The Comedy of Errors–mistaken identities
The Comedy of Errors
by William Shakespeare
A few months ago, upon hearing about a crazy set of circumstances and events that involved a friend, it immediately came to my mind that the situation was a “comedy of errors.” Then, I pulled out my book containing all the plays of Shakespeare to confirm the source of the phrase. Indeed, Shakespeare did write a play with that title. I determined that it was one of his works that I had not read. I put the book aside and decided on a quiet Sunday afternoon that I would enjoy the tale.
My first takeaway is that it has been a very long time since I read or studied any Shakespeare. Therefore, there was a bit of a learning curve to dive back in. The language is definitely different from our twenty-first century way of speaking and cultural references. Secondly, the text is dramatic; it was written to be acted, not read, and therein lies the rub.
The Comedy of Errors is, as comes as no surprise, a comedy. Its effectiveness depends a lot on timing; and, I would imagine, much could be interpreted as slapstick. Judging from posts on YouTube, presentations of this play have been are popular and are set in a variety of eras. I think I would prefer a period piece. It was one of Shakespeare’s first plays.
The basic plot is that a set of infant twins and their accompanying slave twins were separated in a shipwreck. The father was able to stay with his son and one of the infant slaves. The mother and her charges were eventually separated from each other. Twenty-five years later they all end up in the same city leading to multiple cases of confused identities. It is a funny plot with no expert analysis needed to enjoy the story.
Rating: It’s Shakespeare—can it even be rated?
Category: Comedy, Classic
Notes: My copy was edited by Paul A. Jorgensen who introduces the play and includes footnotes on word meanings and context of the times.
Publication: Written: approximately 1592;
first published in the folio of 1623;
My version: William Shakespeare: The Complete Works—1969, Penguin Books
Memorable Lines:
“Am I in earth, in heaven, or in hell?
Sleeping or waking? Mad or well advised?
Known unto these, and to myself disguised!”
From the editor: “He (Shakespeare) allowed the play to speak for itself, to make its incredible muddle of events its adequate explanation for being.”
The Pretender–Amish mystery
The Pretender
by Wanda E. Brunstetter
The Mifflin County Mystery Series a successful blend of cozy mystery and Amish romance. In Belleville, Pennsylvania, there is an Amish community that is rocked by the disappearance of Rosa, a young Amish woman. Always in the background of the first two books in the series is concern for Rosa. Is she dead? Did she run off so she wouldn’t be pressured to join the Amish church? If so, why didn’t she contact someone, anyone, to let her family know she is alive? Her boyfriend Ephraim, her best friend Ada, or her oldest brother Norman who desperately looked for her?
As anticipated, the author shares Rosa’s story in The Pretender. It has been two years since she disappeared. Everyone has moved on as best they can. Ephraim and Ada have a relationship. Rosa’s sister, Susan, has taken over her room and tried to replace her in a close bond with their mom.
I don’t want to spoil The Pretender by sharing details. I do encourage you to read the whole series. There are lots of twists and turns as various characters grapple with what is morally appropriate to do in certain situations and what will cause the least pain to the fewest number of people. One of the main characters is English which, romantically speaking, is the basis of trouble in the Amish world.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Christian, Religion, Romance, Mystery
Notes: This is the third book in the Mifflin County Mystery series and I would recommend reading them in order. I read #2 first, then #1, and finally #3. While I understood the second book as a standalone, I wished I had read them in order.
Publication: August 1, 2025—Barbour Publishing
Memorable Lines:
“…life doesn’t always give us what we want or think we need. I guess the good days help to prepare us for the not-so-good times and teach us to appreciate those times when things are going well for us.”
One thing was for sure: It would be a cold day in the hottest part of Arizona before Anthony would ask his folks if he could move in with them. Nope, that would never work out.
These negative thoughts don’t come from You, do they, Lord? Isn’t that just like the enemy to sidetrack a person when they are praying, while trying to trust and seek God’s will?
Hinds’ Feet on High Places: an Engaging Visual Journey
Hinds’ Feet on High Places
By Hannah Hurnard
Illustrated by Jill de Haan & Rachel McNaughton
Chapter One of Hinds’ Feet on High Places begins with a summary: “This is the story of how Much-Afraid escaped from her Fearing relatives and went with the Shepherd to the High Places where “perfect love casteth out fear.” This one sentence alerts the reader to the style and genre of this book—an allegory. It follows the journey of the protagonist, Much-Afraid, as she progresses through the ups and downs of life, learning to trust and follow the Chief Shepherd. With deformities to her face that affect her speech and problems with her legs which limit her mobility, she has been bullied mercilessly. When she decides to follow the Chief Shepherd to ascend mountain heights where all will be healed, she is embarking upon an adventure with Sorrow and Suffering as her companions, but she eventually sees the value of these new friends and learns how to fight against her old foes from the Valley of Humiliation.
Hinds’ Feet on High Places has maintained its popularity with Christians with many rereading it at various stages of life. I can see how multiple readings would be valuable: learning new lessons about drawing close to Jesus in every stage of life. This is my first reading of the book (a book club selection), and I chose this illustrated version. It is a masterpiece of art and design. There are lovely watercolors and photographs throughout. Verses from the Songs of Solomon (canticles) are part of the story and are illustrated with delicate, color drawings. The book includes designated places for the reader to briefly note the “memorial stones” in his or her life just as Much-Afraid collected a memorial stone to put in her pouch from each of the altars along the way that commemorate her laying down a fear or trouble.
There are a number of verses that are drawn out on a full page with color illustrations. Then those same drawings are repeated again at the back of the book as outlines for those who enjoy coloring.
An independent missionary in Israel, Hannah Hurnard wrote this book during a three week period when she was visiting Switzerland following the death of her father in England. Her story of that visit and a brief autobiography are included at the end of the book. She wrote several books, but she is best known for Hinds’ Feet on High Places.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Christian, Allegory, Fiction
Notes: 1. Inspired by Habakkuk 3:19: “The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.”
2. Full disclosure—I did not write or color in my copy of the book. It is just too beautiful!
3. This version makes a wonderful gift to be enjoyed and treasured.
Publication: 1.This illustrated version: January 1, 2017—Tyndale House
2. The original paperback version without illustrations was first published on January 1, 1955 by Christian Literature Crusade.
Memorable Lines:
“You can’t mean it. You said if I would trust you, you would bring me to the High Places, and that path leads right away from them. It contradicts all that you promised.” “No,” said the Shepherd, “it is not contradiction, only postponement for the best to become possible.”
She had the feeling that somehow, in the very far-off places, perhaps even in far-off ages, there would be a meaning found to all sorrow and an answer too fair and wonderful to be as yet understood.
“That is the only really satisfactory way of dealing with evil, not simply binding it so that it cannot work harm, but whenever possible overcoming it with good.”
The Next Deadly Chapter–disappearing body
The Next Deadly Chapter
By V. M. Burns
Samantha (Sam) Washington, bookstore owner and author of the historical cozy mystery Murder at Wickfield Lodge, is heckled by a man at a book talk presented on land owned by the Pontolomas in Michigan. The embarrassed leader of the tribal council of this newly recognized Native American tribe gives Sam and several of her friends a weekend at the fancy resort and casino owned by the tribe.
This gift is perfect as a retreat from pre-wedding chaos for Sam, her grandmother Nana Jo, and her grandmother’s friends. Well, perfect until a dead body shows up in the future mother-in-law’s suite…and then disappears. The book, of course, focuses on finding the body and the murderer.
This series uses a technique of a book within a book. When Sam is restless or searching her brain for clues, she turns to writing her historical mystery series. The brilliant thing about this stress reliever is that it usually provides Sam with insights into untapped avenues of investigation. The use of this tool gets mixed reactions from me in this particular book. I think it is very clever, but the characters in the book Sam is writing have very long names and/or two completely different names due to the alternative use of titles like “Lord” and “Lady.” This cumbersome name assignment bogged the writing down for me. The other issue is that the historical mystery is less important and therefore is assigned less space in The Next Deadly Chapter. If the interspersed passages were combined, they would be about the length of a novella, not allowing enough space for plot or character development.
Sam’s future mother-in-law, a doctor, is intimidating at first, but loosens up during the course of the book. The change in her character is a little too sudden to be convincing. Dawson is a young man that Sam has taken under her wing. He is approached by his father who is newly released from jail. They have a troubled relationship which the author writes about very effectively, and then the whole plot thread is dropped. It seems like a missed opportunity to involve the young man in the story and delve into some social issues.
In general, the main plot and mystery were good. I didn’t figure out the perpetrator until the reveal at the end of the book. There were lots of relationship complications and twists in the story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: 1. #10 in the Mystery Bookshop Mystery Series. I have only read a few of the books in this series, but I had no problem dropping in at this point.
2. Don’t expect to see much of Sam’s two small poodles in this volume. She goes to a resort and leaves the dogs at home.
Publication: February 25, 2025—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
“When you read a cozy, the author won’t describe the murder in graphic detail….If you think about Jessica Fletcher in Murder, She Wrote, she always just stumbled across a dead body. The important thing wasn’t the body. The important thing was the puzzle. It’s about figuring out the clues to determine whodunit.”
Leon’s battle with cancer was short, and it taught me that life is too short not to spend it doing what you love.
Baking was how Dawson reduced stress and worked through his problems. My stress reliever was writing. I sat down at my laptop and took a trip back in time to 1939 and the British countryside to relieve my own stress.
Lily Tripp: Diary of an Accidental Time Traveler
Lily Tripp
by Amelia Tait
Thirteen year old Lily Tripp never planned on being a time traveler. It just happens. One minute she’s in the twenty-first century, and then with the New Year’s countdown she finds herself in an entirely different era. Each year has new challenges and she has to learn about the customs and technology of each age from Victorian England to Ancient Rome to America in the 1970’s. Lily’s best friend Poppy, her nemesis Georgia, and her special friend Ollie appear wherever Lily “lands.” Her family and pets are there too, but everyone takes on a role different from the one they have in their original time frame. For example, in the seventeenth century, Lily is Georgia’s servant and sleeps on a trundle bed at Georgia’s side. Lily records all of her travels in a diary along with lists and special notes about her experiences.
As you can imagine, there is a lot of humor in this book. Readers are also exposed to the history of various time frames, and will have to decide how they would confront various situations. Being a young teenager is hard enough without being thrown into completely new expectations. Bullying and friendship are major themes. Young love in the form of a possible budding romance is woven into the story also. I liked watching the characters Lily and Poppy navigate the minefields inherent in being thirteen years old. The diary format was a good one for this tale. I will watch out for the next book in this series, and I recommend it for middle age readers, especially girls.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Children’s Fiction, Middle Grades
Notes: 1. Ages 10-14
2. #1 in the Lily Tripp Diary Series
3. Includes notes explaining what is historically accurate and what isn’t.
Publication: May 12, 2026—Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group (can be pre-ordered)
Memorable Lines:
Every New Year’s day until the last one, I entered a New Old Year. And everyone I know came back to a different time with me and spent a whole year in the past. But here’s the kicker: absolutely no one seemed to notice it was happening except for ME.
Fairly early on in my time travels, I realized that while everyone’s memories get adjusted, they don’t disappear…And if old memories won’t fit into new perspectives, then it seems they end up sort of jumbled, so people don’t remember exactly what happened, but they do remember how they felt.
The one thing I can say for certain about Joey or Joseph or whoever he is—the one thing that was true in 1922, 1621 and the 1970s—is that he has a knack for staying out of trouble while getting other people into it.
education pathways 