Tag Archives: portentous

The Birds and Other Stories, by Daphne du Maurier

Posted on March 13, 2015 by Thistle

This is a collection of six short stories by Daphne du Maurier: The Birds, Monte Verita, The Apple Tree, The Little Photographer, Kiss Me Again Stranger, and The Old Man. Note: This isn’t the cover of my copy. Mine is … Continue reading →

Posted in 2015, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Screaming Staircase, by Jonathan Stroud (audio)

Posted on June 14, 2014 by Thistle

Lucy is a ghost-hunter in alternate-world London. In this alternate world, ghosts of the dead frequently come back to haunt the living, and only children can see them (though adults can sense them to a certain degree). Ghost-hunting agencies then … Continue reading →

Posted in 2014, 2016, Children's, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath (audio)

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Thistle

This is the third or fourth time I’ve experienced The Bell Jar, though the first time on audio. I don’t normally listen to rereads on audio if I already have a strong attachment to the book, but Jason said Maggie … Continue reading →

Posted in 2013, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Mistborn: The Final Empire, by Brandon Sanderson (audio)

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Thistle

Epic high fantasy. I’m not going to attempt to summarize this book. For the purposes of this post, my first three words are really enough: epic high fantasy. I do not read high fantasy. Ever. Most of my blog readers … Continue reading →

Posted in 2012, 2013, 2016, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Protected: The Abstinence Teacher, by Tom Perrotta

Posted on May 11, 2011 by Thistle

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Posted in 2011, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , | Enter your password to view comments.

Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov (audio)

Posted on December 14, 2010 by Thistle

I first read Lolita about a decade ago. It was my first experience was Vladimir Nabokov, and what made me fall in love with him. I decided to revisit this novel on audio, a second read. Here, I’m going to … Continue reading →

Posted in 2010, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Rage: A Love Story, by Julie Anne Peters

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Thistle

Johanna’s life has been hard. Her father died when she was young, and she watched her mother slip away not long before she reached her senior year in high school. Now she lives on her sister’s mercy, and their relationship … Continue reading →

Posted in 2010, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Little Children, by Tom Perrotta

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Thistle

Sarah doesn’t fit in. She takes her daughter to the playground near her home in an upper-middle class suburb, but she knows she’s different from the other moms there. While they talk about fatigue, sex, and their daily schedules, conversation … Continue reading →

Posted in 2010, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Untelling, by Tayari Jones

Posted on May 6, 2010 by Thistle

When Aria was a child, her family was ripped apart by a car accident that killed her father and baby sister. The rest of her adolescence was spent with an older sister who just wanted to get away and a … Continue reading →

Posted in 2010, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Germinal, by Émile Zola

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Thistle

Germinal is about a poor mining town in mid-1800s France. As the economy gets worse and worse, the miners begin to starve to death under unfair pay schedules. They have no protection from labor laws, and go on strike under … Continue reading →

Posted in 2010, Adult, Prose | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments