And Then There Were None - Book Review

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

This book was quite a marvel. I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you don't enjoy mystery novels, or murder, then this book is not for you. For those who are intrigued by it, then this is a must read. It is of course a classic. Agatha Christie is one of the best selling authors of all time. Only The Bible, and Shakespeare has out sold her books. And she definitely deserves her high rank, her writing was very different and intriguing. At first when I started this book, I was slightly confused by its format. I decided to give up after one chapter (NEVER DO THAT). My friend later told me how great the book was, so I felt inclined to try it again. I am so glad I did. 

This book is about ten people who received a letter from a mysterious figure asking them to come to some island to visit him. The strangers all arrived on the island, and this mysterious man was not there! They all got acquainted and settled in. On the first night, someone mysteriously died. A man at the prime of his health and youth just dropped dead. It was quite the shock to everyone there. They slowly realized this couldn't have been an accident, or even suicide. One by one, people were dropping like flies. The remaining group figured out the killer must have been among themselves. Living in constant fear, the group struggles to figure out this frightening mystery. 

There is a show called Any Number Can Die that was based off of this book. Of course that show is a satire comedy with loosely the same plot line. It is very good, but different from the book. I really recommend this book to high schoolers and older. It is an easy read once you get used to the slightly odd format. I absolutely loved it. It actually moved me so much, I had a dream that I was in the same predicament. 

There is a chilling poem that the plot line is based off of, and used multiple times in the book:

"Ten little Soldier boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were Nine.Nine little Soldier boys sat up very late; One overslept himself and then there were Eight.Eight little Soldier boys traveling in Devon; One said he'd stay there and then there were Seven.Seven little Soldier boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in halves and then there were Six.Six little Soldier boys playing with a hive; A bumblebee stung one and then there were Five.Five little Soldier boys going in for law; One got into Chancery and then there were Four.Four little Soldier boys going out to sea; A red herring swallowed one and then there were Three.Three little Soldier boys walking in the Zoo; A big bear hugged one and then there were Two.Two little Soldier boys were out in the sun; One got all frizzled up and then there was one.One little Soldier boy left all alone; He went out and hanged himself and then there were none."

Hope you give this book a go! If you've read it, comment and let me know what you think!

-Aida

Mary & Max

Mary and Max

This movie was such a spectacular piece of art. It was a lovely claymation that really grabbed my attention. It had that Tim Burton-esque quality to it, but not so much that it was dominating the film. This movie is about an Australian girl who has no friends, and her home life isn't quite pleasant. All she wants to do is to have a friend. She was curious about how babies were born, in America (because apparently in Australia they come out of beer). So she sent a letter to a random person in America, and it ended up being received by Max. He is an extremely introverted 40 year old man who sees the world differently. He doesn't quite understand how people work. They become great pen pals, helping each other in bad situations. They grow very close and fond of each other even though they have never met. This film looks like it could have a child like quality, but it has some mature content that is rather amusing to see in such a setting. There is quite a lot of symbolism in this film which is always nice to catch. This movie can be really depressing at times, but it is over all such a sweet film. I recommend this to anyone who likes claymation and Tim Burton type films. I can't wait to watch this movie again and again. It really isn't publicized enough! 

Also, there is a LOVELY song in this movie called Perpetuum Mobile by Penguin Cafe Orchestra. It is the main song to this film, and it is a beautiful piano piece. You wouldn't think that is all too appealing, but honestly I can't get enough of how inspirational and happy it can be. I absolutely adore it. I hope you all enjoy this movie, and if you've seen it please leave a comment telling me how you felt about it!