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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

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...

Music Monday is a new installation featuring a different category of songs on a weekly basis.

Music Monday: Adventure into fantastical worlds with Aquila

by Sally Zhu and Lavanya Subramanian January 10, 2022

Music Monday features a different category of songs on a weekly basis. Each Monday, Harker Aquila will release seven songs, one song for each day of the week.  What’s the best way to step outside...

The audiobook edition of “Chain of Gold” by Cassandra Clare borrowed from Sora stands next to the hardcover edition. This novel was the first audiobook I ever listened to, and it introduced me to a new form of consuming media that I had previously shunned due to misconceptions.

Reading audiobooks isn’t cheating

by Irene Yuan, Co-Managing Editor December 14, 2021

Listen to the audio reading of the following article at the link below.  harkeraquila · Listen-ature is valid, reading audiobooks isn’t cheating"DAYS PAST: 1897,” a voice intoned. “Lucie Herondale...

The upper school’s reading aficionados and literary circles have gathered their resources to reinforce the benefits and delights of recreational reading and help everyone realize their own reader within.

Upper school recommends recreational reading, escapism at its finest

by Alysa Suleiman, A&E Editor October 10, 2020

For a split second, a delicate page of leaf-thin paper sits between the pads of my thumb and forefinger, before gently fluttering down like a blossom petal onto the previous page. My fingertips gently...

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