Maya

by Jostein Gaarder

This is the first book I have read in ages! The story is quite convoluted, as always with Jostein Gaarder, stories within stories. Story synopsis from Amazon because I'm lazy. Don't read the synopsis (in italics) if you are to read this book.

A chance meeting on the Fijian island of Taveuni is the trigger for a fascinating and mysterious novel that intertwines the stories of John Spooke, an English author who is grieving for his dead wife; Frank Andersen, a Norwegian evolutionary biologist estranged from his wife Vera; and an enigmatic Spanish couple, Ana and Jose, who are absorbed in their love for each other. Why does Ana bear such a close resemblance to the model for Goya's famous Maja paintings? What is the significance of the Joker as he steps out of his pack of cards? As the action moves from Fiji to Spain, from the present to the past, unfolding further stories within the stories, the novel reveals an astonishing richness and complexity. As bold and imaginative in its sweep as Sophie's World, it shows again that Jostein Gaarder's unique and special gift is to make us wonder at the awe-inspiring mystery of the universe. 

Here are my thoughts. I actually did not like this book very much, the story was labored at times. It was like I wanted to see the ending and that is all. The journey was not really that enticing. Perhaps that is a personal perspective. It had its moments and one realization by the character John Spooke made me quite affected. But the writing was a bit hard to digest at times. It was also written mostly in first person, so it was very difficult to read. Almost the whole book was internal monologue. But the content in itself is pretty inspiring, Jostein Gaarder always has a theme of writing about philosophy and in this case, it was on evolution theory and the meaning of life. It is quite intricate at times the concepts introduced, but again at times, this felt a lot like a lecture in evolution rather than a story. It really was bordering on being a evolution textbook bounded together as a piece of fiction.

As a whole, it is an alright read, though I still prefer Sophie's World and the Solitaire Mystery. But Jostein Gaarder's writing is unique and I aspire only to be half as good in evoking thought and emotion as his writing does.

The Road Not Taken

by Robert Frost

                                                                                                                     photograph by gacek

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,   

And sorry I could not travel both   

And be one traveler, long I stood   

And looked down one as far as I could   

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,   

And having perhaps the better claim,   

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;   

Though as for that the passing there   

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay   

In leaves no step had trodden black.   

Oh, I kept the first for another day!   

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,   

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh   

Somewhere ages and ages hence:   

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—   

I took the one less traveled by,   

And that has made all the difference.

Reefer Madness

by Paul Franklin (BlakYak Theatre Production at the Phoenix Theatre)

The play description from the BlakYak website.

Reefer Madness the musical – Inspired by the original 1936 film of the same name, this raucous musical comedy takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the hysteria caused when clean-cut kids fall prey to marijuana, leading them on a hysterical downward spiral filled with evil jazz music, sex and violence. You won’t be able to resist the spoofy fun of Reefer Madness. The addictive and clever musical numbers range from big Broadway-style showstoppers to swing tunes like “Down at the Ol’ Five and Dime” and the Vegas-style “Listen to Jesus, Jimmy,” featuring J.C. Himself leading a chorus of showgirl angels. This dynamic show will go straight to your head!

One of the most wonderful musicals I have seen this year! I at first just thought it would be a brainless sort of play like the one I watched last week, The Sorting Room. But this play was in a class of its own. Firstly all the actors were wonderful and sang absolutely beautifully. They were also faithful to the time period, and the characters spoke with American accents of the period, that of the mid 20th century. The props though very little, were more than compensated for with the great costumes and the charisma and talent of the actors and actresses. The only fault I have is with ending, which I felt with a bit rushed and wrapper up haphazardly. But then again the story is what it is, and the quality of performance makes up for this. Overall, the journey was just so much fun and entertaining that at the end you did not really care where it ended.