Benjamin McEvoy

Essays on writing, reading, and life

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart (Book Review)

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The first half of this We Were Liars review is spoiler-free. I’ll give you a heads-up right when I get into spoiler territory. If you’ve already read We Were Liars and are intrigued to know what I think, feel free to skip ahead to the second half of this review. I’m only going to do a real […]

Shakespeare’s Comedies and Tragedies

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The compilation of Shakespeare’s First Folio, in 1623, had the plays divided into the generic labels of Comedies, Histories, and Tragedies. Since then, the plays have been considered generically in relation to the category that was first imposed upon them. But Shakespeare’s plays are not static enough in their conventions as to be completely tragic, comic, […]

Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami (Book Review of the Week)

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Some people think he’s a genius. Others think he’s a complete pervert. I think it’s a bit of both…  I’ve just finished reading Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami. It’s a collection of seven short stories all tied together by the theme of men… without women… As you can probably tell from the title. The strange […]

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (Book Review)

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Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Shelley is one of the most thrilling, haunting, and poignant books I have ever read. Forget spending money on the latest Ban Drown, Kephen Sting, or Pames Jatterson (at least for now) if you haven’t read Frankenstein. The most heart-pumping, heart-wrenching, soul-destroying, life-affirming work of beauty is available to read completely free […]

Best Writing Resources For First Time Writers

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This list of the best writing resources for first time writers is exactly what I would have wanted when I first started writing. I found these writing tools slowly over the course of many years. But I wonder how much quicker I could have improved if I’d had all of them right from the very […]

The Art of X-Ray Reading by Roy Peter Clark (Book Review of the Week)

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Roy Peter Clark is one of my favourite literary instructors and his bestselling book Writing Tools totally sold me on this one: The Art of X-Ray Reading. If you are interested in learning how to read and gain greater insights from great books, this is a wonderful journey through the best that literature has to offer. I love analysing […]

How I Quit Smoking Overnight Without Cravings (Allen Carr Review)

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I don’t remember my last cigarette six years ago. I guess that’s a testament to how easy it was to quit smoking. But I do remember the failures. Dozens of attempts to quit smoking that resulted only in tears. “I’m quitting smoking today!” I liked to tell people that. “Yeah, yeah,” they said. “Whatever, Ben. Heard […]

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (Book Review of the Week)

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Lincoln in the Bardo, the first novel by George Saunders, is one of the best books I’ve ever read. This is a heartbreaking work of genius – the kind of thing that makes fellow writers swell with envy. You know that famous photograph of Lincoln before and after the Civil War? Well, the reason for such frightening contrast […]

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson (Book Review of the Week)

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Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson may just be the best superhero story I’ve ever read. It might be my favourite superhero story in any medium, not just the novel. That includes movies and comic books. This was my first foray into Sanderson’s work and it hooked me immediately. I love books that turn conventional genres on […]

See The World On Your Lunch Break – GERMANY

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Want to learn more about the world but are short on time? Let’s take a trip to foreign lands by appreciating the best short works of art from every country around the world. We’re going to pick a country and look at… 1 song 1 poem 1 short film 1 short story 1 essay/non-fiction piece 1 piece of art […]