The book has no structure, just a bunch of essays about far off places, and interesting people. These essays could be read out of order, there is not timeline
Not a traditional travel guide. This book allows the reader to skip in sections, and choose whatever trip or adventure they’d like to experience.
. I especially liked the many anecdotes the authors give along with the points they are trying to make, instead of just giving a few tidbits here and there, or worst, throwing names around.
The story is action packed, sometimes hilarious, sometimes amusing, but always entertaining.
Even though the novel is almost 300 years old (at the time of this post), it is still relevant and exciting. While the language does reflect the prejudices of the 18th Century, it is still a product of its time and well worth reading.
Today is the birthday of famed Brazilian novelist, poet, playwrite and short story writer Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis. The author was an advocate of monarchism and is still regarded as the greatest writer of Brazilian literature. 1) The author was known also as Machado de Assis, Machado, or Bruxo do Cosme Velho 2) Machado was born in Rio de Janeiro which at the time was the capital of the Empire of Brazil to a mulatto father and a Azorean Portuguese washerwoman. 3) Machado went to public school but was not a good student. 4) Father Silveira Sarmento became known to young de Assis while celebrating masses and taught him Latin (and later became a friend). 5) When his mother died, 10 year-old Joaquim and his father moved to São Cristóvão. Franscisco de Assis met and married Maria Inês da Silva. 6) Joaquim studied at a school for girls, he was there because his stepmother worked at the school making candy. At night Joaquim learned French and also met Francisco de Paula Brito, a bookstore owner who helped him get published. 7) Joaquim started working in a newspaper as a proofreader while contining to write for several other newspapers. He…
Article first published as Book Review: State of Wonder by Ann Patchett on Blogcritics. About: State of Wonder by Ann Patchett is a fictional book taking place, mostly, in Brazil’s Amazonregion. I have been in that region and ever since loved reading about it, reliving my adventures and banging my head against the wall wishing to go back again and look at things with more informed eyes. The publisher is giving away one copy of this book— use the Rafflecopter form at the end of the post to enter. 368 pages Publisher: Bloomsbury UK Language: English ISBN-10: 1408818590 My rating for State of Wonder – 4 Buy this book in paper or electronic format More Books by Anne Patchett Thoughts: State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (website) takes its time to build up, putting ordinary people, slowly but surely, in extraordinary situations where neither them nor the reader realizes it until the setup clamps behind you with no way back. The book has several themes running through it, but the two I found most fascinating is the effects mentors have on their underlings and being able to let go of formal education, when necessary, to look differently at the world around you. I believe that…
The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey by Candice Millard tells of the extraordinary expedition
The book tells about Grann’s fascination with “Z”, a mythical city mentioned by explorer Percy Harrison Fawcett. Mr. Fawcett disappeared in the Amazon region