Novels With Nell - Alias Grace

Lately, I've fallen out of my habit of reading before bed a little. I've been having trouble turning my brain "off" at night and find myself constantly writing down ideas in a journal. By the time I have all of these thoughts written down, I look at the clock and realize that I should've been asleep at least 20 minutes ago. This leaves me closing my notebook, turning on my sound machine, and trying to fall asleep. Unfortunately, since I'm still lost in thoughts at this point I realize how much more productive it would have been for me to read as a way to try to keep the wheels from spinning too much before bed. 

I am definitely working to get back in this habit since I am certainly seeing the benefits. While my stash of books (and amazon cart) have been growing based on books I want to read, I've realized that very few of them are novels. I was much better about sticking to my bedtime reading ritual when I was reading novels as opposed to inspirational books since I wasn't thinking so much about how to apply what I was reading to my own life. It may be about time for me to read through previous Novels with Nell posts to form a list of novels to add to my list! Today's recommendation would definitely make the cut.

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Alias Grace

by Margaret Atwood

Here’s a book Dorothy may like- a sophisticated psychological novel! I read this senior year of high school in AP English, and it really was a hit with the whole class. Atwood’s book is based on true events from 19th century Canada; there was a real Grace Marks who was accused of murdering her employer and his housekeeper, however Atwood weaves fictional elements into the story too. The novel has been adapted into a mini series for Netflix so anyone interested can check it out there too, though I’d obviously recommend you read the book first. I remember being surprised by all the twists and turns of the book, and anyone looking for something both suspenseful and thought-provoking will enjoy Alias Grace.

“Now a 6-part Netflix original mini-series: in Alias Grace, the bestselling author of The Handmaid's Tale takes readers into the life of one of the most notorious women of the nineteenth century.

It's 1843, and Grace Marks has been convicted for her involvement in the vicious murders of her employer and his housekeeper and mistress. Some believe Grace is innocent; others think her evil or insane. Now serving a life sentence, Grace claims to have no memory of the murders. An up-and-coming expert in the burgeoning field of mental illness is engaged by a group of reformers and spiritualists who seek a pardon for Grace. He listens to her story while bringing her closer and closer to the day she cannot remember. What will he find in attempting to unlock her memories? Captivating and disturbing, Alias Grace showcases bestselling, Booker Prize-winning author Margaret Atwood at the peak of her powers.”

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P.S. Happy Pi Day!