Tag: literature

Shakespeare Week: 400th Death Anniversary of William Shakespeare

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Death, death; oh, amiable, lovely death!
King John (1598), Act III, scene 4, line 34.

The 23rd of April marks the 400th death anniversary of our favourite bard, William Shakespeare. It’s the perfect time to get out your (lovingly) battered copies of Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth.

Do you remember your favourite collection of the bard’s poems, always on your nightstand? It’s time to delve right into it, and swoon to the beauty of Shakespeare’s words.

Goodreads celebrates Shakespeare’s death

If you feel like having read enough Shakespeare for a lifetime – or two – how about checking out some new novels inspired by his work? Did you always want to read some deleted scenes of your favourite play? Goodreads assembled a great collection done by amazing authors. You can check it out here.

Portrait of William Shakespeare (source: wikimedia.org)

 

Comics Review #8: Adulthood is a Myth – A “Sarah’s Scribbles” Collection by Sarah Andersen

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Adulthood is a Myth Cover (source: comixology.com)

Title: Adulthood is a Myth – A “Sarah’s Scribbles” Collection
Written and Illustrated by: Sarah Andersen
Published by: Andrews McMeel
Year: 2016

Adulthood is a Myth is a beautiful collection of comic stips by Sarah Andersen following the life of a young, introversive woman with a deep love for books and her warm, cosy bed. Not autobiographical at all… 😉

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Book Review #3: The Mortal Instruments – City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

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This review is for the audiobook version of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, read Mae Whitman.

Title: The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
Written by: Cassandra Clare
Published by: Simon & Schuster
Year:  2007 (2014)

This book exceeded my expectations – I had little expectations to begin with and was set on disliking it. So enjoying this book was a really nice surprise for me. I had previously watched the movie adaptation which was quite okay, actually, and I am currently watching the TV show Shadowhunters which is based on the Mortal Instruments book series.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones tells the story of Clary Fray, a 15-year-old girl who discovers a world beyond our own: the Shadow World. On a night out in the local club Pandemonium with her best friend Simon, Clary witnesses what she thinks is a murder. It turns out that she is the only one able to see the three Shadowhunters who killed what they claim to be a demon. That same night, Clary’s mother is kidnapped from their house, leaving Clary a voice mail on her phone, begging her to stay away from their appartment. Panicked, Clary rushes to their home to find it in ruins. It turns out her mother was kidnapped by a man who is searching for the Mortal Cup, an instrument that is used to create more Shadowhunters. Clary’s mother stole the Cup and hid it. Thus begins Clary’s journey into the Shadow World…

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Book Review #2: Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

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Rivers of London cover (source: patrickknowlesdesign.co.uk)

This is a review of the Kindle version of this book.

Title: Rivers of London (alternate title: Midnight Riot), Peter Grant Series #1
Written by: Ben Aaronovitch
Published by: Gollancz
Year: 2011

Peter Grant, police constable, stumbles into a world of murder and magic. Ben Aaronovitch created an interesting world in his Peter Grant series, a world that is open to more exploration but also more explanation. The first book of this series, Rivers of London, while beautifully written, leaves the reader unsatisfied in the end.

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Femme Friday #9: Poem by Jackie Kay

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George Square

My seventy-seven-year-old father
put his reading glasses on
to help my mother do the buttons
on the back of her dress.
‘What a pair the two of us are!’
my mother said, ‘Me with my sore wrist,
you with your bad eyes, your soft thumbs!’

And off they went, my two parents
to march against the war in Iraq,
him with his plastic hips. Her with her arthritis,
waved at each other like old friends, flapping,
where they’d met for so many marches over their years,
for peace on earth, for pity’s sake, for peace, for peace.

by Jackie Kay (source)