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The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

Book Corner: Escaping the vacuum

Book Corner: Escaping the vacuum

by Suhani Gupta, Co-A&E/Lifestyle Editor August 18, 2024

Content warning: This article contains mentions of suicide and depression. Botanists often use a glass bell jar to protect samples of delicate plants. These jars serve as vacuums, cutting the samples...

Moshfegh exposes the emptiness and futility of chasing after superficial pleasures, painting a bleak portrait of a society adrift in a sea of excess. However, her dry wit and razor-sharp observations inject much-needed lightness into an otherwise heavy narrative, making it a surprisingly enjoyable read.

Book Corner: Wake up

by Jessica Wang March 17, 2024

Sometimes, you just want to sleep. The stress of everything around you presses on more and more. Maybe erasing yourself would serve as the easiest form of release from all external pressures. But the world...

As an avid Murakami reader, reading “Sputnik Sweetheart” felt like reconnecting with an old friend: comforting, nostalgic and moderately gut-wrenching. Complete with alternate universes, moon portals and other typical Murakami narrative devices, the plot follows a detective-style pattern reminiscent of earlier works like “Norwegian Wood,” unfolding with a familiarity that is predictable yet enjoyable all the same.

Book Corner: Separate orbits

by Alena Suleiman, Aquila Co-Editor-in-Chief January 26, 2024

As the moon casts its enigmatic glow over the landscape, a portal opens to the other side. Leap or stay? Sumire, the protagonist of Haruki Murakami’s “Sputnik Sweetheart,” chooses to leap, in hopes...

"Nine Perfect Strangers," Liane Moriarty's 2018 novel, tackles themes of tragedy, transformation and closure. The psychological thriller argues that growth does not exist in sudden revelations, but rather a constant cycle of hope for happiness.

Book Corner: The search for a new start

by Mia Tang, Reporter December 3, 2023

Nine people, sunken to the lowest points of their lives and seeking a fresh start, meet at a health resort, hoping to turn things around. To some, it is a break, a reprieve from the harsh realities and...

"The Secret History," a 1992 novel by Donna Tartt, carries one theme throughout: Beauty is terror, and the incessant pursuit of beauty, whether through constructing a certain persona or chasing a sensory experience, leads to evil. The characters’ descent into madness and subsequently, ruin, illustrates the consequences of pursuing a glamorous, hedonistic existence and reminds us to appreciate the good, not the beautiful.

Book Corner: ‘Beauty is harsh’

by Alena Suleiman, Co-Arts & Entertainment Editor January 19, 2023

An onslaught of white as far as your eyes can see. Freezing, you trudge your way through heaps of snow. Yet the blindingly beautiful scene masks a treacherous murder, as you and other Vermonters discover...

"Intimations" is an approximately 100 page series of essays in the form of a memoir written by Zadie Smith that was first  published in 2020. Smith is also the author of "White Teeth" and "On Beauty."

Book Corner: “Nothing to be afraid of — we’ll get through this, all of us, together”

by Sarah Mohammed, Features Editor October 21, 2021

Entering Zadie Smith's “Intimations,” I expected to see loss alongside love, loneliness alongside care. I didn’t just expect it: I needed it — so I could try to do the same myself. As a writer,...

“Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” is a 390 page nonfiction written by Yuval Noah Harari that was first published in 2011. Harari is also the author of “Homo Deus” and “21 Lessons for the 21st Century.”

Book Corner: The rise of humankind

by Arely Sun, Co-Managing Editor September 13, 2021

Arely’s ranking: ★★★★★ Ever wondered why your body allows you to down an entire tub of ice cream in one sitting? Or how money, the root of modern tribulations, came into existence? I never...

"Odd Girl Out (The Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls)" is a 368 page nonfiction written by Rachel Simmons that was first published July 1, 2002. Simmons is also the author of "Odd Girl Speaks Out" and "Enough As She Is."

Mean girls: Rachel Simmons explores what causes aggression among girls

by Sally Zhu, A&E and Lifestyle Editor August 17, 2021

Sally’s ranking: ★★★★☆ “Mean Girls,” “High School Musical,” “13 Going on 30” all share a similarity in the way they portray teenage girls: jealous, backstabbing, vengeful. Characters...

“Three Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty” is a 390 page nonfiction written by Jeff Pearlman that was first published Sep. 22, 2020. Pearlman is also the author of “Football for a Buck: The Crazy Rise and Crazier Demise of the USFL” and “Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s.”

Three-peat

by Aditya Singhvi, Managing Editor May 21, 2021

Aditya’s ranking: ★★★★☆ What do you get when you combine a “Santa-like,” seven-foot-one hulk who can’t hit a free throw for his life; a legendary coach coming off a legendary three-peat;...

"Blood Will Out: The True Story of a Murder, a Mystery, and a Masquerade" is a 200 page true crime memoir by Walter Kirn that was first published on March 3, 2014. Kirn is also the author of "Up in the Air," "Thumbsucker" and "Lost in the Meritocracy."

A murder for the sake of literature

by Aastha Mangla, Reporter April 20, 2021

Aastha's ranking: ★★★☆☆ From simply grazing my eyes over my bookshelf, I can easily identify red covers and crackled text, the telltale signs of horror novels. My interest in horror novels...

“Becoming" is a 421 page memoir by former first lady Michelle Obama that was first published on Nov. 13, 2018. Obama is also the author of “American Grown."

Politics, race, family: Michelle Obama shares her challenges and triumphs in “Becoming”

by Lucy Ge, Winged Post News Editor April 9, 2021

Lucy's ranking: ★★★★★ As I flipped through the first pages of Michelle Obama’s memoir, “Becoming,” I felt as if Obama herself was sitting next to me, speaking directly to me in a candid,...

"Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life" is a 274 page novel by Anne Lamott that was first published on May 5, 1994. Lamott is also the author of "Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year," "Traveling Mercies" and
"Almost Everything: Notes on Hope."

Taking flight: Discovering a candid, transformative message in “Bird by Bird”

by Arya Maheshwari, Winged Post Editor-in-Chief March 26, 2021

Arya's ranking: ★★★★☆ Weaving witty dialogue together with honest reflection, “Bird by Bird: Some Instructions to Writing and Life" surveys the realities of writing and its extensions to...

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