The Reading Room

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8:28 AM

Q: Looking of a book of short stories I read as a kid about a starving girl and a boy who stays forever young

I can remember two short stories, and while I am not entirely sure if they're from the same book, I would hugely appreciate finding either. The first story I remember reading about was about a girl and her father starving during a harsh winter. It opened with the girl pulling up a floorboard and ...

Bookworm

8:54 AM

Q: What did J. B. Priestley mean by, "Comedy, we may say, is society protecting itself - with a smile."

One of the most popular J. B. Priestley quotes is: "Comedy, we may say, is society protecting itself - with a smile." Source: https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/j-b-priestley-quotes I've wondered for many years what it means. Can anyone here give me a clue, please? I don't understand it all. Geo...

george-orwell irony j-b-priestley sociology-of-literature

2 hours later…

CowperKettle

10:49 AM

The trees along this city street,
Save for the traffic and the trains,
Would make a sound as thin and sweet
As trees in country lanes.

(Millay of the Day)

Yesterday was the warmest 25 Sept in Yekaterinburg on record, which only goes as far as 143 years back though.

9 hours later…

Bookworm

7:22 PM

Q: Fantasy children's story where they suspect someone is a vampire

I'm 38 and read this probably between 1993-1997.... when I was between 8-12 years old. I don't think it was a new book at that time. I am trying to track down a book I read as a child. It was about a young boy and girl who auditioned for a local play where they thought the lead actor was Dracula ...