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Book Review: THE NIGHT CIRCUS
Author: Erin Morgenstern Number of Pages: 387 Publisher: Doubleday Release Date: September 13, 2011 “The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called “Le Cirque des Reves,” and it is only open… Continue reading
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Book Review: ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE
Author: Anthony Doerr Number of Pages: 531 Publisher: Scribner Release Date: May 6, 2014 “Marie Laure lives with her father in Paris within walking distance of the Museum of Natural History where he works as the master of the locks (there are thousands of locks in the museum). When she is six, she goes blind, and her father builds… Continue reading
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the value of bookstores.
Recently I went to my local bookstore just to look around. I didn’t have any specific book in mind to buy, and I was simply taking my time browsing the shelves. I came across two books in particular that caught my eye, and eventually I decided to buy them. They are: The Crane Wife by Patrick… Continue reading
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Poevember: THE RAVEN
“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary…” So begins one of Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous works, “The Raven.” This poem tells the tale of a man who is visited by a talking raven, who only speaks one unsettling word again and again. As the narrator gradually descends into insanity, the… Continue reading
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Poevember: THE GOLD-BUG
“Many years ago, I contracted an intimacy with a Mr. William Legrand.” When the narrator hears that his friend William Legrand has been bitten by a mysterious gold bug, he is eager to know more. However, he soon realizes that this bug is driving Legrand to the point of obsessive insanity, as he attempts to… Continue reading
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Poevember: THE MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE
“The mental features discoursed of as the analytical, are, in themselves, but little susceptible of analysis.” “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” is an intriguing short story about a brilliant detective and an unsettling mystery. When two women are horrifically murdered, the authorities immediately begin to investigate the case. Several witnesses offer accounts of their experiences… Continue reading
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Poevember: THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH
“The ‘Red Death’ had long devastated the country.” The Red Death, a brutal disease that refuses to stop spreading, does not stop the rich from having a good time. In the midst of the chaos of fighting this plague, Prince Prospero decides to host an enormous party for his wealthy noble friends. After all, don’t… Continue reading
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Poevember: THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM
“I was sick — sick unto death with that long agony; and when they at length unbound me, and I was permitted to sit, I felt that my senses were leaving me.” During the Spanish Inquisition, our unfortunate narrator is sentenced to death and put in a chamber of imprisonment. Through darkness, confinement, rats, and… Continue reading
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Poevember: LIGEIA
“I cannot, for my soul, remember how, when, or even precisely where, I first became acquainted with the lady Ligeia.” As the first sentence suggests, this short story is about the narrator’s lover, Ligeia. After describing precisely why he loves her so much, he reveals the unfortunate circumstance that has befallen their love: Lady Ligeia… Continue reading
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Poevember: THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF M. VALDEMAR
“Of course I shall not pretend to consider it any matter for wonder, that the extraordinary case of M. Valdemar has excited discussion.” The narrator of Poe’s short story “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” is fascinated by mesmerism, an early form of hypnotism. His ultimate goal is to attempt to mesmerize someone… 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 