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For the past two months or so, I've been busy moving my content over to my new blog on WordPress. I hope that you'll join me in my future literary adventures on my new blog: Literary Wanderings. WordPress does offer a free email subscription, so feel free to subscribe to my new blog via email. Thank you!

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A Midsummer Night's Dream - William Shakespeare Review

Title: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Author: William Shakespeare
Genre: Classics; Plays; Fiction; Drama; Fantasy; Romance; Literature; Theatre; Poetry
Goodreads Rating: 3.94/5 stars
My Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Pages: 280 (Paperback)
Publisher: Barnes and Noble Shakespeare
Published: July 26, 2007 (Original publication: 1595)

Summary: Shakespeare’s hilarious though often unnerving story of desire, confusion, and magic has delighted audiences for 400 years.

'The course of true love never did run smooth."

This was a reread for me. I read A Midsummer Night's Dream, for the first time, as a freshman in high school, so it's been a while. At one point, A Midsummer Night's Dream was my favorite play by Shakespeare, but as you get older and read more, your tastes and standards change - as they should. That being said, A Midsummer Night's Dream doesn't fall into my standards for a "favorite" book, anymore. I still enjoy it, but I'm not in love with it.

It kept my interest, but I wasn't riveted. I was more amused and baffled at Shakespeare's depiction of love being a desperate bargain. Although, this depiction does bring attention to a fact that is pervasive in all modern romantic relationships, whether a couple will admit it or not: one person always loves the other person a bit more or a bit "better" than the other will - without intending to. This isn't malicious, it's just a reality of the (human) love. And, Shakespeare's literature does a wonderful job of detailing the human experience, as well as human nature when it comes to love and the whole spectrum of emotions.

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My Brilliant Friend - Elena Ferrante (The Neaopiltan Novels #1) Review

Title: My Brilliant Friend
Author: Elena Ferrante
Series: The Neapolitan Novels #1
Genre: Fiction; Historical; Cultural - Italy; European Literature - Italian Literature
Goodreads Rating: 3.88/5 stars
My Rating: 4/5 stars
Pages: 331 (Paperback)
Publisher: Europa Editions
Published: September 25, 2012 (Original publication: October 19, 2011)

Summary: Beginning in the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples, Ferrante’s four-volume story spans almost sixty years, as its protagonists, the fiery and unforgettable Lila, and the bookish narrator, Elena, become women, wives, mothers, and leaders, all the while maintaining a complex and at times conflictual friendship. Book one in the series follows Lila and Elena from their first fateful meeting as ten-year-olds through their school years and adolescence.

Through the lives of these two women, Ferrante tells the story of a neighborhood, a city, and a country as it is transformed in ways that, in turn, also transform the relationship between her protagonists.

"That bag was a fundamental feature of Don Achille, he always had it, even at home, and into it he put material both living and dead."

I found Ferrante's writing style, her depiction of Italy, and her complex characters, incredibly interesting and engaging. If I had to rate this book based solely on Ferrante's writing skills and creativity, this would easily be a 5/5 rating. But, Ferrante's slow pacing and frequent chunks of rapid fire information made this book difficult to keep up with - the slower sections made reading the book feel like a chore, at times. I believe that Ferrante needed to find a happy medium regarding the pacing and information, because a slower pace and larger portions of exposition were necessary for the story to have a coherent flow. But, that slower pacing needed to refrain from becoming stagnant and the revelation of information needed to be deliberately done.

"Our world was like that, full of words that killed: croup, tetanus, typhus, gas, war, lathe, rubble, work, bombardment, bomb, tuberculosis, infection."

The harsh reality that was everyday life for each of Ferrante's characters was always present - overbearingly so, at times. I was baffled at how parents could go from beating their children in one breath, to expressing love for their children in the next breath. But, I believe that was the combination of the time period and the culture. These conflicts do play into the grand scheme of the plot and the character's growth.

"When I think of the pleasure of being free, I think of the start of that day, of coming out of the tunnel and finding ourselves on a road that went straight as far as the eye could see, the road that, according to what Rino had told Lila, if you got to the end arrived at the sea."

Ferrante did a lot of telling and little showing, which is contrary to what readers and writers are "supposed" to read/write; but, I think this was done to compensate for the snail-like pacing, at times. It took me a while to get into this book because I was waiting for Ferrante to show, rather than tell, but I eventually realized that this series is narrated as a sort of creative autobiography. But, the "autobiography" format tells the story of both Italy and this cast of characters - much of which I'm sure is loosely based off Ferrante's own life and experiences. Which, held a great deal of appeal for me.

I liked My Brilliant Friend a lot. I didn't love it, but I did enjoy it enough to want to continue reading the series. I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in complex characters, plot driven stories, and well written contemporary novels.

If you are interested in Ferrante's series, be on the lookout for HBO's TV series adaptation of My Brilliant Friend - which, presently, has a 2018 air date.

"My father held tight to my hand as if he were afraid that I would slip away. In fact I had the wish to leave him, run, move, cross the street, be struck by the brilliant scales of the sea. At that tremendous moment, full of light and sound, I pretended I was alone in the newness of the city, new myself with all life ahead, exposed to the mutable fury of things but surely triumphant."

Until next time! Thank you for stopping by! And if you have yet to do so, follow me here on my blog via email subscription to be able to stay informed on when new posts are uploaded.

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Book Haul

Lack of bookshelf space means absolutely nothing when summer reading recommendations are put out on display at your local bookstore. Throughout the month of May, I picked up six books that have been on my Goodreads TBR (To be Read) list for a while - so these buys were well overdue.



Title: A Separate Peace
Author: John Knowles
Genre: Classics; Young Adult; Academic; Literature
Goodreads Rating: 3.56/5 stars
Pages: 208 (Paperback)
Publisher: Scribner
Published: 2003 (Original publication: 1959)

Summary: Set at a boys boarding school in New England during the early years of World War II, A Separate Peace is a harrowing and luminous parable of the dark side of adolescence. Gene is a lonely, introverted intellectual. Phineas is a handsome, taunting, daredevil athlete. What happens between the two friends one summer, like the war itself, banishes the innocence of these boys and their world.

The short and mysterious summary for this story instantly grabbed my attention. And the fact that it is based during WWII, falls into my goal of wanting to continue to expand my awareness, as a reader and a human being, of the literature that addresses WWII.



Title: The Lovely Bones
Author: Alice Sebold
Genre: Fiction; Mystery; Young Adult; Contemporary; Fantasy
Goodreads Rating: 3.77/5 stars
Pages: 328 (Paperback)
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Published: April 20, 2004 (Original publication: 2002)

Summary: On her way home from school on a snowy December day in 1973, 14-year-old Susie Salmon ("like the fish") is lured into a makeshift underground den in a cornfield and brutally raped and murdered, the latest victim of a serial killer--the man she knew as her neighbor, Mr. Harvey.

I'm still baffled as to how The Lovely Bones is considered to be a Young Adult novel, considering the heavy and disturbing topic and content; further confusion was added when I realized that most bookstores and libraries shelve The Lovely Bones as an adult novel. The heavy and disturbing content is what kept me from picking this book up as a kid, even when my best friend - at the time - had been gushing about both the book and the film adaptation. So, I am glad that I'm finally getting around to this book. I'll probably even check out the movie after I read the book.



Title: The Story of a New Name
Author: Elena Ferrante
Series: Neapolitan Novels #2
Genre: Fiction; Cultural - Italy; Historical; European Literature; Italian Literature
Goodreads Rating: 4.37/5 stars
Pages: 471 (Paperback)
Publisher: Europa Editions
Published: September 3, 2013 (Original publication: 2012)

Summary: The second book, following last year’s My Brilliant Friend, featuring the two friends Lila and Elena. The two protagonists are now in their twenties. Marriage appears to have imprisoned Lila. Meanwhile, Elena continues her journey of self-discovery. The two young women share a complex and evolving bond that brings them close at times, and drives them apart at others. Each vacillates between hurtful disregard and profound love for the other. With this complicated and meticulously portrayed friendship at the center of their emotional lives, the two girls mature into women, paying the cruel price that this passage exacts.

I'm currently reading and loving Ferrante's first book in the Neapolitan Novels series, My Brilliant Friend, so I figured I'd go ahead and pick up the second book. I want to get through as much of the series as I can before HBO's TV series adaptation of My Brilliant Friend airs. HBO is aiming for a 2018 premier date for the highly-anticipated drama series.




Title: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Author: William Shakespeare
Genre: Classics; Plays; Fiction; Drama; Fantasy
Goodreads Rating: 3.94/5 stars
Pages: 280 (Paperback)
Publisher: Barnes Noble Shakespeare
Published: July 26, 2007 (Original publication: 1595)

Summary: In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare stages the workings of love. Theseus and Hippolyta, about to marry, are figures from mythology. In the woods outside Theseus’s Athens, two young men and two young women sort themselves out into couples—but not before they form first one love triangle, and then another.

Also in the woods, the king and queen of fairyland, Oberon and Titania, battle over custody of an orphan boy; Oberon uses magic to make Titania fall in love with a weaver named Bottom, whose head is temporarily transformed into that of a donkey by a hobgoblin or “puck,” Robin Goodfellow. Finally, Bottom and his companions ineptly stage the tragedy of “Pyramus and Thisbe.”

The Barnes and Noble editions of Shakespeare's work are my favorite, because they offer up a happy medium between Shakespeare's language and modern language. That happy medium allows the reader to thoroughly understand the play, while making sure to not detract from the atmosphere and the culture of the time period. I'm excited to finally be able to reread A Midsummer Night's Dream, and to determine if it's still my favorite Shakespearean play.

Title: The You I've Never Known

Author: Ellen Hopkins

Genre: Realistic Fiction; Young Adult

Goodreads Rating: 3.92/5 stars

Pages: 608 (Hardcover)

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Published: January 24, 2017

Summary: For as long as she can remember, it’s been just Ariel and Dad. Ariel’s mom disappeared when she was a baby. Dad says home is wherever the two of them are, but Ariel is now seventeen and after years of new apartments, new schools, and new faces, all she wants is to put down some roots. Complicating things are Monica and Gabe, both of whom have stirred a different kind of desire.

Maya’s a teenager who’s run from an abusive mother right into the arms of an older man she thinks she can trust. But now she’s isolated with a baby on the way, and life’s getting more complicated than Maya ever could have imagined.

Ariel and Maya’s lives collide unexpectedly when Ariel’s mother shows up out of the blue with wild accusations: Ariel wasn’t abandoned. Her father kidnapped her fourteen years ago.

What is Ariel supposed to believe? Is it possible Dad’s woven her entire history into a tapestry of lies? How can she choose between the mother she’s been taught to mistrust and the father who has taken care of her all these years?

In bestselling author Ellen Hopkins’s deft hands, Ariel’s emotionally charged journey to find out the truth of who she really is balances beautifully with Maya’s story of loss and redemption. This is a memorable portrait of two young women trying to make sense of their lives and coming face to face with themselves—for both the last and the very first time.

Hopkins' latest book was published earlier this year, and it's already receiving a storm of mixed reviews. I devoured a good amount of Hopkins' books when I was in high school, so it's been a few years since I've read anything by her, even though I've been wanting to reread my favorites by her. I'm interested in seeing if I still love her work.

Title: Homegoing

Author: Yaa Gyasi

Genre: Historical; Fiction; Cultural-Africa; Literary Fiction

Goodreads Rating: 4.4/5 stars

Pages: 320 (Paperback)

Publisher: Vintage Books

Published: May 2, 2017 (Original publication: June 7, 2016)

Summary: Ghana, eighteenth century: two half sisters are born into different villages, each unaware of the other. One will marry an Englishman and lead a life of comfort in the palatial rooms of the Cape Coast Castle. The other will be captured in a raid on her village, imprisoned in the very same castle, and sold into slavery.

Homegoing follows the parallel paths of these sisters and their descendants through eight generations: from the Gold Coast to the plantations of Mississippi, from the American Civil War to Jazz Age Harlem. Yaa Gyasi's extraordinary novel illuminates slavery's troubled legacy both for those who were taken and those who stayed--and shows how the memory of captivity has been inscribed on the soul of our nation.

Homegoing is one of my most anticipated reads from the past year. The only reason I didn't scoop this book up as soon as it was published in 2016 is because I prefer paperbacks to hardbacks. I'm beyond excited to dive into Gyasi's debut novel!

Let me know if you spotted any favorites or any books that you've been looking forward to reading.

Until next time! Thank you for stopping by! And if you have yet to do so, follow me here on my blog via email subscription to be able to stay informed on when new posts are uploaded.

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The Winter Sea - Susanna Kearsley (Slains #1) Mini Review

Title: The Winter Sea
Author: Susanna Kearsley
Series: Slains #1
Genre: Historical; Romance; Fiction; Science Fiction; Time Travel; Cultural - Scotland
Goodreads Rating: 4.06/5 stars
My Rating: 1/5 stars
Pages: 536 (Paperback)
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Published: December 1, 2010 (Original publication: January 1, 2008)

Summary: In the spring of 1708, an invading Jacobite fleet of French and Scottish soldiers nearly succeeded in landing the exiled James Stewart in Scotland to reclaim his crown.

Now, Carrie McClelland hopes to turn that story into her next bestselling novel. Settling herself in the shadow of Slains Castle, she creates a heroine named for one of her own ancestors and starts to write.

But when she discovers her novel is more fact than fiction, Carrie wonders if she might be dealing with ancestral memory, making her the only living person who knows the truth—the ultimate betrayal—that happened all those years ago, and that knowledge comes very close to destroying her.… 

First off, this was a DNF (DNF = Did Not Finish) for me around page five. But, I pushed onwards to page fifty before officially calling it quits. Perhaps if this book hadn't been painfully boring and if I didn't have shelves of other books to get around to reading, I would have tried to muster up some patience for The Winter Sea.

'At least,' I said, 'he won't begrudge the name you gave him. Jack's a nice, good, manly name.'

No, but little Jack might grow up to despise being boxed into the narrow and uncomfortable niche of "manly". One of the many minor irritations in this book. Classic, well-used, and strong are all acceptable compliments for a baby name, without feeding into the everyday sexist language that men and women are working towards breaking down.

Aside from the sexism, littered throughout the book, the glaringly obvious issue with this book was the painfully slow pacing of the plot. Unnecessary descriptions, thoughts, and dialogue were plugged into the gaps the slow pacing created. If proper attention had been given to some of those descriptions, a beautiful depiction of Scotland could have been created.

The lack of strong transition sentences within the same train of thought, and movement from one thought to another thought was what made this book incredibly difficult to want to continue reading. And when the transition is lacking, the flow of the book suffers, as well.

There were a few gag worthy obnoxious Scottish clichés throughout the book, including the depiction of Scottish accents; which came as a bit of a surprise to me since Kearsley did a fair amount of research for this book. Along with the poorly written Scottish accents, the dialogue felt forced and unnatural.

The transitions between dialogue, scene, and exposition (of the main character's life/circumstances and the history of Scotland) were awkward and poorly placed. Which was all highlighted by the one-dimensional characters in this book - the main character, Carrie, was particularly lacking in depth.

I always find it ironic when I end up reading a terribly boring and one-dimensional book about a main character who is a best-selling author.

I think that this book is a bad case of trying to tackle too much. When too much is going on in a book, the author tends to leave much of the content and the characters underdeveloped. I also believe that if Kearsley hadn't angled this book as "time travel" in a likeness of Diana Gabaldon's best-selling series, Outlander , Kearsley would have had the room to better develop this book.

Until next time! Thank you for stopping by! And if you have yet to do so, follow me here on my blog via email subscription to be able to stay informed on when new posts are uploaded.


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The Hustle Economy - Jason Oberholtzer (Illustrated by Jessica Hagy)

Title: The Hustle Economy
Author/Editor: Jason Oberholtzer
Illustrator: Jessica Hagy
Genre: Business; Nonfiction; Self Help
Goodreads Rating: 3.72/5 stars
My Rating: 3.5/ 5 stars
Pages: 224 (Paperback)
Publisher: Running Press
Published: April 5, 2016

Summary: To survive in today's gig economy, you must be a mover, a shaker, a doer, and a maker. In The Hustle Economy, we give you 25 essays from founders, writers, producers, game makers, artists, and creative types from every path who share one common trait--they are all self-made hustlers who have managed to turn their creativity into careers. In this collection you will find essays from: Producer and performer Mike Rugnetta on why "Do what you love" is both the best and worst piece of advice you'll ever receive. Author, television writer, and humorist Emma Koenig on staying focused and productive no matter what life throws at you. Web comic Zach Weinersmith on the equation for success and using your creativity to do what the rest of us won't. Trendspotter Jess Kimball Leslie on identifying your skills and turning it into a successful career. This book exists to inspire and inform. Your creative career is attainable, and we'll show you how to do it and why it's worth it.

"While the suggestion "eat what you want; leave what you don't" might, at first glance, seem like a flippant and self-centered resolve, with little-to-no regard for expense, there is a truism that rings at a deeper level for me. In essence I hear: Do what you want. And of course, the cliché quickly follows: To thine own self be true. In other words don't force yourself to do, or partake, or be force-fed anything that does not whet your appetite, tempt your palate, fit your tastes, or intrigue, entice, or otherwise nourish you." { - Nancy Zastudil }

The Hustle Economy is composed of twenty-five essays by creative individuals, who have turned their passions and creative natures into sustainable careers. Both the editor, Jason Oberholtzer, and the illustrator, Jessica Hagy, wrote an essay, each, for the book, as well.

I had a few reasons for picking this book up: 1.) I loved Jessica Hagy's How to Be Interesting: An Instruction Manual . So, I figured I'd check out any other work that she was involved in. 2.) I'm majoring in English, a highly creative field - depending on what career path, one decides to take. Editing and writing are the two areas of the very broad English field, that I'm interested in; and I've been looking around and asking around for people's professional and personal experiences with creative careers - particularly careers in the English field. 3.) Being a college student, I have the doubts and worries that every college student experiences, no matter what subject they are majoring in. I suppose I was hoping to quell some of those doubts and worries through reading about how others had worked through and/or around their own doubts and worries.

"If you wouldn't daydream about it, it isn't part of the big picture." {- Donna Salgado }

Unfortunately, I didn't find what I was looking for. Which, doesn't make any of these twenty-five individuals' stories and experiences, any less valid. If I was aiming to be a freelancer, a small business owner, a self-employed blogger/editor/artist/ journalist etc... I believe that this collection of essays would have been more applicable to myself. While the core of these essays is rooted in turning one's dreams and passions into realities for his/herself, the executions of the writers' careers were generally non-traditional - breaking away from a large business and facing the career world, alone. There's nothing wrong with any of that, but this advice is more so geared towards the individual, who is pursuing a career that is composed of taking on passionate work when it's available, rather than going after a career that is non-stop passionate work.

What I did take away from this collection of essays is this: to succeed in whatever career one chooses, one needs to have a strong work ethic that is compatible with his/her talents, passions, and the bit of luck that everyone receives, occasionally. And, most importantly, never give up.

The writing, itself, was interesting and well-done. The format of the essays and the illustrations added on to the interest factor. And, I appreciated the diversity of the authors' backgrounds, careers, and experiences. My personal gratification with this novel was low. But, the effort put into this collection of essays is obvious. This wasn't the book for me, but I believe that this would be an excellent addition to the library of any individual, who is wanting to leap into the world of non-traditional creative work.

"Just make good work and put it out there." The first word doesn't mean "simply", it means "only". Don't procrastinate, don't hide your work. And don't make bad work, at least not knowingly." {- Nick Douglas }

In case you missed it, here is my review for Jessica Hagy's  How to Be Interesting: An Instruction Manual .

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The Orchardist - Amanda Coplin Review

Title: The Orchardist
Author: Amanda Coplin
Genre: Fiction; Historical
Goodreads Rating: 3.75/ 5 stars
My Rating: 5/5 stars
Pages: 448 (Paperback)
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Published: March 5, 2013 (Original publication: January 1, 2012)

Summary: At once intimate and epic, The Orchardist is historical fiction at its best, in the grand literary tradition of William Faulkner, Marilynne Robinson, Michael Ondaatje, Annie Proulx, and Toni Morrison. In her stunningly original and haunting debut novel, Amanda Coplin evokes a powerful sense of place, mixing tenderness and violence as she spins an engrossing tale of a solitary orchardist who provides shelter to two runaway teenage girls in the untamed American West, and the dramatic consequences of his actions.

"And that was the point of children, thought Caroline Middey: to bind us to the earth and the present, to distract us from death. A distraction dressed as a blessing: but dressed so well, and so truly, that it became a blessing."

This debut novel by Amanda Coplin, blew me out of the water. And, I'm amazed that this book only has a 3.75/5 stars rating on Goodreads. Books like "The Orchardist" are the books that are deserving of buzz and praise. I can't say that I've read a book about the human existence and loneliness, that was written this well and beautifully. I'm grateful for good friends, who recommend fantastic books.

"Somewhere along the way he had forgotten to remember her, he had forgotten to constantly call her back from the distances she was always intent on pursuing."

Coplin addresses a few themes in "The Orchardist", but the primary themes are the human experience, loss, and loneliness. The reader is faced with three generations that are forced to play out these themes, in varying ways. I won't elaborate on how those themes are portrayed for each generation - for each character, because I don't want to spoil the plot and the conflicts. But, I will say that loneliness, vulnerability, varying degrees of love, existential dread, obsession, and fear of abandonment are accurately and painfully portrayed through the beautiful, unforgiving wilderness and the unrelenting characters. The silent strength that was a slow burn for each character, linked everyone's struggles. Through these linked struggles, lives became intertwined. And instead of clinging to one another as a means of withstanding the sharp pain of memory and the weight of their struggles, the characters pushed one another away. By refusing to be vulnerable of their own accord, the characters were unaware of how vulnerable they made themselves by hiding from the world and from love.

"And then she woke and there were no men and no horses, there was no orchard and orchardist and child, there was no fruit and no sky, no wet - smelling air; only emptiness. There was no time. There was no wilderness to lose oneself inside. She touched her face in the dark; she had her self. But then, she thought, her self was nothing. She was nothing. Why are we born? She thought. What does it mean to be born? To die?"

Existential dread, is something that everyone experiences in life - typically more than once. Most people refer to it as a sense of hopelessness or being purposeless. To not have a purpose, an identity, or a reprieve from loneliness, is the equivalent of being suffocated by a bleak existence. This existential dread is highlighted in the lives of Talmadge and Della. The more I think about it, the more I wonder which is more important: a purpose or someone who loves you and who allows you to love them? Or is our unifying purpose: to love and to be loved? But, then the question arises: is there enough love in the world to fill up a broken spirit? If there is, I believe that The Orchardist would have been given an alternate ending. While this ending broke my heart, and left me feeling a bit uneasy, the book wouldn't have been as poignant or unforgettable if it hadn't ended the way it did.

The writing is beautiful and the flow of the plot is in tune with the development of the characters. There were points where the book was slow, but those points were typically devoid of character growth. The surrounding wilderness is enticing but unpredictable, a wonderful symbol for the complexity of love.

I can't wait to see what Coplin comes out with next!

"Jane had warned her: children come to displace. They live on earth after you are gone, and forget you."

Until next time! Thank you for stopping by! And if you have yet to do so, follow me here on my blog via email subscription to be able to stay informed on when new posts are uploaded.

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