Tag Archives: Sylvia Plath

Book Review: Mad Girl’s Love Song by Andrew Wilson

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Book Review: Mad Girl's Love Song by Andrew Wilson
MAD GIRL’S LOVE SONG: SYLVIA PLATH AND LIFE BEFORE TED
by Andrew Wilson

Non-Fiction: Biography
Scribner, Feb. 2013
Hardcover, 369 pages
Source: Provided by publisher for review

Sylvia Plath is a literary icon known for her confessional poetry, her autobiographical novel The Bell Jar, her tumultuous relationship with her husband and fellow poet Ted Hughes, and her tragic suicide at the age of 30. In this new biography of the poet, released to coincide with the 50th anniversary of her death, Andrew Wilson tells the story of Sylvia Plath’s early life. Continue reading →

Mini Book Reviews: Literature by Lady Writers

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Looking back over my list of books read this year, I realized that there are quite a few books that I read and loved but, for whatever reason, did not review. I would hate to end the year without saying anything about these books, so I’ve written a small series of posts containing mini reviews of some of the books I didn’t write about in depth this year. This post includes mini reviews of books written by and about women.

the tiger's wife tea obrehtThe Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht When Natalia, a doctor, finds out that her grandfather has just died in a village near the war-torn Balkan town where she is temporarily working, she sets out to discover the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death. She looks to the stories he told her of the Deathless Man for answers and discovers the story he never told her: the story of the Tiger’s Wife. This novel is deeply rooted in the Balkan story-telling tradition, and I loved the folklore aspect. Similar to magical realism, The Tiger’s Wife blurs the lines between myth and reality. I thought the writing was lovely and the story was intriguing. I look forward to reading whatever Obreht writes next! Continue reading →

Quotable Friday: from The Bell Jar

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“I lay in that tub on the seventeenth floor of this hotel for women-only, high up over the jazz and push of New York, for near onto an hour, and I felt myself growing pure again. I don’t believe in baptism or the waters of Jordan or anything like that, but I guess I feel about a hot bath the way those religious people feel about holy water.”

-  The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Five Literary Halloween Costumes

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Halloween is two weeks away, and if you’re anything like me, you still have no idea what your costume will be. Also, if you’re like me, you abhor the idea of spending $40 on a flimsy store-bought costume that everyone and their 16-year-old sister will be wearing. Oh, and you also love literature and want to show off your sophistication with a costume that no one will get (unless they are also super sophisticated lit lovers, in which case: WIN), but that will make you look smart when people ask you what you’re supposed to be. For you, my friends, I present five literary costume ideas:

edgar allen poe

Edgar Allen Poe

 This is the classic spooky, literary Halloween costume. To dress up as Poe, wear a black suit with a white shirt and a cravat. Add a stick-on mustache and dye your hair black for the night; be sure to tousle your oily locks into an unkept mess. For extra creepiness, wear a raven on your shoulder; given that it’s Halloween season, a fake raven shouldn’t be hard to find at a costume shop. (For extra extra creepiness, bring a real raven with you. Just kidding. Please don’t do that.) Also, you should try to look as sad as possible. Continue reading →

Quotable Friday: from The Bell Jar

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“I thought the most beautiful thing in the world must be shadow, the million moving shapes and cul-de-sacs of shadow. There was shadow in bureau drawers and closets and suitcases, and shadow under houses and trees and stones, and shadow at the back of people’s eyes and smiles, and shadow, miles and miles and miles of it, on the night side of the earth.”

- Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

Top 10 Favorite Quotes from Books

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top 10 tuesdayFor this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, the folks over at The Broke and the Bookish ask us to list our top ten favorite quotes from books.

This is probably my favorite week so far :)

1. “They have worries, they’re counting the miles, they’re thinking about where to sleep tonight, how much money for gas, the weather, how they’ll get there — and all the time they’ll get there anyway, you see.”
- On the Road, by Jack Kerouac. Continue reading →

Top Ten Books I’d Save From a Fire

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I was introduced to The Broke and the Bookish’s ‘Top Ten Tuesday’ meme last week by Jillian over at A Room of One’s Own. It seems like a fun little weekly segment to do! I know it’s not technically Tuesday anymore, but it’s been a busy day and it still counts if I haven’t gone to bed yet, right?

This week bloggers are asked to list the top ten books they would save if their homes were to be abducted by aliens, destroyed by a natural disaster, etc. Here’s my list, in no particular order. Continue reading →