Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is one of those books that I was almost embarrassed not to have read yet. I’m glad to have finally read it now, and although I don’t have much to say about it, I do have a few thoughts. I should have known going into it that it was never…
The Decameron is a piece of medieval Italian literature. It is the story of a group of ten wealthy nobles (seven ladies, three gentlemen) who decide to “escape” Florence during an outbreak of the Plague. They go to the country and entertain themselves for ten days by telling each other stories. I’ll be honest, I…
Margaret the First by Danielle Dutton is a novella based on the life of Margaret Cavendish, an English poet and scientist in the 17th century, and the first woman in England to write for publication. Knowing nothing else about Cavendish or this novella, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Much to my delight (after…
I can always tell a book is special when any attempt to describe what it means to me ends with me sitting in a pool of my own feelings and wishing that language wasn’t quite so limited. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is one of those books. It’s been on my radar for…
Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner is the sixth and final book in the Queen’s Thief series. I first came across these books in high school and grew to love them, but when Return of the Thief was released earlier this week, I was a little bit nervous. Very excited, too, of course,…
In Piranesi, we follow the titular character who lives in a seemingly infinite house—vast rooms and labyrinthine corridors—that is, at the very least, large enough to contain an entire ocean that can flood hallways in an instant. But how did Piranesi get there? We quickly get the sense that something isn’t quite right as Piranesi…
I was introduced to Jane Austen in school when we read Pride and Prejudice. It’s only been within the last few years that I finally read all of her finished novels. (Her novela, Lady Susan is still waiting for me – although I love the film adaptation called Love & Friendship from several years ago…
The title character of Jane Austen’s Emma is not exactly given many kind words by readers and critics. She’s described as selfish, entitled, spoiled, and unkind. And perhaps those characterizations are true, to some degree. I mean, Jane Austen, after writing Emma, even said she had created “a heroine whom no one but myself will much…
It’s funny, really, what you can learn from a children’s book. And funny how powerful such a book can be. Only, it’s not funny at all. It’s true. Right now, I want to talk about one children’s series: Harry Potter. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone was first published 20 years ago today, and it…
Every reader’s dilemma: “So many books, so little time.” It kills me to know that there are so many wonderful books that I’ll never get the chance to read. Because of that, I don’t usually reread books. I used to. When I was younger, I reread books all the time. I’ve read each of the…
There are plenty of things I’m not very sanguine about, but on the whole, I have a fairly optimistic view of human nature. I think people are mostly good and that there’s not as much bad as it’s easy to think there is. Sometimes, though, it can be hard to hold on to that view. And…
I love a lot about classics. For the most part, there’s a reason they’ve stuck around. As wonderful experiences I have had reading classic literature, there are some definite challenges that come along with it. One of the challenges of reading classics is reconciling “old-fashioned” ways of thinking with modern expectations. This stood out to me…
For something slightly different today, let’s do a book tag! It’s simply a series of questions to answer and then you would tag somebody that you also want to answer those questions. Except I haven’t actually been tagged to do this one, and I’m not going to tag anybody, so I guess this is more of…
When I was eight, I tried to read my first adult book. I seem to remember it being at least 800 pages long, although Goodreads claims it is just over 400 pages, so…there’s that. It had been given to me by my grandmother and was part of an enormous series called The Work and the…
If you missed part 1 of my reading wrap-up, click here. It’s time for more books! We’ll jump right into it. I remember hearing oodles of rave reviews for We Were Liars by E. Lockhart when it came out a few years ago. I’m not sure why I waited so long, but I was in the mood…