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As I probably mentioned in one of my previous travel guides, I went through one big dinosaur phase when I was a kid. Jurassic Park is still one of my favourite movies. I still think dinosaurs are awesome, even if paleontologist is no longer my dream job. That’s why, when I came across a brochure for a place called Jeju Dinosaur Theme Park while browsing a gift shop, I knew I was going there. The next day, on my last day in Jeju, that was what I went to do. ( Since my companions wanted to spend their last day relaxing, it turned into a solo venture. Given my penchant for solo travel, that was more than alright with me. )
Aug. 13th, 2020
Book Review: Witch Child- Celia Rees
Aug. 13th, 2020 02:46 amWhen done well, I am a big fan of books written in journal form. They can be a fascinating way to read characters and an excellent way to tell a story. One of those books is Witch Child by Celia Rees. Not only is it a journal book, it’s one of the literary equivalents of a found footage film. In this case, pages of the diary of a girl named Mary are found hidden in an old quilt.
Mary is a witch. That’s the declaration she makes in the first few lines of her diary. The year is 1659, and in England, it’s a crime that will get you hanged. That happens to Mary’s grandmother and Mary barely manages to escape being accused and meeting the same fate. With help, she ends up on a ship to the New World, but it’s not long until the same paranoia, dread, and hatred that took her grandmother begins to hang over Mary, ready to destroy her in the same way.
The best part of Witch Child is how amazingly Rees describes the Puritan way of life, especially the darker parts that brought the witch trials full force. The religious totalitarianism and fervor are stifling and frightening. One wrong word, one false accusation from a jealous neighbour, and someone faced the noose. It shows how the mistake of one person can destroy a whole family, and how the lives of women were so confined that the only power they could get was who they married. It shows how closed minded they were, calling Native Americans the devil despite how much they helped the settlers who were way out of their depth. It shows how a witch hunt can snowball until it becomes another Salem. Rees is a master at portraying all this. Witch Child is one of the best YA journal books I’ve gotten my hands on. It told an interesting story, had spectacular characters, covered a fascinating time period, and captured the horror that was the witch trials perfectly.
Mary is a witch. That’s the declaration she makes in the first few lines of her diary. The year is 1659, and in England, it’s a crime that will get you hanged. That happens to Mary’s grandmother and Mary barely manages to escape being accused and meeting the same fate. With help, she ends up on a ship to the New World, but it’s not long until the same paranoia, dread, and hatred that took her grandmother begins to hang over Mary, ready to destroy her in the same way.
The best part of Witch Child is how amazingly Rees describes the Puritan way of life, especially the darker parts that brought the witch trials full force. The religious totalitarianism and fervor are stifling and frightening. One wrong word, one false accusation from a jealous neighbour, and someone faced the noose. It shows how the mistake of one person can destroy a whole family, and how the lives of women were so confined that the only power they could get was who they married. It shows how closed minded they were, calling Native Americans the devil despite how much they helped the settlers who were way out of their depth. It shows how a witch hunt can snowball until it becomes another Salem. Rees is a master at portraying all this. Witch Child is one of the best YA journal books I’ve gotten my hands on. It told an interesting story, had spectacular characters, covered a fascinating time period, and captured the horror that was the witch trials perfectly.
I’ll admit right away that Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’s Diary is not a book I would have ever read of my own free will. If it hadn’t been assigned reading for my first year English literature class, I never would have read it. I didn’t expect to enjoy Bridget Jones’s Diary because there are a lot of things I dislike about ‘Chick Lit’. I hate stereotypes in general, and one that has me cringing is the clingy, dependent, and obsessed with finding a boyfriend/husband woman. What I hate more than that are characters who are under the impression that the only thing women think about are men and then nag a woman if they don’t have a boyfriend. Bridget Jones’s Diary had both these things I hate, but the funny thing is, is I still enjoyed the book.
Bridget Jones is a thirty something woman obsessed with her weight, the amount of alcohol she drinks, and the cigarettes she smokes. She’s neurotic, obsessive compulsive, and has very low impulse control. She’s torn between the two expectations that women face- one, that she’s supposed to be out living this crazy social life. Two, that if you’re not married by the time you’re thirty, you’re a spinster who will never get a man. Everyone in her life seems to be insistent in reminding Bridget of these things. She’s a working woman who has a weird love triangle going on. One guy is a jerk and the other a decent guy. The book is basically the crazy, downright hilarious hijinks in Bridget’s life as she tries to lose weight, stop smoking, get a boyfriend, and figure out her life.
Bridget Jones’s Diary was funny, and that’s the saving grace for me. There were parts that had me laughing out loud because the situations were so ridiculous. Another factor was that Bridget Jones’s Diary takes inspiration from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. It’s not even close when it comes to plot, but you really see it as a (very) loose adaptation of Austen’s book when you look at the characters. A lot of characters mirror those in Pride and Prejudice and it’s interesting to see how these personality types fit into a modern setting. That said, Bridget Jones is no Elizabeth Bennet. I enjoyed this book because it was a fun, easy read. There were times when the feminist in me shuddered and where I almost threw the book across the room, but I liked it for what it was. It’s Chick Lit, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, and honestly? I enjoyed reading it more than quite a few critically acclaimed classics I’ve read.
Bridget Jones is a thirty something woman obsessed with her weight, the amount of alcohol she drinks, and the cigarettes she smokes. She’s neurotic, obsessive compulsive, and has very low impulse control. She’s torn between the two expectations that women face- one, that she’s supposed to be out living this crazy social life. Two, that if you’re not married by the time you’re thirty, you’re a spinster who will never get a man. Everyone in her life seems to be insistent in reminding Bridget of these things. She’s a working woman who has a weird love triangle going on. One guy is a jerk and the other a decent guy. The book is basically the crazy, downright hilarious hijinks in Bridget’s life as she tries to lose weight, stop smoking, get a boyfriend, and figure out her life.
Bridget Jones’s Diary was funny, and that’s the saving grace for me. There were parts that had me laughing out loud because the situations were so ridiculous. Another factor was that Bridget Jones’s Diary takes inspiration from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. It’s not even close when it comes to plot, but you really see it as a (very) loose adaptation of Austen’s book when you look at the characters. A lot of characters mirror those in Pride and Prejudice and it’s interesting to see how these personality types fit into a modern setting. That said, Bridget Jones is no Elizabeth Bennet. I enjoyed this book because it was a fun, easy read. There were times when the feminist in me shuddered and where I almost threw the book across the room, but I liked it for what it was. It’s Chick Lit, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, and honestly? I enjoyed reading it more than quite a few critically acclaimed classics I’ve read.
Out of all the women in Greek mythology, Helen of Troy ranked fairly low on the ones I was extremely interested in. I loved Homer’s The Odyssey and I like the myth of Troy, but beautiful, docile Helen was far from my favourite character. I felt bad for her the poor woman -she was a prize given to a spoiled prince by an even more spoiled goddess, a political pawn, and the reason that launched a war that destroyed a civilization- but really didn’t put much thought towards her. That said, Esther Friesner’s Nobody’s Princess still appealed to me. I enjoy it when authors take mythology and write it as historical fiction. That’s what Friesner does, and she does it very well.
Helen is most famous for being Helen of Troy, but before that she was Helen of Sparta, and that’s the story Nobody’s Princess tells. The story isn’t Helen’s abduction and the fall of Troy, but Helen’s life before that. The story begins in Sparta where Helen is a princess. This Helen is a lot more interesting than her mythological counterpart. As a princess and a woman, Helen is supposed to act a certain way and have a certain future, but Helen is having none of that (probably helped by the fact her parents let her get away with it for so long). She’s fiery, rebellious, and adventurous (basically, my kind of girl). Helen seizes her freedom whenever she can, and it’s especially seen when Helen leaves Sparta. Helen becomes a major player in some other Greek myths, the most obvious being the Caledonian Boar Hunt. She’s given a part in the events without completely changing the myth itself. She meets other mythological figures, including Atlanta, who is one of my favourite mortal characters in Greek mythology.
Friesner mixes mythology and history wonderfully. The book is far from historically accurate (a note- ancient Sparta was nothing like portrayed), but Friesner still takes the myths and makes them realistic. Greek religion plays a part, but it’s just that- it’s religion, not absolute truth. Gods are mentioned, but never make an appearance (or are even shown to be truly real). Helen meets an array of other mythological characters and they are too made real (one of them even admits that the stories going around –i.e. the myths we know- are a bit of an exaggeration). Nobody’s Princess gives Helen of Troy a personality worth rooting for and brings some of the myths of ancient Greece to life. It’s not only Helen that gets this treatment, but all the other characters as well. For anyone who is a fan of Greek mythology it’s definitely a fun thing to read.
Helen is most famous for being Helen of Troy, but before that she was Helen of Sparta, and that’s the story Nobody’s Princess tells. The story isn’t Helen’s abduction and the fall of Troy, but Helen’s life before that. The story begins in Sparta where Helen is a princess. This Helen is a lot more interesting than her mythological counterpart. As a princess and a woman, Helen is supposed to act a certain way and have a certain future, but Helen is having none of that (probably helped by the fact her parents let her get away with it for so long). She’s fiery, rebellious, and adventurous (basically, my kind of girl). Helen seizes her freedom whenever she can, and it’s especially seen when Helen leaves Sparta. Helen becomes a major player in some other Greek myths, the most obvious being the Caledonian Boar Hunt. She’s given a part in the events without completely changing the myth itself. She meets other mythological figures, including Atlanta, who is one of my favourite mortal characters in Greek mythology.
Friesner mixes mythology and history wonderfully. The book is far from historically accurate (a note- ancient Sparta was nothing like portrayed), but Friesner still takes the myths and makes them realistic. Greek religion plays a part, but it’s just that- it’s religion, not absolute truth. Gods are mentioned, but never make an appearance (or are even shown to be truly real). Helen meets an array of other mythological characters and they are too made real (one of them even admits that the stories going around –i.e. the myths we know- are a bit of an exaggeration). Nobody’s Princess gives Helen of Troy a personality worth rooting for and brings some of the myths of ancient Greece to life. It’s not only Helen that gets this treatment, but all the other characters as well. For anyone who is a fan of Greek mythology it’s definitely a fun thing to read.
Imagination
Aug. 13th, 2020 03:15 amTo put pen to paper
Words to write down,
To bring a smile
A curse or a frown.
To bring about laughter
To bring you to tears,
To get your heart pumping
To dive into your fears.
Murder and mayhem
Magic and war,
Romance and love
And oh so much more.
Dragons and mermaids
Witches and ghouls,
In the world of my making
Throw out all the rules.
The words on the paper
To end with a whimper or maybe a roar,
Just open your eyes
And let your imagination soar.
Words to write down,
To bring a smile
A curse or a frown.
To bring about laughter
To bring you to tears,
To get your heart pumping
To dive into your fears.
Murder and mayhem
Magic and war,
Romance and love
And oh so much more.
Dragons and mermaids
Witches and ghouls,
In the world of my making
Throw out all the rules.
The words on the paper
To end with a whimper or maybe a roar,
Just open your eyes
And let your imagination soar.
Laughter surrounds her
She jokes it away,
Not showing a soul
The price she has paid.
Cheerful on the outside
Screaming on the in,
Waiting always
For the pain to begin.
A big red smile
Hiding the fear,
Sparkling green eyes
Hiding a tear.
She wears her mask well
Never letting it crack,
Knowing if she does
He’ll go on the attack.
She can’t show the world
What exactly he’s done,
Can’t tell her friends
He considers hurting her fun.
She’s considered the worst
But she just can’t go through,
The ultimate escape
She just couldn’t do.
She considers taking her life
Instead of her own,
But she stops herself short
For that sin she couldn’t atone.
So she’ll continue to laugh
To joke and to smile,
Just praying to God
It will end in awhile.
She jokes it away,
Not showing a soul
The price she has paid.
Cheerful on the outside
Screaming on the in,
Waiting always
For the pain to begin.
A big red smile
Hiding the fear,
Sparkling green eyes
Hiding a tear.
She wears her mask well
Never letting it crack,
Knowing if she does
He’ll go on the attack.
She can’t show the world
What exactly he’s done,
Can’t tell her friends
He considers hurting her fun.
She’s considered the worst
But she just can’t go through,
The ultimate escape
She just couldn’t do.
She considers taking her life
Instead of her own,
But she stops herself short
For that sin she couldn’t atone.
So she’ll continue to laugh
To joke and to smile,
Just praying to God
It will end in awhile.