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REVIEW: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Reader, this book was published in 1847. Back then, writers liked to describe every bird and leaf and brooklet. Dialogue often consisted of elaborate monologues. Many of the ideas and values of the time are outdated and even offensive today. Still, I couldn’t help but love it. I read an advanced copy, beautifully illustrated by Marjolein Bastin. This would be the perfect edition to own, with gorgeous watercolor paintings that Jane herself would aspire to create. What satisfied me about Jane Eyre was her spirit and character – she was unapologetically herself. She reminded me a little bit of Anne Shirley (except that Anne was more “apologetically” herself.) Jane just wants to be accepted for who she is, but she is unloved for most of her early life. The story follows Jane Eyre through several stages. Her childhood as an orphan living with cruel relatives is heartbreaking. She endures hardship at a poorly run boarding school. She is comfortable, but unfulfilled as a governess at Thor
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TBR: The Shell Collector by Hugh Howey

I have a huge TBR (to be read) pile. I’m not exaggerating. I have over 1700 books on there, and I do weed it periodically. This is a problem for me, because I want to read them all. My reading goal for this year is 100 books. I will probably achieve that, or come very close. But, do the math! It will take me 17 years to read all of those books, and only if I don’t add any more to my TBR (unlikely).

 Feeling overwhelmed and panicky about how many books there are is my motivation to start cleaning out my TBR list. So, I am starting at the bottom. This is the book that’s been on there the longest. I am hoping that writing about why I want to read it will push me to actually read this one, or move it to the DNF (did not finish) pile. One step closer to reading all the good books!


I am a huge fan of Hugh Howie’s Wool trilogy. The stories are character driven, and the plot is original and suspenseful. I am also impressed that Wool was originally self-published after Howey won NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). His books are mostly dystopian, but not cheesy or cliché.

 I picked up his novel Sand not long after reading Wool. That one didn’t appeal to me. DNF. I am still eager to give The Shell Collector a go. I love the cover, love stories about the ocean. I think the idea of looking for shells will resonate with me since I have spent every summer of my life on the beach.

 This book has been on my TBR since January 2015. Check back soon. I will either update this post saying I DNF or I will write my review because I loved it. Here’s to hoping it’s one of the good books!

 :) jeatherhane
The Shell Collector
Hugh Howey
Release date: November 2014
Publisher: Broad Reach Publishing
Genre: Dystopian Fiction
Pages: 282
Format: ebook

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