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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. |
The Book List #8
February 02, 2014 • by Sophie
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The Fault in Our Stars! I love that book, even though I totally understand what you mean when you say some things are just too much. I'm so excited for the movie though, just the trailer alone reduced me to tears.
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Stephanie | Love, August
I get what you mean about Virginia Woolf... I had a friend that was obsessed with her, and that friend was a weirdo loving death/depression. I refuse to the The Fault in Our Stars, I feel its overly hyped and I probably won't enjoy it at all.
ReplyDeleteHehe and I already felt bad for saying tfios isn't my favourite John Green book
ReplyDeleteI loved The Penelopiad, as I'm a huge Odyssey fan!
ReplyDeleteHow can you dislike Virginia Woolf? I love her writing - it's so pretty I have to read her aloud instead of in my head.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm just incredibly picky when it comes to Young Adult Fiction; some books I really enjoy and others not so much :))
ReplyDeleteOhh fantastic. I really enjoyed reading that book although it was rather sad in places.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I don't know. There are a lot of people who are interested in death/depression, I don't think that makes them weird.
ReplyDeleteThe Fault in Our Stars is a Young Adult book so I guess it really is hit or miss with some people depending on what they like reading.
It hasn't put me off reading others but.. this one really made me cringe. I couldn't relate to any of the characters at all.
ReplyDeleteOhh, it was SO SO good. Margaret Atwood is one of my favourite authors, the way she rights is so wonderful.
ReplyDeleteHa! I just.. can't.. handle her writing style.
ReplyDeleteI find it really dreary and unimaginative.
John Steinbeck however, can make me cry with only a few words.
I adore Margaret Atwood. I think I’ve read almost everything she’s written. I also met her once on the subway in Toronto! She was a little less than pleasant but I love her novels none the less.
ReplyDeleteDejhana | Waite a Little
Oh, that's a shame.. perhaps she was having a bad day!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear someone else wasn't charmed by TFIOS! I read the first chapter a few months ago and nearly gagged. Six or seven years ago I would have loved it, but to me now, it felt schmaltzy and sappy and overwrought. I may try it once more before the movie comes out, especially as I've seen reviews from actual reviewers (people other than teenage girls, shocking!) who've also adored it.
ReplyDeleteHallucinations sounds quite fascinating! I'm quite interested in psychological books!
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