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…
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Directed by Clint Eastwood, the two movies ‘Letters from Iwo Jima’ and ‘Flags of our Father’, the most horrific battlegrounds of WWII from both the American and Japanese perspective. Letters from Iwo Jima” tackles the Japanese perspective and is a deeply thought-provoking film that delves into the horrors and complexities of World War II. As someone who has always been fascinated by WWII, I approached this movie with great anticipation, and it did not disappoint.…
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 on Kazuo Ishiguro, award-winning novel, The Remains of the Day is a riveting two-hour drama that grasps at the evening light of an era gone by. The focus of the story is a middle-aged butler in a British household. Mr. Stevens, played masterfully by Anthony Hopkins, has served at Darlington estate almost all his life. However, the second world war brings the winds of change to England, specifically in Mr. Stevens’s life. Lord Darlington’s…
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.…
Of all the books that I read this quarter, the two that I want to shout out about from the rooftops are two detective noir crime novels. Easy Rawlins Reluctant Detective in Devil in The Blue Dress In Devil In The Blue Dress, we meet our Black protagonist, Easy Rawlins hanging out in a bar in Los Angeles. Recently unemployed, chucked from the Boeing factory in El Segundo, Rawlins is contemplating his next steps when he…
In celebration of Women’s History Month, I thought of compiling a list of my favorite feminist or female-centric novels. It’s a collection of works that make it to my repeat reading list because they either give voices to forgotten female lives or provide inspiration to my own. The first two books in the series are both feminist takes on famous classical literature — where the author picks up the hood to find stories of the…