Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Feb 3, 2012, 8:05 pm
Colin wheeled around on her, incredulous, exasperated. "That wasn't our first day," he said loudly. "Now you're completely confused It was seeing the queue that made us decide to go to the beach, and we didn't go there till the third day." Colin had stopped to say this,...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Feb 2, 2012, 8:32 pm
Deviant Love by Sigmund Freud Something Childish But Very Natural by Katherine Mansfield A Mere Interlude by Thomas Hardy Forbidden Fruit by Peter Abelard The Virgin and The Gipsy by D. H. Lawre...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Feb 1, 2012, 8:17 pm

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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Jan 27, 2012, 8:05 pm
I tried. I really did. But, I abandoned The Savage Detectives on page 216. The first part grabbed me, at least better than the second part which had more or less random people giving snippets of their encounters with the central characters. Part One tells o...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Jan 25, 2012, 6:24 pm
As I walked around the city, I let my eyes wander upward to a world of rooftop gardens, frescoes, friezes, and family crests that I'd never before noticed. That is how one morning I discovered Saint Martin carved in high relief above the door of a priest's home close to...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Jan 23, 2012, 1:21 am
 I feel like I've just been living in Kashgar, an Islamic city located within the People's Republic of China, with Millicent, Lizzie and Eva. I've eaten the dates, apricots, melons and bread, drunk the tea, and admired the women who are wives of Mohammed living u...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Jan 22, 2012, 1:00 am
...  photo credit here The close of January brings many things. My birthday ... mother's on the 31st. The end of the Japanese Literature Challenge 5. Basically, there are 9 days left to read that one book of Japanese literature which qualifies you. ... 1Q84 which remains my leas...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Jan 21, 2012, 10:01 am
I stepped outside to see how much snow had fallen in the night and found mysterious tracks adjacent to my reading child statue (left). I loved how they were caught in the snow, just my reader and some scurrying creature who passed her in the night. (Al...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Jan 17, 2012, 8:14 am
Commissario Brunetti is such a likable policeman. Brunetti, for his part, earned slightly more than three million lire a month as a commissario of police, a sum he calculated to be only a bit more than what his father-in-law paid each month for the rig...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Jan 16, 2012, 12:17 pm
to help take down Christmas:  I was not. I'm thinking that the origami I made from the printed word could quite possibly be snowflakes for January... if you use your imag...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Jan 15, 2012, 11:27 am
Thanks to my good friend Kevin, I was alerted to the fact that there has been a library phantom at the Scottish Poetry Library in Edinburgh. Apparently, a librarian was walking through a reading room when she came upon this: followed by this: &#...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Jan 13, 2012, 10:18 am
If you're like me and want to read like Richard, Parrish, Stu and Frances when you grow up, you might have to obtain some books which are beyond your general purview. Books like A Void by Georges Perec. Parallel Stories by Peter Nadas. And The Savage Detectiv...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Jan 9, 2012, 8:08 am
Reamde by Neal Stephenson: "If you are a Stephenson fan who believes “Snow Crash” and “Cryptonomicon” (1999) are his greatest novels, “Reamde” will come as very good news, for in many ways it can be read as a thematic revisitation of those excellent precur...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Jan 8, 2012, 2:34 pm
'Some mistakes...just have greater consequences than others. But you don't have to let that night be the thing that defines you.' It's hard to type a review with tears in your eyes, and on your cheeks, and falling into the keyboard, but I'll try. Beca...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Jan 7, 2012, 7:08 pm
So glad that I saw a post on Mrs. B's blog, The Literary Stew,  about reading Rushdie's Midnight's Children. She and Arti, of Ripple Effects, have decided to read this most worthy work beginning in March. Having never read anything by Salman Rushdie before, this book seems ...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Jan 6, 2012, 8:43 am
It's the last day of Winter Break Christmas Vacation for me. I wish I had a lovely photograph of snow to put above my post, but we've had what my husband called "a Tennessee Christmas": lots of gray, rainy weather. It hasn't dampened my spirits. This was such a lo...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Jan 5, 2012, 11:28 am
"You know," Cawley said, toeing the grass at his feet, head down, "I've built something valuable here. But valuable things also have a way of being misunderstood in their own time. Everyone wants a quick fix. We're tired of being afraid, tired of being sad,...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Jan 3, 2012, 7:47 pm
I'm off to the library in a moment because it actually has three copies of Roberto Bolano's novel The Savage Detectives. I told Richard, who's hosting the group read along with Rise, that this must be some sort of sign as our local library rarely has...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Nov 1, 2011, 8:44 pm
Welcome 11-1-11. Farewell 10-31-11 and all the ghostly charms that came with it. Farewell ghostly reading for which I did an exceptional job this year, although not as exceptional as some. (Kailana) Because I began in September, dove-tail...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Nov 1, 2011, 1:00 am
As pertaining to reality: "And also," the driver said, facing the mirror, "please remember: things are not what they seem."  "But, don't let appearances fool you. There's always only one reality." (p. 16 in my nook) ...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Oct 31, 2011, 2:32 am
I have two exciting new books to share this week. One of them is entitled No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod. It won the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award (as did Colum McCann who won it for his novel Let The Great World Spin in 2011). The other is Island: The Complete Stories, ...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Oct 28, 2011, 9:03 pm
I pre-ordered my copy of Murakami's 1Q84 in April. (I've been waiting for it since 2009, but it's hardly a bookstore's fault that the book wasn't available in America until October 25, 2011.) I woke up on Tuesday, the morning of its release date, like a little kid on Christmas Day. "Toda...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Oct 26, 2011, 1:00 am
With the release of Haruki Murakami's book 1Q84, I'm listening to Janáceck's Sinfonietta which can be found here. Apparently this is the music with which the first of Murakami's three part novel opens. Booktunes says, " Janácek's Sinfoniet...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Oct 24, 2011, 2:00 am
Read what Knopf has on their site about Haruki Murakami's new book, including: teaser quote graphics a collection of songs and artists mentioned in 1Q84 the first chapter Also, find the New York Times story on Haruki Murakami here. &...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Oct 23, 2011, 1:14 pm
Stu wrote a post yesterday, which he has since taken down, with the following words: "As much as I like web and have met some great people part me hates it information overload and sometimes I just want a simple life I can’t remember last time I brought a cd and listen to it with...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Oct 22, 2011, 8:21 pm
because of a teacher. because of a snowball. because of a diverse class of fifth graders. love and forgiveness are taught, because of mr. terupt. It's a book for students. It's a book for teachers. It's a book for anyone who's ever had that spe...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Oct 21, 2011, 8:22 pm
When Diane of Bibliophile By The Sea wrote a Tuesday introduction about The Days of Abandonment, I had to read it for myself. I have a morbid fascination, I guess, with the whole issue of abandonment. I'll spare you the grittier details, but suffice it to say how well I reme...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Oct 20, 2011, 9:13 pm
Dewey's Nine Lives goes to Sam Still Reading! Her Fearful Symmetry goes to Nan! The Lake goes to Parrish Lantern! Congratulations to all three winners, and thanks to everyone who participated in the Literary Give-away Blog Hop hosted by Leeswammes.
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Oct 19, 2011, 8:04 am
This week I'm listening to a new CD my husband bought, and one which shocked my son I hadn't heard before. The particular song which we've been playing over and over is Someone Like You from Adele. What are you listening to? (It does't have to be music.....
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Oct 17, 2011, 8:48 pm
photo credit of Highgate Cemetery here"Welcome to Highgate Cemetery," Jessica said. "Robert will be your guide. He is one of our most Learned Guides, an historian of the Victorian Era, and is writing a book about this cemetery. All of our work is done on a voluntary basis, and every year we must ra...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Oct 14, 2011, 8:48 pm
Welcome to the Literary Hop Give-Away hosted by Leeswammes! I am giving away three books this time, one to each of three winners. (I will mail internationally.) Please leave a comment letting me know which book you'd like to win, along with your email address. If you become a follower that would b...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Oct 12, 2011, 2:39 am
This week I'm listening to folk singer Carrie Newcomer. I only know of her because of Kevin, whom I met at Interlochen National Music Camp the summer of 1977. He has always enriched my world, from introducing me to such books as Vikram Seth's The Golden Gate, a novel written entirely in sonnet for...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Oct 11, 2011, 8:17 am
Diane of Bibliophile by the Sea has a wonderful idea to catch a quick glimpse into a book and see if it's one over which we'll linger: read the first paragraph or the first chapter and see if you want to go any farther. The book which I've been itching to read, focusing on teaching this month as I ...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Oct 9, 2011, 12:57 pm
And so he lay there on the hard cot, his eyes closed, unable to know the time, whether it was day or night, how long he'd been there, what was going to happen to him, Sleep standing on the periphery, mocking: Look. See. Listen...And always this: Here is the sound of the blast, that moment that split...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Oct 8, 2011, 7:27 pm
Here are a few photographs I took today of one of my favorite indie shops: and a random shot of my friend Carol and I at the pumpkin farm afterward: Wish you could have joined us, fellow bibliophiles, on this perfect October day.
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Oct 7, 2011, 8:00 pm
you're going to be disappointed. I was encouraged to take it down, by people far more sensible than I, who were concerned about my future. As in staying employed. And so my thoughts, as well as the plethora of comments so supportively left here, are MIA. Because I cannot write anywhere near as w...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Oct 6, 2011, 10:20 pm
I walked into our teacher's lounge this morning to find Jabba The Hut sitting at the head of the table surrounded by my colleagues. I'd forgotten that we were asked to share our concerns with the Union president. I stayed for about two minutes listening to one teacher express her desire to have m...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Oct 4, 2011, 9:26 pm
I'm offering a new meme today. After the responses to my post on Norah Jones, and dear Les saying, "I love to see what you're listening to!" I thought I'd suggest What Are You Listening To Wednesday. It doesn't have to be music. It could be conversations you ov...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Oct 3, 2011, 5:25 am
So fun to receive the newly released paperback edition of Dewey's Nine Lives which will appear again in a later post, as well as a package from Penguin Books in London containing the sequel to Hothouse Flower entitled The Girl On The Cliff. Find more Mailbox Monday posts here ...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Oct 1, 2011, 8:11 pm
I've been so involved in my autumnal reading that I've already completed The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Strangers, Under The Dome, The Haunting of Hill House, Don't Look Now, and The House on The Strand. My favorite of these was definitely Don't Look Now, so much so that I hope to see ...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Sep 26, 2011, 5:09 pm
So fun. Had to steal this from Caribou's Mom who is Earth whereas I am: Your Dark Element is Metal You are a very formal and elegant person. You are neat to the point of being meticulous. You are both humble and proper. You never want to be a burden on others. You are a bit cool...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Sep 25, 2011, 9:21 am
"And so the old house has just been sitting here." Luke put out a tentative finger and touched the marble cupid gingerly. "Nothing in it touched, nothing used, nothing here wanted by anyone any more, just sitting here thinking." "And waiting," Eleanor said. "And waiting," the doctor confirmed. "Esse...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Sep 22, 2011, 8:19 pm
"The Long Way Home" Well I stumbled in the darkness I'm lost and alone Though I said I'd go before us And show the way back home Is there a light up ahead I can't hold on very long Forgive me pretty baby but I always take the long way home Money'...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Sep 20, 2011, 11:14 pm
They lay quiet, looking up at the sky. "Which do you think is bigger," Misha asked, "the Grand Canyon or the Milky Way?" "Wrong question, Mishka. The point is not how big they are, it's how small we are." "But together, you and me," Misha had said, "we're as big and grand as this canyon and all the ...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Sep 18, 2011, 2:25 pm
"Don't look now," John said to his wife, "but there are a couple of old girls two tables away who are trying to hypnotise me." Laura, quick on cue, made an elaborate pretence of yawning, then tilted her head as though searching the skies for a non-existent aeroplane. "Right behind you," he add...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Sep 16, 2011, 8:25 pm
... . Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson 34. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things, by Carolyn Mackler 35. Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging, by Louise Rennison 36. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley 37. It’s So Amazing, by Robie Harris 38...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Sep 12, 2011, 10:17 pm
"Ah," said my mother when she saw my blog for the first time. "This is the perfect way for you to have friends. You don't have to talk to them this way. You can just comment, or not, as you wish." She knows me well, this mother of mine. She knows I alternately long for relationship and run from obli...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Sep 11, 2011, 7:36 pm
... one's fingers resonates with the same sound one would hear when rapping ... Dome are trapped. They are caught with limited resources, an evil selectman ... extreme courage and brilliance in solving the problem. When I was a ... I remember lying in bed at night and thinking, "What if...? ...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Sep 10, 2011, 8:20 pm
... drawing above. The book started out fabulously. Could-not-put-it-down-good. That's rare, for me, especially with a novel I would consider of the pulp fiction variety. A dome, from literally out of the blue, descends on Chester's Mill, Maine, completely cutting off a section of the town. Cruis...
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Bellezza posted an article on Dolce Bellezza - Sep 3, 2011, 12:06 pm
No one could be more hopeful toward autumn than I. Last week, the temperatures in Illinois were upward of 95 degrees Fahrenheit. In my un-air-conditioned classroom, at the top corner of the second floor, we were well over 100. District decided that all the upper floor classrooms should come down t...
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