Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley My rating: 2 of 5 stars Part of BBC’s “100 Stories that shaped the World” list, I thought it would be fun to keep track of all the works I have read that are listed.Frankenstein was required reading for three of my courses; once during my undergraduate years and twice during my graduate program. I read it twice and went through the text the third time just skim reading it to remind myself of anything I may have forgotten.Truth be told, reading Frankenstein the first time had me on the edge of my seat, I was invested in the story and just waiting for the…
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Things Fall Apart
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe My rating: 3 of 5 stars Part of BBC’s “100 Stories that shaped the World” list, I thought it would be fun to keep track of all the works I have read that are listed.It was required reading for my postcolonial literature (PoCo Lit) course I took 8 years ago. I don’t remember much of the actual story, only that the course in general was not one of my favourite and postcolonial literature appears to be not my forte.It was an interesting story, but I believe the whole subject matter of postcolonialism always makes me rather sad and sometimes even makes my stomach turn…
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Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare My rating: 3 of 5 stars Part of BBC’s “100 Stories that shaped the World” list, I thought it would be fun to keep track of all the works I have read that are listed.Oh! The tragedy! I had to read this play in high school and about 7 years later I decided to read it again before seeing it at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.It is not my favourite; to be completely honest it is tied with Hamlet as my least favourite of Shakespeare’s plays.It does capture the angst and brooding nature of the teenage years quite well (personally, I don’t look back on…
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling My rating: 5 of 5 stars Part of BBC’s “100 Stories that shaped the World” list, I thought it would be fun to keep track of all the works I have read that are listed.What can I say about Harry Potter that hasn’t already been said? It is a series I keep reading again and again, and I feel I cannot really review one or all of them, because in my mind it is a never-ending story. I refuse to admit that the series has officially concluded.The series warms my heart and gets me so excited every time I open the…
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To Kill A Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee My rating: 5 of 5 stars Part of BBC’s “100 Stories that shaped the World” list, I thought it would be fun to keep track of all the works I have read that are listed.I feel a bit of excitement beginning to bubble in my chest as I remember my time reading this story. I almost feel like celebrating, since this was the first book I read in English…ever. I moved halfway across the world, finishing my high school years in an English-speaking school system at the tender age of 15 and only with the English education I had received in Germany. I…
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Wide Sargasso Sea
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys My rating: 4 of 5 stars Part of BBC’s “100 Stories that shaped the World” list, I thought it would be fun to keep track of all the works I have read that are listed.I should begin by saying that this story is a sort of prequel to the original Jane Eyre, focusing on Mrs. Rochester.If I still had my copy of this book, it would have a spot on my permanent book shelf. It not only holds a special place in my heart, but also played a crucial role in my academic and personal endeavours in studying and reviewing literature. 11 years ago…
