Category Archives: Prose

Coraline, by Neil Gaiman

Trish from Trish’s Reading Nook reviewed this book recently. For some reason – probably because I read so little modern fiction – I’d never heard of it. Her review excited me, and I wanted to get my hands on this … Continue reading

Posted in 2008, Children's, Prose | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Animal Farm, by George Orwell

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

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

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

The Stranger, by Albert Camus

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

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

The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood

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

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

The Diamond of Darkhold, by Jeanne DuPrau

The Diamond of Darkhold is the fourth and final book of the Ember series by Jeanne DuPrau. The book takes the people of Ember, joined with the people of Sparks from book 2, through their first winter together. It’s a … Continue reading

Posted in 2008, Children's, Prose | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Giver, by Lois Lowry

You know, I’d thought that, as a kid, I’d read a lot of Lois Lowry. I didn’t recall which books specifically, but I remembered her name. A quick check on Wikipedia, however, reveals to me that before Number the Stars, … Continue reading

Posted in 2008, Children's, Prose | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

The Cellist of Sarajevo, by Steven Galloway

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

Posted in 2008, Adult, Prose | Tagged | 3 Comments

The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton

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

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

Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams, by Sylvia Plath

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

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