An Apology for Smectymnuus and The Reason for Church-Government by John Milton by John Milton – 2 stars These are two tracts Milton wrote criticizing the Church of England’s structure. I read these for my Milton course. Honestly, they are just really dull. I don’t think Milton is a good prose writer, and I heavily skimmed parts.
My Favorite Thing is Monsters, Vol 1 by Emil Ferris – 5 stars This is easily my favorite book of the month and probably one of my favorite graphic novels ever. I read this for my course on graphic narratives. Ferris’ art is gorgeous and the plot is intricate, heartbreaking, and fascinating. Full Review
A Mask Presented at Ludlow Castle, or Comus by John Milton – 4 stars This is another read for my Milton course, and I’ve actually read it before. A Mask is probably my favorite piece by him (even though I would ultimately consider Paradise Lost a better piece of literature). It is the story of a young Lady who becomes lost in the woods and is captured and tempted by Comus, the son of Bacchus and Circe. She is ultimately able to resist him due to her virtuous strength. I’m planning to write my final paper on this.
Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer – 3 stars The long awaited version of Twilight from Edward’s point of view. It is a much better book, in a technical sense, than the original. Reading it had a nostalgic feel, and I definitely had fun. But sheesh, Edward is an annoying narrator. Full Review
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk, translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones – 4 stars This is a gorgeous novel that I had the pleasure of listening to on audiobook. Tokarczuk’s writing is beautiful and her main character is fascinating. It certainly deserves the Nobel Prize it won. Full Review
Incognegro by Mat Johnson and Warren Pleece – 4 stars This is another book for my graphic narrative class. It is about a white-passing black man in the 1930s who uses his appearance to expose lynchings in the south. It’s an excellent graphic novel that deals with serious issues while also being a fast-paced and action-filled read. It sparked a fantastic discussion in my class.
Areopagitica by John Milton – 2 stars More of Milton’s prose for my class. Once again, I heavily skimmed this. It is Milton’s argument against print licensing and censorship. While I can see why it’s an important work, his prose is just so tedious that I can’t deal with it.
Burning Roses by S. L. Huang – 2 stars I received a copy of this fairy tale retelling from NetGalley. I enjoyed Huang’s take on the fairy tales and the diversity in the novella. However, I never connected to the characters and was ultimately left wanting more world building. Full Review
Hot Comb by Ebony Flowers – 3 stars This is a series of graphic short stories that I read for my graphic narrative course. Each one is about black women with a specific focus on their hair. This is another one that sparked some great class discussion. It’s an important topic that definitely needs to be discussed more. While I enjoyed the stories, I didn’t really like the art and I had a hard time reading some of the text due to the font style.
A Room with a View by E. M. Forster – 4 stars This was my book club’s September read. It was my first novel by Forster and I really enjoyed it. It’s beautiful and funny, and Forster has created some fantastic characters. Full Review
Edited By edited by Ellen Datlow – 3 stars I received this short story collection from Net Galley. These are all fantasy and horror stories (with a few on the more sci-fi side). Like most anthologies, there were some I loved and some that I didn’t. It definitely covers the full range of the genres though! Full Review
A Literary Princess 