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Review: Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
One July day in London, Clarissa Dalloway is preparing to give a party. As she goes about her business, her mind floats back to the past, and to the people and places that have mattered to her. Elsewhere in the same city, others also go about their lives; Peter Walsh, who once proposed to Mrs. Dalloway and was turned down; Septimus Smith and his wife Lucrezia, who are struggling with the impact of Septimus’ spiralling mental state; and several others, whose lives, inner and outer, are touched on throughout the course of this one day. Mrs. Dalloway is beautifully written, in a lyrical style that draws you in, despite the…
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Review: My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
The orphaned Philip Ashley is brought up by his cousin, Ambrose, on his Cornish estate. The two form a strong bond, and when Ambrose’ health forces him to spend his winters in Europe, leaving Philip in charge of the estate, they both feel the separation sorely. One winter, Ambrose fails to return home from his trip to Italy, instead informing his heir that he has met and married Rachel, a distant relation of theirs. Strange and troubling letters from Ambrose soon begin to arrive, and Philip’s suspicions are aroused — he makes the journey to Italy, only to find that he is too late: Ambrose has died suddenly, and cousin…
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Every Book I Read in 2023, Reviewed in Two Sentences or Less
It is utterly amazing to me that we have arrived at the end of the year, and yet here we are, saying goodbye to 2023. During this tumultuous year of my life, I have managed to read a grand total of sixty-five books; though this hasn’t been my best reading year, it probably hasn’t been my worst, either. These sixty-five manage to range across several genres, from historical fiction to actual history, science to fantasy, classics, murder mysteries and more. They range from 1.5-star to 5-star reads, and even some new (and old) favourites. So, without further ado, let’s dive in; here is my 2023 in books. 1. Ella Minnow…
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Review: King Solomon’s Mines by H. Rider Haggard
Allan Quatermain has heard rumours and stories of King Solomon’s mines, and the indescribable richness of diamonds therein, for decades, but has always thought them to be tall tales. One day, he runs into Sir Henry Curtis and Captain John Good, who are looking for an acquaintance they think may have gone in search of the mines. Determined to find him, they soon draw Quatermain into their plans — and so begins the adventure of a lifetime, one not even the seasoned elephant-hunter Allan Quatermain has ever experienced or could ever foresee, and which he relates faithfully in this tale of danger, daring, and untold treasures. I read this book…
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Review: Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
Linnet Ridgeway has everything — beauty, intelligence, and a large estate and fortune. Her friend Jackie, however, has fallen on bad times, and in order to marry her fiancé, Simon, who is also poor, Jackie begs Linnet to give him a job on her estate. However, things don’t go all to plan when Simon ends up marrying Linnet instead of Jackie… The great detective Hercule Poirot is taking a rare holiday in Egypt, when his cruise down the Nile coincides with the route of a couple on their honeymoon; but when a jealous ex shows up, it soon becomes evident that all is not well with the group. What’s more,…
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Review: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Two men who bear a startling resemblance to one another — Charles Darnay, a frenchman, and Sydney Carton, an English lawyer — have their lives collide and intertwine between their two countries in the years before and during the French Revolution. The two meet by chance during Darnay’s treason trial in England, and both fall in love with the same woman — Lucie Manette, the daughter of a French doctor called to witness at the trial. Years later, the chaos of the French Revolution threatens their doorstep, and they each make a difficult decision that sets them on the path to their ultimate fate. This book has made me tear…
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Review: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
In 1943, an undercover operative working for the British is captured by Germans in nazi-occupied France. Subjected to repeated and horrible torture, she eventually agrees to tell her story — despite knowing that death awaits her regardless. Even in the light of her capture and torment, her biggest regret remains the loss of her best friend Maddie — the girl piloting the plane that carried her here before crashing, and who comes alive in the pages of her story as she writes. Slowly, the account of how she came to be here unfolds — as well as another, deeper story; one of friendship and family, loyalty and love. As her…
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Review: Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris
Cilka Klein spent years as a prisoner in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, forced to do terrible things in order to survive. When Russian soldiers arrive to liberate the camp, instead of being set free, Cilka is sentenced as a nazi collaborator, and soon finds herself the inmate of another prison camp— this one a Russian gulag. Experienced in prison life, Cilka quickly figures out the rules of survival in this new nightmare, and attempts to help others adapt to the hard life. She faces both hardships and opportunities, both within the camp and within herself; after this dreadful ordeal, will she ever be able to allow herself to hope and…
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Review: The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
Lale Sokolov is a Slovakian Jew; one fateful day in 1942, he finds himself packed in with other passengers in a train car, on the way to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. With no idea of his destination, Lale is horrified by the cruel surroundings he finds himself in; but from the very start of his time at the camp, his objective is to survive. He is clever, resourceful, and fluent in several languages, and he soon puts his skills to good use to help himself and his fellow inmates as best he can, hoping to make it to a day when this nightmare is no longer their reality. Lale soon…
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Review: The Revolution of Ivy by Amy Engel
(WARNING: spoilers for The Book of Ivy.) See the review for The Book of Ivy here. Banished to the wilderness outside the fence after taking ownership for a crime she did not commit, Ivy must learn to survive the harsh reality of the landscape outside of the city where she has spent her whole life. Alone and unprepared, she must battle against the elements, predators, and old enemies in order to survive, and to face her hardest challenge: learning to let herself love again. I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I did the first in the series. There were some good points that followed through from the first…
