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The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck An absolutely astonishing read portraying the horrors of the Great Depression and the true conflict between the powerful and the powerless. John Steinbeck writes about the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s; the Joad family are driven from their home, travelling west to the promised land of California where they hope to find a better life. |
The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood Margaret Atwood weaves a contemporary take on an ancient fable, retelling the story of Penelope, wife of Odysseus and cousin of the beautiful Helen of Troy, and her twelve hanged maids. The Penelopiad is a hauntingly beautiful story that was an absolute joy to read. |
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The Fault in Our Stars by John Green I understand this book about two cancer suffering lovers is absolutely adored by so many people yet I couldn't help find it so tediously awkward with particular lines making me cringe enough so much I had to put the book down in order to escape it. |
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf I simply do not enjoy Virginia Woolf's work; the prose reads as if it were one long (tiresome) sigh. I was dreading having to read this book on my list of books to read and for good reason. Someone please explain what I am missing. |
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Hallucinations by Oliver Sacks Oliver Sacks combines patient stories with his own experiences with mind-altering drugs to explore how and why hallucinations are experienced by the human brain. While I found the personal accounts of hallucinations extremely interesting, Dr. Sacks descends into what appears to be a nostalgic look at his past drug experiences, which I found incredibly tiresome. This book is definitely worth reading for the peculiar and incredibly interesting personal experiences. |
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks An incredibly compelling book about neurological disorders with a sympathetic look at the tragedy of losing neurological faculties, including memory, powers of visualisation, and excess neurological functions. Funny and heartbreaking, this book made for great reading. |