Library loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire and Marg that encouragers bloggers to share the books they have checked out from the library. If you would like to participate, Mr. Linky is this week over at Marg's blog The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader.
My loot this week is quite small. I have so many books from previous loots waiting for their turn that my card is almost full. The upper limit of loans on a card in our library is 40. I guess, I have something like 36 items on my card at the moment: novels in English and in Finnish, plus some nonfiction, including a few books I've borrowed for professional reasons. I'm very interested in multicultural/intercultural/diversity issues and am trying to broaden my knowledge on diversity management at the moment. But, lets go back to my loot. :)
- Dinesen, Isak (Karen Blixen): Anecdotes of Destiny
The back cover promises five superb tales of gothic wit and mysticism. Sounds perfect for R.I.P. Short Story Challenge. I just love the movie Out of Africa starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford that was based on Blixen's memoir of the same name. "I had a farm in Africa..." for me that is one of the most memorable first lines in books and ever since I saw the movie and also a wonderful old interview programme with Blixen I have wanted to read her works. Somehow, however, I never have before this! Now I am determined to correct that by reading at least one story from this book for R.I.P. - Engle, Margarita: The Firefly Letters
When I first saw this book at work I immedietely knew it would be a must read for me! Engle tells the story of Swedish women's rights pioneer Fredrika Bremer's mid 19th-century journey to Cuba. And she tells it as one long poem! - Goodall, Jane & Thane Maynard & Gail Hudson: Hope for Animals and Their World
I admire Dr. Jane Goodall for her pioneering work among the chimpanzees in Gombe and for her work for peace. This book is a collection of survival stories about animal species that have been endangered but are now recovering. And isn't the cover photograph just lovely! Dr. Jane and the little chimp both looking at the sea. :) - Miller, Kei: The Last Warner Woman
This is a novel about the life of Jamaican born Adamine, who is born in one of the last leper colonies on the island, later learns she has the gift of "warning", moves to England, and as an old woman tries to tell her own story and compete with a novelist writing a book about her and twisting her words. I don't think I have ever read anything by a Jamaican author. This book seems like a good first in that aspect.
On the R.I.P. front I'm not been able to keep my selfimposed schedule of posting on R.I.P. short stories every Monday and Friday. I had every intention to post yesterday, but fell asleep on the couch before I even got started! Well, this is going to be a combined Library Loot & R.I.P. post now.
I found the Read Print site just resently. There are, for example, many short stories by Edgar Allen Poe on the site, and for this post I chose to read the one called The Cask of Amontillado. Actually after starting with the story I pretty soon realised I had read it once before. It was well worth a reread.
In this short story Montresor feels he has been gravely insulted by Fortunato and wants to punish Fortunato accordingly, "not only punish, but punish with impunity". Fortunato, however, has no idea there is anything but amiable feelings between them. When Monresor approaches Fortunato, compiments his knowledge in vines, and tells he has aquired some Amontillado, but has his doubts about the vine, Fortunato is more than happy to assist in determinig the quality of the purchase. What follows is a journey down to the vaults below the Montresor palazzo -and to a complete and horrible punishment of Fortunato by Montresor.
Edgar Allen Poe, of course, was a master of his art. This story in all its gothic creepiness is a perfect example of that.
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