A Distinguished Selection of the Finest Modern Literature

Category Book Reviews

On this page, you’ll find some of our book reviews, book recommendations, articles about famous books and notable authors, as well as lists of the best books to read.

Note: Some book reviews our critics write are only published in our newsletter.

Blackness and the Body in “Between the World and Me”: Nonfiction Book Review

Toni Morrison dubbed Ta-Nehisi Coates’s memoir, Between the World and Me, “required reading,” and, from the very first line, I understood why. Coates’s writing is powerful, expressive, and angry. This last quality was what I found most jarring, and most rewarding, about his piece. Unlike many other writers who dance around issues of race, Coates is angry and he allows himself to be.

Coates doesn’t make any excuses for the rage that permeates every word, and he knows he shouldn’t have

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“Kafka on the Shore” Book Review

“Narrow minds devoid of imagination. Intolerance, theories cut off from reality, empty terminology, usurped ideals, inflexible systems. Those are the things that really frighten me. What I absolutely fear and loathe.” 

In this musical, metaphysical mind-better, Haruki Murakami crafts a beautiful story that makes readers willing to believe in talking cats, fish falling from the sky, dream-like sex with ghosts that linger in an alternate reality, and a modern-day oedipal prophecy. A wild but moving ride from start to finish, Kafka on the Shore is an enchanting tale of mystery, daring quests, love, and self-discovery that you don’t want to miss.

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10 of the Finest Short Story Collections

Check out our list of these top 10 beautifully-written and memorable short story collections.

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Top 10 Must-Read Russian Classics

If you’ve already dipped your toes into the reservoir of Russian literature, you’re still sure to find some lesser-known gems here that will enhance your understanding of this country’s great literary culture. Check out our list of the 10 best Russian Classics ever written.

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Review of “Our Numbered Days” by Neil Hilborn

Our Numbered Days, Neil Hilborn’s debut book, is full of old soul poetry for the young mind. Hilborn is most known for his spoken word performances, specifically his poem “OCD,” which went viral on YouTube in 2013.
“OCD” sets the tone in giving a transitional look into Hilborn’s outlooks on mental illness and how it plays a critical part in navigating love and loss. With his poignant style and lyrical tone, Hilborn not only speaks about his struggles from an outside perspective but writes a letter to them for all that they are worth. Read More

“The Association of Small Bombs” Book Review

"The Association of Small Bombs" is a powerful and relevant book dealing with terrorism, and the aftermath left behind by the devastation. Author Karan Mahajan tells the powerful, tragic story of an innocent Indian man who experienced and survived a terrorist explosion. Read our review.

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“The Ocean at the End of the Lane” Fantasy Book Review

“The dream was haunting me: standing behind me, present and yet invisible, like the back of my head, simultaneously there and not there.”

The nameless narrator in Neil Gaiman’s hauntingly nostalgic novel revisits his childhood home in the English countryside. By doing so, he evokes memories from his youth that had been buried over decades.

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“The Japanese Lover” Book Review

Isabel Allende's latest brilliant novel "The Japanese Lover", delves into a seventy-year-long love story and reflects on what it means to have led a full and happy life. Read our book review.

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About Emily Bronte and her Famous Novel Wuthering Heights

Though the Bronte sisters are perhaps one of the most well-known families of writers in English literature, when they published their work in the nineteenth century, they were known as neither Brontes nor as sisters.

Hoping to avoid the biased criticism and claims of insubstantiality levied against the works of women, Anne, Charlotte, and Emily Bronte published under the names Acton, Currer, and Ellis Bell.

Their first publication was a collection of the sisters’ poems, and though the volume was not successful at the time, later assessment of Emily Bronte’s poems has, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, since distinguished her as the preeminent poetic talent of the three sisters.

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Review of “The Defining Decade” Book by Dr. Meg Jay

The Defining Decade is like having an excellent therapy session.
This book will help any confused twenty-year-old overcome issues they are struggling with, gain more self-confidence and find their path in life.
A recommended read!

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