DAILY PHOTO: Land’s End, Netravati
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BOOKS: “Meschugge” by Benni Bodker
Meschugge: Le Labyrinthe du fou by Benni BødkerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
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This graphic novel reminded me of “The Alienist” TV series (based — itself — on a popular novel,) particularly the Sara Howard (Dakota Fanning) arc in which a young, upper-class woman becomes a detective in the (turn of the 20th century) world which sees women as too delicate to be subjected to such horrors.
While the lead in this book bears striking resemblance to Sara Howard and the settings are quite similar, the book also features major differences that make it its own unique story. First of all, Kabbalistic Judaism plays a central role in the crimes in this book. Secondly, this story creates the impression that the supernatural might be involved. I don’t believe it is unambiguously supernatural, one could explain things in a rational way as well, but “The Alienist” takes a clear rationalist approach.
I enjoyed the story, and it kept me reading. There were a couple points in the story that didn’t make sense to me, particularly an occurrence in which a character is being pursued and seems to be in a dire situation, and then suddenly is free. This mechanism is sometimes used with characters who’ve been established as being extremely capable individuals because it is as if to say, “I don’t even need to show you this person getting out of this spot because it’s not a big enough trouble to fuss about,” (it’s also often done in poor TV and movies for budget reasons,) but this character is not a master escape artist (being out of her depths is part of what creates such great tension throughout the story.)
An exciting premise and interesting characters, but with a few rough edges in plotting.
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“Days” by Ralph Waldo Emerson [w/ Audio]
Daughters of Time, the hypocritic Days,
Muffled and dumb like barefoot dervishes,
And marching single in an endless file,
Bring diadems and fagots in their hands.
To each they offer gifts after his will,
Bread, kingdoms, stars, or sky that holds
them all.
I, in my pleached garden, watched the
pomp,
Forgot my morning wishes, hastily
Took a few herbs and apples, and the Day
Turned and departed silent. I, too late,
Under her solemn fillet saw the scorn.
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Into the Last Light [Haiku]
leaving the forest,
see the last light of the day
warm the hilltop.
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Rainy Rice Field [Haiku]
DAILY PHOTO: Samse Tea Estate
“Gathering Leaves” by Robert Frost [w/ Audio]
Spades take up leaves
No better than spoons,
And bags full of leaves
Are light as balloons.
I make a great noise
Of rustling all day
Like rabbit and deer
Running away.
But the mountains I raise
Elude my embrace,
Flowing over my arms
And into my face.
I may load and unload
Again and again
Till I fill the whole shed,
And what have I then?
Next to nothing for weight,
And since they grew duller
From contact with the earth,
Next to nothing for color.
Next to nothing for use,
But a crop is a crop,
And who's to say where
The harvest shall stop?
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Bats in the Bamboo [Haiku]
bats hang in bamboo —
blanket-wrapped in wings —
hang like their food, fruit.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 