Classic Months- April and May 2018

Classic Months April and May 2018

For the next two months, I will be reading at least the following eight classics. The order I have listed below will be the order that I plan on reading them in. They will not be the only books that I read during the two months, but I will definitely be reading these ones. Last year, I also did Classic months and I enjoyed it. It's great to dedicate some time to the classics and I love reading them. 

April: 

🐇 The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène du Bois- This was recommended to me by one of my students almost two years ago. I never got the opportunity to read it at the time because of all the work with student teaching and at my university but I knew that I wanted to eventually. The student told me at the time that it was one of his favorite books ever. I recently picked this up at a book sale and wanted to make it the first book that I read this month.


🐇 Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson- I will be watching a movie version of this for my Perspective review. This will be my second Robert Louis Stevenson story. My first was The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde. I did not really like that story that much but I'm hoping that I like this more. I'm excited to pick this up, especially in regards to comparing it to the movie that I plan on watching with it.


🐇 Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome- This is supposed to be a very funny novel and I hope that it is. I have been looking forward to reading this ever since I found it at a book sale two or three years ago.


🐇 Persuasion by Jane Austen- I enjoyed Pride and Prejudice in February and planned on picking up another one of Jane's books sometime soon. So I figured why not pick up one this coming month. This was her last finished novel and I had a professor tell me how much he loved it. I can't wait to pick it up.


Other books that I may also read:
🐇 Three Men on the Bummel by Jerome K. Jerome- A continuation of Three Men in a Boat. Depending on my feelings for the first book, I may or may not pick this one up. I'm hoping that they are both good.


🐇 The Mystery Of Briony Lodge by David Bagchi- A cross between the characters of Three Men in a Boat and Sherlock Holmes. It looks like it is going to be really funny. This one is not a classic but I figured that if I like Three Men in a Boat enough I should probably pick this one up too.

May:
🌸 The Winter's Tale by William Shakespeare- I have never read this play and have heard that it is a good one. I don't know much about it going in which I believe is going to be an interesting way of reading it. There has never been a time that I have read one of his plays knowing nothing about it. At least that I can think about. This I think will be my twelfth read play of Shakespeare's. I hope to read at least three more this year.


🌸 This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald- I have only ever read The Great Gatsby and a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Gatsby is one of my favorite books of all time and I have been wanting to read another one of his books. This is the first book that he ever wrote. He wrote it when he was twenty-three years old and it's semi-autobiographical. I can't wait to devel into another one of his books and I'm hoping that it is a good one. This is probably the book that I have hyped up the most from any of the books that I plan on reading these two months.


🌸 Orlando by Virginia Woolf- Virginia Woolf is another author that I have been wanting to read more of for years. I enjoyed Mrs. Dalloway the two times I have read it for class. Also, I have read a couple of her short stories and parts of Room of One's Own. Virginia Woolf is one of the most interesting writers that I have ever read and I want to eventually read the rest of her works. Especially this book and her letters.


🌸 The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame- I believe that I watched the Disney short made of this story when I was a child but I don't really remember too much of it. This is another book that I have been meaning to read for years but have not had the chance yet. I will be watching a movie version of this called Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (Wind in the Willows in the UK) for my Perspective review. I don't know if it's another story loosely based on the book or if it is directly based off of this book. This was made by some of the Monty Python troupe (who I love so much) and has many of them in it, so I'm looking forward to seeing their take on the story.


I will also be reading:
🌸 The Willows in Winter by William Horwood- A sequel to the original The Wind in the Willows by another author. I don't know how this is going to be but I do plan on reading it. We will see.

2018 Reviews Week 6

💖 2018 Reviews Week 6 💖

February 5th- 11th

Book 19: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 

Read February 9th

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I have been wanting to read a Jane Austen book for years but never have picked one up. The book that I figured would be the perfect one to start with was this one because of its reputation. I am very happy to say that this not only held up to what I figured but was so much better. This is one of my favorite romances ever. Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth feel so right together and the build-up to their relationship was perfect. I loved watching them fall in love and knowing it far before, at least she ever does. I believe Mr. Darcy knew for a good portion of the book. Their hate-love relationship is one of the best that I have ever read and I'm glad I can finally say that I did. 

Also, I really loved Elizabeth's father, Mr. Bennet. I really enjoyed his scenes especially when he is messing with his wife. He is a loving father that cares for each of his daughters, but Elizabeth is obviously his favorite. It's great to see his relationship with the family and just the relationship between each of the family members.

This is a novel that I believe fully deserves the amount of praise that it has always received. It's now over two hundred years old and still is considered one of the best classics. It's obvious why and it has become one of my absolute favorites. 

Book 20: The Beauty and the Beast 

by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve

Read February 10th

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There will be spoilers in this review. If you have not read or watched any form of Beauty and the Beast and are interested in doing so don't read this review before you do. 

This book was not what I expected. I have known and loved the story of Beauty and the Beast since I was very young. Not only the Disney version but also the original. Well, at least what I believed was the original. This is actually the original novel of the fairy tale. What I have read before was actually the abridged version by  Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. I can see why it was shortened. 

One of the aspects that really sticks out in this is the actual overarching story. Most know the story, Beauty takes her father's place in the Beast's castle. They spend time together and eventually they learn that appearances are not important. It is what is inside that counts. Beauty and the Beast (who is really a prince) fall in love and she breaks the curse set upon him. That story is here but there's much more too. 

This book stretches the story out more than it really needs to be. It could have worked if the characters were not bland and were actually interesting. They really aren't though so it doesn't.

The major part of this story that I have come to know is the Beast's arc. In the novel that arc doesn't exist. The Beast/ Prince doesn't change in this story and he never really has to. He was not even an arrogant person or anything before his transformation.

This is a big spoiler for this book so if you don't want to know don't read the red text.

A fairy basically has raised the Prince for his mother because she has been fighting in battles. Eventually, the fairy wants to get married to the Prince. He does not want to marry her because she has basically raised him and is like a mother to him. Also, she is quite old. She takes this as the fact that he thinks she is ugly so she curses him. I am glad that this has been changed in later adaptations of this story because it really makes this story better. Without his arc, this story just becomes a very unbelievable love story that I just could not get into. 

I am going to be doing a Perspective book to movie adaptation review on this and the Disney version (probably both of the movies together). I will be going into much more details there about the actual plot.

For a book that I have been excited to read for a long time, this really disappointed me. I love the story of Beauty and the Beast but not this version. I think that the changes that were made afterward make it so much more compelling of a story. 

My Favorite Books of 2017

Favorite Books Read in 2017

Here are my top ten percent favorite books of the year out of two hundred, so twenty books (well sort of). All of the books that I have listed below are in order of how I read them this year. I will mention below this list what my top five favorite books were. I did not count any of my rereads from this year though because I reread my top six favorite books of all time. I have reviews for most of these books here on my blog. If there is a review for it, I'll put a 📚 beside it.

1.)  A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness- Read January 9th
 When I first heard of this book I was not really sure about it. It was getting a lot of hype as this book with a heartfelt message. I then picked it up and read it in a few hours. This book is one of the most moving books that I have ever read. I was not expecting the overall message in this book. I made sure to go in not really knowing much about it, which is how I recommend reading it. The monster's tales that he told Connor were great and I loved it so much. I will say that this is a tear jerker and broke my heart.

2.)  Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan- Read the whole series January 10th- 12th

I have decided to put all of the books from the Percy Jackson series in this list because it's a favorite of mine as a whole. This is a series that I should have read years ago and I kind of wish that I did. I have owned it for years and I just never picked it up. Shortly after I started the first book, I could not put them down. This has become one of my favorite series of all time and I still cannot stop thinking about it almost a year later. Each book stands out with the references large or small to the original Greek Myths. Greek Mythology is one of my favorite things to read about and I love that there are many middle-grade series that have such great use of these classics. Percy is such a relatable character and his way of narrating his tales had me laughing out loud. I was invested in his life and his friend's lives so much and I did not want to leave them. The Last Olympian was a great ending to this series and is one of my favorite endings to a series ever. It felt like the best way to close this series. 

I will be picking up more of Rick Riordan's series this coming year and I cannot wait. 

3.) Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt- Read February 11th- 12th
When I had first read the synopsis of this book a couple of years ago I thought that it would be a good book. Now after reading the book I know that I was wrong. It was not only a good book it was an amazing book. A great read and an amazing story. Toby and June's friendship was something that I could not get enough of. I really got attached to every character. Another tear-jerk of the year. I love the ideas of art, love, and friendship that fill this book. One of my favorites of the year for its incredible message and for characters that I loved more than anything.


4.) Stranger than Fanfiction by Chris Colfer- Read March 1st
 This is Chris Colfer's second young adult book and I believe it was just as good as his first Struck by Lightning. Cash Carter is a young actor from a very popular television show (Chris has said that this is somewhat based off of events in his life). Four friends who have been obsessed with the show since they were kids jokingly invite him on a road trip. They are very surprised when he says yes. Cash has been hiding many dark secrets though from everyone that explain his dejected attitude about everything. Slowly, the teens and Cash develop a deep relationship. I love the sarcastic humor throughout this book. I was not expecting how sad this would get.

5.) The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde- Read April 20th-26th 📚
Dorian Gray is a self-absorbed man who treats the ones that love and care about him horribly. He becomes completely enamored by a portrait of himself that his friend, Basil Hallward painted of him. After another friend, Lord Henry mentions that he will eventually lose his beauty he becomes obsessed with the idea of how the painting will never lose its beauty but he will. Dorian sells his soul so that he would never age as his portrait changes. Over time he changes into a man that only cares for himself and uses those around him. The portrait then starts to reflect the man he truly is, a corrupt man who is vain.

It is interesting to watch Dorian's self-destruction as he loses every bit of redeemable qualities that he once had. The story is slow at the beginning but it is completely worth getting through the first thirty or so pages. Dorian becomes a detestable man that it is hard to feel a bit sorry for him but his decline into narcissism is one of the most interesting stories I have ever read. I would recommend this book to anyone. His self-absorption in the fact that his beauty will eventually end is quite fascinating and I kept wondering what else this man would do.

6.) Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi- Read May 1st- 3rd 📚
This was a great novel and it makes me want to read more of Tahereh Mafi's works. She writes in clever prose with beautiful lyrical writing. Also, her asides are quite funny along with the chapter introductions. She has a companion to this book that came out last year called Whichwood that I will be reading soon. This story is geared towards Middle Grade but I cannot help but think that anyone would have a fun time reading this (I believe anyone can enjoy a good Middle-Grade novel. I don't care what age you are). Not only is this a great adventure story but it also is a story about individuality. Alice is never afraid of being herself and will let anyone know this. She, I believe would be a great inspiration for younger readers and even older readers.


7.) 180 Seconds by Jessica Park- Read May 7th 📚
It's not every day that I adore a book from the first page of it but I became utterly hooked on this book from the very first page. There was something about Simon and Allison's relationship in the first chapter that made me adore them so much. I did not know too much going into this book. I knew that Allison was a college student who had been adopted at the age of sixteen. That interested me so much because one I had never read a book with a character that had been adopted at such a late age and was very interested to see what would happen. Her interactions with Simon (her adopted father) are so beautiful and I adored them immensely as characters.

8.) Bull by David Elliot- Read May 18th 📚
One of the greatest aspects of this book is the fact that it was written in verse. I can not imagine how long this book would have taken to write let alone contemplate. I love the idea of writing in verse myself since I love writing poetry and I love reading it. The author explains at the end the types of verse that he used throughout for each character. Every one of the characters speaks differently and brings new layers to the story.

What I really liked about David's book was that, yes he stuck to the myth but he added character and motivations to the story that were not already there before. He explained at the end his process in writing this and I loved that he did this. This is one of my all-time favorite Greek myths and he added a layer to the story that made me love it so much more. Asterion, the Minotaur becomes a tragic character in this story that I loved. In the original myth he really never had much of a character but in this David makes the character have new dimensions. I felt bad for him.

9.) My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows, Brodi Ashton- Read May 24th- 26th 📚
 I have said this before on this blog but I'll say it again. When I was in tenth grade I really loved learning about the Tudor family and everything else about England at that time period. Really, I just loved my history class at that time but still. I thought that their story would be an interesting historical fiction novel and I have been looking for one ever since. Last year, I heard of this book for the very first time and I knew that I would have to pick it up. Man, am I happy that I did. This became a new favorite historical fiction novel and novel with humor in it for me. I love the characters especially Jane and also the plot. The beginning of this novel is similar to what actually happened in history and then it becomes its own thing. I loved the mixture of history and fantastical elements and I could not get enough of it. Now this year, the Lady Janies have a new book coming out called My Plain Jane which I will be reading when it comes out. :)

10.) Heartless by Marissa Meyer- Read June 9th 📚
I adored this book and it was hard for me to read it at times because I knew what was going to happen to Catherine the whole time. This is the origin story of the Queen of Hearts one of the memorable characters of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Throughout the story, each of the denizens of Wonderland is shown and we learn how they ended up where they are and how they are in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Catherine is the future Queen of Hearts who has the affection of the King of Hearts who deeply loves the young woman. Catherine does not want his love or to become queen, she wants to open up her own bakery. She is known throughout the kingdom for her wonderful treats. At the ball, that she is supposed to be proposed to at, she meets Jest, who she falls hard for. She and Jest secretly court each other because of her family and the king. Catherine wants nothing more than choosing her path but she has fate to fight with. She will be the future Queen of Hearts even if she does not want it.

I really loved how Carollian the writing in this book was. Marissa Meyer did an incredible job creating her own story but also making it feel like it could have been written by Lewis Caroll himself.

11.) The Land of Stories: Worlds Collide by Chris Colfer- Read July 11th 📚
Chris Colfer has been a favorite author of mine since 2012 when his first book The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell came out. I have loved Chris from his first episode of Glee and I still do. His books are just so special to me and I kind of wish that they would have come out when I was a kid. That is not saying that I did not enjoy them now because I adore them. Really, I just wish I could have been lucky enough to grow up with them like the kids are now. I am much older than the target audience of this series, even though I don't really believe that you have to be a certain age to enjoy a book. The Land of Stories is one of my favorite series of life and that will never change. Every single year I have done a reread of each of the books leading up to the release of the new one (I'm going to miss doing this). This was a great end to a series that I have loved for five years. The characters are great, the lands he created are all so vivid, and this world is one that I would live in, in a heartbeat. I have compared the feeling of finishing this series to when I finished the Harry Potter series ten years ago. This is actually the first series that I read along with as each of the books was released instead of reading them months or even years later. This was the perfect ending book to a series that I have loved for years and I cannot wait to see the companion series that he is planning on writing. I will be reading it as soon as they come out. As I said above in Stranger than Fanfiction, I have read every one of Chris's books and I don't plan on ever stopping. Also, I am beyond excited for the movies. I may be one of the only adults that will be there without children, but I will be seeing it as soon as it comes out.

12.) Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor- July 30th- August 2nd

Laini Taylor has a writing style that I simply adore and this story was one of the best that I have ever read. Lazlo and Sarai's stories are beautiful and I could not get enough of this book. This is my second of her books with Daughter of Smoke and Bone being my first a few years ago. Strange the Dreamer has a world that I would love to live in and characters that I connected with so much. Also, that ending was powerful. I'm interested in seeing what will happen in the next book. Laini's style may not be for everyone but it is for me. It's lyrical, poetic, and each line feels alive in itself. This book was perfection.

13.) The Wendy Project by Melissa Jane Osborne, Veronica Fish (Illustrator)- Read September 2nd 📚

 This is a stunning graphic novel and is one of the best that I have ever seen visually if not the best. The illustrations/art by Veronica Fish are incredible and I just want to keep looking at them. The story is also great. I love retellings or stories that take a twist on original tales and this one was definitely very good. Melissa Jane Osborne takes the tale of Peter Pan and twists it into a story of grief and how to overcome great obstacles. The notebook-like design is not only clever and beautiful but it also goes perfectly with the story that Melissa is telling. I recommend this book to anyone that loves the original tale of Peter Pan and graphic novels. This was a great take on a classic story that I cannot get enough of. Also, it looks absolutely stunning and has a great texture to the cover. I could gush about it forever. Please, if the premise of this book sounds even a bit interesting to you, pick it up. You will not regret it. 

14.) The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell- Read September 10th 📚

I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook of this novel. The fantasy story was interesting and also cute. I rooted for all of the characters especially our two main characters, Xar and Wish. Also, the witches are interestingly different than I have ever seen before and are creepy. Cressida Cowell is great at story building and writes with a voice throughout the story that I could not get enough of. Her use of wit and narration are great parts of this story. This is the first book of Cressida's that I have picked up and know I will pick up others of hers. She is known for writing the popular How to Train Your Dragon book series that the two Dreamworks movies are based on. Middle-grade fantasy is a genre that I have always loved and this is an incredible example of one of the best. She builds this world that I felt like I was walking around in when listening to this book. The creepiness of these witches and also just the deep dark forest was perfect for the story. She says at the beginning that we may have heard of deep dark forests before but we really don't know what we are getting into. Her descriptions throughout were perfect to show this.

David Tennant did a great job creating a distinct voice for each of the characters. I have loved David Tennant since I first saw him in Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire movie and also in a few episodes of Doctor Who.  He gave each of the characters a voice that seemed to fit their characters. My favorites were for the sprites, which were amazing. So adorable. He could literally read any audiobook and I would listen to them. That is because he made these characters come alive and created this atmosphere of a reading experience that I will never forget. Saying that I enjoyed listening to this book is an understatement. He made this book so much for me and I know that I will be picking up the rest of the series once they come out.

15.) Mort by Terry Pratchett- Read September 23rd- 25 📚
 The fourth book in the Discworld series and the first in the Death subseries, which is so far my favorite of the subseries. Death has been in each of the books so far because he comes when someone dies. This book focuses on him taking on an apprentice and then trying to find a more "normal" job for himself. Death both understands humankind more than we ever could because he has watched us for so long, but also is trying to still understand emotions and the actions of humans.
His adventures and quotes within this book our some of the best I have ever read in literature let alone in this series. This easily made it onto my favorites list. I can't wait to get more of Death's story throughout the novels.

16.) The Marvels by Brian Selznick- Read October 9th 📚

The Marvels tells two different stories that connect in such an amazing way. The first is told in about 400 pages of continuous pictures. It begins with a boy named Billy who is shipwrecked in 1766 and eventually finds work at a theater in England. Throughout this story, we follow the rest of his family throughout the generations and their life as actors. This is up until 1900 when Leontes Marvel is banished from the theater.

The second part of this story takes place almost a century later, in 1990, with the runaway Joseph Jervis. He has come to England from his boarding school to try and find his uncle. Albert Nightingale, his uncle, is known to be a strange man living in the most stunningly beautiful house, that contains many secrets. Joseph becomes fascinated in this house and his uncle. He tries everything to figure out what has happened in the past with his family and also the house.

I loved both sides of this story and especially the twist that we find out in the second part of this story. This is definitely my favorite of Brian Selznick's books. I would recommend reading this and his others. They are all very good.

17.) The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo- Read November 3rd-4th 📚
 This is a beautiful fairy tale collection set in Leigh Bardugo's Grishaverse. Each story in this collection is accompanied with illustrations on every page which grow with each page until they make a two-page spread illustration at the end. Besides the illustrations, the stories are just as stunning if not more. Leigh Bardugo's writing is one of my favorites ever and I could not get enough of each of these stories. Some were based on some of the original fairy tales and other classic tales, and others were completely of Leigh's own creation. I loved how each story had the feel of a classic fairy tale to them. Really, I could have had twenty more of these tales and I would have been happy. I hope that she will eventually write more of these. I'll definitely buy them. Also, I cannot wait to read more of her books this year. I will be at least reading her Wonder Woman book.

18.) Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao- Read November 15th-18th 📚
From the first sentence of this audiobook, I was hooked. I have not read many books where the villain was the protagonist. I really loved this retelling/ origin story of the Evil Queen. The Snow White fairy tale has always been one of my favorites and this twist on that was enjoyable to read. It definitely became a new favorite one for me out of any of the Snow White or any other retellings. I loved Julie's take on this story and how she made it her own.

My favorite aspect of this book was how Julie made this her own story. I just love how she took these classic concepts and twisted them into a novel that I could not stop listening to. It became one of my favorites last year among a list as you have seen here that is quite extensive. I cannot wait for the next book in this duology, which I will be picking up as soon as it comes out.

19.) Descender: The Deluxe Edition Volume 1 by Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen (Illustrator)- Read December 13th 📚
I had heard so many incredible things about this graphic novel series since it had first come out. At the end of last year, I was lucky enough to get the chance to review this first volume for the website Impulse Gamer. This was even more incredible than what I had heard before. It is definitely in my top graphic novel picks along with I Hate Fairyland and the Wendy Project. The illustrations in this graphic novel are stunning watercolor designs that just pop out. The story was very compelling. I really connected to TIM and cannot wait to continue his story in the near future. This is one incredible volume that I would recommend to anyone to read. It has a great mix of action, adventure, and science fiction.

20.) Hogfather by Terry Pratchett- Read December 26th- 29th 📚
This has been a great year of reading and I'm glad that this was one of my final books of the year. I loved starting Terry Pratchett's Discworld series last year and cannot wait to continue with Pyramids this month. Hogfather was one of the darkest so far for me of the Discworld series and also the funniest. It was entertaining reading about Death saving Hogswatch and also the world along with it. So far this is one of my favorites of the series. Terry Pratchett was an incredible writer and person and I would recommend them to everyone. He was one of a kind and it devastates me to know that he has not been with us for almost three years now. What an incredible mind and person. I cannot express to you enough about how much you should read this book and the whole series in general. If you love a great fantasy you should read this. If you love the feeling around Christmas you should read this. And finally, if you love a great story you should read this. This was an incredible book that I cannot speak more highly of. Also, Death is one of my all-time favorite characters out of any book.

Top 5 Favorite Books of the year
5. Mort by Terry Pratchett
4. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
3. The Land of Stories: Worlds Collide by Chris Colfer
2. Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan (because I'm counting this as one)
1. The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo

Friday Reviews 5: September 30th- October 6th, 2017

Friday Reviews Week 5: 

September 30th- October 6th

🍁 Book 1: Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller 🍁

Narrated by Deryn Edwards

 Listened to September 24th- October 1st

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Sallot Leon is a thief that steals a poster announcing the open auditions for the Left Hand, who are the powerful collection of the Queen's personal assassins. They are named after the rings that she wears-- Ruby, Emerald, Amethyst, and Opal. Sal goes to the auditions hoping to be able to become the next Opal. Their reasoning is more towards wanting revenge. 

Sal is a gender-fluid character that has had to be tough their whole life because of their horrible past. This character really interested me especially once I learned more about their past. The bits and pieces we get throughout were important for their overall character. I have never read a book quite like this and was not sure of how I would like it. I'm glad to say that I enjoyed it. 

Deryn Edwards (the narrator) not only reflects the viciousness of the main character, Sal, but also the other characters that she is voicing. She conveys the brutality of this novel in her narration and also the vulnerability of Sal. As the story continued, I began to get attached to Sal and was rooting for them. 

This is a compelling story that will pull the reader into the world that is being created, wondering what will happen next. I would have liked to have a bit more about this world that we are getting thrown into so early on. There are many times that we do learn more, but not enough. This book intrigued me and I will be picking up the rest of the series. 

*I received the audiobook for free for an honest review*

🍁 Book 2: Hamlet by William Shakespeare 🍁

Read October 5th and 6th

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~Favorite Quotes~

I really love this play. This was the second time that I have read it, the first time was in my senior year of high school. It is one of my favorites of Shakespeare's plays. There are so many quotes that I could mention here, but I'll keep to three. My favorites: 

- HORATIO. Good night, sweet prince.  (5. 2. 364)- Hamlet by William Shakespeare- stunningly beautiful

- HAMLET. A dream itself is but a shadow.  (2. 2. 265)

- HAMLET. To be or not to be- that is the question: 

                     Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

                     The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune

                     Or take arms against a sea of troubles

                     And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep-

                     No more- and by a sleep to say we end

                     The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks

                     That flesh is heir to. 'Tis a consummation

                     Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep-

                     To sleep- perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub,

                     For in that sleep of death what dreams may come - my favorite part of this

                     When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,

                     Must give us pause. There's the respect

                     That makes calamity of so long life.

                     For who would bear the whips and scorns of times,

                     Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely 

                     The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,

                     The insolence of office, and the spurns

                     That patient merit of th' unworthy takes, 

                     When he himself might his quietus make

                     With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,

                     To grunt and sweat under a weary life,

                     But that the dread of something after death,

                     The undiscovered country, from whose bourn

                     No traveller returns, puzzles the will, 

                     And makes us rather bear those ills we have 

                     Than fly to others that we know not of?

                     Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, 

                     And thus the native hue of resolution

                     Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,

                     And enterprises of great pitch cast of thought,

                     With this regard their currents turn awry

                     And lose the name of action.  (3. 1. 56-89)

                  This had to be here as a favorite. There are so many great lines and many that we still use today that come from Hamlet's famous soliloquy. This was hard enough to type up on here, I could not imagine memorizing the whole thing to act out. It's such a great part of the play. 

~ The Plot ~

Hamlet is about a young prince who has become doomed by his father's murder (or should I say murther) to plot his revenge. It is about a man's quest to avenge his father. The madness and tragedy ensues while he tries to incriminate his uncle. 

Hamlet's actions in this play can be quite comical. I enjoyed many of the parts of the play when he is acting "crazy" and the reactions of the others around him that are witnessing this madness. He can be quite cruel at times, especially to Ophelia. It was for the act but some of what he says to her is hard to read. Overall, I enjoyed Hamlet as a character and watching his actions. He's so funny. 

The one thing that makes this not perfect to me is a couple scenes from Act 3 and 4. They sort of dragged on and to me were not as great as the rest. 

I enjoyed reading this play again and seeing the actions of these characters again. Gosh, how I forgot how annoying Polonius truly is.  Sure "brevity is the soul of wit", go by your own advice sir. 

~ Overall Thoughts ~

If you are looking for a play of Shakespeare's to read this should definitely be on your list. And there's a ghost, so it somewhat fits with the Halloween vibes of October. 

Also, if you would rather watch the play there are many great performances you could watch. One is from the BBC from 2009, it has Patrick Stewart and David Tennant as Hamlet. It's fantastic. 

Hamlet BBC 2009, soliloquy scene 

Also, there's an abridged version of the play that I would recommend from the Reduced Shakespeare Company. 

Hamlet Performance

Also, it's done by just three men. It's hilarious. 

&

The Complete Works of Shakespeare 

🍁 Thanks for reading this. Have a great weekend. 🍁

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland- Review

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Review- Read June 1st and 2nd

📚📚📚📚📚

" 'Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?'

'That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said the Cat.

'I don't much care where-' said Alice

'Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat"

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll - This is my favorite quote. 

I could talk for hours about how much this book has impacted me throughout my whole life. I will have a post probably next week with my top 20 influential books and this will be on that list. This is one of the books that I look forward to reading every year now and is the book that started my love for Alice in Wonderland retellings. This month is going to have many of them so I thought why not read the original that started the craze. 

For those that do not know, this is the story of Alice and her adventure that she has in the land of Wonderland. There she meets many different strange and interesting characters and learns about herself. This is a story of a young girl's wild imagination. Alice at the start of the book sees a white rabbit that she follows down a rabbit hole into Wonderland. This hole goes on for a long time where she starts to question many different things that she learned in school. You can really tell Alice's age by the way she describes her lessons and also what she has learned. Her voice is an authentic young child's voice (she's seven years old). After the fall she goes throughout Wonderland meeting famous characters such as the blue caterpillar, the Hatter, the March Hare, the Duchess (a interesting but annoying character), the Queen and King of Hearts, the Cheshire Cat and so many others. Each of these characters are so multi-leveled and our some of my favorites in all of literature. 

This is a tale that sparks my interest. I love the characters and I love what can be learned from this tale. This time around I picked up on so many different things that I never realized before. If you have not read this novel before I would recommend picking it up. It is a different type of read but you just might enjoy it. I know that I have enjoyed it every time that I have read it. Alice is a character that is young but I can relate to her so much. Also once you read the whole book it will make more sense at least it did for me once I knew the ending. 

May Reads: Classics Month Part 2

Will be released on May 16
One of my most anticipated
reads this year. 

For my second month of classics I decided to read four different classics: The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Troilus and Cressida by Shakespeare. Also during the month, I plan on reading at least five other books plus the books I am reviewing. The other books I plan on reading are Coraline by Neil Gaiman, Traveler by L. E. DeLano which is the first book in a duology, Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi, Can you Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella and The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich (which comes out on May 16th).

I have eighteen books until I make my Goodreads goal of reading 100 books this year and I most likely will be able to accomplish that this month! 

The Classics

The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer: 

For these two epics, I decided to read editions of the books that I had never read before. The first time I read The Odyssey was in my senior year of high school and then in my sophomore year of college, I read the same edition. The edition that I decided to read is an edition of both that is written in prose. This is going to be an interesting read. I have never read The Iliad before but I have known the plot of the story for most of my life. I look forward to reading both of these and finally knowing the full story of The Iliad.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite classics of all time and I have been waiting for a while to do a re-read of it. The first time I read this was in 2013 and I believe that four years is a long enough wait to read it again. I cannot wait to pick this one up this month.

Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare

This will be my first time reading this play by William Shakespeare. I thought it would be an interesting one to pick up and it seems like fate to read this the same month I'm reading The Iliad and The Odyssey (my brother picked the order I would be reading my classics these two months). This play takes place during the Trojan War. I do not know a ton about it other than that it is a love story between Troilus and Cressida. It will be great to read another Shakespearean play. I hope it is as good as I believe it will be. 

The Other Books

Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi 

I have been waiting to read this book since I had first heard about it sometime last year. Tahereh Mafi is one writer I have wanted to read a book from for quite awhile but I just never had. This I believe will be a great start into her books. I bought this book last year when it released and have been waiting for the right time to read it. I believe that it is the right time now. This is another book that I have high hopes for. I hope I love it as much as I believe I will.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Every year for the last couple of years I have read at least one Neil Gaiman book. In May I want to take the time to read Coraline one of Neil Gaiman's novels that I have been wanting to read for years and I never took the time to read. It looks like it will be something I will enjoy immensely. I love Neil Gaiman's books so much. He is one of my favorite authors but likes to spread his books out so I'm not reading a bunch of his books in one year so I never read more than two Neil Gaiman books that I had never read before. This year I plan on also re-reading Stardust which is my favorite of his.

Can you Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

I have been wanting to read a Sophie Kinsella book for a long time. This is one that I thought would be a great start. She is known for having funny little books and I figured that this would be a great book to read in between classics, especially books like The Iliad and The Odyssey. This is about a woman named Emma who has been holding in a bunch of embarrassing secrets. Then one day she reveals them to a stranger on an airplane, who she finds out is the CEO at the company she is working for. This is all that I know about the story but it looks like it is going to be a fun read that I am looking forward to reading.

Traveler by L. E. DeLano

This is a debut novel from L.E. DeLano that I wanted to read from the minute that I had first heard about it. It is a book about alternate realities and characters coming out of stories. This is the first book in a duology that I cannot wait to read. May is going to be another month of debut authors and reads. This book is one of the many books that I have been anticipating for a while. It came out in February but I have not wanted to read it until now.

And finally...

The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich

I had first heard about this from an article at the beginning of the year saying the YA books coming out in 2017. From the first time, I heard about this book I wanted to get it and I pre-ordered it so I could read it the day it comes out. I cannot wait to read this book and it is one of my most anticipated reads of 2017 right below Chris Colfer's Land of Stories: Worlds Collide.


I will be doing a full review for each of these books when I read them along with the other books I am reviewing this month. It is a good amount of books for this month but I believe that I will be able to do it. We will see at the end of the month. This is going to be one interesting and eventful month of reading. I cannot wait. 

April Wrap-up: Classics Month Part 1

In the month of April I completed one of my first reading challenges that I had given myself, to read five classics during the month. I decided to read Moby Dick by Herman Melville, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, The Inferno by Dante Alighieri, Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne and The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I had read The Inferno and Winnie the Pooh previously and I wanted to read mostly classics that I had never read before. In May I will also be reading classics.

Moby Dick by Herman Melville- Read April 3rd- 25th

Rating: 📚📚📚

"I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to it laughing." 

I had a hard time trying to figure out a rating for this novel when I had finished it. The overall story was interesting when the narrator, Ishmael, stuck to the actual plot. There were plenty of instances though that he would either get off track or would go into long flowery descriptions of whales that would last for a number of chapters. These described the use of blubber, how to dissect a whale, and many other descriptions of the anatomy of whales. 

The overall story focuses on a man named Ishmael who is telling his story of a whaling expedition that he was going on. What Ishmael does not know is that his captain's, Ahab, actual reason for wanting to go whaling. He wants to take revenge for the loss of his leg to the "Great White Whale." Ahab's obsession leads them on this voyage to go after the whale in a mission "to kill the beast." It is the story that many people know. I wish that Melville would have stayed on the actual plot more and I believe that it would have been so much better. That is my opinion though and I can see why this has become a classic but I did not like it as much as I wanted to. 

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum- Read April 8-9th

Rating: 📚📚📚📚

"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain." 

Before I read this novel I had only known the story from the 1939 movie and the many television shows I have seen based off of the novel. The story is similar to the movie. A little girl named Dorothy is swept up in a tornado because she is not able to get out of the house in time. She lands in the house on a witch in Land of Oz. There she finds out from the Witch of the North (one of the differences between the movie and the novel) that she should go to the Wizard of Oz and he may help her get home. On the way to the Wizard she meets three characters: the Scarecrow, The Tinman, and the Cowardly Lion. Each has a reason to go and meet Oz. 

One of the differences that I was surprised about was the Wicked Witch of the West, who was one of my favorite characters in the movie. She is not in the novel that much and really is in the novel as comedic device. I did think that the witch was funny but this is one of the reasons that I did not love the novel. The Wicked Witch of the West has become one of the biggest and most known villains of time and I kind of wish that she had more of story in the novel. I loved her in the movie but I only liked her in the book. 

This novel was one that I have been wanting to read for a long time and I am glad that I read it. If you like the movie, I believe that you will enjoy the novel. It is interesting and a great piece of children's literature.  

The Inferno by Dante Alighieri- Read April 13th-18th 

Rating: 📚📚📚📚📚

"Abandon all hope ye who enter." 

This was the third time that I read The Inferno. I was first introduced to Dante's work in my senior year AP English class. I will always remember a classmate asking my teacher at the time why we were reading a book about Hell. He said that The Inferno was the most interesting out of Dante's Divine Comedy. It's ironic that the epic about Hell is considered by many as one of the most interesting. I cannot say anything to this because I have never read Purgatorio (Purgatory) or Paradiso (Heaven). I can say though that The Inferno is a carefully laid out piece that I enjoy wholeheartedly. 

Dante's Divine Comedy tells the tale of Dante's journey towards God and away from sin. The Inferno starts shortly before Good Friday and continues on until the morning of Easter Sunday. Dante is the narrator of the epic poem and it shows his trek throughout Hell with his guide Virgil (one of the most famous poets from Ancient Rome). He is being led away from sin by learning of the other sinners and of their punishments. Each of the punishments that Dante gave to the sinners in Hell are symbolic of the sins that they have committed on Earth. Dante divides it into nine Circles each getting worse as they go down. The first circle being the least and the ninth being the worst. 

He lays out his own idea of what he believes The Inferno would look like based on Catholic beliefs. Dante is believed to have invented the poetic form that he wrote in: terza rima. This is made up of stanzas with three lines each. The first and third lines in each of the stanzas rhyme while the second does not. The second line then will rhyme with the first and third line of the stanza after it. This type of rhyme scheme is meant to continue on throughout the whole poem until the end where the poet usually will end on a one line stanza to end the rhyme. Many of the English translations of The Inferno use this poetic form but many do not. I read a translation with the rhyme scheme. Being a poet myself I admire someone that can use a rhyme scheme like this and make it work well. The idea of three also goes along well with the other ideas of three throughout the epic: father, son, and the Holy Ghost; Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven; and the groupings of sin Incontinence, Violence, and Fraud represented by the three beasts at the beginning. Dante put a lot of thought and time into this piece and I cannot help but admire this carefully laid out epic. 

This is a challenging read but I would recommend reading it. There are many websites that can help out with understanding and many editions of the epic have little descriptions at the beginning of each of the Cantos (similar to chapters). Here is one of the websites that I have used in classes that are quite interesting: http://danteworlds.laits.utexas.edu/index2.html. I would recommend looking at this website after reading the Cantos. The information on this website is definitely a great addition to reading the epic. 

Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne- Read April 18th- 19th

Rating: 📚📚📚📚📚

I have already spoken on length about this novel. This was a great addition to the classics that I have read this month and I am very glad that I read this. Here is a link to my full review of the novel. http://whattoreadwithcag.blogspot.com/2017/04/winnie-pooh-by-aa-milne.html

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - Read April 20th- 26th 
Rating: 📚📚📚📚📚

" 'Harry,' said Basil Hallward, looking him straight in the face, 'every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter. The sitter is merely the accident, the occasion. It is not he who is revealed by the painter; it is rather the painter who, on the colored canvas, reveals himself. The reason I will not exhibit this picture is that I am afraid that I have shown in it the secret of my own soul.' "

Dorian Gray is a self absorbed man who treats the ones that love and care about him horribly. He becomes completely enamored by a portrait of himself that his friend, Basil Hallward painted of him. After another friend, Lord Henry mentions that he will eventually lose his beauty he becomes obsessed with the idea of how the painting will never lose its beauty but he will. Dorian sells his soul so that he would never age as his portrait changes. Over time he changes into a man that only cares for himself and uses those around him. The portrait then starts to reflect the man he truly is, a corrupt man who is vain. 

It is interesting to watch Dorian's self destruction as he loses every bit of redeemable qualities that he once had. The story is slow at the beginning but it is completely worth getting through the first thirty or so pages. Dorian becomes a detestable man that it is hard to feel a bit sorry for him but his decline into narcissism is one of the most interesting stories I have ever read. I would recommend this book to anyone. His self-absorption in the fact that his beauty will eventually end is quite fascinating and I kept wondering what else this man would do. 

Oscar Wilde's discussion of the human mortality throughout the novel also kept me wanting to read. He has his character Lord Henry discuss this aspect to Dorian at the beginning of the novel. Dorian's own fear of his mortality causes him to destroy his many relationships and to destroy his own soul in the process. He wants his beauty to be immortal and this ruins him. His friends in the novel do not have many redeemable qualities themselves. They all state their interest in Dorian and their love for him though this love is because of how he looks. These characters show a shallow way of life that is very much similar to the characters that Jay Gatsby surrounds himself with in The Great Gatsby. This idea of mortality also reminds me of Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, where he shows how fleeting mortality really is. The idea that the picture really will live on after Dorian is similar to the idea of the Sonnet living on forever.