Blog: "Fancy a cuppa?" (Adagio teas review)

If somebody asked me about five years ago, whether I prefer coffee or tea, the answer would have been wholeheartedly tea. I did develop a certain addiction to coffee, and even invested in some of the coffee making paraphernalia.  

But my love for tea has stayed strong. It got someone dampened by the fact that I struggle to find a good quality tea in Toronto. Especially, loose leaf. I tried grocery stores, Homesense stories, and speciality tea stores. I am yet to find what I like.

One of the online stores that I like is Whittard of Chelsea, but, sadly, they are a UK company, so shipping to Canada can be a bit pricey. Although the quality is great.

I have heard of fandom teas before. I spent at least 6 years being very active in several fandoms on tumblr, so I was familiar with the concept. I was, however, always wary of self-made blends as I thought that it was difficult to guess the correct (or tasty) blend of ingredients, although I have several online friends who enjoy creating custom blends.

And, of course, I have heard of Adagio teas before.

I was approached by Adagio with an offer to review some of their teas, in particular Fandom Blends. I was very intrigued and jumped at this opportunity, as it had been awhile since I had any good teas.

Here is the list of all the samples that I ordered and the review for each will follow. I went through all of my favourite fandoms but eventually ended up going with Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter fandoms.

Reviews

Shot In the Dark [His Last Vow]

created by Bran Mydwynter

Fandom: Sherlock

Link: https://www.adagio.com/signature_blend/blend.html?blend=107533

Ingredients

Blended With Black Tea, Pu Erh Dante, Lapsang Souchong, Natural Caramel Flavor, Cocoa Nibs, Natural Chocolate Flavor, Natural Vanilla Flavor

Teas: Tiger Eye, Pu Erh Dante, Lapsang Souchong

Accented With Cocoa Nibs, Cocoa Nibs And Red Peppercorn

Rating: 2 (of 5) stars

Comment: I liked the description of the tea ingredients (and the title - let's be honest), but I didn’t take into account peppercorn, which was way too strong for me in this tea. If you are ok with peppercorn - then you will enjoy this tea way more than I did.

Earl Greg [Greg Lestrade]

created by Bran Mydwynter

Fandom: Sherlock

Link: https://www.adagio.com/signature_blend/blend.html?blend=78894

Ingredients

Blended With Black Tea, Rose Hips, Hibiscus, Apple Pieces, Natural Blueberry Flavor, Orange Peels, Blueberries, Natural Bergamot Flavor, Blue Cornflowers,

Teas: Earl Grey Bravo, Berry Blues

Accented With Cornflowers

Rating: 4 (of 5) stars

Comment: This tea works great, but I love everything with bergamot. The flavour of berries and flowers only adds to it. Will definitely order again.

John

created by Katy B

Fandom: Sherlock

Link: https://www.adagio.com/signature_blend/blend.html?blend=103514

Ingredients Blended With Green Tea, Gunpowder, Orange Peels, Rose Hips, Hibiscus, Natural Spice Flavor, Cinnamon Bark, Ginger Root, Natural Orange Flavor   Teas: Spiced Green, Gunpowder, Blood Orange

Rating: 3 (of 5) stars

Comment: I am a bit on the fence with this tea. I like Gunpowder, and ginger, and hibiscus, but added blood orange was just not for me. I felt as if it dominated the flavour too much.

Worth A Wound [johnlock]

created by Bran Mydwynter

Fandom: Sherlock

Link: https://www.adagio.com/signature_blend/blend.html?blend=91273

Ingredients

Blended With Green Tea, Black Tea, Orange Peels, Rose Hips, Hibiscus, Natural Orange Flavor, Ginger Root, Natural Ginger Flavor, Marigold Flowers, Natural Lemon Flavor  

Teas: Blood Orange, Citron Green, Ginger

Accented With Hibiscus, Orange Peels And Ginger

Rating: 5 (of 5) stars

Comments: I loved this tea! I was so disheartened by some other samples, that I was taken by surprise after tasting this one. It has the same blood orange that I didn’t like in another sample, but it works perfectly well in this one! Will definitely order more.

House of the Loyal

created by Mallory Walker

Fandom: Harry Potter

Link: https://www.adagio.com/signature_blend/blend.html?blend=68297

Ingridients

Blended With Oolong Tea, Chamomile, Black Tea, Natural Peach Flavor, Apple Pieces, Natural Forest Berries Flavor, Marigold Flowers, Raspberry Leaves, Apricots, Raspberries, Strawberries

Teas: Forest Berries, Peach Oolong, Chamomile

Accented With Marigold Flowers And Orange Peels

Rating: 3 (of 5) stars

Comment: I felt really ‘meh’ about this tea. I think chamomile didn’t really go well for me with other berries. Although I liked the tones of other fruit in it.

Sagittarius

created by Kali Levon

Fandom: Zodiac signs

Link: https://www.adagio.com/signature_blend/blend.html?blend=116131

Ingredients

Blended With Black Tea, Assam Melody Tea, Ceylon Sonata Tea, Orange Peels, Natural Coconut Flavor, Blue Cornflowers, Dried Coconut, Natural Vanilla Flavor, Natural Bergamot Flavor, Natural Creme Flavor  

Teas: Earl Grey Moonlight, Irish Breakfast, Coconut

Accented With Cinnamon, Coconut And Lavender

Rating: 3.5 (of 5) stars

Comment: I found this tea rather pleasant - fruity and nice. However, it reminded me of many other teas I had in the past. I might order it again, if I am in the mood.

Sagittarius

I also got a free Sagittarius sample based on my birthday month. Not sure if they changed the size of a sample or something, but it is not the same as the one I got sent (same blend though).

Link : https://www.adagio.com/gifts/sagittarius.html

Ingredients

Blended With Black Tea, Raspberries, Natural Vanilla Flavor, Natural Creme Flavor, Safflower, Natural Raspberry Flavor And Natural Bergamot Flavor

Rating: 2 (of 5) stars

Comment: This tea was too bland. It tasted like English Breakfast tea and I barely tasted any particular flavour. Might do well with milk, but I drank it black and was disappointed.

I also got 2 other freebies with my order.

Cherry (a sachet)

Link: https://www.adagio.com/flavors/cherry.html

Ingredients

Blended With Black Tea, Natural Wild Cherry Flavor, Rose Petals And Dried Cherries

Rating: 2 (of 5) stars

Comments: Very disappointed with this tea. Mostly because the flavour of cherry (that I love) wasn’t that strong and I am not a huge fan of black teas in the first place. This blend is too caffeinated for me. Might be okay with milk, but I definitely oversteeped it when I made it for the first time. I will try it again, but I was not impressed by overall flavour.

Cocomint green (a sachet)

Link: https://www.adagio.com/green/cocomint_green.html

Ingredients

Blended With Green Tea, Cocoa Nibs, Natural Chocolate Mint Flavor And Peppermint Leaves

Rating: 1 (of 5) stars

Comments: I tried two sips of this tea and had to pour it down the drain. No, just no. I am okay with peppermint chocolate but not in my tea, apparently. This was a huge mistake. I want to forget I have ever tried it.

Conclusion

I deeply thankful to Adagio for providing me with a coupon to taste their teas. However, I found that I am a rather picky tea drinker and I need an option of smelling a tea before purchasing it. Some of the blends sounded very good in description but turned unpalatable for my taste. Which is absolutely fair as tastes differ.

There is also a small matter of shipping. Since I live in Canada, the shipping costed me almost $15 CAD, which is a bit steep for a couple of tea samplers.

Still, I consider my experience with fandom teas a success as I did find some that I liked. I heard of Sherlock blends by Bran Mydwynter for awhile and always wanted to try them. Even though I didn’t love all of them, I feel like I might return to Adagio to sample some more.

My book reviews

Book review: "Arrowood" (Arrowood #1) by Mick Finlay

Sherlock Holmes stories have been part of my life since very childhood. I grew up completely obsessed with Sherlock Holmes (and The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas - but that’s for another story). After Sherlock Holmes came Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot and some others, but Sherlock Holmes has always been number one. I have read a few pastiches based on Conan Doyle’s stories and characters, as well as some other detective stories set in Victorian England.

It has been awhile since I discovered new Victorian England stories. And then I saw a book by the title of Arrowood at Indigo.

The tagline was so appealing that I had to restrain myself from buying it on spot.

London Society takes their problems to Sherlock Holmes. Everyone else goes to Arrowood.

Synopsis

The Afghan War is over and a deal with the Irish appears to have brought an end to sectarian violence, but Britain's position in the world is uncertain and the gap between rich and poor is widening. London is a place where the wealthy party while the underclass are tempted into lives of crime, drugs and prostitution. A serial killer stalks the streets. Politicians are embroiled in financial and sexual scandals. The year is 1895. The police don't have the resources to deal with everything that goes on in the capital. The rich turn to a celebrated private detective when they need help: Sherlock Holmes. But in densely populated south London, where the crimes are sleazier and Holmes rarely visits, people turn to Arrowood, a private investigator who despises Holmes, his wealthy clientele and his showy forensic approach to crime. Arrowood understands people, not clues.

Review

Sound exciting, eh?

Well, let me tell you, Arrowood is one of the most boring books I have ever read. It is only 360 pages long, but it took me so long to read it that the book was more than 1 week overdue back to the library. I just started to yawn every time I read as much as a page.

The novel is very slow paced, even more so in the beginning. For a very long time, basically up till the very end, all parts of the narrative were very disjointed, and I couldn’t figure out how all of those plotlines were going to cross. The mystery was resolved at the end, however, I didn’t find the ending to be strong. The disappearance of a Frenchman was not what it seemed. The Irish gang’s actions were not as violent as they were portrayed to be. Someone got their vengeance, but it lacked the ‘WOW’ effect. (I am trying to avoid spoilers, in case you still would like to check this book.)

Arrowood is a debut novel by Mick Finlay. He teaches in a Psychology Department, and used his knowledge of psychology while writing his novel. The author gave his character, Arrowood, the ability to profile people and predict their actions based on psychology. However, at times his deductions seemed a bit farfetched or not strong enough for evidence. As much as Arrowood likes to complain about Sherlock Holmes’ methods, he is not always accurate in his conclusions either.

I did not like Arrowood as a character. He is supposed to be a gentleman, but his hygiene is terrible, he doesn’t seem to care to spend money on his clothes, in spite of being vain, and he is a bit too attached to gin. He is short and fat, and repeatedly called unattractive - a total opposite of Sherlock Holmes (or Hercule Poirot).  Arrowood is terrified of his sister Ettie, who seems very like one of those Wooster’s aunts - formidable and no-nonsense, which adds a bit of a comic relief into the story.

I think my biggest issues with this book come from the fact that the blurb on the cover set my expectations for something of the same level and tone as Sherlock Holmes stories. But Arrowood is different. The characters are more flawed, they lack elegance and refinement; the language also lack the intricacy of Doyle’s penmanship. It seems to me as if the publisher’s intention to make the book sell by putting the comparison with Sherlock Holmes on the cover backfired a bit. The events of the book do take place in parallel with Doyle’s stories, which is fun (for me as a fan of the stories), but also seems like a cheap attempt to ride on Sherlock Holmes’ coattails.

I wanted to love Arrowood. But I didn’t. I dislike him, quite a bit in fact. Barnett, his sidekick, is more of an appealing character - more so, that the narration is told from his point of view, in the obvious mimicry of Doctor Watson’s stories. Barnett is a simple man, but he has a secret that he carries throughout the book, and that secret and that pain associated with it made me like him a lot more than Arrowood. I might even be tempted to read the next book just to see how that plotline gets revealed.

Ettie left me confused. On one hand, she is a strong willed woman, who does exactly what she wants. On the other hand, she turns into a blushing maiden around a certain someone, which seems very much like not her character at all, if we assume whatever Arrowood said about her was true.

Not to mention, that one scene in the book in which Arrowood and Barnett failed to get information from a group of men (working in a garage), who supposedly were part of a gang, and sent Ettie and her church women to search the place. The reasoning being that ‘a man would not hit a woman’. Seriously? Is it supposed to be believable? Or is it a joke? Because those women are removed by those men by force, naturally.

Was it an attempt to make this book more feminist? (Since the historical period of the book traditionally had women as weak and incapable.) Was it supposed to be funny?

I don’t think female characters or their roles in the story were written well. I am all for strong female characters but not at the expense of a comic relief.

I wish I could love this book, but instead it left me bored out of my wits. I gave it an extra 0.5 star only because the period language is quite on point.

I am yet to decide if I want to read the second book when it comes out. I am interested in Barnett’s storyline, but I also would rather be reading Sherlock Holmes stories. Perhaps, this book would have worked better for me in an audio format, but alas I read a hard copy.

Personal rating: 2.5 stars

More of my book reviews

Book review: "Dividing Eden" (Dividing Eden #1) by Joelle Charbonneau

I was attracted to "Dividing Eden" based on the cover and the fact that it was a new release. I even almost purchased my own copy, as I checked out the book from the library but then had to return it and then had to wait till it became available again. In the end, I read the library copy, and I am glad that I didn’t spend money on it. Yes, it is going to be one of those reviews.

I jumped into this book without reading the synopsis, but I am going to provide it here as it summarizes the book pretty well. (I do find that a lot of synopses tend to be too spoilery, that is why I usually select books based on the buzz, tags, ratings or whether I have heard of this writer or not.) I really liked the cover and the tags on the cover, and I feel as if I overhyped this book for myself. (The cover is gorgeous, let’s be honest.)

Synopsis

Twins Carys and Andreus were never destined to rule Eden. With their older brother next in line to inherit the throne, the future of the kingdom was secure.

But appearances—and rivals—can be deceiving. When Eden’s king and crown prince are killed by assassins, Eden desperately needs a monarch, but the line of succession is no longer clear. With a ruling council scheming to gain power, Carys and Andreus are faced with only one option—to take part in a Trial of Succession that will determine which one of them is worthy of ruling the kingdom.

As sister and brother, Carys and Andreus have always kept each other safe—from their secrets, from the court, and from the monsters lurking in the mountains beyond the kingdom’s wall. But the Trial of Succession will test the bonds of trust and family.

With their country and their hearts divided, Carys and Andreus will discover exactly what each will do to win the crown. How long before suspicion takes hold and the thirst for power leads to the ultimate betrayal?

Review

I would have attributed a lot of things that I found wrong with this book to the lack of experience, but it seems like "Diving Eden" is not Joelle Charbonneau’s first book. However, let me start with the things that I liked.

I liked the world setting and the mix of technology and magic. We have a middle ages type of society with rather segregated roles for men and women, however, there is also magic (or hints of it - prophesies and the like) and technology. The use of windmills for the electricity is rather unique for a fantasy world, and that was my favourite part.

The rest was just too predictable. The book started strong but then went downhill with cliches and trope-y twists. Andreus’ obsession with the priestess made little sense to me, especially since he was trusting her word over his twin sister’s. The rivalry itself was just too cliched. Of course, it had to happen as it is the plot of the book, but for me it felt artificial. Even though fallouts between siblings, including twins, do happen in real life, the way it was described in the book it seemed forced and unrealistic. Both siblings had kept each other’s secrets for years; they were together against the council - and yet, there is the conflict.

Perhaps, I would have believed it more if one of the siblings was obsessed with the crown initially. But neither seemed to be power hungry enough to harm their twin. That really puzzled and frustrated me.

All characters in the book felt flat for me. The novel is written in third point of view but with alternating POV between Carys and Andreus

The eventual fallout at the end of "Dividing Eden", and also the twist regarding certain powers, were well written (I was delighted by that little twist and the introduction of a new character, but those were small consolations in the face of mediocre plot). But I felt cheated that the most of the book was mediocre at best. Good thing that I read most of it on the train to and from Montreal, otherwise I would have been easily distracted by other books.

(edit) There is one part of the story that appealed to me - the portrayal of addiction. I don't see much of mental illnesses or addictions in fantasy books, but in "Dividing Eden" one of the main characters suffers from addiction that affects their relationships and course of action. I liked that aspect of the book.

I am still interested to see how this story resolves. Mostly, because I liked one of the secondary characters and I am curious about his identity. I will be getting the book from the library.

The second and final part of "Dividing Eden" duology, "Eden Conquered", is coming out in June 2018. The book description parallels the story with “Abel and Cain”, and it is really getting on my nerves. Because either it is a major spoiler or the most obvious red herring, and I am not sure I like either.

Unfortunately, it was a rather mediocre read, which left me disappointed.

Personal rating: 3 stars

My other book reviews

Blog: John le Carre - An Evening with George Smiley

There is nothing like reading a well-written book by an intelligent and knowledgeable author. Through into the mix lots of espionage, cultural references and a subtle British humour, and you get an incredible reading experience. And that is John le Carré’s books in the nutshell.  

John le Carré is a British author of espionage novels. During the 1950s and '60s, he worked for both the Security Service and the Secret Intelligence Service. His third novel, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963), became an international best-seller and remains one of his best-known works. Following the success of this novel, he left MI6 to become a full-time author. In 2011, he was awarded the Goethe Medal.

I didn’t know that John le Carre did any public appearance, as he is of a rather advanced age, but the moment I heard of this presentation, I knew I had to go and see it. It was broadcasted live by Cineplex on October 25, 2017.

Trailer

Synopsis

Captured live from London's Royal Festival Hall, join us for a celebration of one of the world’s greatest writers as he shares the secrets behind the creation of his most beloved character. From his extraordinary Cold War novels – such as The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – to his powerful descriptions of the arms trade in The Night Manager, and the War on Terror in A Most Wanted Man, the writing of John le Carre has come to define the last half century. In this one-off event, the author discusses the full breadth of his career, and reflects on the continuing story of his most famous creation, the tubby, bespectacled spy, George Smiley. Coinciding with the publication date of his new novel, A Legacy of Spies, the event will include readings from the book by the author. The novel sees the return of some of le Carre’s most iconic Cold War characters, including George Smiley and his trusted lieutenant, Peter Guillam, as their past comes back to claim them in the present. With a rare question and answer session, this will be an unmissable opportunity to experience one of the foremost chroniclers of our age, direct and in his own words. In support of MSF, the leading emergency medical humanitarian aid organisation, John le Carre is donating his speaker’s fee, and the producers of the live cinema broadcast, The Ink Factory, are donating their share of the profits to the charity.

My experience

The theatre was only half full with, predictably, people far older than me (I find it rather refreshing to be the youngest in the room). Right before the start, a Cineplex representative came into the auditorium and announced a one-question quiz. The prize was the new George Smiley book, “A Legacy of Spies”.

The question asked was “What is the latest book by John le Carre?”. I did a double take, as I am sure many in the audience, as nobody expected to be asked a question with such an obvious answer, so I didn’t say a thing. Someone in the audience yelled out the title of the book, and we had our winner.

Except, that person already had a copy of “A Legacy of Spies”.

The Cineplex rep was stuck - he had to do the giveaway but he ran out of questions - so a gentleman in the audience voiced the question for him.

Somebody answered it, and the Cineplex rep was ready to hand over the price. Except - that person also already owned a copy.

Can you guess what happened next?

The helpful gentleman asked the audience another question.

It was also answered by someone who already had the book.

We all were starting to giggle hysterically, because it was just too good. There were, perhaps, only about 50 people in the audience, and most of them have already purchased and read the book that was being given as a price. But since there were more than one people who didn’t have a copy, the rep couldn’t just give it to somebody.

To be honest, I didn’t even try to participate. I am not good with quizes and the questions concerned the George Smiley books that I haven’t read yet (I also have a feeling that I was spoiled certain things from the Karla trilogy), but I was enjoying the show a lot!

The fourth question came up, and finally an elderly lady next to me answered it with a help of her friend. The game was over. The Cineplex rep thanked everyone for an incredible entertainment and especially the person who stepped in with his questions (his questions were so deep, that they reminded me of my late professor of XX Century World Literature).

Finally, the show began.

The first part had John le Carre talk in extensive detail of his writing journey, how he came up with the character of George Smiley, as well as his own experience in intelligent service in UK and his work abroad. He also read small bits from “A Legacy of Spies” and talked about certain characters in detail. He mentioned several actors who portrayed George Smiley and Peter Guillam in various adaptations. (He even mentioned Benedict Cumberbatch in 2011 movie version of “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” and how his movie character was different from the book - which is something that I am still on the fence about.)

His hour long presentation is interrupted by interviews with several actors and producers: Tom Hiddleston and Olivia Colman (The Night Manager, 2016), Simon Russell Beale (who narrated The Complete George Smiley Radio Dramas: BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatization), Michael Jayston (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (miniseries)), and some others whom I, unfortunately, did not remember by the name.

The second part of the broadcast was a Q&A session with John, which was run by Jon Snow.

It was a delightful evening overall. I left Cineplex itching to read the first novel about George Smiley, “Call for the Dead”, as soon as possible. So far, I have only read “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” and “The Night Manager”. But I can’t wait to get my hands on more of le Carre’s books. If anything, this broadcast got me even more into the spy novels set during the Cold War.

Buy the latest book

My book reviews

Links

• https://www.johnlecarre.com/
• https://www.cineplex.com/Movie/john-le-carre-an-evening-with-george-smiley

Book review: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo (KonMari method)

One of my most favourite videos to watch on YouTube are organization videos, in which people share their tips on cleaning and organizing their rooms, closets, cupboards, etc. I find it both soothing and inspiring. Inspiring to reorganize my own stuff. While browsing YT and IG for such inspiration, I came across several posts that mentioned "KonMari". I couldn’t figure out what it meant, until I googled it and learned about Marie Kondo and her books.

I purchased this book, started to read it, and couldn’t put it down.

It tells you things that you were most probably told million of times by your mother - I surely was - put things in their own places; get rid of things that are not used or are broken/torn, etc. Marie puts it all together in one book, which also tells her own cleaning and organizational journey.

I really enjoyed the book as it provides a much needed perspective on decluttering. Looking at every item and deciding if it sparks joy is, in my opinion, the best way of decluttering. The hardest part is getting read of memorabilia and books. I admit, that I was flying through the book until I hit the chapter on books and had to put it down. Books is something that I find incredibly difficult to part with. As well as photographs and old greeting cards. Clothes are easy. I don’t have much attachment to clothes, as I have to books.

I was inspired to get rid of a lot of things and to reorganize things that I own after reading this book. I did not, however, follow the instruction to take out all of your things in a certain category and go through them at once. I did it in small batches, and I still have a lot of stuff. But this is work in progress.

I find this book extremely easy to read. You need to take into account, though, that some things in it reflect the Japanese culture or reality of their incredibly limited living space. Not everything might be applicable to your culture or your lifestyle. It is a small book, easy to digest in one go, if you are so willing. However, I found some points repetitive and Marie’s behaviour towards certain things almost obsessive. It is fun to read, but might be a bit too much for some people. At some point, I started to doubt my own cleaning habits.

I still recommend this book to everyone (I bought a copy for my mom and she loved it!), but be ready to start getting rid of your belongings after the first chapter. It had that effect on me, although I doubt that I would ever be able to achieve the same level of decluttering and tidiness as Marie Kondo recommends in her book.

Personal rating: 3.5 stars

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Play review: Cyrano de Bergerac (Broadway HD, 2008)

 

Being as smitten as I am with theatre, I almost never get to see Broadway productions. Most of the plays that are screened at Cineplex are by National Theatre or Royal Shakespeare Company. One in a while, though, we get rare gems, like The Crucible, and this time - Cyrano de Bergerac.

It was the first time I got to see this play on stage and was fairly entertained by it. Cyrano de Bergerac was written in 1897 by Edmond Rostand, and there are two most famous English translations - by Brian Hooker and by Anthony Burgess. This production used the text translated by Anthony Burgess. The play was on stage briefly in 2007, then revived and filmed in 2008.

Synopsis

Soldier and poet Cyrano de Bergerac (Kevin Kline) is in love with Roxane (Jennifer Garner), but he’s too ashamed to admit it because of his big nose. When a cadet, Christian (Daniel Sunjata), falls for Roxane, he asks for Cyrano’s help in sharing his feelings. Cyrano writes love letters signed with Christian’s name, and Roxane doesn’t realize that it is Cyrano’s words she falls for.

The events of the play take off in Paris, in 1640.

(I have slightly abridged the synopsis as I felt that it was too spoilery otherwise.)

I didn’t realize that the production was from several years back - almost a decade - and wondered why I hadn’t seen this play before.

Kevin Kline was fantastic as Cyrano - he was both witty, eloquent, touching, and a bit tragic. It took me some time to get used to Roxane as her character seemed to be a bit exaggerated. I even sympathized with Christian a bit, although he did look way too snobby and uptight at times. The play is set at my favourite time period - the same time as the events of The Three Musketeers, so I was delighted to see the play in the full period costume. Needless to say, the duels were among my favourite parts (and I kept getting flashbacks to BBC series The Musketeers).

I enjoyed the play for the duels, wit, and all the schemes that Cyrano comes up with. I felt that Roxane was a bit too one dimensional, as her role was basically that of a swooning and spoiled lady, but I enjoyed Jennifer’s acting a lot. I just didn’t like the fact that the only prominent woman in this story was just an object of affection and nothing more.

Overall, it is not too spectacular, but funny enough to keep you entertained. Make sure to grab enough snacks and drinks before the broadcast, though, as the whole 2.5 hours of the play screened without an intermission.

Rating: 3.5 stars

My other play reviews

Sources:

• https://www.cineplex.com/Movie/cyrano-de-bergerac-broadway-hd
• https://www.broadwayhd.com/index.php/shows/watch/Cyrano
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrano_de_Bergerac_(play)

Book review: "Long Way Down" by Jason Reynolds

 

I received this book from NetGalley. I requested it after reading the description and thought it would be very interesting to read. I didn’t have much hope for getting the ARC as I am not always successful with big publishers, and Long Way Down is published by Simon & Schuster Canada.

Long Way Down is the first book by Jason Reynolds that I have read, even though I heard about All American Boys before.

Short synopsis

An ode to Put the Damn Guns Down, this is National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestseller Jason Reynolds’s fiercely stunning novel that takes place in sixty potent seconds—the time it takes a kid to decide whether or not he’s going to murder the guy who killed his brother.

This novel is written in verse and is saturated with grief, anger, and pain. I read it in one sitting - and this is how you are supposed to read it, in my opinion - because I couldn’t put it down. It was a very raw and emotional read that was making me more and more uncomfortable and horrified.

ALERT: Do not read the full synopsis on NetGalley or GoodReads as it will spoil you the whole thing. And it is too wonderful to be spoiled. I didn’t read past that first paragraph and found the prose to be very profound.

This book is a cry for help; an angry shout-out. It talks about gun violence, gang violence, poverty, loss, grief. The narrative is both heartbreaking and brutal. It strong enough to leave the mark. It sure did leave the mark on me. It is a hard to describe because it has to be experienced.

Read it. And weep. Because this shouldn’t be our reality in this day and age.

Publication Date: 17 Oct 2017

Links

Jason Reynold's website

More of my book reviews

Random Photo Challenge: Wrap-Up

I was so close, but Anya won fair and square as I missed the last day challenge. As a matter of fact, I only took pictures for the last challenge today. Eep. ? So here are all of my photos in descending order. Check out Anya's Instagram and blog for her photos.

I happened to purchase a new phone mid-challenge, so half of those pictures are taken by two different iPhones.

Challenge: Make a slideshow about old building

Title: "Old being swallowed by the new"

Date: October 7

Camera: iPhone 8 Plus

Challenge: Photograph two contrasting images (e.g. black and white in one photo, but not filter)

Title: "Tracks and art; reflection and ghosts"

Date: September 30

Camera: iPhone 8 Plus

Challenge: Using maximum depth of field make an image of something in your house

Date: September 29

Camera: iPhone 8 Plus

Challenge: Make an image about colour with nothing straight

Title: Recent purchase

Date: September 28

Camera: iPhone 8 Plus

Challenge: A close-up image

Date: September 27

Camera: iPhone 8 Plus

Challenge: Using a red filter make an image of leaves/trees/nature

Date: September 26

Camera: iPhone 8 Plus

Challenge: Photograph a distorted image

Date: September 25

Camera: iPhone 8 Plus

(it was the very first photo I took with a new phone, and I still can't figure out how I did it.)

Challenge: Take a picture while using candlelight

Date: September 24

Camera: iPhone 6S

(I have a review of this book on my blog!)

Challenge: Photograph a small image about earth and mud

Date: September 23

Camera: iPhone 6S

Challenge: Make a vintage photograph

Date: September 22

Camera: iPhone 6S

Challenge: Create a peaceful image in a cafe or restaurant

Date: September 21

Camera: iPhone 6S

Challenge: Shoot a picture that says something about feeling happy

Date: September 20

Camera: iPhone 6S

Challenge: Photograph a picture about music

Date: September 19

Camera: iPhone 6S

Challenge: Photograph an image based on the title “Finding Life”

Date: September 18

Camera: iPhone 6S

Sadly, this plant is dead after a month of taking this photo. I am very sad ?

Photo Challenge blog announcement

More of my photos

Friday morning