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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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GALILEO by Bertolt Brecht
“Unhappy the land that is in need of heroes.” Despite telling the tale of a famous philosopher and scientist in the seventeenth century, Bertolt Brecht’s play Galileo was actually written in the 1940s. The unusual content choice immediately intrigued me when I was initially assigned this play for my Introduction to Literature class last semester, but it… 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
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PERSUASION by Jane Austen
Before reading Persuasion, the only novel I had ever read by Jane Austen was Pride and Prejudice, which I adored. I actually read the two back to back, which I quickly realized was a bit of a mistake. I found there to be a distinct difference in the tones of these two novels, and I was not expecting the more… Continue reading
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ABOUT GRACE by Anthony Doerr
Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See is easily one of the best novels I have ever read. I read it during Christmastime in 2014 and absolutely gushed about my love for it in a review I wrote shortly thereafter. It’s one of those books that sticks with you long after you read it, and consequently… 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 