In the age of 140 characters or less, there is still something to be said for reading a novel that is truly, deeply, maddeningly long. And if you think 1,000+ pages isn’t that much, you’re probably living on another plane of existence and should not stoop to the level of mere mortals such as ourselves. Happy reading. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy Page count: 1,273 Image Courtesy of Penguin Random House Early 19th century Russia? Check. Napoleonic aggression? Check. Messy families and passionate romance? Check! If you’re ready for it, War …
The recent news that William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is getting an all-female remake has, predictably, infuriated a large swath of the internet. Though we maintain our neutrality in this trying time, we do suggest that it never hurts to get lost in a book that honestly explores what women trapped in the throes of war and abandonment truly go through. This is for all you TV and film executives out there–call us! The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman Image Courtesy of amazon.co.uk During the first century of the common era, a war between the Jews of Judea and their …
The recent news that William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is getting an all-female remake has, predictably, infuriated a large swath of the internet. Though we maintain our neutrality in this trying time, we do suggest that it never hurts to get lost in a book that honestly explores what women trapped in the throes of war and abandonment truly go through. This is for all you TV and film executives out there–call us! The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman Image Courtesy of amazon.co.uk During the first century of the common era, a war between the Jews of Judea and their …
From Wilbur the pig to Sylvester the donkey and Luna the bat, children’s books are chock-full of cuddly anthropomorphic animals designed to teach kids some lessons about how to live a moral life. But an increasing amount of scientific research is showing that dancing pigs and rabbits in T-shirts may not be the best way to teach kids values like sharing and empathy. According to a study conducted at the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), children who were read books with human characters were far more likely to share their belongings than peers who read …
There aren’t many things better than historical fiction, in which authors tackle history from a fictional character’s perspective. One of those few better things? Historical fiction from the perspective of real-life people. These books take on wildly different figures of varying degrees of fame and sympathy, but all share a commitment to bringing a world alive in all its detail and complication. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain Image Courtesy of Wikipedia From his classic novels to his enduring image as a cigar chomping manly man, Ernest Hemingway has long lived in the popular imagination. His …