Tag Archives: Novels
The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by L…
The year is 1915. Mary Russell, a brilliant and feisty young woman, takes a walk on the Sussex Downs and bumps into Sherlock Holmes, the great consulting detective. The Holmes of 1915 is older, semi-retired, and amazed at Mary Russell’s powers of deduction. The two strike up a friendship, Holmes mentors his new pupil, and they […]
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Sometimes I think the authors we read in school deserve a second chance outside the classroom. Today’s example: John Steinbeck. I read Of Mice and Men and The Pearl while I was in school, and I did not enjoy either of them. So when I started East of Eden I had to try and forget those negative experiences. I’m so glad I did, because this novel was, for me, another Tess experience. The book is so full of symbolism and Biblical references that I know I will be thinking about it for a long time.
Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín
A bildungsroman is a type of novel that tells a coming-of-age story, a story of education or growth. There are many, many examples of this type of novel, from the Harry Potter books to The Kite Runner. Brooklyn is a beautiful coming-of-age story about a young Irish immigrant who moves to New York. Eilis Lacey, the protagonist, leaves […]
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Yesterday I stopped by Barnes and Noble on a whim and picked up this book. The movie version is scheduled to release in June, and I saw the first trailer yesterday. It looked intriguing, so I jumped headfirst and purchased it! Well, I finished it last night. Not even a whole day later. The story […]
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Whenever anyone asks me for a fiction recommendation, this is one of the first titles that pops into my head. A friend of mine recommended this book to me a few years ago, and I re-read it this weekend. Good news: It’s just as delightful the second time around. Oscar Wilde said, “If one cannot […]
Three Reasons to Read the Classics
A few days ago, I wrote a post titled “What is a Classic?” I also mentioned that it was the first post in a two-part series about reading the classics. So, without further delay, here’s part II. We’ve spent some time defining the classics, now let me convince you why they matter. 1. Read the classics to […]
Current Inspirations: Flannery O’Connor
Do you ever go through a phase where you’re mildly obsessed with one writer? A few years ago it was Thomas Hardy, but I’m in a big Flannery O’Connor phase right now. It started last year when I read a biography and most of her short stories as part of my 50 book goal. The […]
Moby Dick
“Ah, God! what trances of torments does that man endure who is consumed with one unachieved revengeful desire. He sleeps with clenched hands; and wakes with his own bloody nails in his palms.” Each time I’ve completed my 50 book goal I try to include a book that is a challenge for me in some […]
Book Fifty 