The Horse and His Boy is the third book in The Chronicles of Narnia series published in 1954, and could very well be the most random story of the series. Set in the magical world of Narnia, this story introduces new characters and sheds light on the events surrounding the reign of the Pevensie siblings (not really, though!)
The story primarily revolves around a boy named Shasta, who was a slave in the land of Calormen. Through absolutely convenient chance, he meets a talking Narnian horse named Bree, who reveals that they both desire to escape their current circumstances and embark on a journey to Narnia.
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Passing by Nella Larsen is a powerful and thought-provoking novel that explores themes of racial identity, class, and the complexities of human relationships in early 20th-century America. Published in 1929, it remains a significant work in literature. So significant, I’ve now read it twice.
The story revolves around the lives of two biracial women, Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry, who have chosen different paths in dealing with their “light” skin tones. Irene lives in Harlem with her husband and children, embracing her identity as a black woman. Clare, on the other hand, has “passed” as white and is married to a very racist white man who knows nothing of her racial background. The novel examines their chance encounter and the ensuing reconnection of their lives.
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The Problem That Has No Name by Betty Friedan is a groundbreaking feminist work that explores the deep-rooted dissatisfaction and unfulfillment experienced by many American women in the mid-20th century. Published in 1963 as part of Friedan’s iconic book “The Feminine Mystique,” this edition includes only two chapters first chapters. The first chapter delves into the profound but often invisible struggles faced by women in their roles as wives and mothers. The second chapter gives a glorious nod to the first feminist wave and the Suffragette movement which paved the way for Friedan’s generation of what is known as the second wave of feminism.
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Midnight’s Children is a novel about Saleem Sinai, a boy born at midnight on August 15, 1947, the exact moment that India gained independence from the British Empire. The novel brings together Saleem’s personal history with the history of India and explores themes of identity, memory, and history.
The novel is written in a lyrical style and is filled with rich, vivid imagery, wordplay, and a lot of magical realism, all of which give the novel a dreamlike quality. Although you will find some beautifully constructed sentences here and there, after a while it does oppress the reader a little, as it gets very tedious very quickly.
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تدور أحداث الرواية في إطار تاريخي واجتماعي ملحمي، حيث يتم رسم صورة لحياة اللبنانيين في القرن الثامن عشر، وذلك من خلال شخصية يوسف بطموحاته العالية وحماسه لتغيير واقع المجتمع اللبناني. الرواية لم تعجبني أبدا، الأسلوب السردي ممل للغاية، والشخصيات دون أبعاد إنسانية واقعية، بحيث تدفن القصة المراد إلقائها.
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Catch-22 is a satirical novel set during World War II, it follows the experiences of Captain John Yossarian, a U.S. Army Air Forces bombardier who is struggling to maintain his sanity in the face of the absurdity of war.
The novel uses humor to expose the darker aspects of war and bureaucracy. Heller’s writing style is witty with a sharp satirical edge that dismantles the military establishment and its leaders. The title of the novel has become a catchphrase in modern English, referring to a situation where contradictory rules or regulations make it impossible to take any action. In the novel, the phrase “Catch-22” refers to a rule that says if you continue to go on missions, you must be insane, and if you are insane you must tell your doctor, however, if you say you’re insane then you KNOW you’re insane, and therefore you must be sane and must continue to go on missions!
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Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again was extremely disappointing, especially since Frank Miller has previously written really great Batman comics. The story takes place three years after the events of the first book, as Batman (who is barely even in the comic!!!) and a new generation of superheroes fight against a corrupt government controlled by Lex Luthor and Brainiac.
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This was actually an amusing little play with some provocative ideas. The play tells the story of a Venetian merchant named Antonio, who borrows money from a Jewish moneylender named Shylock in order to help his friend Bassanio win the heart of a wealthy heiress named Portia.
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Disobedience is a novel that explores the complex relationships between family, faith, and sexuality in the Orthodox Jewish community. The story follows the life of Ronit, a young woman who grew up in a strict Jewish community in London but left to pursue a non-religious life in New York. When she returns to London to attend the funeral of her father, a prominent rabbi, Ronit is forced to confront the community and people she left behind.
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I don’t read a lot of poetry, but I came across a few poems by Emily Dickinson a while ago and loved them. So I decided to take a chance and read her entire collection written over the course of Dickinson’s life. Although it was A LOT to go through (took me a couple of months!), it was definitely worth it. I found a bunch of new poems that I absolutely loved.
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