The Zurich English Student Podcast #7

Raph and Jenny ramble about university-related matters and whatever else matters to them. Please provide us with any sort of constructive feedback (use the comment section or send us an email) so that we can eliminate problems if possible. On this episode:

- Apocalypse goggles
- Pointless presentations
- Complaining and ranting
- Raph invites spammers
- Jenny instructs trolls

The Zurich English Student Podcast #2

Raph and Jenny ramble about university-related matters and whatever else matters to them. Please provide us with any sort of constructive feedback (use the comment section or send us an email) so that we can eliminate problems if possible. On this episode:

- Switzerland faces its worst enemy, yet: snow
- Modernist conceptions of Art
- A discussion of Frankenstein, while hardly even referring to Frankenstein
- Raph tries to pronounce “vehemently”
- Jenny tries to pronounce “expressionist”

The Zurich English Student Podcast #1

The first Episode of the Zurich English Student Podcast; Raph and Jenny ramble about university-related matters and whatever else matters to them. Bear with us on this one and please provide us with any sort of constructive feedback (use the comment section or send us an email) so that we can eliminate problems if possible.

Review: The White Forest, by Adam McOmber

Hey guys, remember me? No? Well, not very surprising since I haven’t posted in ages. I apologize for that. However, I think there’s been a serious lack of book reviews here lately, and since I got into book blogging over the summer and I thought I’d share my thoughts on a novel I came across that might interest you too.

THE WHITE FOREST, BY ADAM MCOMBER

Publishing date: September 11, 2012  Publisher: Touchstone                                          Format: Hardcover, 320 pages

Description from Goodreads: In the bestselling tradition of The Night Circus and Sarah Waters’s The Little Stranger, Adam McOmber’s hauntingly original debut novel follows a young woman in Victorian England whose peculiar abilities help her infiltrate a mysterious secret society.

Fantasy Classics of the 60s: “A Wizard of Earthsea” by Ursula K. Le Guin

By Natalia Messmer

Summer is a perfect time to relax and read once in a while what heart desires. A couple of years ago I was recommended A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin. Then I was quite skeptical about fantasy as a genre, but decided to give it a try. Needless to say, I never regretted it.

The Circus arrives without warning…

Ciara Murray

Whilst waiting at Liverpool airport for a plane back to Geneva, I thought I had best get something to read from the bookshop. I had my notes and texts for my Linguistics exam the following morning, but even that might not have been enough to keep me going for a five hour journey back to Zurich… Intrigued by its monochromatically stylish cover, its author’s whimsical name, and its recommendation from another of my absolute favourite authors, Audrey Niffenegger, I picked up The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.

Modern Classics: The Thorn Birds

There are many great novels about love and Thorn Birds (1977) by Colleen McCullough is one of them. Thorn Birds is a saga about the Cleary family. The main character Paddy Cleary (a farmer), receives a job offer from his wealthy sister and is leaving New Zealand with his family to make a new start in Australia. This will change everyone’s lives.

Street Photography project: The New York Underground Library

Ann Rice - Blood and Gold

Hey guys, it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything here. I sometimes find it hard to find a topic I think people will actually care to hear about. But I thought I’d share this blog with those of you who don’t already know it. I stumbled across it on tumblr a couple months ago, and I think the work this person does is amazing!

The New York Underground library consists of photographs of people reading while riding on the trains or waiting on the platforms of the New York subway.

World’s Classics: The Forsyte Saga

The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy is not on the “Reading List” but it is one of my favorite books. I remember how my mom gave it to me one day, saying that it was worth reading. At that time I was just a teenager and could not really understand all the twists of destiny in the characters’ lives, so I have re-read the book several times over the years. Each time I have found what I was looking for; this story about a family in British society in 20^th century has become more than just a narrative to me, it is as if I am looking in on different life situations through somebody else’s eyes…

Literary Leading Ladies

In the spirit of International Women’s Day (March 8) and British Mother’s Day (March 18) I felt like compiling a list of women that continue to impress and inspire me. There are many real-life examples (love you, Mum!) I could mention, but the women I’m writing about today are just as present in my life – usually just a quick grab away, they’re always on my bookshelf.