Kassia Zabetakis PZ ‘28 reviews “Blue Sisters” by Coco Mellor – a tale about personal struggle and the bond among family. Zabetakis was fascinated by the realistic depiction of their sisterly bond, partially due to the fact that she has no sisters.
Tag: Books
Stories Retold: The rise and fall of modern Greek mythology retellings
Where did all the Greek mythology retellings come from, and where did they go? How did a genre seemingly pop up out of nowhere and then wane just as quickly? Ava Chambers PO ’28 covers the rapid rise and fall of the feminist Greek mythology novel in a new column, Stories Retold.
Books ‘n Love: Loving and Losing in the Time War
Kassia Zabetakis PZ ’28 reviews “This is How You Lose the Time War” by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone — an epistolary novel chronicling the love between two genetically enhanced cyborg spies fighting a time war. Zabetakis notes the beauty of the prose but laments the incomprehensibility of the plot.
OPINION: You should judge a book by its cover
The age-old adage “don’t judge a book by its cover” is a good directive in general life, but Elias Diwan PO ’28 argues we can leave that judgement to the door when it comes to actual books. Book covers have become a site for formulation and homogenization, Diwan believes that we shouldn’t leave the cover at the door.
Speculative Fixations: Who runs the world? In ‘Herland,’ it’s girls
What does Trump’s recent anti-trans executive order have in common with the 1915 feminist utopian novel “Herland”? Both explore what it means to be an ideal woman. Reading “Herland,” Vivian Fan PO ’28 examines this ideal and its present-day implications.
Word for Word: The allure of ‘Bonjour Tristesse’
After an improbable book recommendation from her grandpa, Anna R. Naigeborin PO ’28 wonders if a book written by a teenager in 1954 could move her teenage self in 2024. The charm of “Bonjour Tristesse,” she finds, holds true even 70 years later.
Lost in Translation: Embracing the violence of translation
Reflecting on the texts we’ve read in translation at the 5Cs, columnist Claire Welch SC ’27 explores the imperfect nature of literary translation and how it relates to learning new languages.
Word for Word: Dipping your toes into the stream of Clarice Lispector
Books translated into other languages are often described as being “lost in translation.” Literary columnist Anna R. Naigeborin PO ’28, a Brazilian herself, writes about the experience of reading the works of Brazilian author Clarice Lispector in English.
The Library of Translations: Reading Pop Culture – Book Recommendations from Iconic Moments
Ranging from reality tv scandals to petrifying politics, 2024 is off to a wild start. Columnist Caroline Kelly PO ‘27 highlights three iconic pop culture moments with corresponding book recommendations. Afterall, reading about the drama is far better than experiencing it.
The Library of Translations: The indescribably magical worlds of New York City’s best bookstores
In eight hours, book columnist Caroline Kelly PO ‘27 visited four of the most iconic bookstores in New York City. To her, each location offers a different literary world, realizing any and every bibliophile’s greatest dreams.