Rhadopis of Nubia is the second book in The Egyptian Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz. It is a love story between tRating: Very Good
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rhadopis of Nubia is the second book in The Egyptian Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz. It is a love story between the King of Egypt, Pharaoh Merenra II, and a very gorgeous courtesan, Rhadopis. It is about the love between different classes, politics, and uprising. The amusing thing with this book which was first published in 1943 is that it still reflects all the politics of modern Egypt today despite being about the ancient times of Egypt.
The story can be read as a standalone. The only similarity between it and the previous book is that both stories take place in ancient Egypt. It was fascinating to read about the people’s uprising against their king when he spent tons of gold to construct the courtesan’s palace. The Queen was another interesting character to read about. Her confrontation with Rhadopis was edgy and intriguing. This was a simple and entertaining read. Some readers say that this is similar to Cinderella’s story but it is a completely different story. Absolutely has nothing to do with Cinderella. ...more
Synopsis: The whole story happens in one day. In that one day, the author goes inside the minds of many characters rRating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Genre: Literary Fiction
Synopsis: The whole story happens in one day. In that one day, the author goes inside the minds of many characters remembering their pasts, living their presents, and at times fearing where the future might lead them. Clarissa Dalloway is preparing for a party to host in her house. Peter Walsh is back with his misery. Septimus Smith is in a mental shock after serving in the world war!
Book Structure: The book is around 182 pages. There are no chapters. There are no page breaks and there is hardly any gap between the paragraphs. The narration throughout the book is told from a third person's perspective. This is a difficult structure and it will take most of the readers some time to get used to.
Pros: - Deep complex emotions. If you have not read the book you might think that the whole book is about Mrs. Dalloway, but it isn't. There are many other characters and Clarissa Dalloway is the main character that connects them all. To me, each character felt like having something specific to say. Each character was conveying a certain emotion or representing a set of emotions! And these emotions combined together were representing Virginia Woolf's real identity! This is my own interpretation of all this. The flow of consciousness from the different characters felt like it was coming from the author's mind herself rather than the fictitious characters.
- No matter how much you like or dislike this novel the final impression and feel it will give you is very unique. There is something really strange about it, surreal and very unearthly. It is a book that will settle in your mind for some time. You will think about these characters even though you have not met them personally but through the author's words. It will make you think of life & death, love & misery in a different light.
Cons: - A difficult format & structure: As I mentioned in the book structure section, many readers will feel intimidated about it. A friend of mine had this book & did not read it. He had to unhaul it as he said just looking at all the pages full of words without paragraph breaks brought him anxiety. This kind of structure will not appeal to some readers and they might not even try to read the book.
- The first twenty to thirty pages were very difficult. There is a huge flow of thoughts & consciousness. It really gets crazy, especially in the scene where a car appears on the road where Mrs. Dolloway went to buy the flowers! The author basically was trying to tell us what was going in the minds of everyone who was on that street at that time. This sounded really crazy to me and made my understanding and grasp of what was happening at that time shaky. As I was reading this I was thinking "Can somebody please stop the flood?"! The flow of thoughts does decrease a little bit later but it is still there. At least later you have a grasp of the characters and will not feel the same way. If you did not understand the first couple of pages, do not quit. Wait for it, it will get better. I remember starting this novel 5 years ago and after reading a couple of pages I took a break and never returned to this book again until now. Just hang on, it will get better.
Did you know?: The original name of this novel was "The Hours" not "Mrs. Dalloway". I feel the title The Hours suits this book more as it represents the hours in one day of the lives of many characters and not just Mrs. Dalloway's.
Final Thought: A difficult book to read, yes but a very important one. The story for the time it was released in the 1920s must have been very advanced in terms of the subjects it touched. Nothing is said too directly here. Everything seemed to be subtle and open to the reader's own interpretation. No matter how much one loves or hates this book, I feel respect for what it tries to say is very enormous. I am giving Mrs. Dalloway a strong 4.0 stars out of 5.0....more
The Lee family, a Chinese American family of mixed race, is the focus of the narrative. They are struggling to comeRating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Genre: Literary Fiction
The Lee family, a Chinese American family of mixed race, is the focus of the narrative. They are struggling to come to terms with the unexpected and unexplained death of their teenage daughter, Lydia. Taking place in 1977, the story begins with Lydia's body being found in a nearby lake.
Underneath the surface of an apparently ideal family life, secrets and suppressed emotions emerge as the story takes unexpected turns. The book goes back in time to examine James and Marilyn, Lydia's parents, and their hopes, fears, and hardships. Marilyn, a white woman with unfulfilled hopes and dreams, and James, a Chinese American academic who wants to fit in, project their hopes and dreams onto their children, especially Lydia, whom they see as their crowning glory.
Family, racial inequality, and unrealized ambitions are just a few of the complicated themes explored in "Everything I Never Told You," which enthralls with its intriguing mystery of Lydia's death. The characters' frailties and driving forces are revealed in a subtle and emotionally impactful manner through Ng's expert use of multiple points of view and flashbacks.
However, the book's slow pace and the characters that many readers will consider unlikable might not appeal to everyone. If you enjoy stories focused on characters and filled with unanswered questions, this moving story will continue to resonate with you even after you finish the book. It might not be the best choice for individuals looking for a thriller with a quick pace and clear resolutions. I enjoyed the story, but I still think the author’s “Little Fire Everywhere” is a better book....more
I am going to keep this short. The Wizard of Oz is a classic. If you have not read the book, you mRating: Very Good
Genre: Fantasy + Classic + Children
I am going to keep this short. The Wizard of Oz is a classic. If you have not read the book, you must’ve watched the classic movie. This story was a delight to revisit. I planned to rewatch the movie which I have watched many times before, but before that, I decided to reread the book first as I have not read it for a long time. It is still charming and fun to dive in.
The characters are truly amusing. L. Frank Baum has created a magical world here with many beloved characters that will click with both adults and children. The tale is quite quirky and mystical. It is easy to read and grasp for all ages. There are some differences between the book and the movie like the color of the witch’s shoes. In the book, it is silver while in the movie the shoes are red. Nothing major though. Surprisingly this is a series of 14 books but I never heard anybody talking about the other books in the series. The first book is the famous one. I don’t own the sequel in my collection and might grab it next time I go shopping. I hope it will be as good and entertaining.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Genre: Mystery Thriller + Modern Classics
This is the first time I read this classic. I watched the second movie adaptation with the same nRating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Genre: Mystery Thriller + Modern Classics
This is the first time I read this classic. I watched the second movie adaptation with the same name starring Matt Damon many years ago and fortunately, I cannot recall most of it even though I remember liking it back then. This time I wanted to watch the first movie adaptation (Purple Noon) starring Alain Delon so I had to read the book first.
Tom Ripley is a sociopath, a scammer, and an opportunist young man who will do anything to get whatever he needs. The story is narrated from his perspective so the reader gets to see what this peculiar mind is scheming about all the time. Mr. Greenleaf approaches Ripley and makes him an offer to visit his son (Dickie) in Italy to convince him to return. He pays all Ripley’s travel expenses so Tom finds it a good opportunity. When he meets Dickie in Italy, he finds the life that Dickie is living very appealing to him. What if that was his life? What if he becomes Dickie? Lots of potential for a big scam but this time it comes with more wickedness and evilness.
This was such a great story. The book is not too long, yet the characters are complex and multilayered, especially the main character. There is a lot of tension build-up that will make you be on the edge of your seat. Tom Ripley somehow reminds me of another character, that is Dexter Morgan. The only difference here is that Dexter was targeting criminals while Ripley is doing it for his own selfish reasons. I believe this is the first book in a series. The ending is not the kind of conclusion you want for a criminal to get, but that is because there are other books. As for a standalone story, this is a solid one. I liked it a lot....more
This book has lots of peculiar short stories, many of them are explicit in nature and very much adult. So be warned if you are not intoRating: 4.0/5.0
This book has lots of peculiar short stories, many of them are explicit in nature and very much adult. So be warned if you are not into that. I found some stories to be very interesting despite being strange, others were a bit boring, but overall I liked the majority of the stories here. These stories are mixtures of fantasy and horror. What differentiates Neil Gaiman's writing here is that most of these stories have no kind of proper ending or closure so be prepared for that. I found all that together make an interesting reading and different than what I have read before in anthologies.
Stories that I have loved from this collection are, Wedding Present, Chivalry, The Price, Troll Bridge, The Goldfish Pool, Looking for the Girl, Foreign Parts, Tastings and Snow, Glass, Apples. Each of these stories is filled with strange events and characters that are very unique in nature and some shocking too. One thing Gaiman does not do here is building the world, he gets into the subject immediately with the characters and as the story progresses the reader will feel the atmosphere of the world the story is set in.
The major flaw of this book is its structure. It has a long boring introduction. Though one of my favorite stories which is The Wedding Present is in the introduction. Read that story then you can skip the introduction if you are not interested in knowing the history behind each story or when it was written by the author. Overall I liked Smoke and Mirrors and would rate it a solid 4.0 out of 5.0 stars....more
The Silent Wife. The first thing that got my attention is the name of this book, the book and the cover are so elegant. Didn't expect tRating: 4.0/5.0
The Silent Wife. The first thing that got my attention is the name of this book, the book and the cover are so elegant. Didn't expect to enjoy the book as this is the first time the writer has written a novel, but I was wrong. The story is so thrilling, the way the writer has written the characters and their characteristics is just incredible. You will have a clear image or picture of every character in your mind. They are very much detailed. Jodi as The Silent Wife just surprises you as the story progresses with her denial to the problem first and then with going for extreme solutions by the end. Another nice aspect of the book is how the writer has distinguished between the two main characters and alternated between them (Her, Him). The book is excellent, I would highly recommend it for fiction/Suspense/Thriller lovers. You may find it hard sometimes to put it away as it keeps getting better....more
A devastating story of a father and his son in post-apocalyptic America. The country is burned and peRating: Very Good
Genre: Dystopia + Modern Classic
A devastating story of a father and his son in post-apocalyptic America. The country is burned and people try to survive in different ways. According to the main character who is trying to teach his son, there are good guys and there are bad guys. The bad guys are those who have resorted to cannibalism due to a lack of food and resources! The real hero of the story is the world itself. The writing is more about giving the reader the new image of this destroyed world and a little bit about the relationship between the father and his son.
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“Just remember that the things you put into your head are there forever, he said. You might want to think about that. You forget some things, dont you? Yes. You forget what you want to remember and you remember what you want to forget.”
I have watched the movie adaptation when it was released and loved it a lot. I liked the story and the relationship between the boy and his dad. It was engaging which made the ending very sad and heartbreaking. The Road is not a long book yet I had some issues with it. I felt there were repetitions of events despite being a short story. I feel if the characters had names it would have made things less confusing especially when there was another character in the scene, but I guess the author wanted the reader to feel that in this dark world nothing else mattered but survival, not even names.
“You have to carry the fire." I don't know how to." Yes, you do." Is the fire real? The fire?" Yes it is." Where is it? I don't know where it is." Yes you do. It's inside you. It always was there. I can see it.”
This is not an easy book to read especially with the world’s current situation. It gives a very gloomy and hopeless picture of what could happen with the collapse of civilizations and lack of resources. But if you are brave enough and would like to experience this world and the sad story of this family then you should not hesitate to pick it up. That black cover with the red fonts fits the story very well!
This is the story of one man and the three women in his life. Chris is a soldier who returns from WRating: Very Good
Genre: Modern Classic + Historical
This is the story of one man and the three women in his life. Chris is a soldier who returns from World War I with a shell shock condition. He does not remember anything that happened to him in the last 15 years. He only remembers his life before that time. He does not remember the existence of his current wife, Kitty! All Chris wants right now is to see his lover back then, Margaret who is already married! The story is narrated from the perspective of Chris’ cousin, Jenny. The third woman in his life.
This novella is around 138 pages long but it is a lot more than just a man losing his memory. It is about the social classes back then, about love, loss, and grief. I felt that every single character was representing one of these themes. What I really liked in this book is the struggle between the characters and how the acceptance of the new situation has always ended up clashing with their personal interests. The book took me a little bit longer to read due to its language. Parts of the writing were more poetic with flowery words especially when the author was describing nature or the environment. Although in the end one of the characters suggests that “He’s cured!”, I still think that was just what that character wanted to believe. I think the author wanted the reader also to have his own conclusion by making the ending somehow vague. I liked the story and felt compassion for the situation that the characters were in. It was a very good read. ...more
Red Dragon is the first book in the Hannibal Lecter series. It does not concentrate a lot on Lecter though more thRating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Genre: Horror + Thriller
Red Dragon is the first book in the Hannibal Lecter series. It does not concentrate a lot on Lecter though more than introducing him to the reader with some background. The story is more focused on Will Graham (an ex-detective) who has a history with Dr. Lecter and his goal here is to catch the serial killer (Red Dragon) who kills entire families each full moon.
This is a solid entry to the series with a strong protagonist facing a strong antagonist. I usually don’t enjoy detective stories but this was well written and with interesting fleshed-out characters. My favorite part was in the middle, where we get to see about the childhood of the Red Dragon or the Tooth Fairy as they call the serial killer at the beginning of the story. I felt very sorry for him as a child. The story indirectly tells you that sometimes a toxic family or society can create a monster out of a person. This kind of book needs the right atmosphere and fortunately, it had it! It is chilling and scary, to say the least. There is a lot of tension building that will definitely make you be at the edge of your seat.
I have watched both movie adaptations, Manhunter and Red Dragon. Both were good but the book feels more complete. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series, The Silence of the Lambs because this is one of my favorite movies in the 1990s. Not sure how I will feel about it since I have watched the film already and loved it but if it will be similar to Red Dragon then I will not be disappointed for sure....more
Rebecca has been on my TBR for a long time. I have chosen to read it this October among my other horror reads. I hRating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Genre: Classic + Mystery
Rebecca has been on my TBR for a long time. I have chosen to read it this October among my other horror reads. I have watched the movie adaptation a few times before and I know it is not a horror story but it does have a gothic creepy atmosphere.
I liked the writing style and how Daphne du Maurier kept elements like suspense, mystery, and drama within a gruesome and disturbing package. Maxim de Winter is the mature man one expects him to be. The creepy Mrs. Danvers is my favorite character in both the novel and the film. I feel she adds a lot to the negative energy and the horrific feel that Manderley exhibits.
The author has kept the story interesting even though it starts slow and picks up as you progress in the book. Overall it is a slow burn mystery that keeps you asking many questions about Rebecca and whether she is a ghost, or still alive. The main character (the narrator) is annoying though, in the book more than in the movie. At times she was too naive and at other times she was just a dumb girl. I couldn’t believe how happy she was when she knew a secret about her husband! It was funny and made me roll my eyes! I don’t want to explain more because that will be a spoiler.
As a classic, this novel holds itself well even today. I feel most readers who read it in our time are willing to ignore some of the problems that the book suffers from because this was written in a different era. However, if this was a new release I feel many readers would have harshly criticized it over some of its elements especially with characters calling a disabled man with many horrible names. ...more
Orphan Train is one of those historical fictions which tell us two stories. One which takes place in the preRating: Very Good
Genre: Historical Fiction
Orphan Train is one of those historical fictions which tell us two stories. One which takes place in the present and the other in the past. The two stories interwind at the end. This format of storytelling is used a lot and I am not a big fan of such structure but there are always exceptions. Fortunately, Orphan Train is among the exceptions. The present story is about this foster girl Molly who needs to do around fifty hours of community service. So she is sent to the house of a 91-year-old Vivian to help her in organizing her attic. Despite the big age difference the two bond together and a kind of cute friendship is developed between them.
The past story is about Vivian’s childhood and how she loses her family in a house fire then taken to an orphanage and how she survives all the hardships. I enjoyed reading both stories. I think Christina Baker Kline gave both the stories the importance and focus they deserved. Sometimes with this kind of structure, an author might focus on one story or period more than the other which causes an obvious decline in pace and gets the readers bored fast. The characters were interesting and well developed especially Vivan as we follow her from childhood until old age. This is an entertaining story, meaningful at the same time but it does come with some trigger warnings so be sure you check them out before getting into it. ...more
A middle-aged man is attending a funeral in his childhood home. He gets drawn to the farm at the end Rating: Very Good
Genre: Fantasy + Magical Realism
A middle-aged man is attending a funeral in his childhood home. He gets drawn to the farm at the end of the lane. Once there, he remembers a girl called Lettie Hempstock he has met when he was seven years old. Gradually he remembers all his adventures with that girl and how she once saved his life.
Surreal and whimsical. But of course, that is always expected from Neil Gaiman. His stories are always weird in a good way. They make you think. The writing here is beautiful and throws you as a reader in strange situations that you never expected. I loved many parts of the dialogue the two children were constantly having about adults, like how adults are children from inside or how people are so complex from inside and that their outside never reflects their true inner selves. This kind of dialogue along with the bizarre situations made the story not just entertaining but also thought-provoking at times.
Another thing this book has is great characters. The children, Ursula, and the ladies at the Hempstock farm are all well-written and finely developed characters for a book that is less than 200 pages. Sometimes things got confusing and I was scratching my head to think what was going on but again that is the case with most magical realism stories. So far I have enjoyed everything I have read for Mr. Gaiman. That is encouraging me to pick up more of his work. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a very good story for what it is and I feel many readers will tend to like it if not love it. ...more
This is the fifth book in Miss Marple's series. It was fun to read. Unexpected storyline. Some good characters toRating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Genre: Classics + Mystery
This is the fifth book in Miss Marple's series. It was fun to read. Unexpected storyline. Some good characters too. As the title says murder is announced in the local newspaper of Chipping Cleghorn. The date, time & location are mentioned. All the characters in the small town attend the event thinking it is a game but of course, since you are reading an Agatha Christie novel you always have to expect the unexpected!
I have figured out the murderer when I was 60% in the book. But there is more to it though. Miss Marple has a good presence here but still, her presence in this novel is not more than the first book of the series which is still my favorite so far. There are some unexpected things and people are revealed which add to the mystery. This is one of those Miss Marple stories that I would recommend reading not just for the character but as a good mystery novel too....more
This was a delightful read, especially for the current season. The story starts by showing the sorrows and misery of Jane’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Genre: Classic
This was a delightful read, especially for the current season. The story starts by showing the sorrows and misery of Jane’s early life and then her life at Lowood School. Her relationship with Mr. Rochester at first can be called awkward. But then this awkward bond becomes deeper with time and turns into a love story with an age gap of twenty years! Now whether that is convincing or not it will all depend on how you will look at it.
Charlotte Bronte’s writing is beautiful. It captures the world, the characters, and the situations brilliantly. The only problem was the pacing but that is something many classics suffer from. I feel the story dragged a bit in the middle. The beginning, the ending, and the major parts of the novel were all solid. The book would have been better with fewer pages in the middle. The atmosphere was excellent though throughout the book.
“I do not think, sir, you have any right to command me, merely because you are older than I, or because you have seen more of the world than I have; your claim to superiority depends on the use you have made of your time and experience.”
I wouldn’t go on to say Jane Eyre is my favorite classic. It is a solid one indeed but there are other classics that I prefer over this one. And one example would be Wuthering Heights. I feel where Emily Bronte excels over Charlotte is in maintaining a steady pace with much less dragging in the storytelling. However, both the authors share some big advantages and these are having a well-written story with a fantastic vibe and complex characters.
A classic dystopian novel. I wanted to read this book again before watching the TV shows. This was written in 1984 and even when I readRating: 4.0/5.0
A classic dystopian novel. I wanted to read this book again before watching the TV shows. This was written in 1984 and even when I read it in 2018 it is still as creepy as it used to be before. I still like this novel as I liked it when I read it for the first time many years back. What I find Margaret Atwood excels in is the detailed description of the world and everything else. She gives you the description of a room and makes you live inside it with her different characters.
I like about this book the small chapters. It makes reading goes very fast, but unfortunately, there is something that bothered me while reading and it is the jump into different time frames. Basically, the author made us jump back and forth between three different time frames. One which is before the change and the second is just about when the world order has changed and the third is the current time where the handmaid is living with the commander and his wife. I feel the jumps were happening fast. Whenever I felt my mind was settling into the situation the jump happened and I am moved into a totally different time and different setting. I wish the time frames were a bit longer or each had its dedicated chapter instead of jumping forward and backward in one single paragraph.
Overall, I would rate this book higher because of its literary aspect more than its entertainment value. This was not boring at all but it leans more towards literary than pure entertainment. This was a nice reread and good to see that a book still maintains its value after so many years. Recommended....more
I am glad that I reread this classic after many years. To be honest I did not enjoy it much when I read it way bac[image] Rating: 4.0/5.0
Genre: Classic
I am glad that I reread this classic after many years. To be honest I did not enjoy it much when I read it way back in the 1990s. This time I liked it a lot. I have not liked the two movie adaptations that were made for it too. But I want to rewatch both the films because I feel now that I enjoyed this book a lot more I will be looking at them differently too.
The Great Gatsby is the only novel that I've read for F. Scott Fitzgerald. I have another novel for him that I'm going to read sometime in the future. This is considered one of the masterpieces of American Literature. Although in terms of events it is not heavy on them I can say that despite being a short novel it is very heavy on relationships. All kinds of relationships, like friendship, love or even family. Sometimes things are explicitly said and at other times they are very subtle and implied. There are things that the author cleverly left for the interpretation of the readers.
All the main characters are fleshed out and they are very real. Everyone has his own insecurity and vulnerabilities as well as other negative traits. As a reader, they will make you angry and also question human nature in different ways. One of the lessons one can learn from this story is that love can not be bought by tangible things and sometimes love can fade and eventually die without knowing that!...more
This reread is still as good as I read it many years ago. Some classics stay with you, some don't. This one has its own problems but still fun to readThis reread is still as good as I read it many years ago. Some classics stay with you, some don't. This one has its own problems but still fun to read....more
Carrie is a well-known story so I don’t need to say much about its synopsis here. I have never read this book before. I Rating: Very Good
Genre: Horror
Carrie is a well-known story so I don’t need to say much about its synopsis here. I have never read this book before. I have watched the original movie adaptation starring Sissy Spacek, the recent remake, and as well as the TV movie adaptation. I have even watched what was supposed to be the sequel to the original movie (Rage: Carrie 2). So basically there is no shock factor or anything when it comes to the events of the book. Of course, there are small differences between the book and the movie but nothing major I’d say.
Carrie is narrated in a mix of third-person narration with interviews, excerpts from a book written by one of the surviving characters, parts of news from the media, etc. I think Stephen King has used this kind of a mix in his narration to show two sides, one is normal storytelling, and the other the different POVs of several characters whether they are main characters or side characters. This gives the reader a clear picture yet mixed at the same time of how the events took place during the prom night inside the school and outside it and what these characters were thinking about Carrie or her mother.
One of the bigger forces in making the events flow in the story is the character, Margaret White, Carrie’s mother. This psycho religious fanatic woman has such a uniquely interesting character and of course insanely crazy. Stephen King made sure the readers understood the reasons why a girl like Carrie become the laughing stock in her school. The woman did not act as a mother to the girl. The bathroom scene is a horrific scene and it proved that right away to the reader how that woman ignored her daughter. Carrie even went on to ask her mother why she did not tell her.
King has brilliantly used the telekinetic ability idea and incorporated it into an isolated girl who was repeatedly being mistreated by her mother and her peers in school. This together had created a horrific atmosphere that got blown up during the prom night. I feel this is one story that is told very well in both the book and the movie (The original). You will not go wrong with either one of them.
Rating: 4/5 A very entertaining horror/mystery story. I wish it was a bit longer. This could be done into a good feature film. WelExcellent short story
Rating: 4/5 A very entertaining horror/mystery story. I wish it was a bit longer. This could be done into a good feature film. Well done Elissa Drake for the nice story and suspenseful atmosphere...more
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