On the Bookshelves of... 1t5 Still Alive

This issue of Bookshelves features 1T5 English majors and specialists, in one last desperate cry for relevance. Cue the Whoville chant: We are here! We are here!

Here’s your chance to learn about your fellow members of College, the ones who still lurk around Strachan or the quad. The ones who remember Wild Vines but would never dare step foot in Massey again. We’re too old for that shit. The ones who you need to suck up to if you want to go to Fourth Year Bar. The ones who are objectively cooler than you.

Brad Mulder’s (English and Cinema Studies Double Major) book of choice is…Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Perhaps one of the most famous books from the 20th century, Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 tells the story of John Yossarian, a captain in the U.S. air forces. Based on Heller’s personal experiences from World War II, this novel tells of frustrations with bureaucratic absurdity and attempts to stay sane during war. Perfect for fans of modern classics and non-linear storytelling.

Devyn Noonan (English Specialist) is currently reading…Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy

Devyn is a huge fan of Victorian literature, and so it should comes as no surprise that she is perusing through a Thomas Hardy novel. Jude the Obscure follows the life of a young English stonemason who dreams of becoming a scholar, and the foibles of his love for his cousin Sue. This book deals with many of the major social themes of Hardy’s period, including class structures, religion, education, and marriage. Recommended for fellow lovers of Victorian fiction, or anyone who wants to follow in Devyn’s footsteps.

Ishita Petkar (English and Aboriginal Studies Double Major, History Minor) is currently reading…House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski

Mark Danielewski’s contemporary bestseller is a tricky but fascinating book. Using a self-professed unreliable narrator and multiple storylines, House of Leaves enthralls the reader with bold characters, plot twists, and unusual formatting like footnotes that contain footnotes, à la David Foster Wallace. Lovers of postmodern fiction, take note.

Martina Bellisario (English Specialist) is perusing through…Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion

Named one of TIME magazine’s “Best English-Language Novels from 1923 to 2005” and later made into a screenplay co-written by Didion herself, Play It As It Lays tells of an unfulfilled thirty-year-old actress struggling to recover from a mental breakdown. Written in Didion’s signature terse, controlled style, the novel is brimming with fascinating animal and dream motifs. Play It As it Lays is perfect for readers who enjoy the candid style and content of contemporary novels.

Rebecca Zhu (English and Psychology Research Double Specialist) recently read…Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald intended Tender is the Night, his last completed work, to be his masterpiece. The novel chronicles a wealthy young American couple, Dick and Nicole Diver, as they vacation around France. The Divers seem to be the pinnacle of perfection until budding Hollywood starlet Rosemary Hoyt destroys this illusion. Fitzgerald paints characters that are incredibly magnetic and obviously flawed – the glamour of the novel constantly carries an undertone of darkness and melancholy. A must-read for all Fitzgerald fans.

#books #trinity