lectrixnoctis's reviews
57 reviews

Virginia Woolf, born Stephen, became one of the most influential authors and London's literary scene at a very young age. She married Leonard Woolf, an author, with whom she founded the Hogarth Press in the year 1917. Although Woolf kept some Victorian traditions in her novels, she experimented with the medium writing and created a new novelistic form. Some of her books like "The Wave", "Mrs Dalloway", and "To The Lighthouse" are to this very day influential. Due to the early deaths of her parents and her sister, Woolf suffered nervous breakdowns throughout her whole life, and in 1941 of fearing another study, she drowned herself in the River Ouse.

"To The Lighthouse" is arguably one of her best works, and the writing genuinely shows this. In a summerhouse on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, Mrs Ramsay tells her guests that they will be able to travel to the nearby lighthouse the following day, but little does she know that this trip will only be completed by her elderly husband teen years later. In the meantime, there will be a guy of war, grief, loss and war as each character tries to adjust to their loss and try come over their grief time and reality shifts. The journey to the lighthouse will not only be a Vito to the tower o steel; it will also be a journey to self-discovery and fulfil their lives.

Lily Briscoe, a Chinese woman who loves to paint, does not fit into her time and tries to break up those old gender roles by becoming her own man in a sense. Although Mrs Ramsay wants Lily Briscoe and William Bankes to marry, they do not seem interested in the idea since Lily likes to paint. Lily paints the scenery of the Island and places a tree a bit off the centre. Throughout the novel, the tree and Lily's inability to paint symbolise Mrs Ramsay, who seems to overshadow everything. But in the end, Lily overcomes her doubts and can finally finish her painting.

The book is set in 1910 as well as in 1920 on the Isle of Skye. Throughout the book, the point of view differs, and you can see it in the minds of almost every character. The narrator views the story in the third person, and it is set in the past.

One of the symbols in this novel is the lighthouse. It symbolised human desire, a force that pulsates over the sea of the natural world and will guide people to their goal. James, Mrs Ramsy's son, seems frustrated with the desire to visit the lighthouse while Mrs Ramsay looks at it and dines her husband the profession of love he so desperately craves. Throughout the book, the lighthouse is an image desired from afar, especially by Mr Ramsay, who always tries to make his life more important for humankind. Like the title say, it is a journey, and it is all about overcoming insufficient and self-improvement. It is "To The Lighthouse", not "at".

Another symbol is the sea itself. It symbolises the natural world and its utter apathy toward human life.  Although Mrs Ramsay feels safe at the sounds of the waves and quite soothing during Word War I, the sea turns into a brutal and senseless monster; however, in peacetime, it is stunning. 

The writing is an absolute delight, and I lost all track of time during it. However, if you never read anything by Virginia Woolf, it may take some time to get used to since her style is extraordinary. Her style is elegant and full of symbols and nods to her time, for example, how James suffers from the Oedipus complex. The foreshadowing of death by referring to old Victorian suspicions was highly remarkable. 

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a well-written classic about self-discovery and fulfilment. I never thought this book would touch me so profoundly, and I would be able to create such a deep bond.

L. Frank Baum was an American writer who was born in Chittenango into a wealthy family wrote over sixty books. He is most known for "The Wizard of Oz", which he dedicated to his wife, a feminist author called Matilda and the thirteen other titles in the Oz series.

We follow the story of a young orphan girl called Dorothy who lives with her little dog Toto under Uncle Henry and Aunt Em in Kansas on a family farm. The couple is exceptionally hardworking but unsatisfied with their dull and grey lives. Toto is the best companion Dorothy and keeps her happy and cheerful. 

The story begins when a cyclone is approaching, and the people were worried about its effect. Dorothy, Toto and Aunt Em were heading to the storm shelter as Toto jumps outdo of Dorothy's traps and hides. Aunt Em enters the shelter as Dorothy is trying to catch the dog. However, the house is carried away with the girl and the dog inside. The house finally lends, the pair were brought into the territory of the Munchkin in the Land of Oz. The crash happens to kill the Wicked Witch of the East, who was the cruel ruler of the Munchkins. Dorothy meets the Good Witch of the North, who tells her she should go to the Emerald City if she wants to go back to Kansas. The Witch kisses her forehead to protect her from harm. The girl follows the Yellow Brick Road with the new silver slippers from the now-deceased Witch. On her way there, she meets a Scarecrow who wants a brain, a Tin Woodman who wants a heart and a cowardly Lion who needs some courage. They all go to the Emerald City to ask the Wizard of Oz to grant their wishes.

The perspective on this book is from the third person point of view through an accompanying narrator. The themes of journeying, home and hidden strength are expressed through the narrator. The book was written in past tense and focused heavily on the plot. 

The book has four main characters: Dorothy, who is a brilliant young girl. Although she is magically transported into this new land, she does find a way always to succeed. Even if she sometimes struggles, she is still caring for her newfound friends. Although the Scarecrow desperately wants to have some brains, he is, in fact, intelligent. This indicated that he only wishes the Wizard to give him a brain, although he is stuffed with straw. The Tin Woodman's main desire is to have the heart to marry the munchkin girl he once loved. He is extremely caring with his friends and quite protective of others. The Cowardly Lion wishes to finally live up to his high expectations of being the kind of the beats and have some courage. As well as the other ones he already has what he wishes. Lio would do anything to help his friends and is a great help. These aspects I talked about is the motif of the hidden strength.

I never read this book as a child, but I've learned to love it. I always enjoy how the characters interact with each other and do not see who they are. They do not need Oz to grant their wishes. They have to believe in themselves and see who they are. This novel is perfect for children as well as adults. I can only recommend this fantastic piece of writing.

Jules Gabriel Verne was born in Nantes, France, as the eldest of five children on February 8, 1828. Despite always having a particular interest in literature, he followed his father's footsteps and went to study law in Paris. However, he became involved in an artistic circle and began to write. Up until his death on March 24, 1905, Jules Verne has written over 60 books.

"Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the sea," tells the story of a French marine biologist Pierre Aronnax, his manservant Conseil and Canadian harpooner Ned Land. They are thrown overboard when the monster attacks after joining the hunt for a mysterious sea monster. They find themselves as prisoners of Captain Nemo on the board of the Nautilus, a technologically advanced submarine that was mistaken as the sea monster due to its whale shape. The three companions find themself on the adventure of their lifetime and get to experience the vast and endless beautiful world under the sea.

We follow the point of view of Dr Aronnax, which is highly modelled after Verne himself. Not only do these two share their interest in science. In the first French edition of the novel, Arnnoax illustration was based on Verne himself. The story is parted into two parts. The first one has 24 chapters, and the second part contains 23 chapters. The first-person narrators mostly misread the situation and are therefore unreliable. However, the accurate descriptions of, for example, the sea or the Nautilus are very detailed and lengthy.

One thing that caught my interested the most was Captain Nemo. Like his name, he remains an utter mystery, and we never get to know him and his motives of hatred. The only notable things the reader learns about Nemo is his adoration for the sea and his submarine, which is a prison and also a safe haven for all its passengers. Furthermore, Nemo is a well-read man who enjoys literature, history and even music, and he is stuck in the past despite the technology around him.

Although Verne never got to see the first submarine, he did a beautiful job describing the Nautilus and what humankind could create. Moreover, Verne touches on how humans impact the world environment by mentioning sunken ships and their treasures.

Like many classics, this book does not have any representation of any other than white men. This book has only had four main characters, and all of these are men. When the Nautilus spend some time on the shore of an island, they were attacked by native people called "Savages" in this context. The natives were described as wild and inhuman. 

This novel of Jules Verne is one of his most successful works. It is packed with adventure, political commentary mentioning the European Revolution in 1848, and a scientific utopia. Due to its adventurous nature, this book captured me despite its academically and sometimes dry writing style. However, I do not think that this book is for everybody. If you get bored by reading hundreds of temperatures and navigation data, this book will not be enjoyable.

Phil Stamper, who grew up in a rural village near Dayton, Ohio, released "As Far As You'll Take Me" as his second novel. However, you can tell he is no stranger to writing since he has an M.A. in Publishing with Creative Writing from Kingston University.

"As Far As You'll Take Me" is a heartfelt coming-of-age story about finding people who would always stand by your side.
Marty is a seventeen-year-old boy from Kentucky who flys to London with nothing but his oboe and some money from his summer job. Nonetheless, he is excited to finally live his life without being closeted and trying to slip under the radar. Marty's life looks perfect from the outside: he made friends in less than a few weeks, is closer to having his first relationship, and travels around Europe. But that is just a facade. Marty has not spoken to his deeply religious parents since he arrived in London. After some time, he is tearing his savings, and his anxiety only gets worse and worse. Additionally, he has not come close to finding his dream job in London.

This book is quite tough to rate. I believe I should be the targeted audience. However, I found most characters annoying and somewhat childish. Marty was incredibly naive. Who would move in their right mind to London without any prospects and any plan? He wanted to go to music school but was not accepted, and he only knows his aunt Leah and his cousin Shane there. Did Marty think it easy to find a job in Europe and especially in London of all places?! 

As already mentioned, most characters aren't likeable and do not support the plot at all. Most of them could have been cut out, and it would not affect the story much. Marty's love interest Pierce and his best friend Megan were unlikable and even shitty people in general. Marty desperately tries to be the perfect match for Pierce while being extremely ignorant of other people. 

Another thing that struggles me was how ignorant Marty, in general, was. His mother is Irish, but it was not specified if she is from Northern Ireland or not. If she is from Northern Ireland, Marty would have British citizenship, but since she is catholic, I believe she is from the republic from Irland. I dispersed the fact that it was never mentioned. Why would not Marty know that British people are different from your average Americans? Furthermore, the author states that you can not find a good coffee shop in London is just laughable. The tea cliche and the British-American word confusing is a bit out of place since Marty's mum is Irish.

Marty mentions that Shane does have an incredibly thick Irish accent, but he mainly lived in London. That sounds super odd in my option. Even if his mum is from Ireland, the child would not have such a strong accent if he spent most of his life in London. I know that is nitpicking, but it really bothered me, and some of the realism went away with it. 

Furthermore, I wouldn't say I liked the depiction of religion in this book. I understand that many queer people have a problematic relationship with the church and religion in general. But sometimes, the book felt like it was trying to convince you how lousy believing is and why you should see abdomen faith, and this is coming from an agnostic.

I did not enjoyed the story one bit and only gave 2/5 stars since I like Stamper's writing style. The story felt lacklustre and ignorant to other cultures other than American. I would not recommend this book, but if you're going to read a book by Phil Stamper, please choose "The Gravity of Us". It was much more enjoyable than this.

"Hani and Ishu's guide to Fake Dating" is a heartwarming love story between two South Asian girls living in Ireland by the author Adiba Jaigirdar. 

Humaira Khanshes, called "Hani", is an easygoing and popular girl at her school. However, as she comes out to her closest friends, Aisling and Dee, as bisexual, they invalidate her sexual identity since she has not dated a girl yet. Because how would she know? Maybe she's only "figuring" it out. In Hani's panic, she blurts out that she is indeed seeing a girl right now, and her name is Ishita "Ishu" Dey, who her friends despise. In contrast to Hani, Ishu is quite academic driven and hopes to get into a great uni to impress her parents. Ishu helps Hani out in hopes that she'll become the next Head Girl.

Although they only date for a mutually beneficial pact, they start to develop feelings for one another. But like most relationships, it starts to get messy, and some people even try to stop the two from archiving their happily ever after. 

Overall I immensely enjoyed this book, and I adore Jaigirdar writing style since it is easy to read. However, since this book is a slow burn, it does have some flaws. I felt like the middle was a bit dragged out just because of the sake of more pages. I'm usually a fan of slow-burn books, but this book did not need some of those pages. 

Nevertheless, after finishing the first half of the book, I could not put the novel down. It was lovely to read about Hani's and Ish's relationship while also discussing heavy topics like toxic friendships and even islamophobia which made the story more real to me, and I guess since many people do go through these things. I picked up how realistic the microaggressions were against the main characters and how others phrased their prejudices. Especially Hani's friends always lack understanding of Hani's identity as a Muslim, Bengali, and bisexual.

Whilst I'm white and straight, I will not speak on the South Asian nor bisexual representation in this fiction. After reading other reviews and looking at their ratings, I can say that this book did almost only get positive feedback on these topics.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read an adorable story about two girls finding love for one another and who's a fan of the "one bed" and "fake dating" trope.