“By his forties, all he had managed to grow is a gentle sense of himself, akin to the transparent carapace of a soft-shelled crab. A mediocre review or careless slight can no longer harm him, but heartbreak, real true heartbreak, can pierce his thin hide and bring out the same shade of blood as ever. …Continue Reading Less
We had the first meeting of the school year of the library’s Book Club at the Brew Pub on September 26th. Good food and drinks were had by all, but more importantly, a great discussion about a debut novel by Weike Wang: Chemistry. Chemistry follows our main character as she is trying to finish up her PhD…Continue Reading Book Club Selection – Chemistry
When I returned to Saudi Arabia, so many of the old rules, the rules I had once slavishly followed, no longer seemed to make sense. For years, I had blamed Aramco for the restrictions and the discrimination I endured, but now I saw that what I was chafing against was Saudi society itself. Every restrictive…Continue Reading Daring to Drive
Even the circus freak side of my face-my damaged half-was better than the alternative, which would have meant death by fire. I didn’t burn to ashes. I emerged from the flames like a little phoenix. I ran my fingers over the scar tissue, caressing the contours. I didn’t burn, Mummy, I thought. I walked through…Continue Reading Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
‘Until that moment, she had always been there. No matter how much I appeared to have changed – how illustrious my education, how altered my appearance – I was still her. At best, I was two people, a fractured mind. She was inside, and emerged whenever I crossed the threshold of my father’s house. That night I called on…Continue Reading Educated
It was a sweeping story of love and loss, life and death, and, above all, redemption. It was the story of a grand passion that had endured for more than forty years and finally found its happy ending. If you are ever in a mood for a book that feels like a warm, soft blanket…Continue Reading The Keeper of Lost Things
“So the first thing that happens in a conflict is that we choose a side, because that’s easier than trying to hold two thoughts in our heads at the same time. The second thing that happens is that we seek out facts that confirm what we want to believe-comforting facts, one that permit life to go on…Continue Reading Beartown
“And that was when she saw it. Had it always been there? That lamp glowing from within. How had it survived all these previous months? How had it held on? No matter, it was greater than her body, it was greater than all else. She laughed, for perhaps the first time since the night in the weaving hut, to…Continue Reading Girls Burn Brighter
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