bibliophage's reviews
626 reviews

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff

One of my all time favorites, my dad read this one to me over and over again.

Middlemarch by George Eliot

I loved Middlemarch, and the end is spectacular. I have to admit I was grumpy here and there along the way because Middlemarch is very long, but it's summertime and I enjoyed the art of reading a long masterpiece--which is a luxury. The last line makes all the pages worth it, but don't read it without reading the rest of the novel first! I understand now why many people consider this one of the greatest novels written in English. There is nothing very dramatic happening in this novel but the writing is exquisite with gems on almost every page.

Self-Reliance and Other Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson

I can't get enough of Emerson's essays and I will be reading them over and over again for the rest of my life. An inspired great, and timeless, thinker.

A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf

In this brilliant piece Woolf discusses women, writing, and the challenges women writers have faced. Any reader interested in feminism or creativity and writing will find lots of insight here in Woolf's work. This extended essay/series of lectures is strong and inspiring and a solid work in my library forever.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

This is a perfect story for Christmas—it's a story of repentance, change, and redemption.

Painting the Word: Christian Pictures and Their Meanings by John Drury

I love Drury's work. He is attentive to details and shares lots of useful insight in to appreciating Christian art. This book is well researched and well presented. Any lover of the National Gallery in London and other Christian art will find this book useful and enlightening.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

A delightful Austen read. A well-loved story full of familiar characters. Austen's dialogue is delightful and keeps you turning the pages. I take issue with Elizabeth's character (more and more as I grow older) I still appreciate this work.

Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry

Really cute story with lovely illustrations. Love the focus on the father-daughter bond and the family, and of course this cute girl’s hair.

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

Snicket's (Handler's) writing is brilliant. The series is overdone, but Snicket is imaginative and creative as well as very witty and clever. I loved the series as a middle-grade reader and as an adult because Handler throws in so many historical and literary allusions and references (throughout the series, not just in the first book).

The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket

The overall story of Snicket's series is frustrating and yet his clever writing is so fun and interesting to read.