Book Association: Brave New World - Shakespeare

In addition to reading Brave New World, we decided to offer an optional read for Shakespeare's sonnets and plays. We originally did it because it's the Bard's birthday this month, but strangely enough it turns out that his works are quoted constantly in BNW. So, Bill himself will be our theme this week with some of his works that were mentioned in BNW.

Troilus and Cressida - Shakespeare's darker version of Romeo and Juliet follows two Trojans who fall in love during the War.

Timon of Athens - A tale of rich young man who spends his money on his friends and when he subsequently becomes impoverished, he starts to despise humanity. Not touted as one of the Bard's finest, but worth checking out.

King John - Whenever I think King John, I think of the lion from Disney's Robin Hood. Not fair, but there it is. One of the Bard's lesser recognized plays, this one is said to lack the drama he usually inspires.

A Midsummer Night's Dream - Ok I have to admit, I added this one due to the fact it's my favorite out of the plays I have read and seen by Shakespeare. Is it Puck and his shenanigans ? Nick Bottom running around with a donkey's head while Titania moons over him? All of it!

The Tempest - The very title of Brave New World comes from this play. It's ironic, comparing the experiences of Miranda when she sees people for the first time (The Tempest) with plight of John  (BNW) once he reaches "civilization."

O wonder!

How many goodly creatures are there here!

How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,

That has such people in't. 

 Act V, Scene I, ll. 203–206

City Lights Bookseller

We made our way to City Lights which is one of the most prolific bookstores in the city as it had a hand in the city's Beat Movement. We loved it!

Source: Jared Fagan

Down in the basement!

Source: Jared Fagan

The iconic front windows!

Source: Jared Fagan

The main floor.

Source: Jared Fagan 

Up to the Poetry Room where they keep the Ginsbergs, Burroughs and Kerouacs among others.

Tator Tuesdays

Last week we asked our Tators the first line of the book they were currently reading. This week we're asking:  

What book had the largest impact on you as a child?  

Angie 

"The Story of Doctor Dolittle"

Jared 

"I can't answer that because I wasn't much of a reader then."

Jeane

"The Paper Bag Princess"

Karena

"I remember getting The Silver Pencil from a teacher when I was 10. It was probably the longest book I’d ever read by myself at that point."

Laura

"The Sign of the Beaver"

What book had the largest impact on you as a child?

Green Apple Books

There were four bookstores on our tour and Green Apples was the first. It was really great place that made us all feel like we could kick back with a tattered paperback and hide from the rainy weather. 

Source:Jared Fagan

Hanging out at the counter!

Source: Jared Fagan

Pretty neon!

Source: Jared Fagan

We could really get lost here!

Source: Jared Fagan

Ep #10 Shakespeare and San Francisco

Source: Brandon Ess

Shakespeare and San Francisco - listen here 

The Tators give the details on Shelftator Angie's The Year of the Gadfly project. Jared and Karena give  a heads up on the new tv show Hannibal, then the gang shares where their bookmarks are. The Tators get together with Heather, a CWAtCer in San Francisco during their bookstore tour. Then they share their favorite poetry for National Poetry Month and share some Shakespearian insults in celebration of the Bard's birthday. The Top 10 Best Feuds in Literature wraps it all up.


Where's my Bookmark and other books we mention:

• The Year of the Gadfly
• My Friend Dahmer
• The Name of the Wind
• Brave New World
• Click
• Life After Life
• Equal of the Sun
• Tender is the Night
• Anna Karenina
• Shakespeare's Insults: Educating Your Wit
• Will the Real William Shakespeare Please Step Forward?!
• Shakespeare: The World as Stage

The Websites we mention:

• The Year of the Gadfly Togather Event
• Shakespeare Insults
• A Goodread's list on Shakespeare 

Literary Loot

So I decided to splurge a bit and hit our Friends of the Library Bookstore. I got a great stack of books, but only due to the fact they were getting too heavy did I stop.

Source: Karena Fagan

From left: William Shakespeare Complete Plays, Paradise Lost, The House of Mirth, The Moor's Last Sigh, The English Patient, One Hundred Years of Solitude, East of Eden, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Main Street, Middlesex, A Moveable Feast, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

What literary loot did you find this weekend?

Review: Blood Between Queens

In her fifth installment of the Thornleigh series, Blood Between Queens, Barbara Kyle is once again in Queen Elizabeth's court. This time her focus is on Justine Thornleigh, ward of Richard and Honor from the first book in the series, The Queen's Lady.

Mary, Queen of Scots has fled her kingdom hoping for asylum under her cousin Elizabeth. What she receives, however, is house arrest, with Justine as her lady's maid. Unbeknownst to Mary, Justine has been put in the position as spy to Elizabeth. In addition, unbeknownst to Justine, Mary is in cahoots with Justine's father, who is believed to be dead and is a traitor to the English crown, a relationship also hidden from Justine's fiancé, Will. Justine is constantly in limbo between her loyalty to Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary, her fiancé and foster family, and her father. 

I admit, I didn't read the first four books in the series, but it mostly felt as if this could be read as a stand alone. Kyle gives the reader enough information to know what the previous stories were about, and I really didn't feel that I was missing anything. 

Even so, I felt the story ran a bit slow, and it started to read more like an historical romance, rather than historical fiction. The intrigue didn't feel, well, intriguing at first. In the latter part of the book, the pace quickened a bit and I was more interested to see what would happen. The story felt like there was filler that could have been cut out. Blood Between Queens read more like a book that just happened to take place during the Elizabethan era than one about Queen Elizabeth's reign, which would have been more interesting.

The Verdict

Library Bag: This will appeal to readers who like the Elizabethan era, but not to those who like stories about the actual historical individuals (like Elizabeth, Cecil, et al) to take more of a central role.

*(review based on galley received from netgalley.com)