Judging a book by its cover: The Bell Jar

Judging a book by its cover: The Bell Jar

September 17, 2013
This is a heart-rending story of big expectations, secret hopes and immense disappointments. Esther Greenwood, Plath’s invented persona, feels trapped inside the dreary world that surrounds her. It is as if she’s living under a bell jar. On her road from adolescence to adulthood, she is lost since she has no hand to guide her. Poetry may be the only thing that could protect her from her suicidal tendencies. Undoubtedly, Plath’s persona is so realistic and relatable that the readers cannot help but empathize with her.
Who’s your favorite author of all time?

Who’s your favorite author of all time?

September 13, 2013
"All the books we own, both read and unread, are the fullest expression of self we have at our disposal. ... But with each passing year, and with each whimsical purchase, our libraries become more and more able to articulate who we are, whether we read the books or not" - Nick Hornby
Judging a book by its cover: The Great Gatsby

Judging a book by its cover: The Great Gatsby

June 16, 2013
The original cover for The Great Gatsby features a pair of droopy blue eyes and bright red lips placed in the midst of dark night sky arousing the overwhelming sense of foreboding. Evocative of sorrow and decay, these faceless eyes are the central symbol of Fitzgerald’s novel.
Nabokov's prose style

Nabokov’s fancy prose style

June 16, 2013
Vladimir Nabokov had synesthesia, a harmless neurological condition which causes mixing of sense. His writings are famous for descriptions in which sounds, shapes and colors are intermingled in order to form a powerful sensual effect.
Re-Joyce!

Re-Joyce!

June 16, 2013
Upon reading Joyce’s Ulysses, his contemporary T. S. Eliot observed: “I wish, for my own sake, that I had not read it… Joyce has single-handedly killed the 19th century.”
Dickens’ London

Dickens’ London

March 12, 2013
“Did you know that Dickens is estimated to have invented thirteen thousand characters? Thirteen thousand! The population of a small town!” Nick Hornby, The Believer
Famous Correspondence

Famous Correspondence

February 5, 2013
"Why does the writing make us chase the writer? Why can't we leave well enough alone? Why aren't the books enough?" - Julian Barnes, Flaubert’s Parrot