The Seagull by Anton Korenev My rating: 4 of 5 stars Thank you NetGalley and Anton Korenev Entertainment for providing me with an ARC of The Seagull in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The Gist It has been so long since I last read a play. Now that I’m thinking about it, it must be at least ten years. Probably even longer, since I finished my minor in Drama before 2010. Time certainly flies. Before I started reading The Seagull, I was sure I had heard of the title before. Unfortunately, I just never had the opportunity to read it. I had a difficult time…
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Schweigeminute
Schweigeminute by Siegfried Lenz My rating: 4 of 5 stars About a week ago my computer crashed; blue screen, sad-face emoji and everything (apparently Microsoft added a sad-face emoji to soften the blow or whatever). Once my little laptop regained consciousness, I had the great idea to start a new bookmark folder containing links to German TV channels. Recently I have been on a German TV and book trip again, after I realized that I have neglected those language skills long enough and a friend asked me to practice her German with me. It would only be fair to brush up to make sure that what I told her was…
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Northanger Abbey
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen My rating: 5 of 5 stars I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I love Jane Austen. I love her work. I am a self-proclaimed Janeite. I wrote my graduate thesis on Austen’s six major novels and a term paper on NorthangerAbbey. I have to admit, Northanger Abbey is my absolute favourite. The satire, the gothic, Austen’s humour and her ability to create a naïve character without making her annoying is quite the accomplishment. I adore Catherine’s evolution from a sheltered country girl to being thrown into the fashionable society of Bath. The characters in…
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The Marquise of O-
The Marquise of O– by Heinrich von Kleist My rating: 3 of 5 stars I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I read this story twice. Once during my advanced German literature reading course I took more than 10 years ago and then again for this purpose of this review. It is strange to say I enjoyed it, but I kind of did. It certainly leaves a lasting impression on the reader, as it did for me. I remember it so vividly, most likely because we discussed it in detail, but also because of the subtle approach the author took…
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Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge My rating: 4 of 5 stars A required reading for my zombie/vampire seminar, this was my second time reading this poem; however, I can’t remember when or where I had first come across it. I can vaguely remember someone in a class-setting talking about the mariner and facilitating some sort of discussion, but the details elude me, which really bothers me.Anyway, I think I have always preferred Coleridge to Shelley or Byron. I appreciate his skill for creating an eerie mood in his poems that is just perfect for what he is trying to accomplish.The poem itself isn’t my favourite, but…
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The Death of Halpin Frayser
The Death of Halpin Frayser by Ambrose Bierce My rating: 4 of 5 stars Another required reading for my zombie/vampire seminar.For some reason this story reminded me of the movie “The Labyrinth” with David Bowie. It could be because I had recently watched it and it was still fresh in my memory, but I assume it had something to do with the dream like sequence in the story. It’s that almost fantastic and otherworldly always reminds me a bit of classic 80’s fantasy movies. Although, this story had quite a bit of blood in it, so I would suggest not reading it whilst eating.The writing was quite nonchalant with a…
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Frankenstein
Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley My rating: 2 of 5 stars Part of BBC’s “100 Stories that shaped the World” list, I thought it would be fun to keep track of all the works I have read that are listed.Frankenstein was required reading for three of my courses; once during my undergraduate years and twice during my graduate program. I read it twice and went through the text the third time just skim reading it to remind myself of anything I may have forgotten.Truth be told, reading Frankenstein the first time had me on the edge of my seat, I was invested in the story and just waiting for the…
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Things Fall Apart
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe My rating: 3 of 5 stars Part of BBC’s “100 Stories that shaped the World” list, I thought it would be fun to keep track of all the works I have read that are listed.It was required reading for my postcolonial literature (PoCo Lit) course I took 8 years ago. I don’t remember much of the actual story, only that the course in general was not one of my favourite and postcolonial literature appears to be not my forte.It was an interesting story, but I believe the whole subject matter of postcolonialism always makes me rather sad and sometimes even makes my stomach turn…
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Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare My rating: 3 of 5 stars Part of BBC’s “100 Stories that shaped the World” list, I thought it would be fun to keep track of all the works I have read that are listed.Oh! The tragedy! I had to read this play in high school and about 7 years later I decided to read it again before seeing it at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival.It is not my favourite; to be completely honest it is tied with Hamlet as my least favourite of Shakespeare’s plays.It does capture the angst and brooding nature of the teenage years quite well (personally, I don’t look back on…
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To Kill A Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee My rating: 5 of 5 stars Part of BBC’s “100 Stories that shaped the World” list, I thought it would be fun to keep track of all the works I have read that are listed.I feel a bit of excitement beginning to bubble in my chest as I remember my time reading this story. I almost feel like celebrating, since this was the first book I read in English…ever. I moved halfway across the world, finishing my high school years in an English-speaking school system at the tender age of 15 and only with the English education I had received in Germany. I…
