The Book Binder's Daughter
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The Book Binder's Daughter, curated by Melissa, offers eclectic book reviews spanning literary fiction, classics, poetry, and history. With a penchant for small presses and expertise in Latin and Ancient Greek, Melissa's blog delves into diverse literary realms, including literature in translation and travel writing.
The Book Binder's Daughter
1y ago
One of my closest friends is always telling me not to take off hand remarks or things that people say personally. It’s a good piece of advice but one that is much easier said than done. I think he is ..read more
The Book Binder's Daughter
1y ago
I’ve been reading enormous books again—the doorstopper variety that Henry James famously labelled as “loose, baggy monsters.” It’s not that I had developed an aversion to large books or to reading in general but I seem to have lost interest ..read more
The Book Binder's Daughter
1y ago
I was first intrigued by Robert Bly’s poetry when I came across a description of his life and work in Michael Schmidt’s Lives of the Poets. While browsing a used bookshop in New England a few weekends ago, I bought ..read more
The Book Binder's Daughter
2y ago
Fall used to be my favorite time of the year; a new year of teaching and meeting students, my birthday, our anniversary, Thanksgiving, Christmas and my late husband’s birthday all in succession. Now Fall has become my saddest, heaviest part ..read more
The Book Binder's Daughter
3y ago
On March 13th, 2020 I walked out of my classroom at The Woodstock Academy wondering when I would be back. How many books should I take with me? When would I see my students in person again? Everything was being ..read more
The Book Binder's Daughter
3y ago
Pain, and grief and heartsickness can be so lonely and isolating. The rollercoaster of emotions settle down, but there are still days when the pain, the memories of what has been lost feels like a harsh punch in the chest ..read more
The Book Binder's Daughter
3y ago
Grief, I have learned, any type of grief, is a test—albeit a cruel, harsh, and unfair one—of the people around us, those whom we lean on and consider our support system. Grief strips away any pretensions, facades, masks, and posturing ..read more
The Book Binder's Daughter
3y ago
I normally compose a year-end post discussing the books I’ve read and how my reading, writing and thinking about literature progresses and shifts over the course of time. I contemplate my ever- evolving literary choices in light of what George ..read more
The Book Binder's Daughter
3y ago
Every year I compose a reflective piece entitled “Respice Futurum” describing the books I plan to read in the new year. As I’ve explained in previous posts, the institution where I have had the privilege of teaching Latin and Classics ..read more
The Book Binder's Daughter
3y ago
Grief feels like a race against time while I wait for my memories to fade—the memories of a happy life, the memories of a shattered life, the memories of the pain. Distract yourself with new activities, meet new people, make ..read more