Entertained – DaneCobain.com

Title: Rotten Rulers

Author: Terry Deary

Type: Non-Fiction

Page Count: 176

Rating: 4/5

I actually learned a surprising amount from this book. For example, in the AD 900s, the grand vizier of Persia travelled with a library of 117,000 books carried by camels that were trained to walk in alphabetical order. Although he also said that the earth is flat, which I’m hoping was a joke but which either way is a dangerous one to make, especially when educating kids.

So basically, the main vibe that I was left with here was that there were a lot of cool facts and information that would definitely keep a kid entertained, but at the same time I’m not too sure how much we can trust it. It’s a shame, because I’ve always found the information to be spot on in Horrible History books before.

Mostly, though, it’s just a timely reminder that power corrupts and that people are terrible. After all, there are quite a few rotten rulers still knocking around today. Sinister.

Learn more about Rotten Rulers.

William Shakespeare – A Midsummer Night’s Dream | Review

Title: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Author: William Shakespeare

Type: Fiction

Page Count/Review Word Count: 194

Rating: 3/5

William Shakespeare – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

This wasn’t my favourite of Shakespeare’s plays, but perhaps that’s because it’s a comedy instead of a tragedy. It just wasn’t particularly funny, probably because tastes have changed over the last several hundred years, and I’ve always preferred stuff with a bleak ending.

Still, it was nice to get to meet well-known characters like Puck and to see which parts have been absorbed into popular culture or parodied on television shows. I also found it super interesting to read all of the notes, although I waited until the end to do that. I learned a few things that I can put to use elsewhere.

But I’ve rated this on the play itself rather than on the notes, and it was a little bit of a disappointment for me after Othello, which had its flaws but which entertained me more. If I were to go and see a Shakespeare play, I wouldn’t pick A Midsummer Night’s Dream. But if I got a chance to go for free, I’d jump at the chance.