Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, 1843 Given the festive time it felt right to finish off a year of writing a little report/review every week on one of Charles Dickens’ most well known stories. A Christmas Carol is widely known and has a variety of adaptations, the story itself is riddled with meaning and offersContinue reading “A Christmas Carol”
Tag Archives: short story
The Death of Ivan Ilyich
Leo Tolstoy, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, (1886) Reading The Death of Ivan Ilyich for class meant it was inevitably selected to fit in a wider discussion. This follows The Gift, The Gilead and Master and Man. As another Tolstoy work it fits in with the messaging of Master and Man and is certainly anotherContinue reading “The Death of Ivan Ilyich”
Rip Van Winkle
Washington Irving, Rip Van Winkle, 1819 With Thanksgiving and a generally busy time this shorter story was slotted in to my list with a class reading of Tolstoy’s Death of Ivan Ilyic for next week. This is a classic short story that I learnt and read growing up so it was nice to revisit it.Continue reading “Rip Van Winkle”
A Perfect Day for Bananafish
J.D Salinger, A Perfect Day for Bananafish, (1948) I am currently reading A Thousand Splendid Suns and I did not have enough time to read the whole book. In interest of continuing a book/short story per week, I read A Perfect Day for Bananafish a couple of weeks ago as it is short but renownedContinue reading “A Perfect Day for Bananafish”
Hills Like White Elephants
Ernest Hemingway, Hills Like White Elephants Continuing the recent trend of short stories this is another selection from various suggestion lists. For next week I am reading Tracy Kidder, Mountains Beyond Mountains, I have already started but needed slightly longer to read it while having work and school assignments to manage. Hills Like White ElephantsContinue reading “Hills Like White Elephants”
The Celebrated Jumping Frog
Mark Twain, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, 1865 Another short story by Mark Twain, this work is told from the perspective of a narrator retelling a bartenders story. The story could be considered a somewhat whimsical tale of a gambler Jim Smiley. The bartender simply tells the story to the narrator without anyContinue reading “The Celebrated Jumping Frog”
A Dog’s Tale
Mark Twain, A Dog’s Tale (1904) My father was a St. Bernard, my mother was a collie, but I am a Presbyterian. As a follow up to Eve’s Diary from last week I found A Dog’s Tale another Mark Twain work that went through the same treatment. Originally an entry in Harper’s Magazine it wasContinue reading “A Dog’s Tale”
Wheresoever she was, there was Eden.
Mark Twain, Eve’s Diary, (1906) Eve’s Diary was originally a Christmas release in 1905 and was then followed with a full book release in 1906. It is a supremely fun and comic story placing a humorous and personal perspective on events in the Garden of Eden. Primarily from the view of Eve the story becomesContinue reading “Wheresoever she was, there was Eden.”
The Monkey’s Paw
W. W. Jacobs, The Monkey’s Paw, (1902) He went down in the darkness, and felt his way to the parlour, and then to the mantelpiece. The talisman was in its place, and a horrible fear that the unspoken wish might bring his mutilated son before him ere he could escape from the room seized uponContinue reading “The Monkey’s Paw”
The Most Dangerous Game
Richard Connell, The Most Dangerous Game (1924) The Most Dangerous Game recently entered the public domain. It has been the most interesting and compelling short story I have read up to this point in the year. The premise of hunting the most dangerous animal (humans) is clearly inviting enough for a modernized Quibi digital adaptation.Continue reading “The Most Dangerous Game”
The Weekly Book Report 