Shy and introverted, 23-year old Elizabeth spends her days toiling away at a museum while living with her aunt, who cares for her with her own inheritance. Sickly and a chronic sufferer of headaches and back pains, Elizabeth's aunt finally takes her to a doctor, who refers her to a psychiatrist for her "nervous" condition. What at first appears to be a simple and fixable … [Read more...]
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (Book Review)
Last week was gloomy and rainy, so I was in the mood for a good, short ghost story. I'm a big wuss when it comes to this genre, but Rory at Fourth Street Review assured me that, as far as horror goes, this one isn't so bad. She's right, although if I had seen this version of the cover before reading the book, I definitely wouldn't have picked it up.Despite its scant 120 … [Read more...]
Conquering the Classics – Flowers for Algernon
My husband's not a reader. At all. But, for years he's been bugging me to read this book, so I finally decided to take his advice and take the plunge. I can't decide whether I want to smack him or hug him for making me read it. I want to hug him because it was so good, but I want to smack him because it left me in emotional turmoil and he wouldn't wake up at 2:00 am to discuss … [Read more...]
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Book Review)
This book has been on my to-read shelf for a good number of years and I finally got around to reading it at the recommendation of a classmate. Short and filled with life lessons, I can understand why The Alchemist is an international bestseller and has a worldwide following of its "teachings." This type of book was probably pretty exciting back when it was published … [Read more...]
Conquering the Classics: Anthem by Ayn Rand
Oh, Ayn Rand - you get me every time. Here's the thing - I like her books. I don't necessarily agree with her politics and I certainly don't agree with some of her extreme views, but I do like her stories. Like them or not, they are thought-provoking and entertaining. If you extract Paul Ryan from the equation, her books are actually informative and (gasp!) not going to harm … [Read more...]