Thoroughly modern millennial

Tag: Books & Writing

  • Guest Post | The Classics | Anjali

    Guest Post | The Classics | Anjali

    bibliophile (ˈbɪbliəˌfaɪl ; bibˈlēəfīlˌ)

    noun

    1. a person who loves or admires books, esp. for their style of binding, printing, etc.

    2. a collector of books

    With that definition in mind, it only makes sense that lovers of books should read the great books of the world. I’m talking the classics, those books that are wonderfully written, or perhaps ahead of their time, or so well known that you know the story even if you haven’t physically read the book.

    Being a bibliophile myself, it stands to reason that I, too, should be reading the classics. Alas, I am not. But when I checked out Goodreads list called “Must Read Classics”, I surprised myself. I have, per that list, read quite a few.

    Today I thought I’d share with you 5 of the classics from the top 20 in this list that I have read, and 5 that I need to read.

    Read

    The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    I quite enjoyed this incredibly short book. At less than 200 pages, it’s a classic that has been studied in schools and universities for decades, and even been made into an Oscar winning movie.

    The Hobbit, by J.R.R.Tolkien

    Perhaps not your typical classic, but a classic fantasy I would say. Unlike Lord of the Rings which I have only read once, I have read this multiple times. I remember reading it with my dad when I was a kid, and then again in school, and a time or two after that. I love this book a lot.

    Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott

    My first encounter with the March sisters was in movie form, specifically the 1994 adaptation with Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, and a host of others. But the book is just as wonderful and it’s a story that I will always love.

    The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde

    Controversial at the time, The Picture of Dorian Gray is one of those books that pulls you in with its Victorian Gothic settings, and its mad characters. I feel like is a prime example of a classic which most people know of and know the story behind, even if they haven’t read it.

    Lord of the Flies, by William Golding

    My friend’s English class in high school read this book, but I was in a different class so never read it growing up. It was only a few years back now that I read it for the first time, and by golly it’s disturbing. Definitely a classic, and one that screams at you through the pages.

    Honourable mentions: Animal Farm, by George Orwell; Emma, by Jane Austen; Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll; Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare; The Odyssey, by Homer; The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry; Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery.

    To Read

    To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

    I could tell you the main ideas from the book, but not the plot line or the characters. Unlike some of the classics that I haven’t read, I haven’t seen any film adaptations of this book, nor did I have to study it at school.

    Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger

    This book I could probably pick out a few quotes from, but wouldn’t be able to you what the main story line is. I know that the main character is Caulfield, but I don’t know who is he is or what he does (or doesn’t) do. *shurgs* Need to read this book, clearly.

    Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte

    Oh Heathcliff and Kathy. So Wuthering Heights is an interesting one of me. When I was young I actually started reading it, and got so confused because I thought it was going to be from the perspective of Heathcliff or Kathy – characters I already knew about – but it wasn’t! Somehow I never made it past the first chapter, but I really must pick it up again.

    Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

    I’ve listened to the audio book of Something Wicked This Way Some, by Bradbury, but haven’t read anything else by him. The idea of the book and the description has always intrigued me and I would really like to read it.

    1984, by George Orwell

    Similarity to Fahrenheit 451, 1984 is definitely Classic classic, if you know what I mean. Also like Bradbury’s book, the idea and the negative uptoia sort of concept intrigues me.

    Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley

    Just before we get down to book 20 on the Goodreads list, there sits Frankenstien. It’s another book that I could tell you all about without every having read it. This needs to be remedied. I have a beautiful copy of this book, actually, just waiting to be picked up.

    Honourable mentions: Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte; Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky; Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy; Dracula, by Bram Stoker; Great Expectations by Charles Dickens; Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck; Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley.

    What about you? Have you read many classics? Is there any that you really want to read but haven’t quite around to it?

    — — —

    What a wonderful post from the lovely Anjali of This Splendid Shambles! I always forget how much I actually adore some of the ‘classics’. Also I can’t get over how gorgeous the covers for these editions are either – so pretty!

    Ria Xx

  • ‘We’: An evening with Gillian Anderson & Jennifer Nadel | Highlights

    ‘We’: An evening with Gillian Anderson & Jennifer Nadel | Highlights

    Last Friday I popped along to the SouthBank Center in London to hear actress and activist Gillian Anderson and decorated journalist Jennifer Nadel give a talk in celebration of the release of their book ‘We: A Manifesto For Women Everywhere‘.

    The book was a co-authored by both women and faces the ‘have-it-all’ mentality, challenging women to question what actually makes them happy and fulfilled. ‘We’ also focuses on the importance of fostering a culture of collaboration between women, especially during difficult periods of our lives.

    Moderated by Women of the World Festival Founder, Jude Kelly, the talk though obviously focused on feminism covered a range of topics including mental health, the work/life/family balance and Anderson and Nadel’s own experiences of breakdown within their respective careers.

    I could go on and on about how inspiring it was to be in that room surrounded by women listening to two very accomplished, honest and unapologetic women but here are just some of the highlights.

    Everyone is struggling

    A nice starting point at the beginning of the evening was both Anderson and Nadel speaking very honestly about their respective breaks in their mental health. From raising children, to facing physical scrutiny and pressure to look good, and dealing with an intense mental breakdown, both women were applauded for opening up about their struggles. The point they wanted to make was that despite their numerous achievements listed out by Kelly at the beginning of the talk, they too had the same doubts and fears as many women and that many women we meet in our everyday lives will also be facing those same struggles.

    “We should allow ourselves to be bad at things.”

    My favourite quote from the night, came from Nadel. A self-confessed former workaholic, Nadel’s quote was in response to a woman expressed her concerns of finding time to keep up appearances and juggle everything in her life. She emphasised that, yes, there will be circumstances when you need to be good at things, but perfection is essentially an unobtainable goal.

    “Hateful internal thoughts are normalised in society.”

    This was a recurring theme of the evening and another interesting point made by Nadel on how harmful our ‘Inner Critic’ can be. Whilst the scars of self-doubt and criticism aren’t visible, thoughts like these are a type of self-harm on our mental state and so scarily normalised in society.

    “Only when we are truly alone can we know ourselves”

    Loneliness is often a topic not covered by talks on feminism, but both women spoke frankly about their experiences with isolation throughout their lives. Anderson in particular talked about how she use a hectic schedule to almost mitigate spending any time alone by herself. She remarked at how many of us may feel scared to spend time with ourselves

    The future is female

    Both women also spoke about how inspired they are by the work young people are doing to change the World and one of the most poignant parts of the evening was a question from a 14 year old girl who unfortunately felt as if her efforts and actions for feminism were going nowhere. The advice given was less on how to become a more active – as I’ve seen many times before – but actually that her efforts were enough and that she as a person was enough. In a World that demands us to stand up and speak out all the time, I think we forget that we cannot expect to change the World by ourselves. We can do our best and that’s should be good enough.

    — — —

    As I mentioned these were just some of the highlights from the night. The whole evening was a fantastic forum of open conversations on feminism. I certainly came away feeling wholly inspired by both Anderson and Nadel, and the many women who were so frank when asking their questions.

    Ria Xx

  • Books | A Closer Look At My 2017 TBR

    Books | A Closer Look At My 2017 TBR

    Coming at you a little late with this – but then again I’m already a little behind on my GoodReads challenge!

    If you follow the lovely collab blog I help run, Blogger’s Bookshelf you’ll have seen that our team set some TBR targets at the beginning of the year of books we vow to read in 2017. I’m normally not so strategic when it comes to picking these books, but this year I wanted to put a little thought into the list.

    To all the boys I’ve loved before, Jenny Han

    “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister’s ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.”

    This book’s admittedly been sat unread on my shelf for a while. Even though the plot looks pretty fluffy, reading about people of colour in contemporary settings just goes forward to normalise their place in popular culture. I also super pumped to read a YA romance with an female Asian protagonist.

    The Lie Tree, Frances Hardringe

    “Faith has a thirst for science and secrets that the rigid confines of her class cannot suppress. And so it is that she discovers her disgraced father’s journals, filled with the scribbled notes and theories of a man driven close to madness. Tales of a strange tree which, when told a lie, will uncover a truth: the greater the lie, the greater the truth revealed to the liar. Faith’s search for the tree leads her into great danger – for where lies seduce, truths shatter”

    The Lie Tree stirred up some serious conversations about YA’s place in ‘literary culture’ when it won the Costa Book prize back in 2015. Despite this, everyone I know who’s read it has loved it, so woop woop for YA! I’m especially intrigued by the fantasy element of the book. I haven’t read a decent one in so long , so I’m hoping this can be my way back in.

    In order to live, Yeonmi Park

    “Yeonmi Park was not dreaming of freedom when she escaped from North Korea. She didn’t even know what it meant to be free. All she knew was that she was running for her life, that if she and her family stayed behind they would die – from starvation, or disease, or even execution.”

    I, of course, need a little bit of non-fiction in my list. Whilst I could’ve listed dozens of great autobiographies and essay style novels, this one fills in a bit of a gap in my knowledge of East Asian. I don’t know much about the North Korean regime aside from what’s reported in Western newspapers, but the blurb alone for In Order To Live promises a slightly different look at the .

    Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi

    “The unforgettable New York Times best seller begins with the story of two half-sisters, separated by forces beyond their control: one sold into slavery, the other married to a British slaver. Written with tremendous sweep and power, Homegoing traces the generations of family who follow, as their destinies lead them through two continents and three hundred years of history, each life indeliably drawn, as the legacy of slavery is fully revealed in light of the present day.”

    This one’s been doing the rounds in the book blogging community, so I’ve been desperate to get my hands on. * whispers * I’ve already started reading this and I love it already.

    Public Library, Ali Smith

    “Public libraries are places of joy, freedom, community and discovery – and right now they are under threat from funding cuts and widespread closures across the UK and further afield. With this brilliantly inventive collection, Ali Smith joins the campaign to save our public libraries and celebrate their true place in our culture and history.”

    I feel like Ali Smith is one of those authors I feel like I’ve read but I haven’t (whoops). I’ve seriously grown to adore short story collections and one about books and libraries feels like a perfect combo for me.

    — — —

    Let me know if you’ve read any of these and what you thought of them if you have!

    Ria Xx