As an immigrant parent, I had been looking forward to participating in my son’s education journey through the American public school system. Not only I wanted to revisit math and science, but was curious to see what art, literature, and social sciences mean on this side of the hemisphere. When my son started 3rd grade, I decided to read along the novels they were studying in class. I grew up on steady diet of Enid…
Top Reads
In life, it’s not unusual to have moments when one feels they are losing it. Sometimes these doubts last for a second or sometimes for days. The feeling of losing one’s mind can be a result of stress, anger, nervousness, anticipation, or sometimes you are being just gaslit. And that’s the insecurity that Edith White leans into while building the narrative of her timeless novel The Wheel Spins. Made famous by the Hitchcock movie, “The…
Why L.M Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables Remains A Favorite Let me start with a confession. Writing about classics is daunting. Classics are books that have stayed in print for many years, studied and analyzed and dissected every which way. As a critic, I am nervous about what can I add to the narrative. But as a reader, I simply want to share my personal joy of reading them. What do you think about classics?…
I love a novel based in a boarding school setting. The story can go so many different ways — a mystery (Picnic at Hanging Rock), childish hijinks (St. Malory Towers), horror stories (Never Let Me Go), coming-of-age philosophical novels (The Catcher In The Rye) or even fantasy (Harry Potter Series). The list is endless and as a reader there are endless novels to explore. As a writer, I can only imagine the joy of writing…
During the pandemic, literary guides seemed quite the rage or at least that’s what seemed to be the case in our local library. I discovered a few gems myself, notably Sarah Baxter’s Literary places. A beautifully illustrated book, where Baxter Sarah Baxter, a travel writer, compiles a list of famous books that are defined by the places they are set in. Baxter’s list touches upon both traditional yet global collection of classics, acting as literary…
Do we question mortality only when faced with imminent death? A literary memoir by a dying man raises questions on the very meaning of living. Most of us go through life without contemplating about our existence. Death is inevitable, but it doesn’t feature largely in our daily thoughts. We spend our time thinking about what our day is going to be, what our year is going to be, and our hopes and dreams. Paul Kalanithi…
A Woman Deprived Lady Chatterley Lover’s core theme is about fulfillment (or it’s lack of) of the the mind and body. Lawrence appears to make the case that both are essential and having only one can slowly but surely stifle you. Connie, the protagonist, is a fairly liberated soul, who has had her share of flings before marriage. She marries, Clifford, a titled landlord who dabbles in writing. He constantly aims seek only mental fulfillment…
Based around the turn of the twentieth century, Howards End deals with the class system of England during those times and the emergence of the middle class. So, What’s It About? The main plot revolves around the two sisters Margaret and Helen Schlegel and their interaction with the very rich Wilcoxes and the poor Basts. The sisters come into contact with the Wilcoxes during a vacation abroad and are invited to visit their home in Howards End.…
