Books
This includes reviews, facts, and other bookish things.
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ON WRITING by Stephen King | Review
“Long live the King” hailed Entertainment Weekly upon publication of Stephen King’s On Writing. Part memoir, part master class by one of the bestselling authors of all time, this superb volume is a revealing and practical view of the writer’s craft, comprising the basic tools of the trade every writer must have. King’s advice is… Continue reading
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GIOVANNI’S ROOM by James Baldwin | Review
Published in 1956, James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room is considered a notable work of queer literature for focusing on homosexuality and desire between men. David, an American man struggling to accept his sexuality, moves to Paris and soon finds himself involved with an Italian man named Giovanni. Turmoil ensues as David must choose between Giovanni and Hella, the… Continue reading
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LES MISERABLES by Victor Hugo | Review
Introducing one of the most famous characters in literature, Jean Valjean—the noble peasant imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread—Les Misérables ranks among the greatest novels of all time. In it, Victor Hugo takes readers deep into the Parisian underworld, immerses them in a battle between good and evil, and carries them to the barricades… Continue reading
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13 Reasons to Read A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS by Lemony Snicket
Since today is Friday the 13th, I’d thought I would interrupt our usual Feminist Fridays feature to talk about something a little more…. unlucky. Over the past few months I’ve been reading (via audio book) the entirety of A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket for the very first time. When a friend learned that for some… Continue reading
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WHY READ MOBY-DICK? by Nathaniel Philbrick | Review
One of the greatest American novels finds its perfect contemporary champion in Why Read Moby-Dick?, Nathaniel Philbrick’s enlightening and entertaining tour through Melville’s classic. As he did in his National Book Award–winning bestseller In the Heart of the Sea, Philbrick brings a sailor’s eye and an adventurer’s passion to unfolding the story behind an epic… Continue reading
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LIT UP by David Denby | Review
As I scrolled through the audio books available for me to download on Overdrive before my long flight to England, one title (and subtitle) caught my attention: Lit Up: One Reporter. Three Schools. Twenty-four Books That Can Change Lives. by David Denby. How could I resist? David Denby, an American journalist and film critic for The New… Continue reading
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THE ART OF MEMOIR by Mary Karr | Review
Credited with sparking the current memoir explosion, Mary Karr’s The Liars’ Club spent more than a year at the top of the New York Times list. She followed with two other smash bestsellers: Cherry and Lit, which were critical hits as well. For thirty years Karr has also taught the form, winning graduate teaching prizes… Continue reading
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FREDERICK DOUGLASS by William S. McFeely
I’ve been fascinated by the life and writing of Frederick Douglass ever since reading his autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845) in my Introduction to Literature class during my very first semester of college. Born into slavery, Douglass eventually escaped to the North, became a free man, and rose to be a prolific orator… Continue reading
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MEMORIAL by Alice Oswald | Review
In this daring new work, the poet Alice Oswald strips away the narrative of the Iliad—the anger of Achilles, the story of Helen—in favor of attending to its atmospheres: the extended similes that bring so much of the natural order into the poem and the corresponding litany of the war-dead, most of whom are little… Continue reading
About ME //
i’m holly — former english major, current twenty-something book lover, allergic to nuts. drop me a line at nutfreenerd@gmail.com or on instagram.
nut free nerd 