Blog
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The Ice Palace: Tarjei Vesaas’s Peculiar Parable on Grief
The Ice Palace first crossed my path in 2023, and I was instantly reminded of it after reading Anna Kavan’s Ice a year ago. This Norwegian novel was absent from my American libraries, but fortuitously, I was able to find it after moving to the UK. In The Ice Palace, we meet Sissi, a young… Continue reading
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Emperors of Earth: Rilke, Psalms, and Grief
While on vacation last week, we stopped by some marvelous bookshops, and Mr H treated me to some new books of my choosing, one being a collection of Rainer Maria Rilke’s poems. Rilke—a contemporary and fellow countryman of Franz Kafka—had crossed my radar ages ago. Like many other misfortunates, he was quickly buried under my… Continue reading
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Lois the Witch – Elizabeth Gaskell’s American Horror
This was a curious little book that I stumbled across in the bookstore. First published in Charles Dicken’s magazine in 1859, Lois the Witch is a historical novella by Elizabeth Gaskell set in New England during the Salem witch trials. Young Lois Barclay, made suddenly an orphan, is sent away from England to the land… Continue reading
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From Storm to Snow Country – Weather and Wishful Thinking
Storm was an American novel I had high hopes for, and on some levels it impressed me greatly. In the 1940s, George R Stewart crafted a visionary story of a Californian storm dubbed “Maria” and her impact on the lives and work of everyday people and animals, from electrical engineers to children and—a wild boar?… 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
- 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
- My Favorite Films and Music of 2025
Classics Considered 