I love linguistics. I’ve studied (though never become fluent in) Japanese, Chinese, Korea, French, and German. I’m one of those people who becomes fascinated with ‘untranslatable’ words, etymology, and the evolution of languages. I love accents, dialects, and how language can be so malleable and ever in flux. I’ve had arguments with people who get …
Literature
Many of us were disappointed when that letter never came. You know the one. But being part of the Harry Potter world, wearing Harry Potter clothes, visiting the studios and theme parks, rereading the books and discussing them with friends — all of this is just as magical as heading to Hogwarts yourself. And far …
How do you know if your story is worth telling? This is something I’ve always mulled over when it comes to memoirs. We each of us have lived a life that’s unique and, given the right skills of execution, couldn’t we all have a story worth telling? It’s a big question, maybe, but when you’ve …
One Part Woman is an intense and gripping examination of the power of ritual, tradition, and ceremony. Examination, you might say, or perhaps condemnation. Perumal Murugan’s most celebrated novel considers the dangerous and illusory sway that invented superstitions and traditions can have over a community or an individual. And the madness it might bring. It’s …
Ellen’s father was a man psychologically damaged. And though the details of that damage are never made clear, it had a grave impact on his family — on Ellen, her actress mother, and her older brother. That is, until his sudden death which occurs in his sleep in a hospital bed. Ellen blames herself for …
Saul Adler is an unlikeable protagonist, which is a rarity in modern fiction. When I first read Wuthering Heights, upon my partner’s request, I complained about how everyone is unlikeable. She pointed out that it’s part of the fun, and I began enjoying the book from a different angle. The same cannot be said about …
From Shakespeare to the Brontes, no nation on Earth has so many great names that define the world of literature as the United Kingdom. In these literary cities, we live and breathe the work of these authors; their homes and settings draw tourists from around the world; their characters are alive in the cobblestone streets …
Being part of a fandom isn’t just celebrating your love for a piece of media. It’s being a part of a story that changed your life for the better, and continued to make your life brighter and more exciting. And what better, more thrilling way to show your fandom than by etching it on your …
If there’s one TV show that captures the tone, atmosphere, and grandeur of high-class living in pre-modern Britain, it’s Downton Abbey. The show encapsulated not only the day-to-day lives, relationships, and dramas of the English gentry of the time, but also the lives of their servants, cooks, and drivers. It blended real-world events with political …
Grass is a starkly beautiful graphic novel which reveals the true-life story of a Korean ‘comfort woman’ during the Japanese occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945. The occupation ended after the surrender of Japan at the end of World War II, following the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Grass is a timely and gravely …