Book Review - The Importance of Being Earnest

While reading The Importance of Being Earnest, I kept wondering how I managed to skipped over this one. It seems like something that should have been part of my curriculum in college. Or at the very least I should have seen one of the movie versions of the play. But somehow I did not.

And yet, as I read it recently, it felt very familiar. Part of the familiarity comes from the use of tropes common to comic writing. We have cases of mistaken identity, intentional deceit, unlikely coincidences and more. The dialog is witty and playful but with a biting undertone that gets at the heart of the theme.

The play centers on the interactions of two young men, Earnest and Algernon. At the onset we encounter the two men discussing the merits and virtues of life. During the discussion, we learn that Earnest’s real name is Jack but that he assumes the name Earnest while in London.

Books Reviewed in 2019

Each year I try to read and review a bunch of books. Some years I do better than others. Some years life gets too crazy and I either don't read as much as I'd like, or I don't write reviews on as much, or a combination of both.

Below are the books reviewed during this year.

Here are links to the past few years (2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009)

1. The Owls Have Come to Take Us Away
2. The Old Man and the Sea
3. The People of the Black Circle
4. Pulpit & Nation: Clergymen and the Politics of Revolutionary America
5. Norse Mythology
6. The Circular Staircase
7. Bambi
8. The Girl Who Drank the Moon
9. The Importance of Being Earnest
10. 
    

Book Review - The Girl Who Drank the Moon

After seeing the great cover and reading the summary, we picked up a copy of The Girl Who Drank the Moon but it took a while to finally crack the cover and start reading. In the meantime, it won the Newbery Award a number of friends recommended the book to me which helped move it further up on the "to be read" pile. I finally read it and frankly was a little sad that I hadn't jumped in sooner.

The story is set in an unknown fairy tale type world. In this world there is a walled city called the Protectorate that is surrounded by dangerous swamp, forest and volcanic territory. Each year, the city sacrifices their youngest baby to a wicked witch by leaving the baby on a rock in a nearby clearing to be claimed by the witch.

Little do they know that the witch is actually a good witch and she discovers and saves these abandoned babies each year and carries them to adoptive families living in cities on the other side of the swamp. Sometimes when carrying the children, the witch feeds them sips of magical Starlight to strengthen them. One night, she mistakenly feeds the baby Moonlight instead which "enmagicks" the girl. The witch feels responsible and adopts the girl for her own. The novel tells the story of the people in the Protectorate, the witch and her friends and the upbringing of the young girl Luna...the girl who drank the moon.

The narrative structure jumps primarily between three main narratives.

Book Review - Bambi

I suspect I'm not terribly unique in never having read Bambi and having my only knowledge of the story being the Disney film. Bambi is a short novel written by Felix Salten in the early 1920s and was widely popular when it was released. It even had a sequel (Bambi's Children).

For those unfamiliar with the concept of the novel, Bambi is a book set in a forest and centered around the character of Bambi. It just happens that Bambi is a deer. We start the novel learning of Bambi's birth and then continue through the various stages of his life. Initially, the only characters are Bambi and his mother. Slowly, Bambi's circle of existence expands and he meets other animals and eventually even meets other deer, including a pair of other fawns born the same season as him.

The story progresses at a leisurely pace, letting us grow slowly with young Bambi. We learn about the way of life in the forest, the way things are balanced, the various small dangers lurking about. We also see Bambi's innate curiosity when he discovers various topics that his mother is unwilling to expound to him. She teaches him that there is danger standing out in the open meadow in the middle of the day, but she isn't willing to go into detail about the threat of Man. She only tells him that they must only go to the meadow at night and that if they are ever in the meadow and she starts to run, that he must run as well and keep running no matter what.

Book Review - The Circular Staircase

Having recently re-read a bit of Agatha Christie's work and also recently watched movie and TV adaptations of her things, I was intrigued when I heard of Mary Roberts Rinehart referred to as the "American Agatha Christie." I had never heard of her but figured I'd give her writing a try. A general consensus suggested that The Circular Staircase is her most well-known and lauded work so I started there.

The book began (and continued) with a style and pattern that felt rather familiar when compared with other 19th and early 20th century writing. In this novel we are introduced to a wealth spinster named Miss Rachel Innes. Miss Innes has decided, in a moment of uncharacteristic impulsiveness, to rent a summer home with her niece and nephew. We are quickly drawn in by her idiosyncrasies and those of the people around her, particularly her servant Liddy.

Almost immediately upon arriving in the home, Miss Innes encounters strange happenings. That first night she's there, she encounters a number of strange noises from an unknown trespasser and a tumble down the circular staircase in the middle of the night. Then, the night her niece and nephew arrive, a man is mysteriously murdered at the foot of the staircase with no apparent witnesses or suspects.

Book Review - Norse Mythology

I've always enjoyed mythology. I remember studying the Greek and Roman myths numerous times in school and personally had a couple of books of Greek myths as a child. I even remember having a brief segment about ancient Egypt and some of their myths. But through my school years I never remember any lessons on Norse mythology. My High School mascot was the Viking. Even then, the most Norse mythology we had were a handful of names for various rooms in the school or some allusions referenced during assemblies or games.

Most of my knowledge about the Norse myths is a hodgepodge of misinformation from comic books and TV shows. And yet, I've always enjoyed the concept of Norse mythology. The image of the ancient Viking and his lore has often intrigued me but I never felt like pulling down the Eddas and diving in deep. So I was excited when a modern author I enjoy decided to take a stab at sharing Norse Mythology.

One thing I appreciated was that Gaiman's writing is very approachable and allows the stories to really shine without language or structure getting in the way. It was pointed out that this compilation of myths is structured as though we were sitting around the fire and the author is just telling the tales. The language is beautiful and elegant without being onerous or distracting. The style and format really drew me in and added to my enjoyment.

Book Review - Pulpit & Nation

I won a copy of Pulpit & Nation: Clergymen and the Politics of Revolutionary America from the author and I was interested in reading this. The book explores the relationship between Religion and Politics in the decades leading up to and immediately following the formation of the United States of America. When thinking about the role of religion with regards to the American Constitution and Independence, most people just think of the "separation of Church and State." Even that simply stated notion is laced with all sorts of intricacies that go beyond the face value.

In the book, McBride spends some time exploring the concept of 'separation of Church and State.' Even more than that he dives deeply into the nature of Religion and Politics and the way the two interact during that era. He shows many, many ways in which "Church and State" were heavily entangled during the birth of our Nation. From prayers offered during political meetings to preachers on the battlefield to studying the sermons given around the countryside, the book shows that religion played a very important part in the way America traveled the path to Independence and how our political landscape developed in subsequent years.

Book Review - The People of the Black Circle

I have vague memories of the Conan movie(s) from the 80s starring Arnold but beyond those spotty memories, I have had no interaction with the character or stories of Conan. And yet, I felt like I had a pretty decent sense on him just based on his permeation into popular culture. Still, I've always wanted to dive in and read some of the original books about the famed barbarian.

Rather than starting at the beginning, I started with The People of the Black Circle. I found many people claiming it to be one of the best stories written by original author Robert E. Howard so I felt like it was a good place to start. The term "sword and sorcery" as a subgenre was largely created for Howard's work such as the Conan stories. This story has a large focus on the sorcery part.

The first many pages don't feature Conan or any swordplay at all. Rather we are introduced to some evil wizards known as the Black Seers of Yimsha. Supposedly these wizards normally don't interfere with matters of non-wizards but through a series of intrigue and machinations (that we discover later) they assassinate the emperor of Vendhya. The emperor's sister, the Devi Yasmina, becomes the new queen and she vows revenge.

Since no one in her kingdom dare take on the Black Seers, the queen's revenge involves a plan to get the famed warrior Conan to infiltrate the mountains and kill the wizards. She has captured 7 of Conan's chiefs and is holding them hostage with the hopes of convincing Conan to do her dirty work.

After that build up, we finally get our first glimpse of Conan as he sneakily infiltrates the palace and kidnaps the queen, thus turning her ransom plan on its head. As he escapes the army that chases after them, he is driven through an adventurous path of interactions with would-be-allies and would-be-enemies before eventually being confronted by the wizards and deciding to go after them.

Book Review - The Old Man and the Sea

I've been having a hard time deciding what to say about The Old Man and the Sea. I had long heard it described as a masterpiece and a sweeping tale about human suffering and perseverance but I knew very little about the plot or the concept. I think part of me was expecting something like Moby Dick. Which may explain why when I finally picked it up, I was rather surprised to find myself holding a very slim paperback of just over 100 pages.

The plot is very simple. An old fisherman has been having a string of bad luck with no catches. He climbs into his boat and tries to improve his luck by venturing out farther than he has recently. Initially he's worried that his bad luck will continue but then he gets a bite. But it's so much more than a bit. He has hooked an immense fish that leads him around the ocean on a relentless struggle.

The writing is simple, fluid and beautiful in a way that seems to reflect the simple life of this poverty-stricken old fisherman. The book opens with a brief glimpse into his life and the life of the other people in his village. The characters are humanized and help to draw us in as readers. Even if we can't relate to his way of life or his work, we can relate to him as a human being with his own passions, pains, joys and struggles.

The story may not appeal to everyone. The majority of the book takes place in the boat and is a sort of stream-of-consciousness of the old man as he tries to work through the situation. While Hemingway supposedly claimed no metaphor or allegory, there is certainly a lot of depth and pondering that a reader can apply to their own life as they struggle in the boat with the old man. You don't have to have gone fishing in the ocean to be able to relate to struggling with challenges you don't know you can overcome. The grit and gumption of the old man may remind us of people we know or even times in our lives when we persevered in spite of howling adversity.

If you haven't read this book, I recommend giving it a try. Put aside whatever reason has kept you away. Whether you felt overwhelmed reading Hemingway or you don't want to read a "fish book" or whatever other excuse you may have, I feel that if you approach this with an open mind and a desire to relate, you will find yourself drawn into this book more than you expect.




4 out of 5 stars




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Book Review - The Owls Have Come to Take Us Away

Reading the summary and the praise for The Owls Have Come to Take Us Away, I was excited to check it out with the hopes of finding another great option to hand to reluctant younger readers. It was compared to Louis Sachar who I absolutely enjoy and have recommended to many kids. The premise also sounded like something that would have a great appeal. The story of a young boy obsessed with aliens who is then abducted. The imagery of the creepy owls mimicking (or perhaps being/becoming) the referenced aliens made me feel like this had potential.

I dove into the story, working through the introductory pages and chapters, eagerly awaiting the moments of sci-fi tension or creepy foreboding from the owls. I was a little puzzled at the direction the story took. It meandered around with some exploration of the familial and social world of our protagonist Simon. While this was fine, I found these relations taking on the heart of the story in a way I didn't expect.

The story is told in Simon's voice both through his own narrative and through him sharing with us a fantasy story he's writing. He lives on an Air Force base, the latest in many. Simon's parents are biracial which he makes a point of letting us know (a few times). He has a bad relationship with his father in that he feels like a bit of a disappointment to his father or at least that he's not what his father hoped. His father is a little verbally abusive even in the times he tries to show compassion. It felt a little like a stereotype from an old TV sitcom. Simon has asthma and is on meds for that as well as other meds later in the book. His mother tries to be supportive but she feels a bit flat and disconnected. Simon is distanced from others but has one core friend he can turn to even if there are issues in that friendship.

Throughout the first few chapters, we learn that Simon read a book about aliens and is a bit obsessed with them. He's studied up and is very knowledgeable about all sorts of trivia around alien sightings, abductions and the like. So much so that it's a point of contention with his parents.

**** minor plot spoilers in next 2 paragraphs *****

Based on the title and the synopsis, I kept expecting "the owls" or the aliens to make an appearance early on and/or repeatedly. Instead, I kept getting to know more and more about Simon and his family and his life. The whole plot felt rather mundane as we read along with the ways he tries to deal with his personal issues.

Finally, Simon and his family are going camping and I thought "Yes, here come the owls." There was a minor moment of excitement and then we're back home. Convinced that he was abducted while camping, Simon tries to work through this with his parents. His parents take him to therapists and get him on medications and the whole incident makes relations with both his parents even worse. Simon seeks out someone who will believe him and finally makes a connection with some other "believers."

****** End main spoilers **********

At this point, I realize that this slim book is running out of pages and I'm concerned as to how they're going to resolve things. I still felt like there hadn't been any real good climax and I had essentially decided to change my expectations from this being an alien abduction kid's horror novel to being a psychological book about emotional issues and parent-child relations.

As the pages of the book quickly ran out, I suspected the way the author was going to end it. I have to admit I was a little surprised as to the way the book concluded. In some ways I was glad for the surprise because my "predicted" ending would have been a little heartless and depressive (even if realistic and thus able to act as a harsh fable).

Instead the ending felt very forced. The quick turn of events and sudden nuances were a bit 'deus ex machina' and the overall conclusion was rather unsatisfying. We are rushed through the wrap up and given a multi-paragraph discourse on the moral of the story. It's obvious that this moral is intended to be coupled with all of the unresolved emotional baggage from the other story threads. Throughout the book Simon also shares with us some chapters from the fantasy book he's writing. These chapters give more insights into some of the intentional messages and conversations this book is obviously trying to induce. Unfortunately I felt like this "messaging" was a bit too heavy handed and became the crux of the story rather than a message to be learned from a good story. Add to that the fact that no realistic resolutions are given and I wonder at the author's motivation in framing the story in this way.

Overall the premise sounded intriguing. The writing is adequate and can easily be digested by a reader in the 8-10 year old age group. The pacing of the story is fine, once you realize what kind of a story you're reading. An overly excited young kid looking for a high adrenaline thriller would quickly lose interest. The messages of the story could be nice talking points between adults and kids, either in a classroom or a therapeutic setting, but I doubt kids will care about them otherwise. Young readers may be more forgiving of the hasty wrap up and messy conclusion, but only if they make it that far in the book.



2.5 out of 5 stars



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