Daily Update: Tuesday, May 21st, 2024

Today is the Optional Memorial of Saint Eugene de Mazenod, Bishop (died 1861), the Optional Memorial of Saint Cristóbal Magallanes Jara, Priest and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs (died 1927), and the Optional Memorial of Blessed Franz Jägerstätter, Layman and Martyr (died 1943). Today is the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development.  It is also the birthday of my Internet friend Denise in North Carolina (1954) and the anniversary of the day when my friend Virginia died (2022).

The Tale of Murasaki by Liza Dalby

This novel is about the life of Murasaki Shikibu, the author of the eleventh century Japanese epic novel The Tale of Genji (which I last read in 2008). While she did leave some poems and diary entries, and while a bit is known about her life, not much is actually known about her. The author of this work has done a wonderful job of imagining just what her life must have been like, and I loved reading this book.