The ironic title The Happy Marriage (2016), a novel by Tahar Ben Jelloun, is not as ironic as it seems. On the surface, “that’s the weak point of our marriage: the lack of happiness!” (p. 108). While the narrative from the perspective of an old artist, who has had a stroke, is about his “horrible... Continue Reading →
I began last semester terrified that I would have to read brilliant French philosopher, historian, and social critic Michel Foucault’s Discipline & Punish: The Birth of the Prison (1975). It is an intimidating work and seemed so dense and heavy. I didn’t think I would like it much, and I assumed that the week of... Continue Reading →
I recently “read” The Count of Monte Cristo (1844) by Alexandre Dumas by listening to it on CD. It is number 65 on the BBC book list and some 117 chapters, so I knew the only way I would have time to get through it would be through listening to it on my long drives... Continue Reading →
I did it. I finally read Lolita (1955) by Vladimir Nabokov. If you’ve been aware of or following my attempts to read all of the books on the so-called BBC book list, then you know that I said I would read them all with the possible exception of Lolita, because the subject matter is so... Continue Reading →
I have been wanting to read Madame Bovary (1856) by Gustave Flaubert and number 85 on the BBC book list for quite some time. Years, even. I finally got to it by listening to it on audiobook while driving to school, and I am glad I did. I know it was scandalous in its time,... Continue Reading →
The Little Prince (1943), number 92 on the BBC book list, is a short, sweet allegorical novel about the important “things” in life. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry explores these ideas through the unexpected friendship of his protagonist (seemingly an autobiographical depiction) who has crash-landed in the Sahara desert, and the little prince, a child visitor from... Continue Reading →
Yes, my husband read Les Miserables (1862) before I did. Several years before I did, in fact. When we were dating in college, he had to read it for an assigned reading course as part of his master’s degree in accounting. To accomplish this, he brought the book to church with him on Sundays and... Continue Reading →
The Bookshelf of Emily J. 