Dear The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas: For the past handful of summers, I’ve chosen a larger, more intimidating book to read over the summer months. Previous participants in this little challenge have been Moby Dick by Herman Melville, Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, and War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. …
Dear SUMMER CROSSING by Truman Capote: A triple-layered surprise
Dear Summer Crossing by Truman Capote: Lately it seems as though I’ve acquired a knack for picking up the most recent book an author has written or published without ever having read any of their other work. Although you were the first novel ever written by Truman Capote, you weren’t published until over fifty years …
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Dear DIGITAL MINIMALISM by Cal Newport: Interesting from a pandemic perspective
Dear Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport: Given the current pandemic and ensuing lockdown measures, it’s not an overstatement to say that the majority of my daily communication for the past few months has been digital. From online classes and Zoom lectures to work emails and phone calls, I’ve gotten used to going about my day …
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Dear LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE by Celeste Ng: What genre do you belong in?
Dear Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng: You've been one of the most recommended books on my TBR ever since I watched and enjoyed Big Little Lies a few years ago. I had never read anything by Celeste Ng up until this point, and numerous other bookworms recommended you both for your gripping story and …
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Dear THE SECOND PERSEPHONE BOOK OF SHORT STORIES: Lovely, bittersweet snapshots of the twentieth century
Dear The Second Persephone Book of Short Stories: I purchased you on an amazing return trip to England last summer, and have been waiting to read you ever since. As I wrote about in this post, I honestly never thought I would get the opportunity to visit Persephone Books, and when I did I knew …
Dear SHE SAID by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey: Striking, moving, eye-opening, and so, so important
Dear She Said by Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey: Written by the two New York Times reporters who broke the story of several accusations of sexual assault and harassment against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, you provide a detailed account of this investigation and how it evolved over time. You had been recommended to me by …
Dear AS YOU LIKE IT by William Shakespeare: My favorite in a certain way?
Dear As You Like It by William Shakespeare: Shakespeare and I have always had a bit of a love-hate relationship. While I appreciate his clever wordplay and legacy as a writer, I've just never been a huge fan of his plays. I always maintained that I prefer seeing plays performed rather than reading them on …
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Dear A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN by James Joyce: Not what I expected
Dear A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce: I've always known that I have a bit of a strange reading taste. By strange, I mean that I generally enjoy a lot of books that most people don't. William Faulkner's novels are a good example of this--they are wordy and sprawling …
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Dear MY OXFORD YEAR by Julia Whelan: SO MUCH NOSTALGIA
Dear My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan: I apologize in advance for how nostalgic this letter will inevitably be. When I saw a secondhand copy of you on sale at a bookstore one day I knew I would have to buy you. The blurb on your back cover promised the story of a twenty-something woman, …
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Dear THE STARLESS SEA by Erin Morgenstern: Well worth the long, long wait
Dear The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, As someone who adored The Night Circus, I've been eagerly anticipating reading you ever since I first learned that you were being release. What I hadn't anticipated was developing such a personal connection to you. I started reading you a few days before a break-up and finished reading …
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