The Book of Disquiet

The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa, translated by Richard Zenith

The book is structured as the random thoughts of a Portuguese bookkeeper and aspiring writer. Though the author died in 1935, this book was not published until 1982. He muses on the culture and the life, providing armchair discussions of history and philosophy. He explores the concepts of joy and culture. The religion that served as the base of society was cut down, leaving nothing much in its place. Postmodernism is seen as just "anti" without any strong coherence to itself. Are dreams or reality better? The book has little organization, but is filled with interesting thoughts.

The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath

The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath by Sylvia Plath, edited by Karen V. Kukil

I wonder how she feels about having her journals published completely. Perhaps she expected it all along, as they do seem very polished. Many of the thoughts from these journals went into her novel Bell Jar. In the start, she is very concerned with boys and sex. There are conflicting thoughts on a desire for a writing career and for raising a family. These thoughts continue on through later entries. There are also thoughts on suicide which provide prelude to her eventual death. The editors add a few comments, with the most valuable indicating gaps. She comes across as a social arts type.

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 2

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 2 by Beth Brower

I liked the first book. It left on a cliffhanger. Alas, this book just did not stick as well as the first one. There is more involvement with the tenant and plans to gradually work out a solution through some of the problems with the relation that is occupying the house. He reluctantly asceeds to her greater involvement. She also begins to be involved in the social scene, and gets scolded for being noticed a bit more than she should. 

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 1: The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Book 1

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 1 by Beth Brower

A woman goes back to live in Lapis Lazuli house. She is supposed to inherit it when she comes of age. However, now she is subject to some evil relative that occupies it. Through the journals we discover her history and how she ended up in this state. Her parents have both died. They had took pity on the relative that lives in the house. However, he has returned that niceness by squandering the fortune and treating the protagonist poorly. She seems to be in the upper middle class. Her family is not among the poor, neither are they rich. There are relatives that have various schemes they are engaging. She participates to some extent. The book is well written, but quite short and seems to end halfway through the story. It does make a "Jane Austen" scenario actually readable.