Book Review: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

“The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have…

My Classics TBR

Over the years Classic literature has transformed from something that felt really rather daunting and out of reach to something that I actively enjoy engaging with, and this is largely down to mandatory explorations of such texts at school. In my love for deep analysis I found a real love for the types of literature…

Reading Every Book Mentioned in Roald Dahl’s Matilda

During a recent reread of Matilda, one of my all- time favorite books from my childhood, I came to realize that tiny little Matilda has read far more classics than I, a firm lover of classics, ever have! In childhood I never truly appreciated the variety of important and impactful literature she had read, and…

Book Review: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

"There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams- not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion." Within The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald expertly crafts a story critiquing the American Dream through the use of beautiful prose and interesting characterization. This is…

Intimidating Books on my TBR

I, like I'm sure many others do, have a whole load of books on my TBR. It's only natural then that some of these books should be more intimidating than others, whether this be down to the hype surrounding it, the topics it explores or even the mere length of it. Below I've decided to…

Book Review: The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

"You'll find that you're not the first person who was ever confused and frightened and even sickened by human behavior. You're by no means alone on that score, you'll be excited and stimulated to know. Many, many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right now." The Catcher in the…

Book Review: Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

“The beauty or ugliness of a character lay not only in its achievements, but in its aims and impulses; its true history lay, not among things done, but among things willed.” Though it was written around 130 years ago, Tess of the D'Urbervilles remains an important read, largely due to the issues that Hardy approaches…

Book Review: The Astonishing Colour of After by Emily X.R. Pan

“Once upon a time we were the standard colors of a rainbow, cheery and certain of ourselves. At some point, we all began to stumble into the in-betweens, the murky colors made dark and complicated by resentment and quiet anger. At some point, my mother slid so off track she sank into hues of gray,…

Book Review: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

“Life, although it may only be an accumulation of anguish, is dear to me, and I will defend it.” Through fluid and beautiful prose Shelley tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist that has to deal with the ramifications of creating a living creature, and the creature itself, who is continually shunned and subsequently…