i protagonisti la veterinaria e l'uomo senza maglietta, ma in qualche modo in questo libro non c'é tanto equilibrio tra gli argomenti trattati e lo svolgimento e non saprei come dirlo meglio.

An epistolary novel like I haven't read in a long time. I even tried the audiobook, but it just wasn't for me. Sybil is a very complicated woman whom you can't help but love, and she reminded me of Olive Kitteridge. A truly wonderful book.

I'm starting to have a hard time keeping track of all the plot threads Trollope weaves me into, and more and more often I decide to follow only some of the subplots instead of all of them—probably because I'm too tired. I still enjoy reading this author, but I have to admit that I've enjoyed his other books much more.

** spoiler alert **

I feel a little sad after reading this book, because while it’s true that we all have to go through this, it’s not exactly pleasant to remember the details. I went to bed thinking I was going to read a romance novel, and I woke up trying to piece myself back together, so I would have preferred to know beforehand that it wasn’t a love story. Also, I liked this author’s second book much better, even though at times it was so similar that I wondered if the two protagonists had some connection I’d forgotten about.

Eric Kim (Illustrator)

I hadn't read this graphic novel when it came out years ago, and I'm glad I was able to fill that gap. Joel and Hanna are two really well-chosen characters, as are Kim's drawings. Of course, now I want to visit Korea and see if it has changed in the last 20 years since it was drawn and described at the time; maybe in the future.

Non avevo letto questa graphic novel quando era uscita anni fa e sono contenta di aver potuto colmare una lacuna. Joel ed Hanna sono due personaggi veramente azzeccati cosí come i disegni di Kim. Naturalmente ora ho voglia di visitare la Corea e vedere se é cambiata negli ultimi 20 anni, da quella disegnata e raccontata ai tempi; magari in futuro.

I’d never read Chinese poetry before, and I really enjoyed these poems, partly because there’s a brilliant introduction that explains a lot to people like me who know absolutely nothing about Chinese studies.

Non avevo mai letto poesie cinesi e queste mi sono piaciute molto, anche perché c'é una fantastica introduzione che spiega molte cose a chi come me, é completamente a digiuno sinologia.

In this second volume, too, Osric and Aurienne take us on an emotional rollercoaster, but this time I felt that everything was stretched out far too much compared to the first installment; and whilst the subplot featuring the sick children was always in the background and served as filler, their love story suffered a bit from unnecessary slowness in my opinion. The banter has thinned out to make way for the torment of the title, only that at times I found myself sharing it too.

Anche in questo secondo volume Osric ed Aurienne ci portano in una montagna russa di emozioni, ma stavolta ho avuto l'impressione che tutto fosse estremamente allungato rispetto al primo romanzo, e per quanto l'arc secondaria con protagonisti i bambini malati era sempre sullo sfondo e serviva come riempitivo, la loro storia d'amore ha un po' sofferto di lungaggini inutili secondo me. Le battute si sono diradate per lasciare spazio al tormento del titolo appunto, solo che a volte l'ho condiviso pure io.

Very interesting and well-written, based on scientific evidence and without unnecessary frills, the author guides us through a proper assessment of sleep, having first laid down some basic rules; once you’ve learnt that there’s no point in ‘stockpiling’ sleep – because it regulates itself by adjusting the amount of time spent in the various stages – I’d say you’re well on your way. Highly recommended!

Molto interessante e ben scritto, basato su dati scientifici e senza bisogno di troppi orpelli l'autrice ci guida attraverso una valutazione adeguata del sonno, dopo aver stabilito alcune regole di base; una volta imparato che non serve a niente accumulare il sonno, perché questo si sistema da solo cambiando la quantitá di tempo che passa nelle varie fasi, direi che il piú é fatto. Consigliatissimo!

I have mixed feelings about this novel, mainly because I’d describe it as a time-travel story or perhaps a fantasy rather than a romance. Insta-love has never been one of my favourite tropes, and the two main characters don’t actually spend that much time together. I don’t know, it seemed to me that the author tried to take on a bit too much and then couldn’t quite manage it....

Ho dei sentimenti contrastanti riguardo questo romanzo, fondamentalmente perché piú che di romanzo d'amore parlerei di viaggi nel tempo o eventualmente di un fantasy. L'insta-love non é mai stato uno dei miei trope preferiti e i due protagonisti non é che passino poi tanto tempo assieme. Non so, mi é sembrato che l'autrice mettesse un po' troppa carne al fuoco e poi non riuscisse a gestirsela....

Nina and Mav have good chemistry, even though I still think Markus is the best character. There’s also just the right amount of drama, even if I don’t think the instant love is particularly justified. But the way I see it, they’re all a little too good-looking and gorgeous—but okay, maybe that’s just how it is in California. Now I’m curious to read Benji and Sienna’s story.

Nina e Mav hanno una buona chimica anche se secondo me resta Markus il personaggio migliore. C'é anche la giusta dose di dramma anche se poi l'insta love secondo me non é particolarmente giustificato. Peró a mio modo di vedere sono tutti un po' troppo belli e stupendi, ma ok, magari funziona cosí in California. Ora sono curiosa di leggere la storia di Benji e Sienna.

This essay is very good in my opinion, first of all because it doesn’t get bogged down in overly technical details, yet provides just enough for people like me who need a physiological foundation to feel at ease. Furthermore, it doesn’t get carried away with psychological or psychoanalytic details, but sticks as closely as possible to verifiable and generalizable explanations—as much as is feasible given the subject matter. It’s also written in a fluid style, with just the right number of examples, chapters, and footnotes.