Blog
Posts by category
From the Notebook
Texts about life, pop culture, and other thoughts.
Books
Reviews and commentaries about books I read.
Travel
Posts about places I’ve been.
The Christmas Notebook
Stories, Christmas markets, and some recipes.
Blog
Mexican Gothic made me remember why I love Gothic literature
Mexican Gothic is a novel by author Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and it reminded me why I love the Gothic genre so much.
Speaking of plans for the year
Plans for 2022 and the word I chose while I was standing in my kitchen, drinking coffee and thinking about what I want to do this year.
Favorites of the Year 2021
I was so tired by the end of 2021, but here are the things I really liked
I have one (1) issue with Loki
I have been liking the Loki series, but there is one thing that keeps me from fully enjoying it, and I need to talk about it.
On the death of Prince Philip and how we don’t like to talk about the dead
Let’s stop putting dead people on imaginary pedestals.
Range: Try, try, try, and then focus
This is the story of how a book helped me stop worrying about not specializing earlier.
Michelle Obama’s «Becoming» and The Big Question
Michelle Obama has lived a very interesting life. This book is a glimpse into her life and her mind, and I was surprised to find myself in those pages, asking myself the same big question that has always haunted her: Am I good enough?
We need to talk about Kylo Ren’s character arc in The Rise of Skywalker
Kylo Ren’s character arc in The Rise of Skywalker was bad and we need to talk about it.
The Portrayal of Teenage Mental Health: Turtles All the Way Down
“The thing about a spiral is, if you follow it inward, it never actually ends. It just keeps tightening, infinitely.”John Green Aza Holmes is 16 years old, she lives in Indianapolis with her mom, and she has OCD. There is a callus on her finger that she presses every time she gets anxious about a…
Disney, little mermaids, and fish that don’t know racism
Boy, was it a scandal when Disney announced that the new Ariel for the remake of the Disney classic The Little Mermaid would be singer and actor Halle Bailey. Because we have a little time on our hands, just a little, let’s talk about the new hot topic. So go get a coffee, a tea, a lemonade…
Of Women and Literature: A Room of One’s Own
“But, you may say, we asked you to speak about women and fiction – what has that got to do with a room of one’s own? I will try to explain.” Thus begins one of the most famous essays on women and literature, by the one and only Virginia Woolf. It always takes me a…
Into the Twilight Zone, Chapter 1: On Twilight and YA Literature
The Twilight Saga is a four-book series that debuted in 2005. It was written by American author Stephenie Meyer and it is a young adult novel that chronicles the romance between a teenage girl and a mysterious and handsome vampire. On Twilight In case you have not read any of the four books, watched any…
Of Mount Fuji, the Bamboo Princess, and the time I didn’t train to climb a mountain
There’s a Japanese saying that goes like this: “A wise man climbs Mt. Fuji once. Only a fool climbs it twice.” There’s a reason people say that and I got to find out why. I did not really believe René and Vassili the first time they told me we were going to climb Mount Fuji.…
Review: Miss Burma
“I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t both intrigued and frightened by the myth of my mother and her native country, by their secrets and contradictions.”Charmaine Craig Miss Burma is a novel written by American author Charmaine Craig. It is a fictionalized version of her own family story, following the lives of her grandparents,…
2019: A Balanced Year
Every year I like to look for a quote to write in my notebook. I usually stick to the same three, the first by Alfred Lord Tennyson, the second by T.S. Eliot, and the third, my favorite one, by Ray Bradbury: “Next year’s going to be even bigger, days will be brighter, nights longer and…
Review: To The Lighthouse
“It was love, she thought, love that never clutch its object; but, like the love which mathematicians bear their symbols, or poets their phrases, was meant to be spread over the world and become part of human gain.” To the Lighthouse is a 1927 book written by modernist author, Virginia Woolf. Even though it is…
Literary St. Petersburg: Nevsky Prospect
A walk through St. Petersburg’s most famous avenue: Nevsky Prospect.
Writing with Purpose: Burmese Days
Myanmar (Burma) is a country located in Southeast Asia that shares borders with China, Thailand, Laos, India and Bangladesh. It is home to over 135 different ethnic groups and around a hundred different languages. It became independent of Great Britain in 1948 and was a military regime from 1962 to 2011. It has been called…
St. Petersburg: Museum City
Город Музей Город Музей, or «gorod muzei» for those who, like me, do not read Russian, museum city, is how some people refer to the city of St. Petersburg. With over 100 museums, one ought to stay there for at least a few months to see every one of them. With only one week and many…
Saint Petersburg in January
«You’re going to Russia in January? Why? It’s so cold!» Those were usually the first words that my friends and family when I told them the news. In July 2017, after coming from work one day, I received a call from my good friend Miriam. She had had a rather frustrating day and in her…
5 Reasons Why You Should Read Imagined Communities
Back at the beginning of January, I told you about a book I recently read called Imagined Communities, written by British-American political scientist Benedict Anderson. It is a thorough study of nationalism and its origins that includes religion, languages, history and cultures from all around the world, and it is definitely one of the best books…
Christmas Markets: Köln
Merry Christmas, my dearest readers! I am writing to you from the living room of one of my best friends, having had dinner and having enjoyed the holiday season. For those of you who, like me, didn’t know this, Germans celebrate Christmas Eve and two days of Christmas, which is awesome for lovers of Christmas…
Christmas Markets: Bonn
December’s here! And with it, comes the most wonderful time of the year! Those of you who’ve followed the blog for a little longer, know that every year I like to visit the Christmas Markets from the region. This year I moved to a different state, which means there are plenty of new Markets to…
What? You’re only Mexican?
«Where are you from?» This is usually the first question I’m asked when I’m introduced to someone. Not because people see me and instantly know I’m not German, but because Germany is full of people from everywhere. Particularly in German universities, not everybody is from the city where they study. «Mexico,» I always answer. From…
Review: On Writing – A Memoir of the Craft
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King Over 17 years ago, Stephen King was encouraged to write a book about writing. A book for those who aspire to be writers, and for those who enjoy writing his stories and want to know more about them. On Writing, however, is not the classic how-to-write-a-novel-book…
Cargando…
Algo ha ido mal. Por favor, recarga la página y/o inténtalo de nuevo.
Paola NV 