Those are lovely covers, which made me get out my Winterson books. Not pictured but also read: Boating for Beginners. I haven't yet read The Gap of Time.

I just started Zweig's Chess Story. The last time I read him was in Russian, from the volume on the left that we brought with us, when I was very, very young, which may explain a lot.

Which is why I think it's odd that he skipped WWI entirely, given how significant it was. Speaking of, this is the carriage that started it, as in, Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in it - from a recent visit to Vienna's Imperial War museum.

I was looking for my copy of this book (not for myself), and while the print is too small, I did find this inside the pages. I have never been there and no one in my family has, either. The bill looks and feels brand new. I've had the book since high school or college.

Thank you, @jacquiwine.bsky.social for your mentioning this novel, which I'm finally going to read. Using the Jane Austen postcard as a bookmark is clearly appropriate ;)(I didn't have anything else to hand).

I couldn't take the very heavy (as in, physically, not emotionally) Galworthy with me to Vienna, so brought this slim volume instead: Ageev, Novel with Cocaine, which has been on my bookshelf forever. The authorship is in question, and the back says it's likely Nabokov wrote it (??). Good so far.

We are a city of watch parties and fanzones (didn't go in, just happened to walk past), childlike fun, and the Pacific Ocean, whose majesty can't be captured in photos.

Here's a not very good (sorry!) photo of the one in my book, which I couldn't do without.

Two unrelated parts from today's chapter: one about how Soho is the opposite of a Forsyte place for the humorous reasons below (I love Soho irl); the other, about the French anti-Semitism of Annette and her mother and Soames's objectionable disregard of it. #ForsyteSaga26

Compare the cast of characters: on the left, the group read one in which I just finished "Interlude"; on the right, the one I'm about to start and hence finished "Interlude" for (no spoilers, but sadly predictable). #ForsyteSaga26

Ah, Britain. You can still find that attitude there today. On the positive side, "Londony" is a great word. #ForsyteSaga26

Later than usual this time, along with apparently most of the state. Speaking of usual, insert my usual comment about Russian grammar/leaving off a gender/can't they find Russian speakers in LA. Vote, California.

So liberal of Swithin. #ForsyteSaga36

Gives a whole new (old) meaning to this first book's title, "The Man of Property." Women are men's property, naturally (and until a certain point, couldn't own any actual property themselves). #ForsyteSaga26

In the midst of editing student thesis drafts, trying to keep up w/the reading and find this page discrepancy. Luckily, the person who had this library book previously helpfully noted where to find the disordered pages, which I wouldn't have w/o. First time for everything. #ForsyteSaga26

Annual pilgrimage to LA Festival of Books + pain of missing the play ins. As I walked away from the "who's your fictional crush" board (Chekhov, even though that's the answer to a different ?), a woman said to her friend, "Let's leave before someone sees who I wrote down," and I'm now intrigued.

A long-ago gift from a very close friend and possibly my first Australian read.

I've watched Midsomer Murders, including this pilot episode, a million times, including a recent rewatch of most of the 20+ seasons available for free. Never read any of the books, though, and this might be the first time reading a murder mystery where I know who did it, but it's still good so far.

Some beautiful language and what to me are the endlessly interesting themes of migration and hybridity, but the main character is not developed enough to fully bring them out. Still a worthwhile read.

Wooden eggs bought over time years ago at the farmer's market from a woman from Belarus, in the US on her own, without English, trying to make ends meet and send money home to her daughter. To all who celebrate, happy (western) Easter.

The Getty Center, one of LA'S gems.

Possibly my favorite place on campus, year #3 (?) attempting to do something besides teach during my "easy" quarter, and a good spot to eat lunch during Passover, i.e., to make sure the matzo crumbs aren't all over my desk.

To those who celebrate, happy Passover. This version tastes slightly better than the eggless one, so that's already something.

Spring break means detective fiction. To be fair, anytime means detective fiction, but this year so far has been such that it's the first one, so spring break is a good time to rectify this glaring omission. @kaggsy59.bsky.social, did I read about this one on your blog, possibly?

I'm at my parents' right now and my eyes randomly fell on this, from the set that we and tons of others brought with them from the Soviet Union. I haven't checked if UCLA has a copy, but if not, there's always these (I thought I was joking about reading it in Russian).

Just turned in final grades for the quarter last night and today came upon this gem from Banine's Parisian Days. Very common problem.

Part two of Days in the Caucasus, corresponding to part two of end-of-quarter paper grading. Thank you, @olgaz.bsky.social for this present, and yes, yours is still late🤣😭

Grading papers and trying desperately to finish rereading this (these things are related), which I read sophomore year. No idea what I was thinking for some of the underlines, but still love coming across things my college-age self thought to note.

Thank you @olgaz.bsky.social for this birthday gift, which I've just finished (and yes, your gift is going to be shamefully late, but you already knew that). The (not so) idyllic pre-revolution days and turbulent post-revolution times of a young woman in Baku. Very recommended.

From yesterday: 1) One of my favorite buildings in Santa Monica. 2) Columbia U, where I've neither applied nor worked, sent me a letter, to my parents' address, informing its employees that there had been a data breach. Maybe, again, because someone else has my same first and last name.