I realized this year that I have never read this book. I could have sworn I had since I did my Poirot readings a few years back, but then realized nope that I must have confused this book with another. Either way, I am thrilled that I got a chance to immerse myself back into the world of our egg-head shaped detective and his “little gray cells.” Told in the first person POV by Hastings (Poirot’s mostly bumbling and honestly dumb as anything assistant) in […]
It doesn’t get better than this
Much Ado About Nothing is by far my favorite Shakespeare play. I love most of his others too (especially Twelfth Night, Macbeth, & Romeo and Juliet), but this play is special. It’s fun to watch/read but surprisingly complex. If you haven’t ever seen/read it, I highly recommend starting with the Branaugh movie version and then reading an annotated copy. I actually own the dramatized audio version with David Tennant and Samantha Spiro, so I really like listening while I read along in hard copy. They’re […]
One Great Pre-Victorian Domestic
I think a personal theme of this year’s cannonball has been the ruining of books well-remembered. I read Wuthering Heights in high school and loved it. As that was many years ago, I thought I’d do a re-read to see if I would still enjoy what the book jacket describes as ‘one of the most haunting and atmospheric love stories ever written.’ I’m sure I agreed with that sentiment as a sixteen-year-old. But now…. Let me start with a list of all the things this […]
Faces look ugly when you’re alone
It figures that a book about people who are happy in their isolation would resonate with me. Shirley Jackson’s self proclaimed “paean to agoraphobia” gives of a sense of unease even during what should be the most mundane domestic scenes. Mary Katherine “Merricat” Blackwood, her sister Constance and their ailing uncle Julian are the surviving members of a once prestigious family. The surviving Blackwoods are hated and ridiculed by the surrounding villagers due to an incident which resulted in the death of Merricat and […]
Not my favorite Irving, but still a good one
I have been reading this book since January. I had also picked it up and put it down again as early as 2012. And today (or yesterday rather) I sit before you finally victorious! I was a big fan of “World According to Garp” and enjoyed “A Prayer for Own Meany,” but for some reason, this read was just like taking my medicine. I wanted to do it, I knew it was good for me, and I did it, but I didn’t particularly enjoy the […]
Yet Another Childhood Favorite Ruined
I was so distraught by the fact that I didn’t enjoy re-reading one of my big childhood favorites that I couldn’t write a review for days. I feel HORRIBLE giving “A Wrinkle in Time” such a low review, but the story just didn’t hold up for me. Meg is supposed to be the main character and the heroine of the tale, but aside from her one job near the plot’s end, she doesn’t seem to do much more than get angry at everyone for […]
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