books

Review: The Comedy of Errors

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The Comedy of Errors
The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Two sets of twin baby brothers are cast adrift in a storm and wash up on shore in separate cities. When they are grown, they meet up again, not knowing of the others’ existence, and mistaken identities abound! One man’s wife mistakes him for his twin, and some creditors apply to the wrong twin for payment. The servants are totally confused, because they keep receiving conflicting commands from their masters.

While there are lots of hilarious situations, mix-ups, and puns and jokes galore, the plot is very straight forward with no surprises, and that made me a bit bored. It’s a very short play with a small cast of characters. It’s comedic fluff with not much of a story to it.

Maybe I’m just not in the mood for comedic fluff right now. Maybe if I saw it performed, it would be funnier, and I would enjoy it more. Reading a play is never the same as the real thing.

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Review: Royal Assassin

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Royal Assassin
Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love every single thing about this book! The storytelling is so masterful that I feel like these are real events and real people. I have all these emotions rolling around in my heart, and I’m still completely immersed in the Farseer world.

Fitz is the perfect main character. I can’t even explain to you how much I adore this person! He’s doing his assassin thing, and plotting and spying and fighting; but he’s also trying to have his own life, and keep his relationships with friends and family intact through all the upheaval.

The evil Red Ships are attacking the coast, and Fitz is caught up in the battles, with a unique perspective since he knows most of the undercurrent of politics and scheming that is going on. Continue reading →

Poetry Review: Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage

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Childe Harold's Pilgrimage
Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage by George Gordon Byron

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is an epic poem in four Cantos about a young man, disillusioned with life, who goes on a tour of Europe, reflecting on wars fought in various countries and their histories, and ultimately deciding that life sucks, and there is no love or peace to be found anywhere. (Yay. So it’s a happy poem.) There are many references to a hidden emotional pain of Harold’s that forced him to leave England and haunts him wherever he goes, marring his enjoyment of life. What that painful secret is, we never find out.

The poetry itself is beautiful, of course, but I was hoping for more of a plot instead of all these ramblings and reflections on history and society. The entire poem is rabbit trails with no real resolution! There’s little to no structure in the story. Continue reading →

Book Review: Living as a Christian: Teachings from First Peter

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Living as a Christian: Teachings from First Peter
Living as a Christian: Teachings from First Peter by A.W. Tozer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tozer goes through most of the verses in 1 Peter, giving an overall view of what it means to be a Christian: what the true Christian believes, how the true Christian acts, and how the true Christian lives in a fallen world.

I found some of the writing to be wonderfully deep and insightful, but other parts were almost childish in their simplicity. There’s also a lot of repetition of the same ideas, same words, over again, and that got on my nerves.

The content is excellent with strong doctrine, but the writing is flabby and could use more editing. Continue reading →

Book Review: The Invention of Hugo Cabret

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The Invention of Hugo Cabret
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hugo is an orphan child, living and working in a grand train station in Paris. He is the son of a clockmaker, and loves to tinker with mechanical things. He meets a bitter old man and a bookish little girl, and finds that he is not the only one struggling to make sense of his past losses.

This is a story told partly in words, partly in pictures, and with reference to the beginnings of the motion picture. It amazes me how the story encompasses so many mediums!
It’s a melancholy story about loss and heartbreak, but also about finding a family of your own and owning your past. Continue reading →

Review: Redwall: The Graphic Novel

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Redwall: The Graphic Novel
Redwall: The Graphic Novel by Stuart Moore

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Matthias Mouse, whose home is being attacked by the evil rat Cluny the Scourge, is on a quest to recover the legendary sword of Martin of Redwall, so that he can meet Cluny in battle. There are riddles and secret passageways, old enemies and unexpected friends, and of course, several mighty battle scenes!

I adore the full novel, Redwall, so seeing it in graphic form was exciting! There is so much more depth to the story that couldn’t be included in this format, but it still managed to fit most everything in there, although it feels a bit rushed. Continue reading →