misajane79's reviews
1586 reviews

A massive anthology, filled with the work of lots of people I've heard of, but never read. There were very few pieces I didn't enjoy, and several were breathtaking. I will definitely be referring to this book often and will probably be trying some new authors after discovering them here.

The Phillips Collection, which I visited in DC a few months ago, has half of his Great Migration series, a stunning artistic representation of the Great Migration by African Americans in the 1910s and 1920s. Great entry into his work, and how experiences while young influence later work. One thing I did not know--he was only 24 when he completed the Great Migration series. I feel old.

I have an essay published in this book, but I had never bothered to read the book. Some interesting stuff, but I have to admit there's a reason why I switched from being an English major to a history major.

A fascinating biography of a city, Venice, that is unlike any other, centered around a devestating fire at the Fenice Opera House. A real page turner, that I flew through. Lots of interesting characters and food for thought.

Bought in desperation at an airport book store (what are the odds of me running out of reading material?)--and completely fell in love. During a trip to DC over a year ago, I saw the original painting and it just glowed--I've never felt quite like that about seeing a famous painting in the flesh. This novel traces the lives of the models, the split of the Impressionists, and France a decade after the Franco-Prussian war. I found myself constantly flipping to the cover to check out the painting and wishing I knew more about European and art history. A wonderful, beautiful book--highly recommended.

I wanted to like this book, I really did. Political intrigue, women's history, all set in South America. But it was choppy and hard to keep track of characters. And there were a lot of characters. I know very little about South American history, so I can't speak to the historical accuracy of the book, but if I didn't like it much as a novel, I probably would find some issues with the history, if I bothered to look.

Indulging my love of early Hollywood history, it was an enjoyable biography. Since I know so little about Keaton, I found it fascinating, but I have a feeling if I knew more about that era that it wouldn't have been near as engaging. But it was good enough to make me add some of his movies to my netflix queue.

Pure British fluff, but sometimes you need fluff. Part of a larger series, that I first discovered years ago. Not so fabulous that I want to run out and read every single one, but mildly amusing. Plus, it's set in that great period between the wars. I heart British social nonsense.

Absolutely, postively loved this book. It's about a pre-teen living with her great uncles for a summer. She discovers that their art, their passion, their towers are being threatened by gentrification (they didn't fit in with the new neighbor's idea of beauty, though they had been a neighborhood staple for decades). And so she mounts this amazing campaign to save them. Wonderful story of preservation, activism, and passion--for art and the community. So good that I've been meaning to write a letter to Konigsberg (who also wrote another favorite, From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler) and thank her for another amazing book.