“Around the World in Eighty Days” by Jules Verne / « Le Tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours » par Jules Verne

Blurb Pragmatic gambler Phileas Fogg has made a gentlemanly wager to the members of his exclusive club: that he can circle the world in just eighty days, right down to the minute. Fetching his newly appointed French valet, Fogg embarks on a fabulous journey across land and sea – by steamer, rail, and elephant –

“Love’s Labour’s Lost” by William Shakespeare

Synopsis  In this charming comedy of manners, one of Shakespeare’s earliest efforts in the genre, a well-intentioned king vows to forego all fleshly delights, setting the stage for romantic hijinks. Ferdinand, the king of Navarre, insists that his court join him in a pledge to undertake a strict regimen of study and celibacy. The grudging

“The Eye Opener” by Indrajit Garai

Blurb Three novellas, each about seventy pages, depicting the power of blind spots in transforming our lives. In this collection meet Franck, who has to align his desires with his needs; Nathan, who has to adjust to his constantly changing turf; and, Cedric, who has to open his eyes to reconstruct himself. My Review⭐⭐⭐⭐ & ❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

“The Eagle of the Empire” by Cyrus Townsend Brady

Synopsis  A story of Waterloo and of the man Napoleon, suffering, eary, rousing to victory as to wine, and stirring a young soldier to youth’s glory of hero worship. A clear heroic note, and a love story with all the charm of “the American Dumas.” My Review⭐⭐ & ❤︎❤︎ 2 stars. At first I loved

“As You Like It” by William Shakespeare

Synopsis  Readers and audiences have long greeted As You Like It with delight. Its characters are brilliant conversationalists, including the princesses Rosalind and Celia and their Fool, Touchstone. Soon after Rosalind and Orlando meet and fall in love, the princesses and Touchstone go into exile in the Forest of Arden, where they find new conversational partners. Duke

“A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens

Synopsis  After eighteen years as a political prisoner in the Bastille, the ageing Doctor Manette is finally released and reunited with his daughter in England. There the lives of two very different men, Charles Darnay, an exiled French aristocrat, and Sydney Carton, a disreputable but brilliant English lawyer, become enmeshed through their love for Lucie

“Yours is the Night” by Amanda Dykes

Synopsis  Private Matthew Petticrew arrives in France as part of the American Expeditionary Forces, an arrival which a war-weary France desperately hopes will help to end the turmoil. Having faced unthinkable things on the front, he is captivated by the sound of a lullaby, sung by a voice so pure he knows he must have

“What Katy Did Next” by Susan Coolidge

Synopsis  Katy Carr can hardly believe it when she is invited to spend a whole year in Europe with Mrs Ashe and Amy. Although a year seems like a long time away from her beloved family, living in the small American town of Burnet, Katy embarks enthusiastically on her greatest adventure. This charming story, first

“The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Synopsis  A pilot stranded in the desert awakes one morning to see, standing before him, the most extraordinary little fellow. “Please,” asks the stranger, “draw me a sheep.” And the pilot realizes that when life’s events are too difficult to understand, there is no choice but to succumb to their mysteries. He pulls out pencil

“Adèle & Simon” by Barbara McClintock

Synopsis  When Simon’s older sister, Adèle, picks him up from school, he has his hat and gloves and scarf and sweater, his coat and knapsack and books and crayons, and a drawing of a cat he made that morning. Adèle makes Simon promise to try not to lose anything. But as they make their way