Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
Glamour magazine said it best in their review, “It’s impossible not to get sucked into this satirical novel.” Crazy Rich Asians is simply fun entertainment. I can totally see why they made a movie based on this book – the fashion, the architecture, the opulence, OH MY! Now, I can’t wait to see it. Also, when I started the book, I assumed it was a stand-alone novel. I had no idea it was the first in a trilogy. As soon as I ended on a juicy, […]
Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson
There is a lot to say about Shakespeare, but there is not a lot to know. Bill Bryson, everyone’s favorite kindly uncle, lays the facts bare while gently chiding all of the (mostly bonkers) “hopeful suppositions” that have been presented as facts by well-meaning and often obsessed fans, historians, and scholars. Bryson, himself an acolyte at the altar of Shakespeare, paints a bright and brisk portrait of the man that we know to be Shakespeare. We know very few things about him; there are only […]
The Flame Throwers by Rachel Kushner
Well, it’s 1975, and the Red Brigade has exploded in Italy. Riots in the streets, and the wealthy (especially their kids) are kidnapped with impunity. You might have heard of J. Paul Getty’s grandson. His kidnappers sent a piece of his ear to his grandfather to show they were serious. Getty famously replied, meh. At least the grandson eventually was let go, but others did not survive. Fortunately, all of Getty’s money ended up resulting in a couple of fabulous museums. So this the world […]
A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen
Hedda Gabler by Herik Ibsen
Last year I took note of the Chancellor’s review of A Doll’s House, and realized that I had never actually read the drama, in spite of my admiration for Ibsen (An Enemy of the People was a high school favorite of mine). Wanting to rectify that, and thinking it would be interesting to also revisit Hedda Gabler, I decided to read both plays back to back and see what themes they have in common. My conclusion is that a repressed woman in the 19th century […]
Trust Exercise by Susan Choi
Trust Exercise punched me in the gut, kicked me while I was down, and still I could not leave it alone. I was once an insufferable THEEEEAAAAATER kid, and the teens on display here made my blood curdle- out of immediate and inescapable recognition. I was a pretentious brat until far too recently (still pretentious, just too old to be a brat) and roiling guilt flowed through my veins throughout the entire book. I have been working diligently on keeping my ideas off of other […]
Hag-Seed: William Shakespeare's The Tempest Retold by Margaret Atwood
I love a good Shakespearean remix. I devour everything Margaret Atwood has to offer. I was delighted to come across Hag-Seed, as I am still haunted by her addition to the Canongate Myth Series (Penelopiad) 14 years after reading. Atwood sets her storm in the “summer-stock” theater world of world of far flung Canada. Our Prospero is a wrongfully toppled director of a prestigious theater; toppled by schemes, toppled by loss, and toppled by grief. His island takes the form of a prison, where he rises once […]
