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Review: The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel
Against the backdrop of a dystopian society, two rival families have established a city of survivors where citizens live in uneasy peace. Life is tolerable, but sacrifices must be made; punishment for not following the rules is harsh, with offenders banished outside of the protective fence that surrounds the city — a fate worse than death. Ivy Westfall — the daughter of the family that founded the city, but lost the war — has just come of age. In a yearly ceremony, the daughters of the losing faction are married to the sons of the winners. This year, it’s Ivy’s turn — she will be married to the president’s son,…
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Review: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
One summer, eight strangers receive a mysterious invitation to spend a holiday on Soldier Island. They have nothing in common with one another— except that each has a dark secret lurking in their past. When they arrive at the island, they find things are not as they expected; their mysterious host and hostess are absent, and nobody— not even the staff, limited to a butler and his wife— have ever set eyes on them. To add to the mystery, there are copies of an ominous children’s rhyme framed in every room. On the very first night of their stay, things begin to go awry; dark secrets begin to surface, matters…
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Review: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
While on holiday in Monte Carlo, a young traveling companion with very little to her name catches the eye of Max de Winter, a rich widower and the owner of the Manderly estate in England. Weeks later, after a short and unlikely romance, Maxim proposes marriage. But problems begin to arise upon their arrival at Manderly. The new Mrs. de Winter discovers that life at the estate is not all she imagined it would be; instead, she finds a distant husband, cold staff, and a dark mystery that hangs over the house and haunts the daily lives of its inhabitants. Loneliness, curiosity, and jealousy soon begin to cloud the happiness…
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Review: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Professor Pierre Arronax is on his way home to France after a scientific expedition when he receives an invitation to be part of a mission to hunt down a mysterious beast plaguing ships and sailors the world over. Having no idea what awaits him, he accepts— and thus starts the nautical adventure of a lifetime, what Arronax himself describes as an “extraordinary, supernatural and highly implausible expedition”. Through an unfortunate series of events, the professor, his imperturbable manservant Conseil, and their Canadian harpooner friend Ned Land, become guests on board the Nautilis— an improbable vessel owned and sailed by the enigmatic and mysterious figure known only as Captain Nemo. The…
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Is it Really Worth it to Read the Classics?
Let’s be honest: there’s not much about reading the classics that seems immediately appealing. Most of these books are old and out of touch, filled with archaic language and references you can’t really make sense of. Plus, frankly, who wants to put that much effort into what’s supposed to be a leisure experience? There are literally billions of books out there that have been published recently which are not only much easier to read, but at first glance are also much more entertaining and relevant. So, is there any compelling evidence for us to pick up a classic, or should they all remain a thing of the past? The definition…
