The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde

Blurb

Cecily Cardew and Gwendolen Fairfax are both in love with the same mythical suitor. Jack Worthing has wooed Gwendolen as Ernest while Algernon has also posed as Ernest to win the heart of Jack’s ward, Cecily. When all four arrive at Jack’s country home on the same weekend, the girls to fight for Ernest’s undivided attention and the “Ernests” to claim their beloveds, pandemonium breaks loose.

Only a nursemaid and an old, discarded hand-bag can save the day!

My Perspective

I actually read this because i was impatiently awaiting April 1 so i could read Draekora, the third book in The Medoran Chronicles. I’d seen the movie with Colin Firth so knew the general story line however i actually didn’t realise it was written as a play!

The story is about two young gentlemen friends who get themselves in a bit of a pickle when their fictional alter egos fall in love, their lovers think their names are Ernest and they won’t accept a lover with any other name.

The characters are all equally lovable as well as irritating, which works well for the story.

I couldn’t help but giggle all the way through the story, knowing what was coming yet still laughing like it was a complete surprise.

Obviously as the story was written in 1899, the language is a bit heavy however like I’ve said before, i don’t mind that at all. Also as it was written in the format of a play, some might find it stilted because it doesn’t flow like a novel however I’ve read quite a few plays and i don’t really even notice it anymore.

Overall i thoroughly enjoyed reading The Importance of Being Ernest and it was a nice, quick read that left me unhindered to start reading Draekora as soon as it was released. I would definitely recommend it if you like classics and comedy.

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Kobo Touch eReader

For Christmas my Mum and Step-Dad gave me a Kobo Touch eReader. I have never had an eReader before. I must admit that i quite like owning one.

I still really enjoy holding a book in my hands and physically turning the pages. I enjoy the smell and feel of a brand new book; all crisp and fresh. And in the same breath i love the smell and feel of an old book; musty, yellowing and fragile.

I don’t want eBooks to ever replace paper books completely. However i suppose it is inevitable. At the moment i can enjoy the best of both worlds. Now, when holidaying, i don’t have to worry about how heavy my suitcase is because of all the books i have in it (and yes i am very guilty of this – i worry whether I’ve packed enough books because i don’t want to run out of reading material). Also i live in a country area and there is a local library half an hour away however we don’t really go there very often and i feel guilty about driving all that way and back again just to borrow or return books. Now, did you know that a lot of libraries lend eBooks? And that you can do it all from the convenience of your own home? I did not know this until a couple of days ago. HOW EXCITING IS THAT???!!! (As you can tell – i am very excited). I just borrowed The Help by Kathryn Stockett, easy as that. And i don’t need to even worry about when i have to return it because it just expires. I am literally sitting here trying not to jump up and down shouting about how excited i am.

I really like my Kobo, however i was expecting the library to work like iTunes where you have all of your music (or in this case books) in your library and then you can choose to automatically sync it to your device or manually sync it. Meaning that you can have your entire collection or just what you want. I know that eBooks don’t take up much room and there is space for at least 1000 books on my Kobo, i guess I’m just thinking of when i get to the point where I’ve read all the eBooks on my Kobo and I’ve already deleted all the ones that I’m happy to have read but won’t read again. What will i do? If i want to download another book will i have to delete a book i like and will want to read again? Some people never reread a book so they do not have this problem. I am not one of these people. I will regularly reread a book that i love even if i practically know it off by heart. Granted, this won’t be for awhile if it does happen, however i’m just one of those annoying people that looks at the future possibilities and has to have a solution for it now so that if it happens, i am prepared. It’s funny actually, when my husband and i were merely coworkers (in fact he was my manager) it was one of the things about me that really annoyed him. We worked at a restaurant together where he was the chef and i was the waitress and i would come into the kitchen and ask questions like, “So with the special, if someone wants it as a main rather than an entree, is that okay?” and he’d reply, “Does someone want that?” and i’d reply, “No, i just want to know in case someone asks.” Anyway one day after an interchange similar to that, i walked out of the kitchen and i overheard him venting to the kitchen hand how annoying i was when i did that etc. Well! I can tell you. I was extremely indignant and was only ever civil to him after that. Until we obviously became great friends, fell in love and got married. We joke about it now. Anyway, back to my point. I would like the option to manually sync my books onto my Kobo. And i know i could get around it if i wanted to, i just think it would be a good option for them to have. I also find it annoying that i cannot use it when it is charging. And i didn’t realise how much Wi-Fi drains the battery. I have turned it off and i’m testing how long the battery lasts – hopefully for a month like they state it does.

I’m really looking forward to downloading for free a lot of the old classics. There are quite a few of them i’ve been wanting to read for awhile but because they are quite wordy and lengthy, i haven’t wanted to borrow them from the library and feel rushed. Maybe i will even download Moby Dick and conquer the only book that conquered me. Now that is a goal i want to achieve.

Here’s to reading – in whatever form you desire.

“If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.” – Oscar Wilde

I apologise for my less-than-wonderful photo quality – they were taken on my phone.