Let’s Talk About: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Translated by: Louise and Alymer Maude When I started reading again after a few months of not reading, I decided to go for War and Peace. Three years ago when I got back into reading after a years-long slump, I wanted to start with War and Peace only to drop it because in a way,……

Let’s Talk About: Passing by Nella Larsen

TW: Depictions of racism Passing is a classic from the Harlem Renaissance which details the story of how two childhood friends met again after twelve years. Irene was married to a dark-skinned African-American doctor and became active in civil societies for African-Americans, while Clare married a white man with deep-seated prejudice for African-Americans. Clare, having……

To-Finish: The Master and Margarita (The importance of finding the “right” translation)

Honestly, I hoped I wouldn’t have to put Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita in my “to-finish” series. Sometimes, I’d get an itch to read a classic novel and I found that I got a fondness for reading Russian classics after reading a few shorter works. The Master and Margarita is one of those novels……

Reading Dune: New Series Intro + New Blog Feature!

I bought Dune months ago-in May, I think- and I’m only getting around to reading it now. I’ll be completely honest, the prospect of reading Dune intimidated me. Looking at just the book itself, it’s pretty chunky for a book just a bit bigger than a mass market paperback. About two to three years prior,……

Charming and Whimsical: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Title: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Author: Lewis Rating: 3.5/5 Stars Links: Goodreads, Standard Ebooks I picked up Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland because I was mostly wondering why I haven’t read it yet. I mean, I tried writing an Alice in Wonderland twisted retelling in high school and that kind of fizzled out. In retrospect, I……

Fathers and Sons: Reconciliation Between Generations

Title: Fathers and Sons Author: Ivan Turgenev Rating: 4.5/5 Stars Links: Goodreads, Project Gutenberg, Amazon I picked up Ivan Turgenev’s Fathers and Sons (or alternatively, Fathers and Children) because it was so short I can read it in a few sittings. I was not exactly expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. However,……

The Duel: A Novella Masterpiece

Title: The Duel Author: Anton Chekhov Rating: 5/5 Stars Links: Goodreads, Standard Ebooks I started reading Anton Chekhov’s The Duel because it was rather short and something I could finish during a bout of insomnia (I think my readers would find this to be a normal occurrence). It was also not my introduction to Chekhov’s……

White Nights: Unrequited Love in Four Nights

“Oh, if you only knew how many times I’ve fallen in love like that!…” “But how, with whom?…” “Why with nobody, with an ideal, with the one I see in my dreams. I create entire love stories in my dreams…” Title: White Nights Author: Fyodor Dostoyevsky Rating: 5/5 Stars Links: Goodreads, Project Gutenberg One rather……

To Finish: War and Peace

  “To Finish” refers to books I’ve started but decided to abandon because of one reason or another. It refers to books I did not exactly ‘DNF’ because I do have the intention of finishing them. One day last February, I decided I want to read for pleasure again. I have always been fascinated by classic……

Origins of Gothic Literature- The Castle of Otranto

Title: The Castle of Otranto Author: Horace Walpole Rating: 2.5/5 Stars Links: Goodreads, Standard Ebooks One evening, the clock has struck midnight and I am yet to fall asleep. Out of boredom, I picked up the iPad on my nightstand and looked for a title on my library short enough that I can read it……