Jeannette Walls, The Glass Castle, Scribner, (2005) This is a great memoir that has its inevitable depressing moments as well as corresponding inspiration and uplift. I found it wonderfully paced and the number of sections throughout the story meant I was consistently drawn back to find out what happened next. As much as it isContinue reading “The Glass Castle”
Tag Archives: story
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”
The Gift
Lewis Hyde, The Gift: Imagination and the Erotic Life of Property (1983) – Updated in 2007 as The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World Lewis Hyde’s The Gift has gone through a couple of subtitle changes but remains a foundational text in understanding the etymology of gifts and generosity. Each chapter addressesContinue reading “The Gift”
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns, (2007) A story that follows the lives of Mariam and Laila as they respective narratives gradually intertwine, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at times crushingly sad but in others hopeful and inspiring. The book starts out following Mariam as she deals with an absentee father and a harsh, strictContinue reading “A Thousand Splendid Suns”
From Gilead, Iowa
Marilynne Robinson, Gilead (2004) One long episodic letter from father to son, Gilead by Marilynne Robinson received much critical acclaim. It is full of symbolism and I would not have read it, if it were not for one of my classes at school. It has it moments that I enjoyed and the premise of theContinue reading “From Gilead, Iowa”
Where’d You Go, Bernadette?
Maria Semple, Where’d You Go, Bernadette?, Little, Brown and Company (2012) Compared to The Girl on the Train last week Semple’s work is wonderfully refreshing, inspirational and fun. Both are wonderful examples of their genre and just like The Girl on the Train, this book sold exceptionally well and was translated into a number ofContinue reading “Where’d You Go, Bernadette?”
What Do You Do With…
Kobi Yamada, What you Do Matters (Box Set) The What You Do Matters box set comes with three books: What Do You Do With an Idea What Do You Do With a Problem What Do You Do With a Chance Written by Kobi Yamada and illustrated by Mae Besom this collection features the whole seriesContinue reading “What Do You Do With…”
Normal People
Sally Rooney, Normal People. A Novel, (2018) This book by Sally Rooney received considerable attention and recognition when it was published. Perhaps part of the appeal of Normal People is the enthralling way Rooney presents the roller coaster relationship of Connell and Marianne. The story is a brutally honest depiction of what normal life canContinue reading “Normal People”
The Boy, the mole, the fox and the Horse
Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the mole, the fox and the Horse (2019) This wonderful book only came out 6 months ago but it has already been making a significant impact on social media as the story has pertinent messages for the current situation. As much an art piece as it is a story the beautifulContinue reading “The Boy, the mole, the fox and the Horse”
“This was me now”
Stephenie Meyer, The Host (2010) For the first time in a while I found myself spending a couple of hours unable to put a book down. The Host not only takes place in a compelling and thought-provoking environment but involves a number of fascinating relationships as a result. With Earth becoming home to a raceContinue reading ““This was me now””
The Weekly Book Report 