Between the Pages

I have been waiting for so long to do this. Here, dear readers, I give you my official review of Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Even though this book has been a star of this blog and been in numerous posts over the years, I have never done an official review; until now. Without further adieu, here we go! Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is a tale of romance, cynicism, satire, and human vanity. It will continue to be read over and over throughout history by high school English classes, book clubs, and thesis writing graduate students. Why? Because of its relevance in any time period and obvious message that can be applied to each and every reader's life.  Summary  Mr. and Mrs. Bennet have their Longbourn House full in Georgian, England. With five daughters, Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia, Mrs. Bennet has her hands full getting them all suitable husbands (but if you ask me, she just wants to get them all married off so that she can look superior to Lady Lucas, their ...

Thus far this year, I have read more books than in any previous year, recorded on this blog or not. Whether my goal to read a lot this year or quarantine fueled my reading, my list is long (not the longest, but long enough to be very proud of). I will start doing these reports on a regular basis. It keeps me accountable to you all in my reading.  I have read 15 books as of the end of July 2020. Here are a couple of charts and statistics that represent the group.  Links of those that I HAVE reviewed are below: http://betweenp.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-murder-on-links.html http://betweenp.blogspot.com/2020/07/an-inspector-calls.html http://betweenp.blogspot.com/2020/07/all-kings-men.html http://betweenp.blogspot.com/2020/07/head-over-heels.html http://betweenp.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-great-gatsby.html http://betweenp.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-man-in-high-castle.html http://betweenp.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-abc-murders.html http://betweenp.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-importance-of-be...

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle delivers a truly chilling Holmes and Watson tale. This book is the literary embodiment of Halloween. The setting is the most important and well written part of the story.  Summary The Hound of the Baskervilles  by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a truly harrowing tale. It has the best setting of any mystery novel I have ever read. It is almost horror because of the setting. The Moor and the Grimpen Mire are described with death and dark imagery.  Holmes and Watson meet Sir Henry Baskerville, the next in the line of inheritance for the famous Baskerville estate. The land is not famous for its beauty, however. Every Baskerville that has ever lived on it has perished by the infamous Hound of the Baskervilles. The baronet does not think the Hound really exists, but enlists the help of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson after receiving threat letters and being followed through London before he was to take abode on the estate. Mysteriously, without telling his inte...

Agatha Christie does it again! This murder mystery is a true tangled web of mystery after mystery after mystery. It reminds me of an old version of the movie "Knives Out".  Summary Hercule Poirot is back for another mystery. Captain Hastings, Poirot's sidekick, has gotten off the train he took from Paris to Calais and rushes to the flat he shares with Poirot to tell him of a mysterious, acrobat "woman of the stage" who tells Hastings her name is Cinderella. Upon Hasting's arrival at the flat, Poirot receives a letter from a Mr. Renauld that beckons the detective's come with a desperate last line of the letter scrawled hurriedly at the bottom - "For God's sake, come!".  Poirot and Hastings head to Merlinville-sur-Mer where Renauld's sprawling Villa Genevieve is located. Upon arrival, though, the maid reports to the gentlemen that Renauld was murdered the night before/early that morning. Even in his surprise, Poirot takes the case. He beg...

J.B. Priestly's play on one family's responsibility for the suicide of Eva Smith shows how small action can lead to large consequences in the lives of others.  Summary The Birling family is celebrating the engagement of their daughter, Sheila. She has just been betrothed to Gerald Croft, the son of Sheila's father's business rival. This is a merging of families and a business treaty. As soon as the Birling family and Croft clink their glasses together in celebration, the maid enters the dining room and announces an police inspector calls. As soon as Inspector Goole enters the Birling residence, the house becomes hushed, panicked. Inspector Goole reports the suicide of Eva Smith, former employee of Arthur Birling. It is revealed over the course of the night that each family member has a suspicious amount of involvement in the young woman's life.  Review I loved this play. I have read 4 plays this year (this one along with "A Midsummer Night's Dream", ...

Robert Penn Warren's All the King's Men  is a story of weighing responsibility for actions that follows two opposites: Jack Burden, the protagonist and narrator, and Willie Stark, power-hungry Governor of Louisiana in 1940.  Summary Jack Burden works for big-shot, powerful, bull-headed Willie Stark, Governor of Louisiana. Jack grew up at Burden's Landing with his mother, the Stanton kids: Anne and Adam (the former Governor's children), and Jack's rich, powerful mentor and father figure Judge Irwin.  Willie Stark is a truly self-made man. He studied law on his own, passed the BAR on his own, and won the race for governor with the help of his campaign staff (which includes Jack). Stark grew up in rural Louisiana, but is outgoing and always  gets what he wants. Willie, or The Boss to Burden, often asks Jack to "dig-up some dirt" on certain people in the political realm in order to get what Willie wants, whether that's funding, support, or cooperation. But...

Laurie Halse Anderson's novel Speak  is truly moving and brings up taboo topics like sexual assault and bullying in a classy, but distinct manner.  Summary Melinda Sordino has been ostracized by her entire school. She called the cops on an end-of-summer party where she was sexually assaulted, scared, and didn't know what to do. There was illegal alcohol use at the party, so a lot of kids got arrested. Would she tell the cops and the kids at her school why she called the cops? Never. Melinda decides to keep her rape a secret, as the boy who sexually assaulted her is one of the most popular guys in school. Even her closest friends she attended the party with do not speak to her anymore.  When her academic performance begins to fail, her counselor and parents try to step in. Melinda spends most of her time in an abandoned janitor's closet that she makes her 'home' while at school. The only other place in which she feels comfortable is her art class and with her art tea...

I recently got my first (the July) box from Book of the Month. This post's purpose is to explain my experience with them. Please know, I am not sponsored by this brand. I just wanted to do this post to recommend this service.  Book of the Month is a monthly subscription box where you choose one book out of 5 of their monthly picks. The books are usually new releases, but occasionally, older books that they love will get thrown into the mix. Here is a silent video of their website. I will link it here  so you can browse yourself. There is also a new service BOTM is offering. It is specific to book clubs. As an organizer of a book club myself, this aspect of their expertise should be very helpful. The hardest part about starting a book club is making sure everyone has the link to the copy, giving every one time to order it, and making sure everyone's book has been delivered. This way, it's easy! For this month, I got Hannah Orenstein's Head Over Heels . I just reviewed t...

In  Head Over Heels by Hannah Orenstein, the main character's, Avery, emotional arc demonstrates resilience, determination, and compassion, all of which young women should learn to have.  *DISCLAIMER* This novel is a NEW ADULT book not a young adult book. Please know that I am rating this book for the older readers of this blog. This book is not for anyone below ages 15 or 16. While I loved the break from classics this book gave me, it does have adult language and content. Please do not read this book until you are older if you are not comfortable with mature content. I will refer readers of this post to a professional age rating when this book ages a little. It was released very recently, so there are no age ratings yet. This is my two cents, but I will get a professional rating very soon. ** This is the first time I have reviewed a strictly adult book on this blog. I just want to be careful. I know that young women and girls from 9 or 10 to age 17 read this blog. I have to...

As we students are nearing the one-month-mark until the beginning of school, whether that may be on-campus or virtual, summer reading anxiety will set in soon. Whether your school has an all-school-read or a pick-your-own-book year mapped out, summer reading is stressful. Both book lovers and I-only-read-for-schoolers alike don't enjoy summer reading. You know why? It's forced. Quick example: You wake up on a summer, Monday morning and think - I have no more clean clothes to wear. I am going to wash my own laundry and do it all today. - You head downstairs, and the first thing your mother says is, you guessed it, - Do your laundry. - You don't want to do it anymore, do you?  Well, summer reading is the same way. You decide - I'm going to read this cool, historical, mystery novel. - But as soon as your school springs a book with the word of the year as the title like endurance, sustainability, responsibility, or empathy, case closed - you're not doing it. I feel the ...

I have written in previous posts about small businesses', specifically independent booksellers, struggles during the COVID-19 pandemic and in our world in general. I want YOU to use this post as encouragement to start ordering all your books from local bookstores and as a reference. *Disclaimer* I am sponsored by NONE of the following organizations.  The American Booksellers Association has a bookstore finder where you can find all registered bookstores in your area. You simply type in your city and state or your zip code and bookstores' addresses pop up. This is a great tool to use if you can't find a independent store near you.  Book Industry Charitable Foundation helps independent bookstores during financial emergencies. They have a specific sector/plan for bookstores affected by COVID-19 losses . Get involved with them if you like! Libro.fm is a audio book app that, in contrast to apps like Audible, gives back to local bookstores. Same books. Same price. Different S...

The Booksellers is a documentary about the magical and not-so-magical lives of booksellers, independent book-scouts, and bookstore owners.  I loved this documentary! It was so informative, historical, funny, and diverse. The booksellers featured in the film are from all different backgrounds, but "meet in the middle" because they are all in the same profession. In fact, at the end of the film, they all come together and talk for a couple minutes about what it is like to be in their profession.  My favorite part of the documentary was learning the history about some bookstores I knew about before the documentary and new ones I was informed of during the film. For example, The Strand in New York City, New York was part of an 48 bookstore strip called Book Row , and they are the only ones left.  The most striking statistic mentioned in the film was the steep decrease in bookstores over just 70 years. In the 1950s, New York City was home to 368 bookstores. Now, only 79 are op...

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is a true science-fiction classic where the importance of books and individual thought is at stake and fought for. This blog's purpose is to fight for books' importance in the minds and hearts of young women; thus, this book is a must read for readers of this blog and all.  Summary Guy Montag is a fireman. In Montag's society, firemen burn books so that citizens cannot think for themselves. Instead of bookshelves dominating rooms, television walls close in residents. No one is ever alone. 24 hour programs and radio runs all the time. In order to sleep, people take sleeping pill after sleeping pill until their heart goes to sleep and their blood must be re-pumped, except "It's routine." and "It happens all the time." The truth is never told. People dance around the facts. Suicides are common and often overlooked, deemed as coincidences. Every house looks the same. All of Montag's days run together, as he gets up, go...