Archive for December 2023

By Jane Austen 4 Stars The novel follows the life of Emma, a young lady who gets into a series of mishaps as she meddles in the romantic lives of her friends and family with her self-proclaimed matchmaking abilities. Emma, as a privileged, financially stable young woman, spends most of her days taking care of…

Directed by Parker Finn  4 Stars  Smile, a film written and directed by Parker Finn, follows the story of a curse that causes the afflicted to commit suicide while smiling. It was originally a short film called Laura Hasn't Slept but then later got adapted into a feature film. When the person commits suicide in…

By William Golding  4 Stars  A fascinating book that examines the darkest aspects of human nature is Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding. The book portrays a group of British schoolboys who become stuck after their plane crashes onto an island. This happened in the midst of a nuclear war, and so the…

By Margaret Atwood  5 Stars  Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale is a haunting masterpiece that delves into a dystopian world with eerie plausibility. The novel, set in the near-future Republic of Gilead, is a visceral exploration of a society where women's rights have been stripped away, leaving them as mere vessels for procreation. Atwood's storytelling…

By Brandon Sanderson  4 Stars  On a tiny island surrounded by a vast emerald-green sea, Tress spends her days collecting cups and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. However, when Charlie leaves the island one day and is taken captive by the dangerous Sorceress of the Midnight Sea, Tress must leave behind the…

By Kenneth Oppel  5 Stars  Bloom by Kenneth Oppel is part of the Overthrow trilogy. It follows the stories of Anaya, Petra, and Seth through a third-person perspective. It all began with worldwide rain. Soon after, an invasive species of plants started growing - which would eventually be known as black grass. But something just…

By Lucy Maud Montgomery  5 Stars  In this standalone novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery (readers may recognize her as the author of Anne of Green Gables), protagonist Jane Stuart lives a dismal life in Toronto under her grandmother's oppressive rule. With only her mother and an orphan girl for company, Jane lives her life believing…

By Renee Watson  5 Stars  Watch Us Rise tells the journey of two high school teens, Jasmine and Chelsea, as they deal with the difficulties of sexism, racism, and body image in their school. It is an inspiring and thought-provoking book. They formed a Women's Rights Club and utilized their voices to advocate for change…