I've read Rebecca (1938) by Daphne Du Maurier. It is a great book of suspense. I read it as part of the BBC book list that I was reading from when I started this blog. (I should get back to that.) I'm not sure why, but I stopped there with Du Maurier. I didn't think, "That... Continue Reading →
As I begin reading Zadie Smith’s first novel White Teeth (2000), I realize that I have not yet posted about reading her book On Beauty (2005). For some reason, when I opened it, I expected some sort of feminist critique of media and advertising. I thought it was nonfiction. To my surprise (and delight) it... Continue Reading →
We finished reading Lord of the Flies (1954), number 49 on the BBC book list, by William Golding. I read it to my 11-year-old daughter, who has been recovering from a tonsillectomy and an adenoidectomy this week. I've read it before, but I had forgotten most of it. Oh my. I feel a loss of... Continue Reading →
To see previous posts in this series, click here. This is my bookshelf. Here is a snippet of what’s on it, ten at a time. Breathing Lessons (1988) by Anne Tyler The Amateur Marriage (2004) by Anne Tyler All the King's Men (1946) by Robert Penn Warren Ethan Frome (1911) by Edith Wharton Madame de... Continue Reading →
Most women enjoy or appreciate Jane Austen's work. I am one of those women, and although I don't necessarily like everything I've read by Austen, and while I haven't actually read all of her books, I do appreciate what I have read. I also liked a recent movie called Austenland that took a comedic take... Continue Reading →
This post was originally published on January 12, 2012. Reading Dickens pleases my husband. He has no idea that the first line of A Tale of Two Cities is, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,” yet I could detect his pleasure at seeing me sprawled out on the couch... Continue Reading →
Sixteen-year-old Frank is the protagonist of The Wasp Factory (1984) by Iain Banks, and his identity is nebulous because, as we learn early on, he was castrated as a child. The family dog attacked him as a toddler, and his father kept a jar with the tiny genitals to show his son the tragedy that... Continue Reading →
My favorite part of Thomas Hardy’s Far From the Madding Crowd (1874), number 47 on the BBC book list, is when the maltster at the local pub tells Gabriel Oak that despite the grittiness of the bacon they are about to eat, he can try not to chew too closely and therefore enjoy the meat... Continue Reading →
How do I explain Tess of the D’Urbervilles (1891) by Thomas Hardy and number 12 on the BBC book list? It is one of those awful (in a lovely way) novels that I see myself in. I think any woman can relate. And unfortunately, the #YesAllWomen campaign on Twitter a few weeks ago attests to... Continue Reading →
A few months back I posted My Top Ten Classic Novels for Teenage Girls. It has become my second most-viewed post ever, just behind Seven Annoying Things People Say To Pianists, which also created a lot of conversation. I felt somewhat bad about making this list for girls. I hate to gender stereotype and I... Continue Reading →
The Bookshelf of Emily J. 