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Love at first line
8 — a book by a favorite author
I did have a choice between several options, of course, but in one case there are reviews and everything has already been read — nothing left to review; in another, the author has only written one book, and you’re supposed to prove they’re a favorite by writing a couple of reviews of other books; in a third, all my reviews start to look the same — the book is different, but the reviews aren’t. In short, one issue or another.
Evgenia Vysokovskaya turned out to be the perfect choice among my favorites. And not in a formal way, but honestly, without stretching or tricks.
And my love for her started from the very first line. There are writers I love from their very first spoken words — interviews, public talks — loved with my ears, not on the page. And then there are those who first become beloved through their lines, even before any acquaintance with the author as a person. Vysokovskaya belongs to the latter. And there is proof — my reviews of her books. And, tellingly, I also have one of her books already read, for which now is exactly the right time to finally write a review.
I’m talking about the novel (which Vysokovskaya herself insists is a romance novel) Never Too Late.


https://albireomkgblogeng.wordpress.com/2026/02/05/love-at-first-line/
#life_of_marvelous
Marik went out for a run and came back.
Me: you know that when you go out running, I worry the whole time you’re gone. What if a wild boar attacks you. Or a rhinoceros.
Marik, with natural reproachful surprise: what boar?
Lina: so the rhinoceros was fine?
It’s All Over
20 — Anti-Novel
There is a strange situation here: the term anti-novel exists, the features are described, and then complete chaos begins (to be honest, I’m outraged that Banville’s Mephisto is suddenly not considered an anti-novel — everywhere it is described as an “experimental novel,” but the word anti-novel is never mentioned, and for the marathon I need a reference where someone has already said this before me; of course, I could engage in tedious literary-theoretical arguing, ticking off formal features, but in this world of information overload I have no desire to waste the time and attention of the marathon organizer.

Besides, I am writing this insert after I had already written the review. Exactly as one should do in anti-novels — consider this an anti-review). The same texts are sometimes classified as anti-novels and sometimes removed from that category without any explanation. Why is The Foam of Days considered just a novel, even though reality itself collapses there, while Nausea is labeled an anti-novel, despite reading as a coherent text? Why are some authors placed in the “anti” category and others in “experimental,” when the techniques are essentially the same? Is every stream of consciousness an anti-novel? Or not every one? Why is Krasznahorkai not an anti-novelist, while Musil is?

And then, suddenly, we encounter the opinion of some guy that Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller and Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs are anti-novels.
And both of these books absolutely need to be talked about. The only difficulty is choosing which one. Both are important for what might be called the enrichment of the soul.
All right, Tropic of Cancer might be a bit heavy (sic); perhaps it will fit another category of the marathon, and then I’ll talk about it there. For now — Naked Lunch. It’s long overdue.

https://albireomkgblogeng.wordpress.com/2026/02/04/its-all-over/
I am taking part in the year-long marathon Romance with a Book. Here is my first review in it.
https://albireomkgblogeng.wordpress.com/2026/02/03/confession-in-verse/
So, here are the scam schemes that scammers use against writers.
https://albireomkgblogeng.wordpress.com/2026/02/03/so-here-are-the-scam-schemes-...
#Hi_from_reality
Art&concept by Ol Albireo
Feel free to write your own stories for the artworks and share your associations. Also, you're not limited to just writing stories; you can draw your own art, compose music, make toys, saw with a jigsaw, scratch with a nail, and translate into other languages for practice (and never simplify the text when translating!). And show us what you've created :)

From books
https://albireomkgblogeng.wordpress.com/2026/02/03/from-books/


So, here are the scam schemes that scammers use against writers.
1. The “Famous Author” Message
Out of the blue, you receive a private message or an email from a supposedly popular author. They say they are happy to connect with fellow writers. They ask what you write, how things are going, mention that things didn’t go well for them at first either, but then they found a marketer who set everything up so brilliantly that they are now successful.
And if you want, they can share the contact of this amazing specialist.
The scam is that it’s not the author writing to you. It’s the “specialist” himself. Later, the specialist will ask you for a few hundred dollars, naturally without guaranteeing anything.
2. The “Book Club Chairman” Letter
You receive an email from someone claiming to be the chairman of a book club with 2,000–3,000 members. He says he has read your book and that it is absolutely amazing—followed by vague praise clearly generated by AI from your blurb or Amazon preview. He expresses surprise that the book has no Amazon reviews and is not popular. He complains that Amazon hides great books and offers to present your book to a community that is supposedly waiting just for it.
All you need to do is leave small tips for each reader—$20–25 per read. Then the “chairman” asks how many readers you would like to start with.
The problem isn’t just the audacity, even if this were real. The scam is that there is no community at all.
3. The “Seasonal Event” Invitation
more: https://albireomkgblogeng.wordpress.com/2026/01/27/so-here-are-the-scam-schemes-...
The creative challenge of the day for the game #I_am_here_eternity. You have the freedom to join the game (and quit it) whenever you want. Follow your curiosity and do the tasks that spark your interest. And those that you don't like - ignore them. The reward of the game (with consistent and diligent effort (and practice) of tasks) - a richer and happier life.
572. Name five things you do for fun. Is there at least one that involves physical movement? Why?
I’ve joined a book marathon — and it’s actually very convenient. It doesn’t pull you away from your own reading list, it runs for a full year, and there are small perks and prizes along the way. You can also combine it with other reading challenges. So whatever I read and review, I’ll be fitting into these themes. Join in if you feel like it.

Reviews for this marathon write with hashtag #Romance_with_a_Book
1. Giving Yourself for Money (money / wealth / inheritance play an important role in the plot)
2. A Proposal at the Eiffel Tower (the author is French)
3. A Confession in Verse (a poetry collection)
4. Two Under One Umbrella (autumn on the cover or in the title)
5. A Cruise for Two (a book with a maritime theme)
6. It’s Complicated (an author you didn’t click with — give them a second chance)
7. Three’s Not a Crowd (books written in collaboration — two or more authors)
8. Love from the First Line (a book by a favorite author — confirm with 2–3 reviews of the author’s other books)
9. A Kiss Under the Mistletoe (a book with a New Year / holiday theme)
10. She Wanted to Live in Manhattan (a book by an American author)
11. Love Till Death (detective, thriller)
12. We Are of the Same Blood (a book about vampires)
13. “I See You” (comic, manga)
14. Slanted-Eye Love (Asian setting)
15. Actively Searching (a book recommended by a blogger — screenshot of the review or recommendation)
16. Reason Will Win Someday (non-fiction)
17. Let’s Play at Love (LitRPG)
18. Just Such a Strange Love (a book in the bizarro genre)
19. Love Comes and Goes, but You Always Have to Eat (food-fiction books)
20. It’s All Over (a book in the anti-romance genre)
21. I Will Never Forget You (a book about complex relationships, loss, and trauma)
22. An Accidental Kiss (a book about first / accidental love)
23. The Magic of Two Hearts (magical realism)
24. Thank You for a Son and a Daughter (family saga)
25. Love Is a Terrifying Force (horror)
26. A Pleasure to Read (Slavic fantasy)
Now, about Own tribe (La propria tribù / Eigene Stamm).

This text is a short parable, probably my most translated piece — largely because it’s the shortest one. Someone once wrote in a review that its main flaw was exactly that: “too short.” Which, for a parable, sounds about right.

German was never a problem.

Italian, on the other hand, turned into a small saga.

Over the years, two different translators tried to translate Own tribe into Italian. For different reasons, neither version quite worked out. At some point, an Italian friend did translate it and sent it to me — and that file simply disappeared. I couldn’t find it in emails, on drives, anywhere. It annoyed me far more than I’d like to admit.

To make things better, not long ago I received a translation of this parable and confidently marked it everywhere as Italian.

It turned out to be German.

So, during one of those rare bursts of sharp, almost suspicious productivity — when something you’ve been circling around for years suddenly gives in — I finally translated Own tribe into Italian myself.

Call it stubbornness, call it a closed loop, but that tribe now exists in Italian.

And yes: Own tribe is now available in Italian and German on the site — and, of course, in English as well.

While I’m at it, I want to say this clearly: translators are doing real, difficult, essential work.

When a translation works, it’s invisible. But without translators, these stories simply wouldn’t travel at all. Every language version you see in the shop exists because someone sat down and did that careful, human work.

https://albireo-mkg.com/product/eigener-stamm/

https://albireo-mkg.com/product/la-propria-tribu-2/
News, news.

Varna is currently hosting a solid flu epidemic, and my usual two-week New Year break unexpectedly stretched into a few more weeks. As a result, I somehow managed to get almost everything done that I had planned.

Next year I’m clearly taking the whole of January off. That way I might finally have enough time to do something genuinely important.

Now to the actual updates.

Several new books have been added to the shop, and some of them are now available in new languages.

Love with Hazel Eyes is now available in English.

It’s a very old-fashioned story in the best possible sense: a young tightrope walker, a circus dancer, poverty, ambition, money, and a choice that separates love from life for many years. He leaves not to find love, but to find wealth — and only much later returns to face what that choice actually cost.
https://albireo-mkg.com/product/love-with-hazel-eyes/

Cat Therapy is also available in English.

This mysterious, atmospheric story follows cats who watch over people in their darkest hours. They guard, comfort, and restore — quietly, patiently, without demanding gratitude.

Blending fantasy, mysticism, and emotional depth, Cat Therapy explores the invisible bond between humans and their feline companions, reminding us that salvation sometimes arrives on four paws.

https://albireo-mkg.com/product/cat-therapy/


One more addition worth mentioning: Coloro che sono venuti per, now available in Italian.

A darker, wintery story about responsibility, protection, and those who arrive when something irreversible has already happened — or perhaps exactly in time.

https://albireo-mkg.com/product/coloro-che-sono-venuti-per/

All of these books will soon appear on major platforms — Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, and others.

If you don’t feel like waiting, they’re already available on the website, in multiple languages.
The creative challenge of the day for the game #I_am_here_eternity. You have the freedom to join the game (and quit it) whenever you want. Follow your curiosity and do the tasks that spark your interest. And those that you don't like - ignore them. The reward of the game (with consistent and diligent effort (and practice) of tasks) - a richer and happier life.
570. What do you have at home that could be considered a collection? Why?
#I_am_here_eternity
The creative challenge of the day for the game #I_am_here_eternity. You have the freedom to join the game (and quit it) whenever you want. Follow your curiosity and do the tasks that spark your interest. And those that you don't like - ignore them. The reward of the game (with consistent and diligent effort (and practice) of tasks) - a richer and happier life.
568. Debunk a misconception; your own (re-examine a belief you’re sure about) or someone else’s. Let there be more truth.
#I_am_here_eternity
And also, subscribe to the newsletter on my website I deliberately write pieces about books that I don’t post anywhere else.
From the New Year on there will be a whole email series about #Bottomless
https://albireo-mkg.com
— in the left column at the bottom.
The creative challenge of the day for the game #I_am_here_eternity. You have the freedom to join the game (and quit it) whenever you want. Follow your curiosity and do the tasks that spark your interest. And those that you don't like - ignore them. The reward of the game (with consistent and diligent effort (and practice) of tasks) - a richer and happier life.
566.Buy a lottery ticket. If you lose, consider that all the bad luck of this year has gone into that loss.
#I_am_here_eternity
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Printed from https://shop.writing.com/main/profile/notebook/svyatos