Category Archives: Literary

Fleeting: Modern Adaptations of Old Classics (Shakespeare Edition)

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Being a lover of Shakespeare, I am always on the look out of modern adaptations to some of Shakespeare’s works. Some have been hits (for me) others have been misses (you gotta have some) and some fall in the in between.

So what worked for me may not work for you guys, but hey, that’s what opinions are for, no?

Keep in mind these are adaptations that are also modernized… I will not be looking at pieces like Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet… which is essentially the play with a modernized feel, what’s the point.

ROMEO AND JULIET
West Side Story
This has got to be the most obvious. Taking a look of who kills who, what happens to whom and most of the ending (Juliet doesn’t really kill herself as much as she may want to). It is well written, well composed, and chock full of dancing, singing, and drama. Classic in a Romeo and Juliet piece.

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Literary Review: Lover Unbound (Book 5) by J R Ward

Whoever out there has ever worked or played with an Ouija board may final the introduction to this particular book interesting… since Jane and her sister Hannah used the board to try to figure out a bit about their futures and overtime realized that it revealed more than they had thought.

Viscous – arguably the most brilliant of the Brotherhood (well in my point of view, because I just appreciate technology in general) – gets his moment in the spotlight if it wasn’t for the fact he comes equipped with his own light.

However, this guy has a hell of a past, and a hell of a way of attempting to come to terms with it. In fact I would go so far to say that by him enjoying what BDSM does in general has made me more uncomfortable than I am willing to admit in general…

Like always… for a bit of Viscous’ past just head on over to Book Thingo: Black Dagger Brotherhood Cheat Sheet Part 5
– Black Dagger Brotherhood: Vishous, son of the Bloodletter
– Payne
– Dr Manuel Manello
– Medical quirks
– The Bloodletter

So what kind of person was it going to take to crack this hell of a vampire? Well:

Available Summary:

Ruthless and brilliant, Vishous son of the Bloodletter possesses a destructive curse and a frightening ability to see the future. As a pretrans growing up in his father’s war camp, he was tormented and abused. As a member of the Brotherhood, he has no interest in love or emotion, only the battle with the Lessening Society. But when a mortal injury puts him in the care of a human surgeon, Dr. Jane Whitcomb compels him to reveal his inner pain and taste true pleasure for the first time – until a destiny he didn’t choose takes him into a future that cannot include her.

Yup another incredibly strong willed and viscously independent woman. Or after the fourth book in the series… a female version of Butch, Viscous’ best friend of the gang. Does anyone feel like this was a cop out in a way? I mean really.

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Literary Review: Old Friends New Fancies by Sybil G Brinton

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Technically I read this particular novel a few years ago, and I have reread particular portions of the novel but it has been a while since I have read the novel front to back in its entirety. So after those few years I decided to pack up the book and reread it during my flight to the west coast and from there decided to break it all down again.

First a few generalizations to note:
The author does notate some passage of years for various characters (if not all), however, there was a distinct feeling that all six of the primary novels ended at approximately the same time. As thus there was a sense of convolution in trying to fit everything in as much as possible.

There were a fair number of characters that were either 1) mentioned in passing, 2) passing through as an obstacle or 3) passing through as a connection for other characters to meet. How do these break down? Well
1) Edward and Elinor Ferrars, Colonel and Marianne Brandon, Catherine Tilney, most of the Bertrams
2) Anne Steele, Robert and Lucy Ferrars, Sir Elliot, Lady Catherine de Bourgh
3) Lady Portinscale (Eleanor Tilney), Mr Yates

As always there were a few primary romances that occurred over the course of the novel… without providing any spoilers some of the characters in question included:
Northanger Abbey: James Morland
Mansfield Park: Tom Bertram, William Price, Mary Crawford
Pride and Prejudice: Colonel Fitzwilliam, Georgiana Darcy, Kitty Bennet
I am sure from the above you are able to figure out the majority of the pairings (if not all)

Overall I rather enjoyed this particular novel, despite all the typos, editing errors, etc. It is probably one of the better Jane Austen sequels I have read in a while. With the majority of the characters staying true to the original characterization as depicted by Jane Austen it is a real trip to try to remember how someone knew someone else and why. At the same time the new romances were fun to follow as I found myself getting involved in them as well.

But like all books… I have a few grievances:

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Literary Review: The Guardians of Childhood (Books One and Two) by William Joyce

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After watching The Rise of the Guardians last month I immediately got intrigued (as I often do) with the idea that some of the worlds most loved icons were real and guarding the children. That here is Santa Claus (also known as North), the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and the Sandman (aka Sandy) who are protecting the children and their hopes and dreams from the evil Bogeyman (aka Pitch Dark).

So when I realized (upon some research) that the Rise of the Guardians were based off of a series of children’s novels by the writer William Joyce, I eagerly found the audiobooks for the first two in the series and am looking forward to listening to the third and the fourth.

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Review: Ice Cream Happy Hour

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Earlier this month I was talking to a friend of mine about my desire to make ice cream and she offered to loan me her ice cream machine indefinitely since she and her husband were not using it… ever. So naturally I decided “why not?” and borrowed the ice cream machine.

To test out the machine I tried a batch of a simple vanilla ice cream with chunks of chocolate and candy canes mixed in and had great success. So I decided that since I had so much alcohol at my place I needed to find ways to “get rid of” them without having to resort to either drinking, throwing a party, or giving them away. What was I left with was the idea of using them to cook with.

The idea came out like a bolt out of the blue… why not make boozy ice cream? It can’t be all that difficult and I am sure others have tried to figure out ways to make it work. So after some research online a young adult duo of Valerie Lum and Jenise Addison eventually authored a small recipe book called “Ice Cream Happy Hour: 50 Boozy Treats You Spike, Freeze and Serve”. BINGO!

I stumbled upon this duo via a post / article about them on Gizmodo which also featured a movie that gives a quick idea of what they did to create their boozy concoctions and also immediately I was sold. So I bought the book via Amazon.com and waited patiently for the book to arrive to create to give a recipe a try.

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UPDATES: Changing up the Review process

So I am going to try a new thing when talking about shows that I have seen… since I have a bad habbit of over chatting. At the top of the post I will have a list of points that I either liked, loved, or could do without… then if there were any standouts I would list them.

Once the basic bullet points are over then if you would like to read more in detail then I would do so as I normally would.

Hopefully this would help more in understanding what I was trying to say in the first place.

So the first thing anyone would see when coming onto my blog at the top would be the typical table breakdown of the show, director, musical director, and the creators. Afterwards for musicals I would include my instant thoughts of acting, singing, staging, set, choreography… and finally I would list the standouts and any other quick thoughts that I believe are rather important.

Then after the break I would go into my usual song and dance breaking everything down even more if you want to know the whys behind the whats.

Why am I am changing it up (again) well… after seeing Company out in BrightSide in Naperville with a friend earlier this week I realized that in every show I have gone to I would say something of the following:
– Acting: meh
– Singing: liked
– Set: meh
– Staging: loved
– Choreography: liked

Then I would proceed to go into details of the whys… by doing it this way I think it would give you the readers a chance to do a quick look of my “instant thoughts” as I call it and then if you have time could continue to read.

Would I go back to some of the past reviews and use this system? Probably not, it would take too much time, might as well just start with now.

Reflection: Shirley Lauro’s A Piece of My Heart

In late September, the production of Shirley Lauro’s A Piece of My Heart wrapped at Hale Park nearby Summit, IL. The production that I was a part of, that was so incredibly emotionally and mentally draining for me (but was ultimately worthwhile) had its last show with an avenue opening for a reprise / revival to occur sometime down the road.

However, very early on in the rehearsal process I originally wanted to read the book “A Piece of My Heart: The Stories of Twenty-Six American Women Who Served in Vietnam” Put together by Keith Walker. In the end I decided not to due to the possibility of having twenty-six different voices in my head versus just one voice that is a conglomeration of a few of the stories. Granted there are pros and cons in reading the original stories… But in the end I was glad I made that decision of not reading any of the original stories prior to the run of the production.

However, now that the run is over, I was tempted to go and read the book that inspired the play:
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Literary Review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Title: Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Format: Audiobook

Mockingjay available summary:

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

One of the things that struck me here was just how attached Katniss has come towards Peeta… upset that Peeta was left behind in favor of her, how she couldn’t understand why she was the symbol of the revolution or why they simply couldn’t find anyone else.

What I have complained over and over again in regards to my not being able to connect with Katniss throughout the series… finally comes into fruition in the third book of the series. I find myself wanting what is best from her, wanting her to succeed to get everything she has ever wanted. At the same time I think this attributed to the fact that she has finally grown as a character as opposed to staying relatively the same throughout the series.

Who knew when President Snow posed to Katniss that she has to act like she was in love with Peeta to make President Snow believe they were in love that the consequence was that in the Capitol taking Peeta and using him against Katniss that she would have actually fallen for Peeta and not necessarily in the romantic scene but in a deep loving bond where she would want no harm to happen to him.

And this is the heart and the center of Mockingjay… what drives Katniss into the directions taken to the ultimate conclusion. And this is why that a part of me is pleasantly surprised that after finding myself drawn to the secondary character I am finally able to relate to Katniss and find her a character worth rooting for.
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Literary Review: Timeless by Gail Carriger

Title: Timeless
Author: Gail Carriger
Series: Book Five
Format: Paperback

Up until this point most of the action has stuck around the England area… with a quick trip to Scotland. Now the action has gone even further… towards Egypt or more specifically: Alexandria the home of the oldest vampire hove in the world at that time. Its queen has requested the presence of Lady Maccon and her precious (and precocious) daughter Prudence… whom is now categorized as a “metanatural” essentially a being that within proximity of a supernatural would steal that particular supernatural’s powers turning them temporarily human and Prudence temporarily supernatural. This little conundrum provides some very comedic sequences throughout the novel as little Prudence isn’t entirely aware of her own abilities when she becomes supernatural.

In fact the book opens up with the Maccons getting ready for the theatre and little Prudence is going through “Bath Night” with the drones and Lord Akeldama and just that first sequence gives the reader a very good idea of how life is now that Prudence has come into the world… heaven forbid that Lord and Lady Maccon would produce a docile child.

Although a fair amount of the focus is on Lord and Lady Maccon and their trip to Alexandria there is indeed a secondary storyline that was building in the sidelines that I found myself skipping through Lord and Lady Maccon just to see how this secondary storyline would pan out.
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Literary Review: Heartless by Gail Carriger

Title: Heartless
Author: Gail Carriger
Series: Book Four
Format: Paperback

So this is it, the fourth book in the series… finally. Originally I was going to wait until I was able to get the audiobook for the final two books of this series… but considering when my overseas trip popped up I thought it best to just purchase the series (seeing as that I wold most likely read the series at another time again) and I would find time to read the final two books either on the flights or while galvating through the streets.

First thing’s first… in this fourth book in the series we are brought into a conundrum of sorts whereas the little “infant-inconvenience” is furthering inconveniencing her parents by being a prime target of murder/assassinations by the vampire hive in residence (though they would never formally admit that).

So how to rectify that particular situation? Professor Lyall once again proves his meddle by providing the most elegant solution at the moment: Have Alexia’s closest vampire friend Lord Akledama adopt the little “infant-inconvenience” while in the meantime Lord and Lady Maccon would take of residence in the townhouse next door for appearances.

Ok, they will take up residence next door for appearance and name only… in fact they will reside in Lord Akledama’s second-best closet within his own townhouse. Say what? Needless to say, Alexia was not pleased that the three men most important to her and her child’s wellbeing went behind her back and planned her situation for her. But what can she do?

Being eight months along in her pregnancy hasn’t stopped her from continuing on her escapades through the streets of London going so far as to call upon the aid of one Ivy Hisselpenny now Ivy Tunstell who is also expecting.

But why? In this case, a ghost appeared in the presense of one Lord and Lady Maccon to warn her of a plot to assassinate the queen. Which is where a lot of the plot revolves around.
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Literary Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Title: Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
Format: Audiobook

The second book in the series we are re-introduced to Katniss and the world around her. She and Peeta have both made it out of The Hunger Games alive and relatively in one piece, but when Katniss admitted to Peeta that she didn’t really fall in love with him, she was just playing the game in an effort to keep the both of them alive. Except she is feeling a little broken hearted and the connection they felt while within the arena had virtually disappeared… at least according to Katniss.

We are introduced to the notion of the Quarter Quell… where every 25th Hunger Games there is a special twist that is added to the mix. During one Quarter Quell all the districts had to nominate the children to send into the Games, in another Quarter Quell all districts were expected to send double the tributes. In the third Quarter Quell all the tributes would be polled from the pool of previous living victors. In this case Katniss was automatically a part of the Quarter Quell and for the men it was between Haymitch and Peeta and as it would turn out, Peeta volunteered for the Quarter Quell.
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Literary Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Format: Audiobook

So I finally got around to finishing out the trilogy that every one has been talking about for years. Yes I am that behind.

Unfortunately one of the things that kept me from reading / listening to the trilogy earlier was that a lot of the premise reminded me a lot of Battle Royale that was created back in 1999 with a movie adaptation in 2000.

I enjoyed Battle Royale despite the insane amount of blood, violence and sex… because the provocative storyline is something that I could see would happen in the not so distant future (which was the setting of the story in general).

Available summary of Battle Royale (from Amazon.com):

In an alternative future Japan, junior high students are forced to fight to the death! Koushun Takami’s notorious high-octane thriller is based on an irresistible premise: a class of junior high school students is taken to a deserted island where, as part of a ruthless authoritarian program, they are provided arms and forced to kill one another until only one survivor is left standing. Criticized as violent exploitation when first published in Japan — where it then proceeded to become a runaway bestseller — Battle Royale is a Lord of the Flies for the 21st century, a potent allegory of what it means to be young and (barely) alive in a dog-eat-dog world. Made into a controversial hit movie of the same name, Battle Royale is already a contemporary Japanese pulp classic.

A bit too close to that of the “present time” as opposed to The Hunger Games where the setting was post-current Earth. It would appear that a World War III of some sort occurred and now everyone is left in a very authoritarian world. In fact it was rumored that Albert Einstein once said:

I do not know with what kinds of weapons the Third World War will be fought, but the Fourth World War will be fought with sticks and stones.

Yeah, no kidding. In any case, to the fantasy / science-fiction mind a premise of using children as play pieces in a game / fight to the death is not a new premise. In fact this has been the kind of story from ancient times most typically:
– Gladiator style in ancient Roman times
– the mythology of the Minotaur where fourteen young sacrifices were given to please the monster in a massive maze

So it is rather believable that two authors could have come up with rather similar premises to create their stories. After a significant amount of time as passed I finally decided to listen to the audiobooks more out of curiosity than anything else.
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Literary Review: Lover Awakened (Book 3) by J R Ward

Title: Lover Awakened
Author: J R Ward
Series: Book Three
Format: Audiobook

The third book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series focuses on the darkest Brother of group: Zsadist. With a past that others could never conjure up in a million years and a devil may care attitude on his life and future, Zsadist appears to be the Brother for whom everyone seemed to believe redemption doesn’t exist.

A former blood slave, the vampire Zsadist still bears the scars from a past filled with suffering and humiliation. Renowned for his unquenchable fury and sinister deeds, he is a savage feared by humans and vampires alike. Anger is his only companion, and terror is his only passion—until he rescues a beautiful aristocrat from the evil Lessening Society.

Bella is instantly entranced by the seething power Zsadist possesses. But even as their desire for one another begins to overtake them both, Zsadist’s thirst for vengeance against Bella’s tormentors drives him to the brink of madness. Now, Bella must help her lover overcome the wounds of his tortured past, and find a future with her…

When I listened to the Black Dagger Brotherhood series for the first time, Zsadist’s story was the one that I couldn’t listen to all the way through. There was just so much going on that I simply couldn’t stomach it. It wasn’t until I was listening to the series the second way through that I was able to listen through the book all the way through and I was glad that I did.
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Literary Review: Lover Eternal (Book 2) by J R Ward

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Title: Lover Eternal
Author: J R Ward
Series: Book Two
Format: Audiobook

The one thing I enjoy about the series – even though this is just the second book – is that you get a quick recap / cut to the chase with what happened in the previous book. Also, if the first book was used to introduce the mythology and background to the reader then the second book onwards lays the ground work for future books in the series for ever as long as needed. The relationship between the hero and heroine was a fairly cookie cut two people meet and eventually fall in love this particular book the hero worked hard to win over the heroine.

Available summary:

Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the vampire with the strongest appetites. He’s the best fighter, the quickest to act on his impulses, and the most voracious lover—for inside him burns a ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin. Possessed by this dark side, Rhage fears the times when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him.

Mary Luce, a survivor of many hardships, is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world and reliant on Rhage’s protection. With a life-threatening curse of her own, Mary is not looking for love. Her faith in miracles was lost years ago. But when Rhage’s intense animal attraction turns into something more emotional, he knows that he must make Mary his alone. And while their enemies close in, Mary fights desperately to gain life eternal with the one she loves…

After a book that had quite a bit of action, this particular book was fairly low key in comparison. Sure there were a couple of action sequences here and there, but it focused more on the couple and their budding relationship as well as filling out some of the other characters in preparation of future books. Here you start to see the seeds of characters like John Matthew, Tohrment and Wellsie, Bella, Zsadist and Phury just being planted and nurtured for the future. This book also delves a bit more into the Lessening Society and the Lessers moving back and forth between the two societies. If anything, even though the primary story is between Rhage and Mary Luce it wasn’t the only storyline that was given special treatment here.

Rhage’s background and story can be found in more detail at Book Thingo’s Cheat Sheet below.
Book Thingo: Black Dagger Brotherhood Cheat Sheet Part 2
– Black Dagger Brotherhood: Rhage, son of Tohrture
– Reproduction and the Needing
– Tohrture

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Literary Review: Lover Avenged (Book 7) by J R Ward

Note: I actually listened to all the books in the series straight through and will be re-listening to them in order in another week or two. Since I didn’t review all the books from the beginning, a lot of these will be out of order but eventually I will get to all of them.

Title: Lover Avenged
Author: J R Ward
Series: Book Seven
Format: Audiobook

Rehvenge was slowly gaining steam in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series as more than just a passing mention. Even though we’ve had glimpses of him in the first two books (Dark Lover and Lover Eternal) we didn’t really know how he is connected to the Brotherhood if at all until Book Three: Lover Awakened. Since then we’ve learned the following
– owner of the club ZeroSum a regular hunting ground of the Brotherhood
– major drug supplier in the Caldwell area
– brother of Bella shellan (wife) of the Brother Zsadist
– lover of the Symphath princess

As of the end of Lover Enshrined, Rehvenge was also tapped to be the “Princeps Leahdyre” the leader of the council run by the aristocrats of the vampire society… similar to the “House of Lords” in Britain. Even though we know bits and pieces of the kind of front that Rehvenge presents to the world we don’t really know him as a person except from heresay (Xhex and Bella) so he appears to have a kind of dichotomy surrounding him.

In fact, Lassiter the fallen angel describes him best:

The righteous do not always right, but their souls remain pure.

Available summary:

Now, as the vampire warriors defend their race against their slayers, one male’s loyalty to the Brotherhood will be tested – and his dangerous mixed blood revealed.

Caldwell, NY, has long been the battleground for the battleground for the vampires and their enemies, the Lessening Society. It’s also where Rehvenge has staked out his turf as a drug lord and notorious nightclub that caters to the rich and heavily armed. His shadowy reputation is exactly why he’s approached to kill Wrath, the Blind King, and leader of the Brotherhood. Rehvenge has always kept his distance from the Brotherhood, even though his sister is married to a member. Because he’s a sympath, his identity is a deadly secret- the revelation of which will result in his banishment to a colony for sociopaths. And as plots within and outside the Brotherhood take their toll against Rehvenge, he turns to the only source of light in a darkening world – Elhena, a vampire untouched by the corruption that has its hold on him – and the only thing standing between him and eternal destruction.

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