Category: Historical

Books, Classics, fantasy, fiction, Historical, literature

The message in Charles Dickens’ classic Christmas story, “A Christmas Carol”

Charles Dickens‘ novella A Christmas Carol might just be the most poignant, touching, and popular Christmas story of all time. There won’t be many who wouldn’t of heard of the story – especially since there has been a massive amount of re-versions of it. Plays, films, animated movies, soundtracks, stories – every way that this story can be covered, it’s been done. First published om … Continue reading The message in Charles Dickens’ classic Christmas story, “A Christmas Carol”

Paige BeresfordLeave a comment
Adult Fiction, Books, contemporary, fiction, Historical, Romance, War

Melanie Hudson’s “The Night Train to Berlin” shows us that it pays to have a little faith

Melanie Hudson writes incredible and beautiful love stories during war time. Her novels are honest and brutal yet hopeful and strong at the same time. In times of dark violence, times where there seems to be no rulebook for what might be unacceptable to do to another human being, Hudson gives us something to root for. She reminds us that there is still good in … Continue reading Melanie Hudson’s “The Night Train to Berlin” shows us that it pays to have a little faith

Paige BeresfordLeave a comment
Adult Fiction, Books, fiction, Historical, Romance, War

Melanie Hudson’s message about love in “The Last Letter from Juliet”

The Last Letter from Juliet by Melanie Hudson is one of the most beautiful stories I have ever read. Truthfully, it sat on my to-read shelf for a while, but I was completely blown away by it when I finally sat down to read it. It has everything you could want from a historical fiction love story: adventure, danger, and passion. Hudson manages to give … Continue reading Melanie Hudson’s message about love in “The Last Letter from Juliet”

Paige BeresfordLeave a comment
academic, Books, Classics, fiction, Historical, literature

The message in John Steinbeck’s classic novel, “Of Mice and Men”

John Steinbeck’s 1937 novel Of Mice and Men is one the most symbolic stories ever written. It’s powerful, yet tragic, portrayal of it’s main characters, George and Lennie, accurately demonstrates the impossibility of the American Dream, especially during hard times like the Great Depression. It’s a story that makes you root for the characters and makes you frustrated at the injustice of the ‘real world’ … Continue reading The message in John Steinbeck’s classic novel, “Of Mice and Men”

Paige BeresfordLeave a comment
Adult Fiction, Books, contemporary, fiction, Historical, mystery

“Everything I Never Told You”: Celeste Ng explores the connection between happiness and fear

“I’ve had a bad day.” This is what we say when something happens that makes us feel like crap. An argument with the other half. Getting pulled up for being late for work. Spilling your drink on yourself. But when catastrophe really strikes, these are the things we wish for. We get annoyed that we actually thought that these small things were the worst thing … Continue reading “Everything I Never Told You”: Celeste Ng explores the connection between happiness and fear

Paige BeresfordLeave a comment
academic, Books, Classics, fiction, Historical, literature, Romance

The important message in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll have heard of The Great Gatsby. A timeless classic from F. Scott Fitzgerald about the ultimately hopeful Jay Gatsby who falls in love with the rich, selfish Daisy Buchanan in Long Island, New York, during the roaring jazz age of the 1920s. It’s a tragic, yet beautiful story that stays with you, touching on the American Dream, … Continue reading The important message in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”

Paige BeresfordLeave a comment
academic, Books, Classics, fiction, Historical, War, Young Adult

“The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” by John Boyne: The rest of us live on the other side of the fence…

There are countless of Holocaust stories that have been written, but arguably the most popular one is The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. If it’s not deeply remembered for the novel then it’s because the film was a worldwide sensation. It’s a heart breaking story full of innocence and naivety and, yet, laced with the irrevocable loss of childhood and life in what was a … Continue reading “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” by John Boyne: The rest of us live on the other side of the fence…

Paige BeresfordLeave a comment
Adult Fiction, Books, Classics, contemporary, drama, fiction, Historical, literature

Khaled Hosseini presents a way for us to heal a shattered world with “The Kite Runner”

The Kite Runner is not for the fainthearted. It is an incredible, but brutal, fictional story based on very real experiences of those who lived in Afghanistan during the county’s worst times. Khaled Hosseini paints a tragic story of love, second chances, friendship and the consequences of our actions in what can only be described as a powerful, one-of-a-kind novel told over the span of … Continue reading Khaled Hosseini presents a way for us to heal a shattered world with “The Kite Runner”

Paige Beresford3 Comments
Adult Fiction, Books, fiction, Historical, Romance, Uncategorized, War

The Extraordinary love story of “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” told by Heather Morris

For those of us who never lived through the Holocaust, the horror of what happened to those who suffered can seem insurmountable. It’s the kind of traumatic event that we cannot even begin to imagine, a pain so deep that we cannot begin to fathom. We can try to understand, but unless we lived through those horrors ourselves, no amount of imagination could possibly compare … Continue reading The Extraordinary love story of “The Tattooist of Auschwitz” told by Heather Morris

Paige Beresford3 Comments
adventure, Biography Memoir, Books, Cultural, Historical, Nonfiction, War

“Prisoner of the Japanese: From Changi to Tokyo”: Tom Henling Wade’s moving memoir of survival and courage in the face of horror

Over the past six months I’ve noticed that my reading style has changed – the books I read now are totally different from the ones I usually read. Six months ago I was reading my usual dystopian future, romance, adventure novels. Now, I find myself drawn to stories like Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons, The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult and Dante’s Divine Comedy. Right now, … Continue reading “Prisoner of the Japanese: From Changi to Tokyo”: Tom Henling Wade’s moving memoir of survival and courage in the face of horror

Paige Beresford1 Comment