Who is Anna Karenina – Controversial Heroine?
Like so many famous writers, Leo Tolstoy used the real-life experience in his infamous novel, Anna Karenina. Tolstoy arrived at the train station, only...
‘Cry the Beloved Country’ – Review
Cry the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton, was further catapulted to bestseller status, when it was named a pick in Oprah's Book Club. But,...
Gilded-Age Mystery and ‘The English Wife’
The English Wife, by Lauren Willig, brings the "Gilded Age" to life once again. We're tossed into the era of Edith Wharton, with her...
Beginnings: ‘A Glimmer of Hope’
Steve McHugh's A Glimmer of Hope centers around the life and times of a young college student, Layla Cassidy. She's smart and beautiful, as...
Syria Speaks – A Detention Controversy
The detention of a British woman, Faizah Shaheen, on her way back from her honeymoon in Turkey speaks greater volumes than (perhaps) anything else...
Banned Book: ‘Jacob’s New Dress’
Jacob's New Dress, by Ian and Sarah Hoffman, is suddenly at the very center of a whirlwind of controversy and debate, as the very latest...
If you had to memorize a book, which would it be?
In Fahrenheit 451, Montag famously joins a community of outsiders who have each committed one book to memory. The author of that famously banned...
Inspiring ‘Lolita’ – Why Vladimir Nabokov Wrote The Novel
In "On a Book Entitled Lolita," Vladimir Nabokov wrote:
"As far as I can recall, the initial shiver of inspiration was somehow prompted by a...
Why Is ‘The Catcher In The Rye’ Important? 7 Ways
To some readers--both past and present--The Catcher in the Rye is a mish-mash of unacceptable and irrelevant moments from a young kid who doesn't...
‘Teeny Little Fingers’ & J.K. Rowling
Much debate and controversy has quickly erupted over the obvious dislike and consternation of J.K. Rowling toward the newly elected Donald Trump. She doesn't...