Always be a first rate version of yourself...: Shakespeare

What's Going On Here?

There are SO MANY wonderful book review blogs out there and I can't compete with them, that is for sure. So this is not a book review blog. This is just a way for me to organize what I have read so that I can be better at matching the right book to the right person. The blog title comes from the brilliant mind of the most talented woman who ever lived, Ms. Judy Garland. The full quote is, "Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of someone else." That is what I hope to do here and in ever aspect of my life.

Showing posts with label Shakespeare. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

Descending Shakespeare!

Isn't a word I use very much. As I Descended is a modern retelling of Macbeth! Dude so much Shakespeare in my life this year! With two Ladys Macbeth instead of a Dude Macbeth! Creepy and good!

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

More Shakespeare!

If We Were Villains wasn't Shakespeare, but he did figure in it. This book was so good. Just a really, really good mystery, but more than a mystery! I just loved it from start to finish and can't wait for M. L. Rio's next book,

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

The Little Old Woman Who Lived in a Vinegar Bottle

is one of my most favorite stories to tell! I first heard a group of tween girls do it as part of a program called Savvy Cinderellas. Which was SUCH a great program of which I was able to be a small part for several years and am still a small part of a modified, similar program at a local elementary school. This is part of the Hogarth Shakespeare Series and is based on The Taming of the Shrew. I have not read TTOTS and knew nothing about it, but it was totally cool that I didn't. Super good!

Shakey

I have no idea why but for a long time I have called Shakespeare "Shakey Shakespeare." I can't say I am a huge Shakespeare fan. Or even a tiny Shakespeare fan. Or even much of a fan. But I did enjoy Macbeth and Hamlet and Othello. I blame others of course. I blame the fact that we had to read The Merchant of Venice in seventh grade. Are most seventh graders ready for The Merchant of Venice? I was ready for Macbeth in tenth and Hamlet in eleventh or twelfth, I can't remember, but not TMOV in seventh. But maybe that was just me.
In any case, this series, Hogarth Shakespeare seems fantastic! I loved New Boy and I am listing to Vinegar Girl right now, which is based on The Taming of the Shrew, which I don't know at all and it is SO good! These books are written by really established authors. Tracy Chevalier wrote this one. And VG is written by Anne Tyler. Both of these authors have written for adult audiences. But on her website, Chevalier says that she thinks young adults will find this appealing as well, maybe. And I agree.