The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry

This children’s novel tells the story of the author meeting an alien prince after crash landing in the Sahara desert, and it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever read. Often I read children’s literature and I enjoy it, but I find it to be missing a certain level of emotional depth that I need as an adult, and The Little Prince is the perfect example of how children’s literature doesn’t have to be that way. It’s extremely deep and meaningful.

On his way to the Earth, the Prince encounters various characters who inhabit their own little worlds – these include a king who rules over nothing, and a businessman who wants to own all the stars, among many others. Each of them represents one of the less pleasant aspects of humanity, and the Prince, as an outsider, highlights how ridiculous all of these things are. He has a childlike innocence to him, and his perspectives are untainted by the less wholesome values of many ‘adult’ eyes.

The Prince’s visits to all the tiny little planets are rather strange when put in the context of the much more grounded element of meeting the author crashed in the desert. In a way though, this works well too. It helps make the Prince’s existence feel more removed from our own, and underlines that his reality is one where love and childlike logic rule, rather than adult rationality.

As the author worries about what’s going to happen if he can’t get his plane working and leave the desert, The Prince is more worried about the rose that he loves at home. A lot of the time, children are told that the things they think and feel are not important, and that the interests of adults are what really matter – this book turns that on its head, but making The Prince’s perspective the one that’s really important.

The Little Prince is ultimately a book that’s about loving people, and appreciating them (and the world around you) and I love this little alien character for embodying such beautiful ideals. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but it was really moving. The whole book is so wonderfully written, and a reminder of what really matters in this life. (This is based on the translation by Ros and Chloe Schwarz).

Rating: 9.5/10

Buy it here.

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Utopia by Thomas More

Something about finding progressive values in really old pieces of work always puts a smile on my face. It can be a reminder that what may be considered new and radical today, has probably actually been around for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Utopia is a great book for this kind of thing, though it does have its fair share of dodgy beliefs thrown in too.

The book is written as if it were a piece of non-fiction. Writing as himself, Thomas More describes the circumstances in which he came into contact with a man named Raphael Hythlodaeus. At first they discuss many of the ills of their society (for example, talking about how severe punishments for thieves won’t stop the crime, when it’s largely caused by poverty, which is just as relevant now as ever), before getting to the really interesting bit: Raphael’s home region of Utopia.

One of the most interesting features of Utopia is that it is a communist society. Though the country has money for use in its international relationships, it has none for its citizens, who have all their needs provided for, and can access any additional materials from public storage buildings that anybody can access. I was particularly fascinated by the argument made by Raphael that the concept of money and ownership is inconsistent with the teachings of Jesus.

It also has a comical aspect to it, talking about how gold and jewels are given to people as punishments and considered shameful things, to discourage people from coveting them. That then leads to wealthy people from other countries to come and visit and be considered a laughing stock for looking so ridiculous (in the eyes of the Utopians) in their splendour. I liked that there was a sense of humour too it. The dialogues near the start can be quite witty as well, and there are jokes about not remembering where Raphael said Utopia was.

Another aspect that I liked was the notion of religious tolerance – something that was definitely not a mainstream view at the time. In Utopia, all religions are seen as different paths to an overall God – another belief which, even today, a lot of people would do well to adopt. Unfortunately, the religious tolerance does not extend towards those who do not have religious beliefs, and the atheists in Utopian society are second class citizens.

Speaking of the negative aspects of this society, it also places huge restrictions on the citizens’ sex lives, with pre-marital sex forbidden, and enforced life-long celibacy used as the punishment. Meanwhile, if you commit adultery, you’re forced to become a slave. And while this society does have slavery, which isn’t great, at very least, in Utopia, it’s a temporary state of being (usually a punishment) and people have the opportunity to gain their freedom again afterwards.

Citizens also need to have permission from the government if they are going to go anywhere, though he says that they all like it so much, they never want to go anywhere anyway – but would that ever really happen? Then there’s also the fact that people of certain jobs all have to dress in the same way. Women are allowed to have all the same jobs as men, yet are still expected to take care of all the housework. Of course, same sex relationships aren’t acknowledged at all. There’s no denying that Utopia has its list of flaws.

The whole book is a strange mixture of really cool, progressive ideas, and really awful ideas that sound like they’d make people miserable. For me, the progressive ideas shine so brightly, and are so impressive for their time, that it makes me like the book a lot overall – though, of course, you may find yourself less willing to focus on the positives. I reckon everyone should give it a go, and it’s written in quite a nice style (or at least, the Paul Turner translation is, anyway).

Rating: 9.1/10

Buy it here.

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Keynotes by Mary Bright

This was another of the books in the Reclaim Her Name series, where works by female authors which were published under male pseudonyms are finally released under the author’s real name. Keynotes was originally published under the name George Egerton, and is an example of early modernist work.

As someone who’s not the biggest fan of modernism, I was wary of starting this. I wanted to read all the Reclaim Her Name books, so I did get around it eventually, but I was concerned it might be similar to be experience of Ulysses, which I really struggled with. Fortunately, it was more like my experience with Virginia Woolf (who’s work I quite enjoy).

While I expected this to be a novel, it’s more like a collection of untitled short stories – but none of the pieces really feel like a cohesive whole. They’re glimpses into the lives of several characters, with the emphasis usually on relationships between men and women. Each piece paints a beautiful, vivid picture, and the feelings of the characters as they, for example, contemplate an affair, or consider the waning love in their marriage, come across really well.

I won’t deny, it’s a book that’s hard to follow sometimes. There’s a lot of information on thoughts and histories and so forth, that the lines between past, present, and future, can feel blurred. What is specifically happening in the moment is often unclear, and you may find yourself re-reading certain passages over and over to make sense of them. No doubt this will be off-putting for some, but I still think it’s a beautifully written book.

I don’t think there’s a real, narrative-based connection between the stories, but it is very possible that it simply went over my head. There are certain themes (for example, the relationships between men and women) that run through all of them, but I think that’s the only real connection. If you’re a fan of classics, and especially modernist works, then you might well enjoy this, but I think it’s a book of rather niche appeal.

Rating: 7.7/10

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Little Men by Louisa May Alcott

Little Women and its follow-up Good Wives (which are often just considered as a singular piece of work, collectively called Little Women), make up one of my favourite stories in classic literature. The third book in the series, Little Men, doesn’t ever seem to get quite as much attention, and now having read it, I can see why. While I definitely enjoyed this and wouldn’t want to suggest it was bad, it doesn’t feel like much of a meaningful continuation of what came before.

A few of the characters from the first two books appear, but the ones with the biggest role are Jo and her husband. Of all the characters to be a focus for a third book, I am glad that it was Jo, because she was my favourite of the Little Women and what she’s doing at this stage in her life is really cool: helping to run Plumfield – a school for underprivileged children.

Though the thing about this novel is that it is told from the point of view of the children at Plumfield. At the start, a boy named Nat comes to stay with them, and we get the story of him getting used to his new life in the school, getting to know the other kids. Together they all share various little adventures, which prompt them to learn important life lessons (much like the girls did in the original novel), but it feels like a new story in the same setting, rather than strictly being a continuation of the old story – a ‘next generation’ type thing.

It’s a very episodic novel, which each chapter telling a different story, but I actually like that style of storytelling. It gives different characters a chance to step into the spotlight at different times, and means they all get developed quite well. The cast of new characters is pretty great too. Some examples include Nan (one of my favourites), who is a young girl who has too much confidence (which leads to sticky situations), Dan, a boy who grew up on the streets and struggles to adapt to polite society, and Daisy (who is Amy’s daughter), who for a while, is the only girl there.

It’s a wholesome novel that I enjoy for much the same reasons as I liked the first two books, though it felt closer in style to Little Women than to Good Wives, which is a bit of a step down, after how good the second book was. Nonetheless, there’s a lot to be admired here, and I think it’s good for fans to view this as a kind of spin-off, rather than a true sequel, as that will alleviate any disappointment somebody may feel in expecting a third book in the series.

One of my favourite things about the book was the fact that it was generally pretty progressive. Jo thinks that it’s important for boys and girls to be educated together (which was ahead of its time) and also understands that individual students have individual needs. Obviously, there’s the odd bit of dodgy nineteenth century values every now and then, but I think it’s very good for it’s time, and it always makes me happy when authors I like are on the right side of history.

If you’re looking for a cosy read which manages to embrace the darker side of life without losing its positive ethos, then this is a must-read. Fans of Little Women in particular should give this one a go.

Rating: 8.3/10

Buy it here.

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Top 10 Fun Ways Celebrate the Coronation

As loyal subjects to our glorious (and dare I say, devilishly handsome) king, we’re all going to want to celebrate the coronation this weekend. This is probably going to be the most exciting and significant day in our pathetic little lives, after all. Marriage, children, holidays, promotions, parties? Nah. This is the crowning of our God-appointed ruler, people! Did God have anything to do with your birthday party? No, because he only cares about people who matter, like King Charles III. Anyway, without further ado, let’s get on with the celebrations!

A feat fit for a king. (Not really. LOL)

1. Eat some food

Of course, with the cost of living crisis on, we can’t all afford to eat daily anymore, but this is a special occasion. Save up for a tin of beans or a loaf of bread (even better, salvage a mouldy loaf you’ve got in the back of the cupboard) and enjoy a banquet in honour of our monarch. This one’s on Charlie (well, not really).

“Freeze, anti-royalist scumbag!”

2. Report anti-royalists to the police

Some people (if they deserve to be counted among humankind), don’t respect our beautiful royal family. If you are unfortunate enough to know any of these, report them to the police. Tell them that you think they are going to start a protest, and our friends in the force will be down there to protect the peace in no time – if we’re lucky, they might use a bit of the old police brutality too (if you can really call it brutality when it’s aimed at anti-royalist trash).

“They’re lying. All 156 of them.”

3. Contribute to a GoFundMe to help cover the legal fees of someone accused of sexual crimes

Just as they came for poor old Prince Andrew a couple of years ago, so too do the woke brigade come after countless innocent men and accuse them sexually abusing others, even though it’s all lies. These unfortunate heroes need your help to get through it okay, so just our dearly departed Queen helped out old Andy, you should find someone to help yourself.

“ID? More like, I DON’T.”

4. Burn your photo ID

As you know, we now need photo ID to vote… but back in the old days, we didn’t need to vote, because our betters ruled us by divine appointment. The fact that we still have the ability to participate in democracy is an insult to the royal family – burn your photo ID today and pledge never to vote again. Charlie would like that. Hopefully we’ll be able to do away with all that rubbish soon anyway.

“Just wait until Charlie sees this, it’ll make his day.”

5. Send the king a present

If you reached a milestone in your life, you’d be pretty insulted if your so-called friends didn’t give you a present. You’re a friend of the king, aren’t you? Well then send him a gift. Nothing under ÂŁ50 (that’d be an insult). If you can’t afford it, have you considered begging? Then it’s a present from the people as a whole, so it’s even nicer that way.

The king’s is even bigger.

6. Paint a tribute to the king

The people of Bath created a kind tribute to old Charlie boy in the grass at the Royal Crescent. As we all know, the only good compliment you can pay a man is to tell him that he has enormous genitals, and the reason a Bath artist drew this huge penis in the grass is to send a message to the world: “The royal penis is the largest in history.”

What a hunk.

7. Hand out pictures of King Charles III to the homeless

Unless they’re selfish jerks, homeless people delighted will be delighted to receive a picture of the king. “I may have it hard off,” they’ll say, “but it brings me comfort to know that the king, at least, able to live in comfort.”

He deserves to be sad.

8. Harass employees in shops

Smack them in the back of the head and say “You choosing to work on our king’s special day is an insult to our royal family, who do you think you are?” Then if they give you any trouble, take out a knife and… well, the NHS is in a state of crisis, so they won’t get treatment in time.

You’re all that matters, Charlie. I love you, Charlie. You’re my world, Charlie!

9. Leave your car running overnight

“We should be more worried about climate change,” say losers. As a way of showing them that we have more important things to be worrying about this weekend, leave your car running over night. It’ll send Charlie the message that he is the number one priority right now – if he sees your car, it’ll be a nice confidence boost for him.

“Don’t tell anyone I tested positive for COVID last night. LOL.”

10. Join a street party

There’s a lot of them on. That’ll be fun.

If you follow this advice, you’ll help make this the best day of dear old Charlie’s life. Have a good one, and long live the king!

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Batman: Dark Victory by Jeph Loeb

In this sequel to Batman: The Long Halloween, we’re given an account of how Batman and Robin first met, and of how the events of the first story took lasting tolls on all the characters involved. In many ways, it’s the perfect sequel, because it feels like a natural continuation of the event in the previous one – although I suppose it’s overall story is quite similar to the first one, which might be disappointing for some.

So, basically, what happens is that the killings which coincide with holidays start happening again, and of course, Batman is on the case to investigate it… the problem is, that since everything that happened with Harvey Dent, Batman has become even more isolated than he was before, and it’s effecting his capabilities. He needs someone by his side, so it’s lucky that he happens to meet Robin through the course of his investigation.

What I really liked about this story was the fantastic atmosphere that comes from Jeph Loeb’s writing style and Tim Sale’s art. Some comics are all about the action and the fights, but, like the last part, this is genuinely written with all the depth that you’d find in a murder mystery novel. There’s a moody feeling that runs through all of it, almost like a more modern day noire style, and it gives a strong impression of life in Gotham City.

The setting is just part of it, the biggest thing for me was the fantastic cast of characters. Obviously, there’s Batman and Robin, who are always great, but then there’s also various members of the Falcone crime family, commissioner Gordon, and loads of iconic Batman characters like Catwoman, The Joker, The Riddler, and more.

I think what I liked most of all was the way that it had so many different characters who all had their own unique motivations, and then drama ensued from the way in which their different trajectories through life intersected. I was invested in all of them, and for that reason, several moments throughout the story felt really shocking. If you’ve read The Long Halloween, I definitely recommend following it up with this.

Rating: 9.1/10

Buy it here.

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The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers

The King in Yellow is a book that’s known to have been an influence on H. P. Lovecraft and the Cthulhu mythos, so going in, I expected the stories in this collection to be fairly similar to Lovecraft’s own, but they’re really very different. The biggest difference is that the collection feels a little more literary.

Something that ties (some) of the stories together is The King in Yellow itself. The King in Yellow is a play that, if read, supposedly drives people mad. Only a few little details about the play itself are revealed within the stories, but the implication is that reading it is a truly shocking and harrowing experience. It’s a fun concept, anyway, and I appreciated how it popped up in all different kinds of stories.

Something that was quite interesting about this collection was the fact that there was a lot of variety among the included stories. One of them shows a dystopian future, one is pretty much a straight ghost story, one is a melancholic tale of heartbreak, another is about the horrors of war. You could say that they’re all about horrible experiences that nobody wants to have, but they are all so different from one another.

Despite all the stories being so different, one of the things that I admired most about this collection is a the bohemian feeling that runs throughout it. There are various stories about troubled artists in Paris, and I love that atmospheric way in which their lives and the setting are described – you really get caught up in their mindset and their lifestyle. It’s great.

I kind of wish that The King in Yellow appeared more frequently in the stories, because it’s a concept that I found really interesting. Unfortunately, it’s in less than half of the stories (which was a surprise, because based on the title, I thought it would play a role in all of them), and sometimes its appearance is a relatively small one. Having said that, I certainly don’t want to suggest that the stories without it were lacking, because I loved them, but I had the distinctive feeling of being left wanting more.

My favourite story was possibly ‘The Repairer of Reputations’ which gives a look at the (then future) year of 1920 and its strange political landscape. “The Demoiselle d’Ys” meanwhile was another favourite. It has a ghostly aspect to it, though interestingly, I have seen that some people interpret it as a time travel story (which I guess is just as valid – what happens is a bit ambiguous). If you love pure horror (or strange fiction), you’ll probably love “The Mask” which is about a liquid that can essentially turn anything it touches into a statue – for me, it was easily the most disturbing in the collection.

Score: 8.6/10

Buy it here.

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When We Were Very Young by A. A. Milne

This lovely poetry collection by A. A. Milne contains the very first appearance of the iconic character Winnie-the-Pooh – although here he’s called Edward Bear. The poem in which he appears “Teddy Bear” is actually a very sweet little piece about him feeling self-conscious about his round belly, but ultimately learning to feel confident about it. For the kindness and warmth that Winnie-the-Pooh is known to embody, this is a very fitting debut for the character.

Having said that, don’t start this poetry collection thinking that it is a collection of Winnie-the-Pooh poems, as it certainly isn’t. Christopher Robin is featured in the collection, but he’s not a character at all, rather A. A. Milne’s real life son who he ended up using as a character in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories. Indeed, one of the earliest poems in the collection is called “Buckingham Palace” and it seems like a heartfelt poetic write up of a trip taken to the titular location by A. A. Milne and Christopher Robin (who seems to have been a very young child at the time).

The whole collection seems, pretty much, to have been written from the perspective of early childhood. No doubt, you’ll have been read many of these poems when you were a child, either by parents or at school. That was definitely the case with me, with “The King’s Breakfast” definitely standing out as a poem that I had heard before. Plus, there’s “Halfway Down” which was famously performed on The Muppet Show years later.

Honestly, I don’t have much else to say about this collection. It was something I enjoyed reading and the author seems to be working hard to preserve the precious memories of his son’s childhood. For that reason, it’s something I’m sure a lot of readers will enjoy reading with their kids, but even if you don’t have kids (like me) there’s a lot to appreciate and admire about these poems.

Rating: 7/10

Buy it here.

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Persuasion by Jane Austen

This was my third Jane Austen book – I thought the first one I read was pretty great, and I thought the second one I read was really boring, so I went into this book feeling like it could go either way. Fortunately, I really enjoyed this one, and perhaps it comes down to the fact that it was written towards the end of Austen’s life (by which point, she’d have had plenty of time to refine her skills).

Persuasion is a novel about a woman named Anne Elliot who has to move (along with her family) into a smaller home in Bath after facing some financial hardship. This, however, brings up tensions from her past, as the new home is owned by someone who’s wife is related to somebody that she was once going to be married to. Of course, the marriage never happened originally and now, at age 27, she doubts that she will ever marry and feels awkward about running into her former fiancĂ© (Captain Wentworth), so she postpones going to Bath by having a prolonged visit with her sister at the nearby Kellynch Hall.

This isn’t a novel with huge amounts of drama or action, but it’s a novel about interesting people who I felt invested in. The social dynamics and the encounters the various characters have with one another were always fun to read. This being Jane Austen, there are often comically biting remarks made between the characters and other humorous interactions.

What I liked about this one in particular (more than the other Austen novels I’ve read) is the greater emphasis on feminism. One scene in particular has a man trying to tell a female character how women behave at large, which she refutes, and he tells her that he has read many books which back up his point of view on the matter, only for her to rightly point out that most of those books will have been written by men. Meanwhile, there’s a character named Mrs. Smith who gives an insight into a poorer person’s life, which is refreshing since Austen novels are usually pretty focused on relatively affluent people.

As someone who lives in Bath, I also appreciated the fact that much of the storyline takes place in my hometown, with descriptions of streets and locations that I know. Around Bath, you’ll find countless references to Jane Austen and the fact that she once lived here, and this novel in particular is one to read for Bath residents who want to find out more about her work.

Overall, this was quite a cosy read. From walks with friends in the countryside, through to long discussions in drawing rooms, there are plenty of conversations between great characters in this book and it’s easy to lose yourself in them. The romance in this novel was one I actually felt invested in (which is rare for something of this era) and it feels relatively short too (which is also refreshing for its period). If you’ve never read a Jane Austen novel before, I recommend this as a good place to start.

Rating: 8.3/10

Buy it here.

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Assassination Classroom, Volume 12 by Yusei Matsui

The twelfth volume of the Assassination Classroom is mostly all about the mysterious assassin known as The Grim Reaper. Of all the foes that Koro-sensei has faced thus far, this is the one that seems to be the most capable. Of course, he ended up in quite a tight spot during the tropical island storyline, but that was more the result of an opportunistic foe, rather than a capable one.

In this story, The Grim Reaper targets the students of Class-E in order to lure Koro-Sensei into a trap. In my opinion, this storyline is the most tense the story has been since the incident on the island and it makes for fantastic reading. It becomes hard to see exactly how Koro-sensei could save the kids without making himself vulnerable to his foe. Of course, his determination to do this in spite of that risk, highlights how much of a caring person he is.

One thing that I also appreciated about this volume was its use of Ms. Jelavich. She was never one of my favourite characters in Assassination Classroom, in part, because it felt kind of like she was just there for some silly sex appeal, but this volume uses her in a way that I thought was both unexpected, and really interesting.

This is a particularly difficult volume to review without spoiling anything too much, but I will say that the reveals about The Grim Reaper’s identity are really cool, and Jelavich’s actions are quite shocking.

Rating: 8.9/10

Buy it here.

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