First, a confession: I don’t mind darker family dramas. I don’t mind dysfunction in literature. I really don’t mind literature that is not light and happy. BUT I CAN’T HANDLE WEIRD HOARDING ECCENTRIC BEHAVIORS. This book kind of broke me, can you tell? Ruthie Stone and her sister Lucille have lived a tumultuous, unstable life. The novel begins with the death of their grandfather, who was killed in an accident when the train he was on went off the tracks and slid into a lake […]
The Joys of Middlemarch
Next to Jane Austen, I love no author and works better than those of George Eliot’s. I have often been teased or side-eyed, especially when I lead in with Silas Marner. What can I say? It’s easy to love Silas when he’s played by a Jack Russell terrier in a pint-sized costume: Stay gold, Ponybone. Wishbone introduced me to Silas Marner in eighth grade, and then I read and fell in love with Middlemarch in college. I briefly declared it my favorite novel above Pride […]
You go, Merlfriend!
Back in May, I recognized Jennifer Donnelly’s name on her new book Deep Blue. I had really enjoyed A Northern Light in college (and I think it’s time for a re-read now), and I’ve been meaning to read her Rose Trilogy. The Chancellor laughed at me for reading a YA mermaid book, but I actually kind of enjoyed it. Serafina is the heir to the kingdom of Miromara. Preparing for her coming-of-age ceremony, she is fluttered by her singing/magical performance and her upcoming betrothal to […]
Mean Girls–Really Not So Funny
Back in July, ElCicco reviewed The Fever by Megan Abbott. I was intrigued. I got it from the library and devoured it on a rainy weekend afternoon. It’s a great and thrilling read, but it’s also a relevant and chilling one, too. The Nash family lives in Dryden, where they’ve always lived. Dad Tom is a high school science teacher, mom Georgia has left, son Eli is an attractive hockey star at the high school, and daughter Deenie is studious and friend-oriented. The novel opens […]
A Tragedy of Psychological Proportions
On July 11, 1906, Grace Brown, a skirt factory worker, was killed after she was evicted from a boat and fell into a lake in upstate New York. Her body was found the next day, and her lover was targeted as the chief suspect in a homicide. Grace had been pregnant, and letters to Gillette proved that their relationship had been covert and tempestuous. Gillette was convicted of her murder and later executed after an appeal and appeal to the governor failed. Theodore Dreiser’s An […]
David Sedaris’s Adventures with Language
I never read David Sedaris till now. On the advice of my sister, I requested the audiobook, which, after my experience with B.J. Novak’s One More Thing, seemed like a smart idea. After listening to David Sedaris read his own stories, I can only highly recommend the audiobooks as a pleasurable listening experience. Therefore, this review is written with the audiobook in mind. David Sedaris is a humor nonfiction writer, and Me Talk Pretty One Day, focuses largely on his transplant to Paris with boyfriend […]
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