January 2024 - I already wanted to re-read this book, and (unsurprisingly) I thought it was brilliant!
September 2023 - A small book with a big messageJanuary 2024 - I already wanted to re-read this book, and (unsurprisingly) I thought it was brilliant!
September 2023 - A small book with a big message. Every word was perfectly placed, and every line was beautifully written. Greatly looking forward to reading more from Claire Keegan....more
I’ve had a friend in Brian Selznick since I was the age of 9, when I discovered his awe inspiring book titled “The Invention of Hugo Cabret.” Now at tI’ve had a friend in Brian Selznick since I was the age of 9, when I discovered his awe inspiring book titled “The Invention of Hugo Cabret.” Now at the age of 23, I still feel like I have a friend in Brian Selznick. I’ve grown with his books, and that’s something I’ll always treasure. Every time I read a Brian Selznick book, I can feel my 9 year old self jumping for joy in my mind and in my heart. Reading this book was an absolute pleasure, but I must say I’m devastated by the fact that it’s over. If only I could turn back Hugo’s big Parisian clock and read this book, and all of his others, for the first time again! I’ve read quite a few short story collections, and I tend to have a hard time connecting with them. That was absolutely not the case with this brilliant collection. Each story was different but, in a strange way, they all felt connected somehow. I knew it wasn’t a fluid story, yet it oddly felt like it was. I loved the fact that we never discover the narrators name, a nod to Daphne du Maurier’s “Rebecca” which I greatly love! Then there’s the recurrence of the name “James,” which I felt added such soul and heart to the book as a whole. Like Rebecca, James, though he’s different in every story and isn’t the main character, felt like the center of everything. As I’m sure you can tell, I adored this book, and everything else Brian Selznick has created! Now my 9 year old self and I will impatiently wait until he creates another stunning work of art! ...more
I don’t think any amount of stars, on Goodreads or in the night sky, will convey just how much this book and it’s creator mean to me!!! Brian SelznickI don’t think any amount of stars, on Goodreads or in the night sky, will convey just how much this book and it’s creator mean to me!!! Brian Selznick became my inspiration when I discovered his book “The Invention of Hugo Cabret” at age 9. Now, at age 23, Brian Selznick is still my inspiration after reading all of the breathtaking books he’s created since then! It sounds incredibly over dramatic, but it couldn’t be more true…He is the reason I am the reader, illustrator, and writer I am today! While I being completely honest, I must admit that this book made me cry more than any other book I’ve ever read! Not only did the story have a great affect on me, but the book, as a creation, is more inspiring to me than I’ll ever be able to articulate! One of the best feelings to have as a reader, is when you read a book and it feels like it was written just for you, as if the author had exactly YOU in mind! This book gave me that feeling, so I must say… Thank you so much Brian Selznick for writing this book for me ;) ...more
“Publish my name and hang up my picture as that of the tenderest lover, The friend, the lover’s portrait, of whom his friend, his lover, was fondest, Wh“Publish my name and hang up my picture as that of the tenderest lover, The friend, the lover’s portrait, of whom his friend, his lover, was fondest, Who was not proud of his songs, but of the measureless ocean of love within him–and freely poured forth…” - Walt Whitman “Live Oak, With Moss” (VII)
When reading these few lines from the poem titled VII, I felt an overwhelming sense of love and friendship between me and Walt. In April of 2019 I had the incredible honor of visiting Walt Whitman’s birthplace. After touring his childhood home, I very happily “toured” the gift shop. I ended up coming away with a stunning edition of “Leave of Grass” (the Death Bed edition), A green leather bookmark, a pin, and about 7 postcards. As you can see, I’m quite the Walt Whitman devotee. Once I got home I proceeded to frame 6 of the postcards on my gallery wall. 5 of them being different portraits of Walt at different ages, and one being a photograph of his home. Now I have a little Walt shine, and I admire it everyday! I’m sure you can see why reading those lines from VII made my heart swell. “...hang up my picture as that of the tenderest lover…” I did exactly what Walt asked, without knowing that’s what he wished for. I hope, in some way, Walt knows the great impact he’s had on me and so many others. Look Walt, we’re publishing your name and hanging up your picture, indeed with the tenderest love!
This book is very special to me for many different reasons. Firstly, it was gifted/sent to my P. O. Box by a wonderful friend Amelia. The first item I’ve received since opening my P. O. Box! Secondly, it’s illustrated by one of my favorite illustrators Brian Selznick! Thirdly, because it’s a treasure!
As he was turning 40, Walt Whitman wrote 12 poems in a small handmade book he entitled “Live Oak, With Moss.” The poems were intensely private reflections on his attraction to and affection for other men and Whitman’s most adventurous explorations on themes of same-sex love. This revolutionary, beautiful, and passionate cluster of poems was never published by Whitman during his lifetime and has remained mostly unknown to the general public–until now!
He took these somewhat linear poems from “Live Oak, With Moss,” edited them, cut them up, and rearranged them into his “Calamus” poems found in many editions of Leaves of Grass. Hiding them away like diamonds in a heap of glass. They were eventually discovered, and now live in their original and true form!
This book is still as breathtaking as I remember it being!
July 18th, 2021 - my first read
“But even while his eDecember 19th, 2023 - my first re-read
This book is still as breathtaking as I remember it being!
July 18th, 2021 - my first read
“But even while his eyes were reading, His thoughts were far away, as old Desires, dreams, sorrows kept invading And crowding deep inside his soul. Between the lines before him, printed His inward eye saw others hinted. On these he concentrated most, In their decipherment engrossed. These were the secret legends, fictions The heart’s dark story had collected, The dreams with all else unconnected, The threats, the rumours, the predictions, Or else some lengthy, crazy tale Or letters from a fledgling girl.”
Eugene Onegin Chapter 8, Stanza 36
Have you ever read a book and asked, ‘How can words do this?’ I asked myself this question after reading every single stanza of Eugene Onegin. I believe that the greatest works of literature are the ones that leave you with more questions than answers, more sorrow than joy, and more feelings than you’ve ever felt before. Eugene Onegin is one of these “great works of literature,” and proof of this can be found in the questions I asked myself when reading my very first Pushkin. ‘How can he write with such ease and fluidity, while staying in the confines of the poetic form?’ ‘How can Pushkin make me feel every emotion I’m capable of feeling?’ ‘How can he paint such a lively and vivid picture in so few words?’ ‘How can Pushkin tell such a vast and deep story in less than 200 pages?’ ‘How can he give me so much, without giving me anything at all?’ ‘How can Pushkin...just...how?’
The answer is, because he can and he did!
In chapter 8, stanza 36, “our hero” Eugene is found seeking the answers to life’s unanswerable questions, and he’s doing so by looking for them in the books on his shelf. Although I said, “I believe that the greatest works of literature are the ones that leave you with more questions than answers.” I’ve also realized that the “more questions” I'm left with, are in fact the “answers.” The answers are in the questions, and the questions are in the books.
Here is a “Pushkin Stanza” of my own (silly) creation, dedicated to Pushkin (and Tolstoy)...
My dearest Tolstoy I’m afraid My heart is no longer only yours. Alexander Pushkin has paid A visit to my heart's sweet door. I wish to keep you both forever, In that place always together. I cannot part with either of you, So here you’ll stay, not one but two. And in your words I seek to find Questions in which your words are rife. Of what is love, and what is life, The quarries of a sleepless mind. You have the answers, I can tell. They’re in your books, for which I fell.
Maurice is a book, among few others, where I’d like to not only share a select few quotes with you, but transcribe the whole story from start to finisMaurice is a book, among few others, where I’d like to not only share a select few quotes with you, but transcribe the whole story from start to finish. I’d also love to delve deep into the story behind the book, and its creator E. M. Forster. Maurice is “his story” in two senses of the term: firstly, it is a story that was born from his mind and his hand, and secondly, from his own experiences.
He begins this book with the dedication: “Begun 1913, Finished 1914, Dedicated to a Happier Year.” Forster made arrangements to have it remain unpublished until after his death in 1970. At the time that he wrote this, homosexuality was illegal in England. A character from Maurice says at one point in the story, “England has always been disinclined to accept human nature.” Homosexuality was eventually legalized in 1967, just 3 years before Forsters death. Imagine waiting and wishing your whole life for your own country's acceptance, and getting it at age 88. Out of his 91 years of living, only 3 were ones of legal freedom. While reading about Maurice’s own internal struggle, I couldn’t help but feel that Forster was using Maurice as a way to give voice to his own private toil. “He had awoken too late for happiness, but not for strength, and could feel an austere joy, as of a warrior who is homeless but stands fully armed.”
Forster showed, in a heartbreaking yet beautiful way, how Society can influence people to the point of dishonesty. Forced to put up walls between their true self and who they think they should be. Leading to them not only betraying who they “love,” but betraying themselves. One of the characters askes the other, “After all, is not a real Hell better than a manufactured Heaven?”
At times Maurice being a “gentleman” seemed sexist, elitist, and proud. Yet, there comes a point when station, position, sex, and education don’t matter. That is the profound truth about love, it conquers all. “He educated Maurice’s spirit, for they themselves became equal. Neither thought ‘Am I led; am I leading?’ Love had caught him out of triviality and Maurice out of bewilderment in order that two imperfect souls might touch perfection.”
Being a novelist, Forster had a power that neither England, God, or anyone could tamper with. That is, he could give Maurice the life and ending that was never given to himself. He held the pen, he was Maurice’s creator, and being so meant that he was in control of his own character’s fate. Fiction warrants everything, all the author needs to do is write. “At times he entertained the dream. Two men can defy the world.”
E. M. Forster on writing the ending of Maurice: “A happy ending was imperative. I shouldn’t have bothered to write otherwise. I was determined that in fiction anyway two men should fall in love and remain in it for the ever that fiction allows, and in this sense, Maurice and _____ still roam the greenwood.”...more
‘Did you say the stars were worlds, Tess?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘All like ours?’ ‘I don’t know; but I think so. They sometimes seem to be like the apples on our stubb‘Did you say the stars were worlds, Tess?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘All like ours?’ ‘I don’t know; but I think so. They sometimes seem to be like the apples on our stubbard-tree. Most of them splendid and sound – a few blighted.’ ‘Which do we live on – a splendid one or a blighted one?’ ‘A blighted one.’
I write this while feeling a bit blighted myself, now that I’ve finished this splendid book. The events in this story are not quite “splendid,” but my reading of it indeed was. I don’t think a book has ever made me this conflicted. There were times while I was reading it, when I wanted to lovingly hug it to my chest. Then, the next page made me want to launch it out of the nearest window. I barely put my pencil down as I read, because I couldn't stop underlining and writing in the margins. Some of my scribbles were analytical, while others were basically me yelling at the characters. Hardy’s way of writing is extremely moving and HARDhitting (see what I did there?) Almost every sentiment, description, and line of dialogue left me speechless. This description of Tess is one of my favorites, “He had never before seen a woman’s lips and teeth which forced upon his mind with such persistent iteration the old Elizabethan simile of roses filled with snow. Perfect, he, as a lover, might have called them off-hand. But no – they were not perfect. And it was the touch of the imperfect upon the would-be perfect that gave the sweetness, because it was that which gave the humanity.” Excuse me while I go shed a few tears… There were endless amounts of time while I was reading when I thought “if only…” If only Tess’s mother didn’t… If only Tess… If only he didn’t… If only they… on and on and on. This book is a series of missteps, and at times it was very hard to read. It’s also quite difficult to miss all of Hardy’s very blatant moments of foreshadowing and metaphor. “Then she fell to reflecting again, and in looking downwards a thorn of the rose remaining in her breast accidentally pricked her chin.” Hardy is brilliant at making the morality and beliefs of his characters very clear, while also ambiguous. There are characters which sweep you off your feet one page and the next you can’t believe how cruel they’ve become. While others you completely despise the entirety of the book. There is one character in particular, who I just can’t seem to put my finger on. I adore them, yet dislike their actions and choices all at the same time. Tess of the D’Urbervilles is a story that I will be contemplating and admiring for many years to come. It itself is a blighted star, while also being a splendid one. ...more
"I never met any of my friends, of course, in a usual way—they were strangers, and lived only in their writings. But if they were only shadow-companio"I never met any of my friends, of course, in a usual way—they were strangers, and lived only in their writings. But if they were only shadow-companions, still they were constant, and powerful, and amazing. That is, they said amazing things, and for me it changed the world." - Mary Oliver ...more
"From her feet the ground sloped sharply into the view, and violets ran down in rivulets and streams and cataracts, irrigating the hillside with blue,"From her feet the ground sloped sharply into the view, and violets ran down in rivulets and streams and cataracts, irrigating the hillside with blue, eddying round the tree stems, collecting into pools in the hollows, covering the grass with spots of azure foam. But never again were they in such profusion; this terrace was the well-head, the primal source whence beauty gushed out to water the earth." - E. M. Forster "A Room With A View" ...more
This was my first foray in Leo Tolstoy's work, and I'm very pleased to say that I thoroughly enjoyed these short stories so very much!!
Both of these sThis was my first foray in Leo Tolstoy's work, and I'm very pleased to say that I thoroughly enjoyed these short stories so very much!!
Both of these short stories "How Much Land Does A Man Need?" and "What Men Live By" are written in the style of fables. They are both very moralistic and have some biblical leanings, which made for a very compelling read. These stories left me thinking, and that's my favorite kind a book, one that makes me think. It also had me questioning certain aspects of life and what was discussed in its pages. I am now very intrigued to see how I'll feel about his novels!
This has made me want to put ( the tome ) Anna Karenina on my 2020 TBR......more
"Sometimes I feel lost," said the boy. "Me too, said the mole, "but we love you, and love brings you home." - The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse"Sometimes I feel lost," said the boy. "Me too, said the mole, "but we love you, and love brings you home." - The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by @charliemackesy ...more
Ready... I'm about to be very dramatic, but for very good reason!
I don't know if I'll ever recover from this book! No, I'm not kidding!!! I don't eveReady... I'm about to be very dramatic, but for very good reason!
I don't know if I'll ever recover from this book! No, I'm not kidding!!! I don't even know how to articulate how I feel right now... This book was everything I wanted it to be and more. It was different from the first book in the series "Beartown," but in the best ways! It expanded on the character's stories, some more than others, and delved deeper into everything that took place in the first book. Backman also used what happened in "Beartown," and showed the effects those actions had on each character, and the town itself. These characters felt so real, to the point where I wanted to google "Beartown vs. Hed ice hockey game," to read the articles mentioned in the book. To my utter disappointment, this book along with these people, don't actually exist. *Tears*
I don't know how Fredrik Backman does it, but he just does! He made me feel like I was part of the town, like one of the people wearing the green "Beartown Against The Rest" t-shirts in the stands. I was a part of every moment like a silent spectator. (Or maybe not so silent, when I would yell and laugh and cry along with them) I could go on forever, but all I'm doing is gushing about this book and Fredrik Backman. THATS BECAUSE HE AND THIS BOOK ARE BOTH OUT OF THIS WORLD AMAZING...okay I'll stop! Do I even have to say... these books are all time favorites! Surprise Surprise!!...more
I first read this book in my highschool English class. I remember enjoying, but since it was for school I was more concerned with getting a good gradeI first read this book in my highschool English class. I remember enjoying, but since it was for school I was more concerned with getting a good grade than really delving beep into it. I always knew that I wanted to go back to it, away from the pressure of a good grade. Now I remember why everyone loves this book, and why it is taught so often in schools... And that's because it's bloody brilliant!! ...more
This is one of his most iconic plays for a reason!! It is without a doubt a work of brilliance! This man can write a kicWilly Shakes does it again!!!
This is one of his most iconic plays for a reason!! It is without a doubt a work of brilliance! This man can write a kick ass insult holy moly!!!
My favorite, I think was, Act 3. Sc. 2 lines 380-402 "Will you play upon this pipe..." SOOO good!!
I also love when Polonius asks what Hamlet is reading, and he flips through the book saying, "words, words, Words." 😂
Besides it being full of the witty comebacks that we all love, this play is the word melancholy personified. It's so over the top and dramatic, but that's what makes his work so enjoyable!
Hamlet boards a pirate ship, and it isn't even a major plot point!!!!!!!! That's how much of a "boss" Shakespeare is!
This play is full of everything I love about his work. I am so glad Google exists, because now I need all of the Hamlet jokes I can get my hands on!!
This is officially my absolute favorite of Shakespeare's plays!!!💗 Oh my goodness!!!!!!
What do I even say?!? This book was STRANGELY perfection in eveThis is officially my absolute favorite of Shakespeare's plays!!!💗 Oh my goodness!!!!!!
What do I even say?!? This book was STRANGELY perfection in everyway. His sentence structure, rhyme, rhythm, irony, word play, jokes, plot, characters... EVERYTHING!!! I laughed my way through this entire thing😂 If life didn't get in the way, i.e. sleep, I would have finished this in one day!! Oh well, I finished it in a little over 24 hours!! (Curse you school work!)
This plot was so whimsical and strange is the best way possible!! This play has some of the best lines, and boy can Shakespeare write an insult! 😂😂😂
This review is all over the place because I'm still coming out of "fairy land"
...or was it all just a dream?? 😉
All I want to do is re-read it!! I can't wait to go back to this and look at it more criticality! I have a feeling that I'm going to get something different out of this play each time I read it!!! Should I re-read it right now? No? Okay I guess I'll go to sleep, and maybe I'll end up falling in love with an "ass" 😂 *insert donkey emoji here*...more
This book doesn't even need a review!!! Walt Whitman is my favorite poet on the face of the earth...that's it! That's my review! This book doesn't even need a review!!! Walt Whitman is my favorite poet on the face of the earth...that's it! That's my review! ...more
This book is truly one of a kind! I have never read a book so full of dMy first re-read*
This story is still one of a kind!
First read (November 2019)*
This book is truly one of a kind! I have never read a book so full of dislikable characters, but still feeling so attached to them at the same time. I am in awe of the Brontë sisters and can't wait to keep reading more of their work. Few books make me feel as if the setting is its own character, and Wuthering Heights is definitely its own entity. I could feel her descriptions in my bones! The cold harsh rain storms that overpower the Moors, the vast hills and twisting trees!! It was an incredible reading experience, and now I am so excited to delve deeper into Emily Brontë's poetry since this is unfortunately her only novel! Yet, what a novel it is!! ...more
“...he had to close the book and walk home in a state of strange emotional agitation. He’s amused at himsRe-read started and finished on June 7th 2020
“...he had to close the book and walk home in a state of strange emotional agitation. He’s amused at himself, getting wrapped up in the drama of novels like that. It feels intellectually unserious to concern himself with fictional people marrying one another. But there it is: literature moves him. One of his professors calls it “the pleasure of being touched by great art.”
As I read that line, a wave of understanding washed over me. In this short passage, Sally Rooney is describing how one of our main characters, Connell, feels while reading Emma by Jane Austen. A book that I hadn’t read before reading Normal People, but I had after. As I re-read Normal People, after reading Emma, I felt a bond form between me and Connell. As if our mutual adoration for literature linked us together. The way Sally Rooney describes his feelings towards the characters in Emma, is not only how I feel about them also, but how I feel about Connell (and Marianne) as a fictional character himself. That’s the uncanny truth of this book, it feels real. As if Connell and Marianne were alive as I write this now. As if the events of this book truly happened. As if I was there with them through it all. In a way I was there, just as Connell, in a way, was there with Emma and Mr. Knightley. Sally Rooney explains it perfectly, literature moves us. Connell’s professor is right also in calling it “the pleasure of being touched by great art.” And aren’t we incredibly lucky to feel those things for people who don’t even exist in the flesh, but exist in the soul.
Earlier in the book, Connell and Marianne are talking while he is holding a copy of The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin. She asks if his friends knew that he read so much. “They wouldn’t be interested in that stuff, he said.” and Marianne replies, “You mean they’re not interested in the world around them.” Her response left me in awe. Again, she felt so real to me in that moment. By the fact that she (and he) is/are passionate about racism, and have read books which are so applicable to today. Getting book recommendations from your favorite characters is probably one of the greatest things on earth. I will now proceed to get myself a copy of The Fire Next Time, and many other books referenced in Normal People.
This book doesn’t just tell you a story, it gives you a look into people’s souls. The beauty, pain, and truth of life, are captured within these pages. I often feel certain emotions that I honestly don’t know how to explain or put into words. Sometimes I think that maybe I’m alone in feeling them. There were multiple times while re-reading this book when I thought, Yes! That’s exactly how I feel! Sally Rooney has given voice to emotions I’ve never known how to articulate. So, when she says that “literature moves him,” I would like to say it back to her, Your words move me!
First read May 28-29th 2019
I read this in less than 24 hours, and if it wasn't for sleep I would have finished it in one sitting!!! That in itself says a lot about this book and Sally Rooney as an author.
To capture a reader and pull them so deeply into a story is quite a magical power. This book was incredibly character driven, but in the best way. I didn't feel like it was lacking a plot because of my attachment to the characters. Connell and Marianne felt so real, like I could almost say I knew them personally. Their relationship and miscommunication frustrated me at times, as it feels when you see a friend go through difficulties in life and relationships. I wanted to pull them out of the book, sit them down and say, "Guys, let's talk this all out." With that being said, each character had a valid reason for why they acted or reacted in that way. They were each so well developed, and the setting of Ireland felt so real eventhough I've never been there. As you can tell, I adored this book with my entire heart and soul!! I knew I was going to love this book and Sally Rooney as a writer. I can't wait to read her debut novel "Conversations With Friend's"!!! I'm gladly adding this superb story onto my all time favorite books list!! ...more
Carolyn Marie
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