Favorite Classics: Daniel Defoe

Robinson Crusoe and Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe

In this second instalment of some of my favorite classics, let’s talk about Daniel Defoe (c. 1660–1731). Defoe was one of the earliest advocates of the English novel and helped popularize the genre in Britain. Besides novels, Defoe wrote books and pamphlets on diverse topics, including politics, religion, and psychology. From modern standpoint, his novels are clearly products of their time, but Defoe's influence in the development of the genre is irrefutable. I’ve only read two of Defoe’s novels, but they are probably his best-known works, and well worth reading.

April Wrap-Up and May Goals

April reads

April Wrap-Up

• Finished: 5
• Started/continued but not finished: 4
• Total pages read: 2,746
• Average rating: 3.2

April was a lackluster month, at least rating-wise. I finished five books in April, but only one of them was a novel. I read an ancient Greek retelling, Sarah Underwood’s Lies We Sing to the Sea (2/5 stars). I had high hopes for that book but unfortunately, it was a massive disappointment. You click the link and read more about why I didn’t like the book.

Book Review: Lies We Sing to the Sea by Sarah Underwood

Lies We Sing to the Sea by Sarah Underwood

Book title: Lies We Sing to the Sea
Author: Sarah Underwood
Genre: Historical fantasy
Published: March 7, 2023
432 pages
My rating: 2/5

"There were twelve bodies in the water. They always found their way to the island of Pandou eventually, though the seas that stretched for miles around it were invariably still and silent. Melantho would have been foolish to think that it was the natural currents that had brought them; she had been there long enough to know that nothing found its way to Pandou unless it was meant to."

When Odysseus came back from the Trojan War, he hanged the twelve maids of Penelope and cast their bodies in the sea. This atrocity angered the sea god Poseidon, and for three hundred years he has ravaged the island of Ithaca and demanded the yearly hanging of twelve girls marked with a necklace of scales. But when this fate comes to Leto, she doesn’t die. Instead, she meets an immortal being, Melantho, who gives her a mission: to kill the Prince of Ithaca, Mathias, and end the curse of Poseidon for good.

Lies We Sing to the Sea is a debut Greek mythology retelling of (or rather, a sequel to) The Odyssey. As I love ancient Greek mythology, I was super excited to read it. Unfortunately, this book was a massive disappointment.

Short Story Submission and Writing Contest Feedback

Past few weeks have been very productive for me! First, I sent out a literary fiction short story to three literary magazines. They are my top-tier magazines that are currently open for submissions. It will take several months before I hear back from them, so now I can only wait.

In the meantime, I'm continuing on with draft five of Project Prehistory, a coming-of-age story set in a matriarchal prehistoric society. I'm doing so well that instead of the originally intended two chapters a week, I'm now editing three chapters a week. Last week, I reached and passed Chapter 20, which is the midpoint. At this speed, I should be done with the first round of edits by early June. Then I'll do another pass of the draft in case there are still some things that I've missed.

Favorite Classics: Anne Brontë

Anne Brontë's two novels

Welcome to a new series where I talk about some of my favorite classics! The star of this first instalment is one of my favorite classic female authors (probably second only to Jane Austen), Anne Brontë (1820–1849). She’s less famous than her sisters Charlotte and Emily, but I have to say that Anne is my favorite of the Brontë sisters, mostly because I find her love interests more likable.

March Wrap-Up and April Goals

March Reads

 

March Wrap-Up

• Finished: 5
• Started/continued but not finished: 3
• Total pages read: 2,320
• Average rating: 4.1

I finished five books in March, and two of them were novels. I read the final two books in Stephanie Garber’s Caraval trilogy, Legendary (4/5 stars) and Finale (also 4/5 stars). They were nice reads, but I admit I didn’t love them as much as I had expected. They didn’t have the same magical effect on me as they seem to have had on other people. You can click the links to read longer reviews.

Book Review: Finale by Stephanie Garber

Finale by Stephanie Garber

Book title: Finale
Author: Stephanie Garber
Genre: Young Adult fantasy
Published: May 7, 2019
478 pages
My rating: 4/5

“Every story has four parts: the beginning, the middle, the almost-ending, and the true ending. Unfortunately, not everyone gets a true ending. Most people give up at the part of the story where things are the worst, when the situation feels hopeless, but that is where hope is needed the most. Only those who persevere can find their true ending.”

Two months after the Fates were released from a magical deck of cards, the lives of everyone in Valenda are at stake. Scarlett and Donatella Dragna must destroy the leader of the Fates, the Fallen Star, with the help of friends—and potential foes. In the process, they uncover unexpected truths that threaten to upend their lives.

Finale is the third and final book in Stephanie Garber’s young adult fantasy series Caraval. Unlike Caraval, which was told from Scarlett’s point-of-view, and Legendary, which was told from Tella’s, Finale is told form a dual point-of-view. We get both Scarlett’s and Tella’s reactions and viewpoints in the same book, although Tella’s point of view is more prominent. In this book, the stakes are higher: the Fates are threatening the lives of everyone, and the sisters have to come up with a way to destroy them.