since this is a mini reading bingo, we’re only putting two books into the spotlight, but there are additional recs beneath the cut!
Dangerous Liaisons by Pierre Choderlos De Laclos
Gossip Girl but make it a 1782 French classic! The story between La Marquise de Meurteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont, who send each other letters and try to play a game of influencing other people on their court. They think of other people as pieces of their game that they can manipulate as they want. Excess, drama, intrigue, and splendour you can only find among French aristocracy in the 18th century. (blurb by @fluencylevelfrench)
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
How will you tell your friend about that movie you liked when the letters o, d, z and a are banned? How will you defend yourself and those who need you when only l, m, n, o, p remain? Long ago, a small island community formed around the famous “the quick fox jumped over the lazy dog” sentence: but now, a letter has fallen off the statue and the council agrees it’s a sign they should stop using the letter. Any use of it is banned and it can’t be replaced by other letters or signs - words containing the letter are forbidden too and whoever dares to break the ban will face severe punishment. The story is told in letters by Ella, her cousin and her family and we watch the story unfold as, one by one, the letters fall off until only l m n o p remain. 8/5 dogears, language nerds will love this! (blurb by @hannistudies)
