Much Ado About Nada Book Review

Love is not easy. It requires sacrifices, hard decisions, and truths that may be hard to hear.

Much Ado About Nada, by Uzma Jalauddin, was published last year. Nada is at a crossroads. At 28, she is working in a day job that provides a good income. But it is not what she wants to do for the rest of her life. Her lifestyle app failed and she is shockingly single.

Coerced by her best friend to attend the annual Muslim conference in Toronto, Nada runs into her past via Baz. He is her friend’s soon-to-be brother-in-law. Their reunion creates both sparks and opens the door to questions about a shared past.

Nada has two choices. She can either stay where she is or do what needs to be done to move on.

I loved this book. I was hooked from nearly the word go. I wanted Nada and Baz to get together so badly that I didn’t want to put it down.

This is not only my new favorite book of this author, but it is one of my favorite Jane Austen fanfictions. Jalaluddin expertly combines Emma, Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, and Much Ado About Nothing. My favorite aspect was the mouthdrop twist I did not see coming. It was the perfect homage to Persuasion while remaining true to Jalaluddin’s narrative.

Do I recommend it? Absolutely. The fact that I am still thinking about days after I finished the novel says everything.

Much Ado About Nada is available wherever books are sold.

Spamalot Revival Review

One of the beautiful things about satire is that no subject or tale is off-limits. In the right hands, this new narrative can still hold to the original storyline while still being unique.

The revival of Spamalot opened recently on Broadway. The original stage adaptation opened in 2005 and is based on the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It is loosely based on the legend of King Arthur and the Holy Grail. Playing the famed English King is James Monroe Iglehart. Among those who support his quest are the Lady of the Lake (Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer) and Sir Lancelot (Alex Brightman).

Monty Python has been entertaining fans for generations. Their humor is over the top, slightly inappropriate, and gut-bustlingly funny. While this show is funny, I have to admit that I did not laugh as much as I thought I would. I also checked my watch multiple times, which is not a good sign. I don’t want to say I was bored, but I was close to it.

The bright spots were Ethan Slater and Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer. Slater plays nearly two dozen characters so seamlessly that it is hard to believe that it is one actor. Though Rodriquez Kritzer is the only female with a serious amount of stage time and a semi-minor character, she milks every moment in the spotlight.

Do I recommend it? Maybe.

Spamalot is currently playing on Broadway. Check the website for showtimes and prices.

P.S.: There is a moment in the show in which an audience member is brought on stage. If you wish to avoid this, do not sit in the first few rows in the orchestra section.