Blog
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What I’m Reading (and More) – Autumn 2025 edition
I’ve experienced all other seasons in the UK before, but this is my first autumn. It is much like a Pacific Northwest fall—instead of a sharp change from summer to winter, summer fades very slowly, giving autumn plenty of time to look around before making itself at home. Bright greens fade to pastel yellows, then… Continue reading
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Shackleton’s Endurance – Doomed from the Start?
Fascinating new insights on why the Endurance sank, with implications for Shackleton’s legacy: A broken rudder wasn’t what doomed the Endurance, new analysis suggests Shackleton blamed the sinking of the Endurance on the destruction of its rudder; for more than a century, historians accepted this explanation. Now, an analysis suggests that structural weakness caused the… Continue reading
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The Duino Elegies – Through Christian Eyes
The Swan: Finding Rilke In this year of personal joy and public tragedy, a little poem called “The Swan” crossed my path. The Austrian poet Rainier Maria Rilke was not unknown to me by name, but it was the first time I had read anything of his. Geoffrey Lehmann’s translation (to be released in a… Continue reading
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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
My main exposure to Sleepy Hollow has been through the Disney animation, a yearly viewing tradition in my family. Bing Crosby—my favorite old-time crooner and Washingtonian celebrity—narrates and sings the whimsical musical version of Washington Irving’s stately tale. In it, the hapless schoolmaster Ichabod Crane is thwarted in love and money by his archrival Brom… Continue reading
About Me
Hi, I’m Marian—I talk about classics, history, and other books on this blog, as well as on YouTube.
Currently Reading
Recent Posts
- Emo Classics – Bronte, Woolf, and Kierkegaard
- What I’m Reading – It’s Almost March Edition
- What I’m Reading – Morning Coffee Edition
- Oddly Specific Things I Love in Books (and a Few Movies)
- The Tenant of Wildfell Hall – A Long Overdue Review
Classics Considered 