Mini classic review: Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Prisoner of war, optometrist, time-traveller - these are the life roles of Billy Pilgrim, hero of this miraculously moving, bitter and funny story of innocence faced with apocalypse. Slaughterhouse 5 is one of the world's great anti-war books. Centring on the infamous fire-bombing of Dresden in the Second World War, Billy Pilgrim's odyssey through time …

Mini classic review: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Elinor is as prudent as her sister Marianne is impetuous. Each must learn from the other after they are they are forced by their father's death to leave their home and enter into the contests of polite society. The charms of unsuitable men and the schemes of rival ladies mean that their paths to success …

Oriluim: The Autumn Equinox Readathon

Hi all! I’m very excited to return back to the world of Orilium in the Magical Readathon for the third time! I successfully completed both The Novice Path last year and the Spring Equinox in April this year. Now we return in the Autumn Equinox! Character: Just a reminder for my character and which guild they are …

Mini classic review: Richard III by William Shakespeare

After a long civil war between the royal family of York and the royal family of Lancaster, England enjoys a period of peace under King Edward IV and the victorious Yorks. But Edward’s younger brother, Richard, resents Edward’s power and the happiness of those around him. Malicious, power-hungry, and bitter about his physical deformity, Richard …

Mini classic review: The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

The Phantom of the Opera is a riveting story that revolves around the young, Swedish Christine Daaé. Her father, a famous musician, dies, and she is raised in the Paris Opera House with his dying promise of a protective angel of music to guide her. After a time at the opera house, she begins hearing a …

Mini classic review: The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

In The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, the consulting detective's notoriety as the arch-despoiler of the schemes concocted by the criminal underworld at last gets the better of him. Though Holmes and his faithful sidekick Dr Watson solve what will become some of their most bizarre and extraordinary cases - the disappearance of the race horse Silver …

Mini classic review: Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Taken from the poverty of her parents' home in Portsmouth, Fanny Price is brought up with her rich cousins at Mansfield Park, acutely aware of her humble rank and with her cousin Edmund as her sole ally. During her uncle's absence in Antigua, the Crawford's arrive in the neighbourhood bringing with them the glamour of …

Mini classic review: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Controversial and compelling, In Cold Blood reconstructs the murder in 1959 of a Kansas farmer, his wife and both their children. Truman Capote's comprehensive study of the killings and subsequent investigation explores the circumstances surrounding this terrible crime and the effect it had on those involved. At the centre of his study are the amoral young killers …

Mini classic review: The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett

Dunnett introduces her irresistible hero Francis Crawford of Lymond, a scapegrace nobleman of elastic morals and dangerous talents whose tongue is as sharp as his rapier. In 1547 Lymond is returning to his native Scotland, which is threatened by an English invasion. Accused of treason, Lymond leads a band of outlaws in a desperate race …

50 Classics Club Questions

Hi all! As I'm really really close to finishing my Classics Club list, I thought it would be a good idea to complete the The Classics Club 50 Questions Survey book tag! I've had a fantastic time reading all of these classics books, and I'm *this* close to the end! I can almost see the …