A Review of “The Lie Tree”: the power of a lie
Book Reviews / British / crime / fantasy / The Latest

A Review of “The Lie Tree”: the power of a lie


Frances Hardinge’s The Lie Tree was the perfect read for my summer holidays in Catania last week. The book is fast paced with some good suspense and plot development. At the core of the narrative is a scientific discovery: a tree that will give you truth and knowledge through its fruits if you feed it … Continue reading

Male neutrality and female bodies in Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Book Reviews / Canadian / feminism / The Latest

Male neutrality and female bodies in Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale”


The Handmaid’s Tale was published in 1985 before I was born, yet even today this novel holds an extremely terrifying place in contemporary politics surrounding women’s bodies and bodily autonomy. The red and white aesthetic of the handmaids in Atwood’s novel has become protest colours across the U.S. and the world at large. The novel … Continue reading

25 years since Jeffrey Eugenides’ debut novel: “The Virgin Suicides”
American / Book Reviews / Classic / The Latest

25 years since Jeffrey Eugenides’ debut novel: “The Virgin Suicides”


TRIGGER WARNING: This review deals with death by suicide. The Virgin Suicides were first published in 1993 and it was Jeffrey Eugenides’ breakout debut novel. It was received with critical acclaim and some reviewers at the time called his novel a modern Greek tragedy. It has captured readers since its release and was turned into … Continue reading

A Review of Historical Texts on the Death Penalty and How They Shaped My Opinion on Capital Punishment
Australian / Book Reviews / crime / nonfiction / Opinion Pieces / reading / The Latest

A Review of Historical Texts on the Death Penalty and How They Shaped My Opinion on Capital Punishment


Noose: True Stories of Australians Who Died at the Gallows written by Xavier Duff is a brief history of some of Australia’s most infamous capital punishment cases. The book opens with the Mile Creek massacre, which was one of the first times recorded in Australian history where white Australians were trialed and found guilty of … Continue reading

Eating Animals: a review of “Killing It” by Camas Davis
American / Book Reviews / nonfiction / Opinion Pieces / The Latest

Eating Animals: a review of “Killing It” by Camas Davis


In the world of food I often feel like there is very little compromise. There is a big divide, which is social, cultural, and moral that forces people to make ultimatums between vegetarianism/veganism or an omnivorous lifestyle. People who don’t eat meat do so for many different reasons, but a lot of them do so … Continue reading

Frankenstein’s monster by any other name: a comparative review of Ahmed Saadawi’s and Mary Shelley’s monsters
Book Reviews / Classic / The Latest / translation

Frankenstein’s monster by any other name: a comparative review of Ahmed Saadawi’s and Mary Shelley’s monsters


Mary Shelley wrote her novel Frankenstein in 1818, which tells of the young scientist Victor Frankenstein who experiments with nature and biology to reanimate a human. Frankenstein’s monster is a combination of body parts. He is hideous in form, yet cannot escape the universal human desire to love and to be loved. Frankenstein’s monster is … Continue reading

Learning How to Accept Gifts: a review of Lisa Dempster’s travel memoir “Neon Pilgrim”
Australian / Book Reviews / nonfiction / Opinion Pieces / The Latest

Learning How to Accept Gifts: a review of Lisa Dempster’s travel memoir “Neon Pilgrim”


Gifts are complicated things. The simple premise of giving someone something they need, love, or want is what actually complicates the definition of a gift. Gifts, before anything else, function like a contract that requires the exchange of goods and/or services until someone dies, or decides to break off the relationship with the gift giver. … Continue reading

“From Here to Eternity”: a review of Caitlin Doughty’s latest book on death
American / Book Reviews / nonfiction / The Latest

“From Here to Eternity”: a review of Caitlin Doughty’s latest book on death


From Here to Eternity: Traveling the world to find the good death is Caitlin Doughty’s latest book. Part anthropological study, part travel memoir Doughty travels to far and wide places around the world to learn about how different cultures deal with and treat death. This book feels like the natural flow-on from her previous book … Continue reading

My Top 5 Books About Death, Dying, Medicine, and Grief
American / Book Reviews / British / nonfiction / Opinion Pieces / The Latest

My Top 5 Books About Death, Dying, Medicine, and Grief


Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links. Clicking through for additional information or to make a purchase may result in a small commission. It is coming up to Christmas, the end of the year, and the 21st of December. Whilst many people around the world are making Christmas lists, dusting off menorahs, tentatively imagining New … Continue reading

#12 The Opposite of #Blessed
Creative Writing / Opinion Pieces / Repeat after me: death. And other essays. / The Latest

#12 The Opposite of #Blessed


I am culturally Christian, which means that other than Christmas and Easter religion doesn’t play a role in my life. I tried Christianity on a few times, but it always felt like a shoe that was too tight; restrictive, uncomfortable, and not easy to walk in. Christians have told me that faith in God and … Continue reading