Category Archives: Adult

Animal Farm, by George Orwell

Posted on October 31, 2008 by Thistle

After my failed attempt at reading The Sleeper Awakes by H.G. Wells, I was suddenly stuck with no books in the to-read pile on my desk. I have a few on the way from the library but they haven’t gotten … Continue reading →

Posted in 2008, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

In the Land of Invisible Women, by Qanta A. Ahmed

Posted on October 23, 2008 by Thistle

I hardly know what to say about this book. I’ve been trying to read it for the last two weeks, and though it’s only 437 pages long, I struggled to get through it. I don’t want to say it’s a … Continue reading →

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The Stranger, by Albert Camus

Posted on October 22, 2008 by Thistle

The Stranger is a tiny novel (my translation is 123 pages) by Albert Camus published in 1946. It is a tale of a man, Mersault, who lives life completely and utterly without morals. By that, I don’t mean that he’s … Continue reading →

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The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood

Posted on October 13, 2008 by Thistle

Spoilers. Better never means better for everyone, he says. It always means worse, for some. This book comes so highly recommended that I feel bad saying the dreaded words: I didn’t like it. I wanted to like it. But I … Continue reading →

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The Cellist of Sarajevo, by Steven Galloway

Posted on October 1, 2008 by Thistle

The Cellist of Sarajevo is a fictional account of four people during the siege of Sarajevo in the early ’90s. First, there is the cellist, who witnesses an attack that kills 22 people outside his window as they waited in … Continue reading →

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The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton

Posted on September 27, 2008 by Thistle

I remember reading something by Edith Wharton in 11th grade. Ethan Frome, I believe. I don’t remember particularly liking her style, which is why, when my book club at the library chose House of Mirth for our October selection, I … Continue reading →

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Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams, by Sylvia Plath

Posted on September 22, 2008 by Thistle

Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams is a collection of short stories, essays, and journal entries by Sylvia Plath. Altogether, 20 stories, 5 essays, and 5 journal collections grace this book. I must say that it’s extremely difficult to … Continue reading →

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Dr. Zhivago, by Boris Pasternak

Posted on September 6, 2008 by Thistle

Spoilers. Ugh. What else can I say about this book? It’s nearly 550 pages of ugh. Somewhere awhile back we** were talking about loss in translation. I think this book is the perfect example of that. Not just because it’s … Continue reading →

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Nine Lives to Murder, by Marion Babsen

Posted on August 21, 2008 by Thistle

Spoilers. This book was…okay. Not my favorite, but then again, I’ve not read anything in the mystery genre since my youngin’ days of R.L. Stine’s The Babysitter (not the best recommendation for the genre, I might add). I was therefore … Continue reading →

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Pale Fire, by Vladimir Nabokov

Posted on August 20, 2008 by Thistle

Wow. I say that in the most respectful, perfectly awed tone possible. This is, without a doubt, the most difficult book I’ve ever read. Harder by far than Don Quixote and Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary. Harder than any other … Continue reading →

Posted in 2008, Adult, Poetry, Prose | Tagged , | 2 Comments