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Magic Number 21

For those who may not know, 21 is pretty significant in America. You can legally drink alcohol. It kind of solidifies your status as an adult. I certainly still don’t feel like an adult still but it’s nice to know that others might see me as more mature now. I decided that since I’m 21, I will share with all of you 21 quotes from and about books and writing that have inspired me through the years. I hope some of these inspire you too.

“…I like simple things, books, being alone, or with somebody who understands.” – Daphne du Maurier

“I am half agony, half hope.” – Jane Austen

“And here you are living, despite it all.” – Rupi Kaur

“Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about. Be willing to be split open.” – Natalie Goldberg

“I lived in books more than I lived anywhere else.” – Neil Gaiman

“The worst enemy of creativity is self-doubt.” – Sylvia Plath

“There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly, sometimes it’s like drilling a rock then blasting it out with charges.” – Ernest Hemingway

“Anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.” – JK Rowling

“Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.” – Edgar Allan Poe

“A writer is someone who has taught their mind to misbehave.” – Oscar Wild

“We are such stuff as dreams are made on and our little life is rounded with a sleep.” – William Shakespeare

“I have always imagined that paradise will be some kind of library.” – Jorge Luis Borges

“I have put my heart and soul into my work and lost my mind in the process.” – Vincent Van Gogh

“That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

“My thoughts are stars I can’t fathom into constellations.” – John Green

“Beauty is terror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it.” – Donna Tartt

“To a great mind, nothing is little.” – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

“Wit beyond measure is man’s greatest treasure.” – JK Rowling

“Never forget who you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor and it can never be used against you.” George RR Martin

“I picked up a pen. I wrote my own deliverance.” Lin-Manuel Miranda

“She reads books as one would breathe air, to fill up and live.” – Annie Dillard

 

 

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Beauty is Terror: Reviewing The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Note: This is all simply my opinion but I hope you find it helpful nonetheless. I am avoiding spoilers, as well.

The Secret History was the first novel by Donna Tartt I had read. I decided to pick it up again after finally finishing a rather generic but well written crime novel. (I had gotten that book for free so I couldn’t complain too much.) The Secret History, which was Tartt’s first novel, is elegant, cynical, dark, and gripping, It is told through the eyes of Richard Papen, who is reflecting on his years at Hampden College in New England (Connecticut, to be specific.) Richard moved from a boring life in California to start over at Hampden. While he is there, he is drawn to a private and elite professor who teaches a small group of secretive students about the intricacies of Greek and Latin. Richard soon finds himself in over his head in a world of murder, drugs, sex, ancient Greek rituals, and the private lives of upper class.

This novel is particularly unique in its writing style. Tartt, in Richard’s voice, describes rather mundane college happenings in a way that is Shakespearian. Richard, who is simply trying to reinvent himself, is relatable for anyone who has ever wished to get away from their hometown. Also, like other college students, he learns that looks are deceiving. While his experiences are a little more extreme than the average college students’, it is still easy to understand what he is going through. Tartt does an excellent job crafting characters who are complex, dangerous, and painfully human. Hubris is the word that comes to mind when describing the downfalls of the cast of characters in this novel. Anyone familiar with Greek tragedies can recognize the trademarks that Tartt weaves into her novel.

You don’t have to necessarily be interested in Homer or know Latin to enjoy this novel. While these drew me into the novel in the first place, anyone who is interested in dramas or thrillers will definitely enjoy Tartt’s novel. I highly recommend this book for those seeking an intelligent and well-crafted novel that keeps you wanting more. It’s combination of realism and drama is compelling and hard to stop reading. The Secret History is an engaging novel with a depth and eloquence that few can capture.

(Also for more images of Greek statues in modern clothing, check out this link: )

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Intro to my New Blog

Hello everyone, this is my very first post on this blog. I have never really done something like this before so here goes nothing. I mostly want this blog to be about book reviews that are both honest and extensive. Hopefully, I can also talk about writing, authors, book-to-movie adaptations, and anything else happening in the literary world. I am not a professional author or anything like that but I am currently majoring in English and hope to enter a profession in the literary world. I will try to post something soon. I look forward to starting this new blog. Thank you for reading this and I hope you have an enjoyable day.

– Emily