Sharon Cameron’s “Rook” is a futuristic dystopian fantasy novel that almost retells “The Scarlet Pimpernel”. It also asks the question, could what has already happened happen again? There were a lot of layers to this novel which made it interesting and hard to put down. However, with so many layers, there was a danger that they wouldn’t all pay off. Retelling “The Scarlet Pimpernel”, now called the Rook, with a female protagonist was interesting and I thought was refreshing take on the classic. Sophia Bellamy, […]
Mudhouse Sabbath: An Invitation to a Life of Spiritual Discipline
I find that looking at how other faiths treat certain life moments helps me reflect on my own faith as well as expands and makes my religious practice more dynamic. In this case, Lauren Winner ended up doing the same as she converted from Orthodox Judaism to Protestant Christianity. In “Mudhouse Sabbath,” she reflects on how certain life events as peaches by Jews could enrich the practice of Christians. I found this idea intriguing and while I appreciated the over-arching approach she took in the […]
Politically Correct Bedtime Stories
I find a lot of our fairy tales/bedtime stories have been watered down overtime from their very blunt, graphic depictions of what happens when you don’t follow society’s rules or confront evil. Coming across the ” Politically Correct Bedtime Stories” intrigued me for this reason. There’s also been a lot discussion around political correctness and whether we’ve gone to far with it. In this book, it’s definitely gone way too far. The book starts with Little Red Ridding Hood and ends with the Pied Piper. […]
The Underground Girls of Kabul
Since 2001, when a coalition led by the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, a lot of attention was paid to the “rebuilding” of the Islamic republic. Most of what we hear in the news is focused on the deprivation, constant skirmishes between Taliban (and Taliban adjacent groups) attacking Western forces, corruption, and deplorable conditions for women and girls. It sounds like an overwhelmingly hopeless situation. Jenny Nordberg acknowledges these dire situations, but explores the nuances and reveals that even in such hopelessness, there’s small rays of resistance […]
Alias Grace
“Alias Grace” is based on true events in mid-19th century Canada. Margaret Atwood takes a lot of artistic license to flesh out the story of Grace Marks, but she acknowledges the embellishments as well as the facts that hold the plot together. Grace is a recent Irish immigrant to the Toronto area and soon begins a life in service (maid) to make money for herself and to avoid being a “burden” to her alcoholic father. After making a good name for herself she finds an […]
Americanah
I wasn’t sure what to expect from “Americanah.” I’ve heard many good things about Ms. Adichie’s work, but with the book being almost 600 pages I was afraid of committing to it. Am I glad I did. From the opening pages I was hooked into the characters and the plot. This book didn’t feel like I was reading it but rather that I was experiencing it. We begin with present Ifemelu as she prepares to return to Nigeria, her country of origin. She’s spent her […]
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