Tag Archives: Reading
Why Shakespeare?
If you click over to Google today, you’ll see that their logo commemorates William Shakespeare, who was born (according to our best guess) on April 23, 1564, and died on April 23, 1616. Today marks the 400th anniversary of his death, and if you’re like me, that’s cause for celebration. But why? To modern readers, […]
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.
Making the Most of a Used Book Sale
After shopping for about an hour, I had more than filled my bag, spent my budget, and realized that used book sales can be pretty overwhelming if you don’t come in with a strategy. And so, without further introduction, here are my top tips for winning the used book sale.
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 […]
Pride and Prejudice
There isn’t much that can be done to improve Jane Austen’s best known novel; it is perfectly charming and funny on its own. That being said, this audiobook version, performed by Rosamind Pike, somehow manages to make Pride and Prejudice come to life in a remarkable way. Sometimes audiobooks are questionable because they involve the […]
Bill Bryson’s Books on British Travel
In just thirty days Mom and I will be setting out on a trip to the UK. I can’t believe I just wrote that sentence, and I really can’t believe how quickly our departure is approaching! Many of you know that I am a huge anglophile, so any book that deals with traveling around the […]
The Myth of Instagram
One of the fun things about writing this blog is coming up with creative ways to display and share my love of books. In my last post I wrote about how I’d been revamping the Book Fifty Instagram page. Today, I decided to share some other thoughts about Instagram in blog post format.
February Favorites
Happy Thursday! I have some great book reviews in the works, but I thought I’d share some of my favorite finds from around the web this week. I typically don’t stray too far from the topic of books, but you’ll find a little bit of everything here. I’m thinking about having a spa day thanks […]
Five (Unexpected) Love Stories
Everyone knows that Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy end up together, and everyone knows how Rhett leaves things with Scarlett, but I thought I’d take a minute or two to share with you my top five unexpected love stories–books you might not recognize, or books you might not have gone into the bookstore to buy.
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 […]
Book Fifty 