Truman Capote – Breakfast At Tiffany’s

28May10

“Charming” – That’s the first word that came to mind when I turned over the last page of this novella. I haven’t seen the Audrey Hepburn movie, so I didn’t really know much about the plot (maybe I really do live in my own little cocoon) prior to reading the classic. There’s Holly Golightly, who […]

Filed under: 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, Books 2010, General Fiction, Guardian 1000, Penguin Classics, Review, Short Stories, Truman Capote   |  30 Comments
Tags: New York, Truman Capote

Monica Dickens – Mariana

09May10

I bought this book back in January, simply because the blurb likened it to I Capture The Castle, and ended up “saving” it for the Persephone Reading Week (hosted by Verity and Claire). I had great expectations from this book (if you may excuse the totally unnecessary pun), not only because of the blurb comparing […]

Filed under: Review, Coming of Age, General Fiction, Persephone Classics, Books 2010, Persephone Books, Monica Dickens   |  33 Comments
Tags: London, Monica Dickens, Paris, World War II

Persephone Reading Week #2

04May10

Claire & Verity are hosting Persephone Reading Week#2 this week (yep, am a day late with my post). I missed out on this last year, but was quite looking forward to reading a couple of Persephone books this year. In fact, I’d even picked out a couple of books and kept it aside for this […]

Filed under: Persephone Books, Persephone Classics   |  16 Comments

Angela Carter – Shadow Dance

03May10

Angela Carter’s debut book, Shadow Dance, is the fifth book by her that I’ve read, and it’s as bizarre as the previous three. Due to a million other things, I wasn’t able to get my thoughts out on this sooner, which is a pity, as I wanted it to tie in with Claire’s Angela Carter […]

Filed under: Angela Carter, Books 2010, General Fiction, Review, Virago Modern Classics   |  9 Comments
Tags: Angela Carter

Angela Carter – The Bloody Chamber

09Apr10

Claire sent me a copy of The Bloody Chamber last month, and I resisted opening it ’til the Angela Carter month kicked off. My previous experience with Angela Carter’s short stories collection wasn’t great, so despite the great things I’ve read about this collection, I was ever so slightly ambivalent about it. Nonetheless, my fears […]

Filed under: Angela Carter, Books 2010, Gothic Fairy Tales, Review, Short Stories, Vintage Classics   |  24 Comments
Tags: Angela Carter

Jane Austen – Pride and Prejudice

04Mar10

Mee invited all Pride and Prejudice first-timers to a readalong in February. I’d like to start this post by apologising for not finishing the book in the second month of the year itself, but, I got sidetracked with a couple of other things, and well, you know how it goes… Pride and Prejudice is my […]

Filed under: 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die, ALA Best Books For Young Adults, BBC's Big Read {Best Loved Novel}, Books 2010, Guardian 1000, Jane Austen, Penguin Classics, Review, Romance   |  29 Comments
Tags: Jane Austen

Angela Carter – Several Perceptions

25Feb10

I discovered the wonderful world of Angela Carter only last year, and I’ve been trying to read all her works slowly, savouring every moment of it. Of course, the bonus is the gorgeous covers, which draws me to her books like a moth…. The thing with Several Perceptions is, it’s totally unlike anything I’ve read […]

Filed under: Angela Carter, Books 2010, General Fiction, Review, Somerset Maughm Award, Virago Modern Classics   |  14 Comments
Tags: Angela Carter

Muriel Spark – A Far Cry From Kensington

14Feb10

Sometimes, I wonder about myself. Half way through this Fantastic February Female Frivolities (I like alliterations, love double alliterations…), I realised I hadn’t picked out a single Virago Modern Classic. Like I said, sometimes, I do wonder about myself. Anyway, the minute this hit me, I reached out for the first VMC I could find […]

Filed under: General Fiction, Guardian 1000, Muriel Spark, Review, Virago Modern Classics   |  27 Comments
Tags: London, Muriel Spark