Between the Pages

Summer reading is a daunting task for book lovers and timid readers alike. It is often put off until the last minute because of other activities, the school-wide read being very boring, and just "having better things to do". When summer reading is put off (or not done at all), it can put an unnecessary amount of stress on the tail end of summer vacation. Here are a couple strategies and tips for finishing your summer reading in a non stressful, easy, and swift manner. Also, this can help you ace that beginning of year quiz or essay on the novel.   Stretch It Out The great thing about summer is that it is fairly long. If you don't like to read or have other things besides a book on recycling to read, you will not want to sit down and just crank the reading out. Frankly, you won't be able to. Also, this isn't healthy reading. You won't remember the small details your picky English teacher wants you to pick up on, and you won't enjoy it at all.  The approxima...

In early May, I was sitting in my bedroom - reading - missing my classmates when a genius idea struck me. I love talking about books. I love seeing my peers. Put them together, and presto,  a quarantine book club came to my mind. After a couple of days and a sign-up sheet, I had a group of about 15 young women. First, an introduction to the author and the book: The Man in the High Castle .  The topics of our discussion in the four meetings were about four main ideas: Dick's writing style, the representation of power, orientalism, and relating to characters in literature.  Stylistic Licence The group decided Dick's writing style was complicated, but surprisingly warm for a sci-fci writer. Freshman at our school read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury in the classroom. Ray Bradbury writes very mechanically, as a robot, to convey his futuristic, eerie points.  Philip Dick writes in High Castle  from multiple (a lot of people appear in this novel - A LOT) perspecti...

Jack Worthing leads a double life. He's Uncle Jack to his ward, Cecily Cardew and her governess, Ms. Prism at home in Hertfordshire. He "visits" his imaginary "brother," Ernest Worthing, in the city from time to time. He pretends to be Ernest, so he can party. His friend, Algernon Moncrieff, uses his fake "brother," Bunbury in order to have an excuse to relax in the country. One day, Algernon comes to visit Jack, but they are confused to be the same person: Ernest (Jack's "brother"). Both men use fibs to get dependent women to fall in love with them, but their secrets are revealed by the end. A surprise is revealed about Uncle Jack's identity that is wonderful irony.  Oscar Wilde's hilariously presented play is in three Acts; all poking fun at Victorians and all ironically wrapped up into a delectable package that screams intrigue.  This play is a true classic. It uses humor that makes you feel smarter. I loves this play! Its witt...

    Introducing Writing Women! Instead of Author Spotlights, I will be focusing on notable female authors throughout history. Informing others and learning for myself about women who wrote their personal experiences, pieces about sensitive issues, and influential stories that proved to be more fact than fiction. Women don't just write; they inspire and influence. Without further adieu, here's Writing Women: writing about women who wrote the words of the world.