Books
This includes reviews, facts, and other bookish things.
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THE REST OF US JUST LIVE HERE by Patrick Ness
“Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week’s end of the world and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life.” Congratulations, Mr. Patrick Ness: you’ve done it again. You’ve written a novel that’s managed to simultaneously make me feel sad and happy and deeply understood, a story that is… Continue reading
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MY ÁNTONIA by Willa Cather
“Whatever else was gone, Ántonia had not lost the fire of life.” My Ántonia by Willa Cather blindsided me with its brilliance. I had never heard of it or the mastermind behind it until it became assigned reading for my Cultural Diversity in American Literature class. Even reading a brief description of this novel before… Continue reading
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THRIVE by Arianna Huffington
“I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.” Over winter break between semesters I was invited to attend a weeklong leadership program at my college. This program was geared towards helping young women at my college feel more confident with themselves and their ability to… Continue reading
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SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut
“All this happened, more or less.” Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five was always one of those books that I knew about but had never actually read. I knew that it was about World War II and vaguely had something to do with aliens, but other than that I was pretty much in the dark. During my winter… Continue reading
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THE NARRATIVE OF THE LIFE OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS, AN AMERICAN SLAVE by Frederick Douglass
“You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man.” Out of all the novels, short stories, and poems we read in my Introduction to Literature class, I chose to write my final paper on Frederick Douglass’ memoir, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An… Continue reading
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ILLUMINAE by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
“Miracles are statistical improbabilities. And fate is an illusion humanity uses to comfort itself in the dark. There are no absolutes in life, save death.” As soon as I saw Illuminae on a shelf in the library I couldn’t resist immediately picking it up. The physical design of this book deserves a thunderous round of… Continue reading
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THE SOUND AND THE FURY by William Faulkner
“Clocks slay time… time is dead as long as it is being clicked off by little wheels; only when the clock stops does time come to life.” Confused? If not, there’s about a 99 percent chance that you will be upon cracking open the spine of William Faulkner’s classic novel The Sound and the Fury. I read… Continue reading
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THE STARBOARD SEA by Amber Dermont
“Bellingham Academy: everything you always wanted in a prep school and less.” Boarding schools have always been a setting that immediately intrigues and captivates me. Generally, young adult literature is criticized for its lack of adult or parental figures, primarily because it doesn’t accurately reflect life as an adolescent. Sure, teenagers may feel as though… Continue reading
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THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins
I think that many readers– myself included– fall prey to the common misconception that there are two distinct categories of literature. The first of these categories could be considered “hard literature” (I don’t know if these names already exist– I’m completely making them up on the spot). These are the texts we are often forced… Continue reading
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HAMLET by William Shakespeare
To like Hamlet or not like Hamlet, that is the question… I have a confession to make: I’m not really a big fan of Shakespeare. Ever since first reading one of his works as a freshman in high school (Romeo and Juliet, naturally) I’ve had mixed feelings about the Bard. To be quite honest, none of… 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 