The Bibliophile's Compass

1812 " Grimm's Fairy Tales " or "Children's and Household Tales" by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm - Germany They are the stories we've known since we were children. Rapunzel. Hansel and Gretel. Cinderella. Sleeping Beauty. But the works originally collected by the Brothers Grimm in the early 1800s are not necessarily the versions we heard before bedtime. They're darker and often don't end very happily--but they're often far more interesting. 1845 The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens - UK It is the third of Dickens' five Christmas books 1918  Moon of the Caribees by Eugene O'Neill - US The title play, The Moon of the Caribbees, is a one-act drama set aboard the British tramp steamer Glencairn, anchored in the serene yet mysterious West Indies. Under the full moon, the crew's interactions reveal deep-seated emotions and conflicts, set against the backdrop of a melancholic West Indian chant. Through O'Neill's m...

Title: The Silence of the Girls Author: Pat Barker Publication Year: 2018 Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫 Pages: 293 Source: book Genre: Historical fiction, Greek Myth, Retelling Awards: Shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award; Finalist for the Women’s Prize for Fiction Pat Barker stands among my favorite authors, and my admiration for her work is considerable; I might have focused my dissertation on her novels had I not been committed to Defoe. With that bias acknowledged, let’s see how The Silence of the Girls was. The novel retells the well-known story of Achilles from the Iliad, but does so through the eyes of Briseis—a woman, a slave, and a Trojan. While the events themselves are familiar, the narrative’s value lies in its perspective: why revisit a story whose every detail is so well-written already? This novel is not only concerned with Achilles, but with Briseis’s experience of the fall of Troy and the destruction of the Trojan world as she knows it. In particular, it foregrounds the of...

1686 Crusoe leaves the island. - UK 1776  American Crisis by Thomas Paine - US The American Crisis is a pamphlet series by 18th century Enlightenment philosopher and author Thomas Paine, originally published from 1776 to 1783 during the American Revolution. 1843 A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - UK First published on December 19, 1843,  A Christmas Carol  was an instant classic: Londoners thronged to hear Dickens read it in person and bought out the first printing in days. Its reception was so ecstatic that it is credited with helping to revive interest among the Victorians in Christmas traditions, including caroling and holiday cards, as well as inciting an unexpected wave of charitable giving from Britain’s Industrial Age robber barons. 1848 The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain by Charles Dickens - UK Redlaw is a teacher of chemistry who often broods over wrongs done him and grief from his past.He is haunted by a spirit, who is not so much a ghost as Re...

1989  My Children, My Africa by Athol Fugard - South Africa The great South African playwright confronts the tragedy of apartheid in his native land in this compelling tale about the efforts of a humble and humane black teacher in a segregated township to persuade just one young person that education, not violence, is the answer to South Africa's problems. 2004 Whale  by Cheon Myeong-kwan - South Korea A sweeping, multi-generational tale blending fable, farce, and fantasy--a masterpiece of modern fiction perfect for fans of One Hundred Years of Solitude Shortlisted For The International Booker Prize 2018 The Disasters by M. K. England - US The Breakfast Club meets Guardians of the Galaxy in this YA sci-fi adventure by debut author M. K. England.