As Halloween approaches, I thought it would only be appropriate to explore a book to get us in the spooky mood. After all, what could be more terrifying than living in a town full of puritans? You guessed it; today we’re talking about “The Crucible”.

This book (Although it’s –technically- a play) was written by Arthur Miller; he was an American playwright, screenwriter, essayist, and I would even call him a sort of activist. (Fun fact, he also was Marilyn Monroe’s husband for a time)

“The Crucible” relates (in a fictionalized manner) the events of the Salem Witch Trials, it illustrates the dangers and consequences of blind faith in religion. Although there are many important characters, the main ones are John Proctor and Abigail Williams.

(SPOILERS!) Abigail is a young girl in the town of Salem who worked for John Proctor and his wife; they have an affair and he ends it. One night she goes into the woods to dance with her friends and a slave called Tituba, the town reverend sees them. Afterward, Betty (One of Abigail’s friends) falls into a coma-like state and wakes up ‘possessed’, because of this, Tituba is harshly questioned and ‘admits’ to doing black magic and accuses other people of Salem of also dealing with the devil. Abigail joins her in the accusations (Fueled partly by fear and her hatred of Proctor’s wife).

Basically, everything escalates from there thanks to Abigail until John himself, his wife, and other women are taken as witches and killed when John refuses to give a false confession.

This book depicts multiple themes such as hysteria, faith, corruption, fear, and indoctrination. The blind devotion of this puritan society to virtue gives way to mass hysteria and chaos. Each individual is so consumed with saving themselves that any semblance of rationality is abandoned in favor of protection and ‘salvation’; the town may genuinely believe that the devil has infiltrated their community and they are willing to commit heinous crimes to get rid of him. “The Crucible” explicitly demonstrates just how dangerous this kind of mentality can be; blind belief and false accusations will kill if we let them.

An interesting fact about this book is that it not only aims to portray the mass hysteria against witches and the devil in a repressive puritan society centuries ago, but its purpose was actually to serve as a warning at the time of its publication.

Arthur Miller published his work in the year 1953 and if we trace back to see what was happening at that time we’ll find ourselves within the ‘Red Scare’. One could say that at this time the United States was having a second round of witch trials, except this time their target was communists. The McCarthy trials were frighteningly similar to what is depicted in “The Crucible”: Mass hysteria takes over a group of people who are so terrified of being accused of a certain evil that they turn on anyone and everyone to save themselves even if it means condemning another.

I believe that through this book Miller shows a really interesting example of how authors can create an allegory for events within their own time and provide an opportunity to view the situation with hindsight while it occurs. I definitely recommend everyone give it a read. And if you don’t feel like going through three acts of puritans fearing the devil I would also really recommend the 1996 movie of the same name with Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder.

Have you ever had one of those friends who is really obsessed with skincare and how they look? Well, in today’s entry we’re going to see what can happen when the newest skincare trend is murder!

In case you hadn’t guessed by now, the book we’re talking about today is ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’. This book is the only published novel by author Oscar Wilde.

This novel relates the story of a young man, Dorian Gray, who meets the artist Basil Howard and lets him paint his portrait.

Everything changes when Howard introduces him to his friend; Lord Henry (or Harry) Wotton. Henry is the kind of man who believes that being youthful and beautiful is the best thing in life (Besides alcohol and sex) and Dorian quickly becomes obsessed with the idea of youth.

After his portrait is finished he resents it for the beauty and youth it will hold while he ages so he wishes that the picture grow old instead of him. Lucky (or maybe not?) for Dorian, his wish comes true and he will stop at nothing to protect his secret (Yes he kills people).

Until I read this book I only recognized Wilde for his playwrights but this story truly shows the talent he possessed. Even though his writing explores dark themes with suspense and tension, the dialogue and characters remain witty and humorous. He builds complex and interesting characters with intricate wants and motivations, the events and dialogues flow with a solid rhythm, and the language used, even if it was written in 1891, is not too difficult to get through.

The concept that this book explores is extremely interesting to me as we see a character descend into madness in the search for eternal, not life, but beauty. Dorian had no particular desire of living forever, his obsession was with the beauty that youth ensures, and while that might seem incredibly frivolous when we see the lengths he goes to preserve it I think it showcases a much larger issue that our society has.

It appears that since this book was written the world truly has not changed; we are still obsessed with being young and beautiful. Though individuals don’t attempt and commit murder for it in real life I would argue that’s just because it’s not as effective as plastic surgery. Since childhood, we are exposed to the desire that people have to remain as they once were and at some point in our lives, we start to share that belief. I would argue that ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ is a cautionary tale of the insanity that is wanting to hold on to the past.

Now, there are plenty of adaptations of this book but I have to admit that my favorite one is the 2009 film ‘Dorian Gray‘. This movie stars Ben Barnes as Dorian Gray, Colin Firth as Lord Henry, and Ben Chaplin as Basil Howard. Objectively, it is not the best adaptation as it skips over some events and characters. Nevertheless, I would say that my favoritism comes from its aesthetic so if you are not really interested in reading the entire novel I definitely recommend you watch this film to enjoy both the story and the visuals.

Hello! Another post, another day to convince you guys I actually know what I’m doing. In today’s entry, I’ve decided to venture outside of my usual reads and into the modern world to explore a truly unique book; Daisy Jones and the Six.

I have to admit that I first heard about this book through TikTok but I ask everyone to at least hear me out before judging it. This novel was written by Taylor Jenkins Reid and it tells the story of a young upcoming music star called Daisy Jones and the band she is paired with; the Six. The band is made up of Billy and Graham Dunne, Warren Rhodes, Eddie, Karen Sirko, and Pete Loving. In the book, we explore the conflicts and personal struggles that arise in the reckless and excessive world of artists and fame (Drugs, sex, trauma, and messy relationships).

Personally, I think this book is a masterpiece. The story is told through an oral-interview style; the characters are interviewed by an (to avoid spoilers) unknown narrator.  They each relate the events through their personal perspectives and opinions; sometimes the accounts differ, sometimes the same occurrence is viewed completely differently, sometimes a character has no idea of world-changing incidents for another character, etc.

I had never read a book written like this and it truly created a completely new literary interaction for me, it helped me connect with the characters and genuinely understand their actions and motivations because I could see the full picture of the story through all the possible lenses simultaneously.

What I also love about this book is its portrayal of its main character; Daisy Jones. She is a strong female protagonist who truly feels like a real person. I know that may sound weird but I’ve found that oftentimes when we read books centered around a female protagonist some authors tend to portray them with little to no flaws, or they will try and make their not-so-perfect characteristics into something endearing.

This novel subverts this and shows Daisy as an extremely talented and beautiful individual with issues, and flaws, who can make bad decisions. She is just as inspiring as she is disastrous.

She realizes from a young age how the people around her will try and exploit her and her talent for themselves but refuses to provide inspiration without recognition.  This situation actually provides one of my favorite quotes from the book; “I had absolutely no interest in being somebody else’s muse. I am not a muse. I am the somebody. End of fucking story.”

And as much as that determination is admirable, she is also oftentimes a self-destructive person. (SPOILER WARNING). Throughout the book, she is constantly struggling with drugs but after she kisses Billy; Daisy impulsively abandons the country, gets married, almost overdoses, gets divorced, and then almost overdoses once again; “It scared me that the only thing between this moment of calm and the biggest tragedy of my life was me choosing not to do it.”-Daisy Jones. She is a complex and remarkable character.

I consider this to be a book truly unique to its genre. The fiction within it is so well crafted and realistic that for the longest time I genuinely thought it was some sort of fan fiction for Fleetwood Mac. I cannot recommend this novel enough AND it’s soon getting an on-screen adaptation so if you don’t really feel like reading it you can always wait for the show.

Before we dive into today’s topic let’s address the elephant in the room; Although most English classic literary works are regarded as masterpieces and part of the canon by the general public, some readers nowadays consider these books as outdated and perhaps not as relevant as we have been made to believe.

I personally consider there is merit in both opinions. On one side, a lot of the books regarded as classics do deserve the recognition they deserve as they discuss and portray timeless issues and topics, we also gain a deeper understanding of other times and societies through them. On the other hand, I recognize that some books considered ‘classics’ are quite blatant in their depictions of subjects such as; racism, sexism, homophobia, sexual abuse, etc. I do believe that this negatively affects their literary value and it is necessary to critically think about the kind of books we give merit to.

Nevertheless, today I’ve decided to talk about a classic book I consider wholeheartedly deserving of recognition; Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

In my opinion, Jane Austen is one of the most talented and accomplished writers in history.

She manages to create comedic, yet authentic and profound characters and plots, all while creating a piece that holds social commentary and criticism on the struggles of her time -most of which are actually contemporary-

Pride and Prejudice is one of her most well-known works because it contains all of the elements that make her books outstanding.

This novel relates the story of Elizabeth Bennet, a young woman who must navigate the struggles of love, station, and family and her love interest, Mr. Darcy.

Throughout the book we also meet the rest of the Bennet sisters, their parents, Mr.Darcy’s friends; Charles Bingley, and his sisters; as their own stories develop.

Although it may seem cliché, my favorite character in this book is the protagonist; Elizabeth Bennet. Her character depicts a heroine unique to the time in which this novel was written. She is unashamed of her family or their station, she is strong in her convictions and puts her family and their happiness above all else.

Elizabeth completely goes against the expectations of society for a lady; She refuses to marry if not for love and she refuses to love if not to marry, she does not care for the social station of others, she’s also proud of and acknowledges her own intelligence.

Being able to see such a strong character within the context of her time is truly inspiring as it depicts the importance of not only being true to yourself but also the importance of fighting for the things that are important to you, in this case; Love and family.

I would genuinely encourage anyone who enjoys literature to give this book a read. Even though I understand why some would not want to give classics a chance, I can promise that this novel is worth every compliment that it is given. Furthermore, I would also recommend that you give the on-screen adaptations of this book a chance; Pride and Prejudice Mini Series (1995) and Pride and Prejudice Movie (2005).