Review // Twelfth Night - William Shakespeare

Twelfth Night, the well loved play by William Shakespeare needs no introduction.

I have read this play multiple times, and this particular time was for University.
As is often seen in Shakespeare plays, Twelfth Night features mistaken identities, tragedies, comic relief/moments/scenes, memorable characters and perhaps most importantly, the resolution.

I love the dramatic irony that features throughout Twelfth Night. The reader/audience of the play are fully aware that Cesario is in fact Violet and therefore there are plenty of cringe moments!

That's all i'm going to say on this play, other than I think it's well worth a read for any literature lover!

Goodreads Challenge 9/50

Chick Lit Challenge 0/5
Debut Author Challenge 1/5
Dystopian Challenge 1/5
Paranormal Fantasy Challenge 2/5

Love a challenge? Need an incentive? This blog is for you!

Hey Readers!

We're a couple of days in to the new year and I came across some amazing challenges on my internet travels that I thought I would share with you!

Sometimes, no matter how much you love reading, you have a lot of trouble mustering up the motivation to actually pick up a book and read. Well whilst having a good search of Goodreads I came across some other challenges that you may be interested in!

The Young Adult Book Club have some fabulous challenges that you can take part in! :D

I have joined:

The Debut Author Challenge
Chick-Lit Challenge
Dystopian Challenge
Paranormal and Fantasy Challenge

The reason I decided to take part in these challenges is because other than books I read for my literature degree, I find myself reading the same type of books. There's nothing wrong with that obviously but for 2012 I want more variety to make my reading experiences interesting!

Let me know if you decide to sign up for any challenges.

Books Read in 2012 - 0!
Currently Reading - Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist - David Levitham

The Books of 2011

Happy new year!

As promised, here's the full list of everything I read in 2011.

1. The Playboy of the Western World - JM Synge
2. New Moan - Stephfordy Mayo
3. The Awakening - LJ Smith
4. The Struggle - LJ Smith
5. Scott Pilgrim Vol 1 - Bryan Lee O'Malley
6. Scott Pilgrim Vol 2 - Bryan Lee O'Malley
7. Booky Wook 2 - Russell Brand
8. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
9. The Fury - LJ Smith
10. North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell
11. The Reunion - LJ Smith
12. Mrs Dalloway - Virginia Woolf
13. Good Morning, Midnight - Jean Rhys
14. The Return: Nightfall - LJ Smith
15. The Doomspell - Cliff McNish
16. The Return: Shadow Souls - LJ Smith
17. Plain Truth - Jodi Picoult
18. The Return: Midnight - LJ Smith
19. Glass Houses - Rachel Caine
20. The Dead Girls' Dance - Rachel Caine
21. Midnight Alley - Rachel Caine
22. Feast of Fools - Rachel Caine
23. Lord of Misrule - Rachel Caine
24. Carpe Corpus - Rachel Caine
25. Fade Out - Rachel Caine
26. Kiss of Death - Rachel Caine
27. Ghost Town - Rachel Caine
28. Bite Club - Rachel Caine
29. Harvesting the Heart - Jodi Picoult
30. Birth of a Killer - Darren Shan
31. Wintercraft - Jenna Burtenshaw
32. Stefan's Diaries: Origins
33. Dating Hamlet - Lisa Fielder
34. Marshmallow Magic and Wild Rose Rouge - Karen McCombie
35. Evermore - Alyson Noel
36. Paper Towns - John Green
37. Blue Moon - Alyson Noel
38. Shadowland - Alyson Noel
39. The Scent of Magic - Cliff McNish
40. Those Left Behind - Joss Whedon
41. Beastly - Alex Flinn
42. Radiance - Alyson Noel
43. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
44. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
45. An Abundance of Katherines - John Green
46. W.B.Yeats Poetry - W.B.Yeats
47. Dark Flame - Alyson Noel
48. Batman: Year One - Miller
49. Songs of Innocence and Experience - William Blake
50. Night Star - Alyson Noel
51. Everlasting - Alyson Noel
52. The Wasteland - TS Eliot
53. The Franklin's Prologue and Tale - Geoffrey Chaucer
54. A Passage to India - EM Forster
55. Last Breath - Rachel Caine
56. The Saga of Darren Shan Vol. 1 - Darren Shan
57. Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Jeff Kinney
58. The Magic of Christmas - Trisha Ashley
59. Let It Snow - John Green, Maureen Johnson & Lauren Myracle
60. Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green & David Levitham

New Tallies!!

Books Read in 2012 - 0!
Currently Reading - Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist - David Levitham

Heart of Darkness

Generally regarded as the pre-eminent work of Conrad's shorter fiction, Heart of Darkness is a chilling tale of horror which, as the author intended, is capable of many interpretations. Set in the Congo during the period of rapid colonial expansion in the nineteenth century, the story deals with the highly disturbing effects of economic, social and political exploitation on European and African societies and the cataclysmic behaviour this induced in some individuals.

I read Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad as part of my English Literature degree.
I have to admit, it's the least favourite book I think i've ever read but not entirely because of the actual text. I struggled a lot to get through this book and honestly, I just don't think that I understand it. The context behind the novella is important in relation to reading it and I haven't had the time to research in depth and i'm no expert on the subject matters.

I also disliked the layers of narrating within the novella. The story is told by an unnamed narrator, who is then relaying a story told by a man named Marlow. Marlow's story is mostly about a man named Kurtz. It was very confusing to read and like I said before, I struggled quite a bit.

I feel a little bad that my first review in a LONG time has been negative but I guess it just shows that not every book is a winner but you should at least give it a try :)

Currently reading: A HUGE list that i'm working through as fast as possible!
Books read in 2011: 43