Books and Beyond

A much underestimated Classic, one that everyone should read… At least once! Synopsis: It’s a tale of a woman’s journey from an abusive and degrading life to independence and self realization. You can also check out Goodreads for a detailed synopsis. Review: Like most books in my collection, I have had this for quite some time now and well, it just happened to be the first book that I could reach on the shelf (suffering from a bout of flu and severe asthma, I have absolutely no energy to do anything more than reading)…started reading it and just couldn’t stop! I’m not much of a classics fan, but this book surely deserves to be applauded and appreciated. In few simple words…this book is all about the family dynamics of domestic violence and pathologies, about the situation of the beleaguered communities both within their families and inside their communities, the condition of black females and the abuse they are often subjected to and have to deal with, of how miso...

Written by Anthony Doerr, All the Light We Cannot See, was published by Scribner on May 6, 2014. It has won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the 2015 Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. An imaginative novel set in the backdrop of World War II, the novel is presented in short, staccato-type chapters that explore and dissect the intricacies and complexities of the human nature and the power of technology. Synopsis: Set in the backdrop of the horrors of WWII , the novel traces the life trajectories of a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France, as they both try to survive the war and it’s devastating effects. Marie Laure lives with her father in Paris within walking distance of the Museum of Natural History where he works as a locksmith. At the age of six, due to a congenital defect Marie goes blind, and her father builds her a model of their neighborhood, with intricate details of every house, every drain…so that she can...

Hey guys! My first review is here. Hope you like it! The author has taken a topic right off the news headlines – the kidnapping of a Young woman, her being imprisoned in a sound proof shed, and her bearing a child – and converted the whole scenario into art. Told from the perspective of a five-year old, Room captures the reader with a story that is both riveting and disturbing at the same time. It’s difficult to put the book down! It could be read as a love story between a mother and her child, the triumph of mother – child bonding in the face of seemingly insurmountable difficulties. It’s a heart wrenching depiction of the psyche and thoughts of a child raised in captivity and a demonstration of the extent to which one can go for his /her loved ones. It’s a celebration of love, innocence, courage, and resilience. The story, simplistically told, because a five-year old is narrating it; it’ll make you feel empathetic with the child! And feel the story deep into your bones! ...

Hi! This is our first post! So let me introduce myself. My name is Ray Cortez, and my best friend and I are starting a blog for bibliophiles, by bibliophiles. We are going to be publishing book reviews mainly, but we’ll also publish other things as well. The first review will be out in a few days and it’ll be on either Dante’s “Inferno” or on Hanya Yanagihara’s “A Little Life” or maybe on something else, so stay tuned!