The Unsettling, Intriguing Society of Menzoberranzan

My introduction to The Legend of Drizzt series came only this year, perhaps later than most. I grew up reading and re-reading mainly the Shannara series (which is extensive), The Lord of the Rings, stories from Garth Nix (young adult fiction), with a little of Stephen King‘s books dotted throughout that timeline. There was an early… Read More

We’ve all come a long way from Kansas! Feminism in The Wizard of Oz

We’ve all watched the MGM film The Wizard of Oz from 1939. But did you know that the original novel, written fully 39 years earlier, contained ideas about femininity that were quite progressive at that time and still are today? The feminist tendencies of his novels do not come as such a big surprise if… Read More

A ghost, a wife, a motel room: bring on the tears

Last week I clutched my iPad closely to my chest after reading the last words of “The Motel Room” by Alyssa Cooper. My eyes brimmed with tears, but I couldn’t let myself cry. It was a rainy day, and I was on the bus en route to one of my evening MBA classes. The atmosphere… Read More