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“The Catcher in the Rye” by J. D. Salinger: published today in 1951
Holden Caulfield has been called everything from a cultural icon to a bad influence, which is exactly why this novel keeps getting challenged.
Love After 50: The Landscape Has Changed
A practical, reassuring guide to dating after 50, showing how to navigate apps, ghosting and choice while staying open to genuine human connection.
“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee: published today in 1960
SYNOPSIS: Set in Depression-era Alabama, the novel follows Scout Finch as her father, lawyer Atticus Finch, defends a Black man falsely accused of assault. Through Scout’s eyes, the story explores prejudice, justice, childhood innocence, and the painful realities...
“The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini: published today in 2003
“But better to get hurt by the truth than comforted with a lie.” SYNOPSIS: Amir grows up in Afghanistan alongside Hassan, the son of his father’s servant. After betraying his closest friend, Amir spends years haunted by guilt. The novel explores friendship, betrayal,...
New book: 52 Banned Books in the UK: A Guided Intellectual Journey
A Yearlong Reading Guide Exploring UK’s Most Challenged Literature What happens when a book is considered too powerful to stay on the shelf? 52 Banned Books is a reading guide designed for curious, thoughtful readers who want to explore the stories that have been...
Remembering Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov on His Birthday
On the birthday of Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov, we remember one of the most original and fearless writers of the twentieth century. Born in Kyiv in 1891, Bulgakov began his career as a doctor, but literature soon became the true center of his life. His medical...
New Book: Wine Tasting Guide & Journal: A Beginner’s Companion to Tasting, Choosing, and Pairing the World’s Most Famous Wines
Does the wine world feel complex and exclusive? Let Strasbourg-based wine writer Daniel Savin be your friendly guide.
Introduction – Love After 50: From Loss to Love Again
Introduction: It’s Not Too Late The thought first struck me, sharp and unbidden, in the frozen food aisle. It was a Tuesday evening. My cart held a single-serving lasagna and a bag of green peas. Around me, the low hum of freezers was the only soundtrack. I wasn’t...
A Brief History of Montreal
Montreal’s history begins long before it became a French colony or a modern Canadian metropolis. The island and surrounding region were used by Indigenous peoples for centuries before Europeans arrived, and the site that later became Montreal was already a place of...