As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes and Joe Layden

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have been eyeing this book ever since it was first published in 2014, but waited patiently for the paperback version before finally adding it to my ever growing library. Even before I began reading it last night at around 7pm I knew that it would become one of my favourites instantaneously. An engaging, well-written and honest autobiography, As You Wish is a treasure that keeps the reader captured until the last page.
I have to say that biographies and autobiographies are not my very first choice of reading material, even though I have studied this genre extensively during my graduate years (mostly because no courses on fiction were available at the time), but something drew me to this one in particular right from the start. As a late discovery of mine the movie The Princess Bride has since become a story of comfort, warmth and encouragement during times that required extra strength on my part. And now I can add Cary Elwes’ wonderful tales from the making of the movie to my list of my personal comforts.
The writing was effortless, capturing the readers’ attention and making one feel as if Elwes was sitting right across from you, having a cup of tea while giving this very personal account of his experience on the set of the movie.
What struck as very endearing was his honesty about himself and the fact that he had not a single bad word to say about anyone who worked with him during the making of the movie, all the while refraining from sounding fake or over-pleasing. I smiled throughout the entire book and it even had me laugh at various sections (neither of which happen all that often). I was so taken with the book that I finished it less than 24hrs after starting it; reading way past my bed time, on the subway, bus and even on a bench just beside the neighbourhood pub, wind blowing my very long, blue hair about my face and my tea sitting forgotten beside me and getting cold, instead of buying groceries for tonight’s dinner.
As You Wish provided a wonderful glimpse into the circumstances of making a wonderful movie as well as telling the honest truth about life as an actor during filming and the filming process itself. And, of course, letting us become a part of the making of one of literature’s most beloved male heroes, Westley. I highly recommend this lovely book to anyone, who loves the book and the movie The Princess Bride, autobiographies and thoroughly appreciates a remarkable talent for the art of narration.

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The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury

The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I couldn't sleep this morning, so I decided to ring in the month of October and the season for reading spooky stories with The Halloween Tree.
Contrary to popular opinion, it was a real let down for me. I read a few unfavourable reviews that stated the same problems I had with this story: confused writing style, no clear organization of what the main point of this story was actually supposed to be and just plain boring.
I have to admit, throughout some of the very elaborate and repeated descriptions of whatever was going on I began to skim read. That was the biggest horror I experienced during reading this story. I do not skim read, ever!
It also felt rather didactic, yet confusing since the "adult" in this story spoke in more riddles than the children.
What was the overall point? Not sure. The only positive point I have to make are the various cultural differences of celebrating Halloween that were described (in painstaking details, though), which was relatively informative.
Overall, imagine me all snuggled up in bed on this early morning as the day dawns grey and foggy, looking forward to a little spooky story, just to look up from my book with a sense of disappointment and having wasted my time.

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