You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

Notice the GoodReads logo change?

It's Shakespeare Week on Goodreads!
Here's the link to read all about the festivities.

I hadn't noticed the logo change but I'm liking it!

Is anyone going to any Shakespeare events this week or at the weekend? I'm not but I think it could be a good week to rewatch 'Shakespeare in Love' :)

I have an idea. Anyone who reads a books related to Shakespeare by the end of the month gets a badge! What do you think?

I read all of the 6 stories submitted by the authors. I have to vote for the Ian Doescher one. I love his WilliamShakespear Star Wars books! William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope based on the #4 (the original one) Star Wars movies. I own three of them in hardcopy. I need to acquire the others.

Lanelle wrote: "I have an idea. Anyone who reads a books related to Shakespeare by the end of the month gets a badge! What do you think?"

Are you making them? ;-)

I have just read the deleted scenes. I like them all but seeing as 'Othello' has always been one of my favourite Shakespeare plays, that is probably the one I like best.

I like the Othello one best too - it is very "Shakespearean!"

I love Othello. They do lots of productions here with Othello as Aboriginal, and it totally invokes all the feelings I think the original would have. But the horror that we should be better than 500-600 years ago.

It adds to it's brilliance.

I've never read any Shakespeare. In my creative writing course we analyzed the characters of Othello and now I want to read the book. Maybe I should just watch the movie with Lawrence Fishburn. Our instructor showed us the movie trailer.

Rusalka wrote: "I love Othello. They do lots of productions here with Othello as Aboriginal, and it totally invokes all the feelings I think the original would have. But the horror that we should be better than 50..."

I can imagine an Aboriginal actor would be really effective! I have never seen a production of Othello. I keep hoping that the Globe theatre in London will do one and then I can go and watch it. I have seen a few TV and film productions of some of his plays but the only play I have seen live on stage is 'As You Like It'. I still can't get over how funny it was! I was crying with laughter!

Janice wrote: "I've never read any Shakespeare. In my creative writing course we analyzed the characters of Othello and now I want to read the book. Maybe I should just watch the movie with Lawrence Fishburn. Our..."

I have read some of his works and I did mostly enjoy them but tbh, I prefer seeing his plays in visual form rather than reading them. I think you get so much more out of them that way.

I've always been afraid that it would be too much work. I don't want to have to work at reading a book. I want to be floated away, effortlessly, into another world.

Sarah wrote: "Lanelle wrote: "I have an idea. Anyone who reads a books related to Shakespeare by the end of the month gets a badge! What do you think?"

Are you making them? ;-)"

I talked to my husband before I posted the idea. He can easily do it. And then I gophered and found a few books that I thought were interesting, in case my idea received the go-ahead.

Janice wrote: "I've always been afraid that it would be too much work. I don't want to have to work at reading a book. I want to be floated away, effortlessly, into another world."

They can be hard but some are easier than others. Also, I found that the more plays I read, the easier they became because you get more used to his writing style, humour, etc.

Lanelle wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Lanelle wrote: "I have an idea. Anyone who reads a books related to Shakespeare by the end of the month gets a badge! What do you think?"

Are you making them?..."

I'm totally in if we get a Shakespeare badge!!

Cherie wrote: "I read all of the 6 stories submitted by the authors. I have to vote for the Ian Doescher one. I love his WilliamShakespear Star Wars books! [book:William Shakespeare's Star Wars: ..."

Too bad you didn't live closer so I could borrow these, the library only has The Empire Striketh Back, which I borrowed and started yesterday. It's awesome!!

Dawn wrote: "I'm totally in if we get a Shakespeare badge!! "

Hopefully the idea is approved.

Lanelle wrote: "Dawn wrote: "I'm totally in if we get a Shakespeare badge!! "

Hopefully the idea is approved."

I'm going to play the meanie here.

Sorry, but I'm going to say no. It's very short notice for an event such as this. Most people have their reading for April solidified and the month is almost over. If we'd been on our toes, we could have planned it as a group read or challenge.

Keep your ears out for future events and let us know in enough time to plan something.

The Complete Shakespeare Sonnets audiobook is indescribably wonderful...and it has Patrick Stewart reading some- ♡

I actually learned something while reading that one, Dawn. There was a scene in the movie that never made sense to me, but ID created a line that made it so much more clear. I loved the first one, but The Empire Striketh Back was my favorite. I bought the books for my grandson, but he could care less about reading them.

The only Shakespeare I have seen live is Julius Caesar. I have watched many plays on the public broadcast channel and movies though. The Shakespear Festival in Ashland, OR is about a five/six hour drive from me. They have a Globe Theater set-up. I have visited the place, but never when they had shows going.

I liked the Othello one too.

I'm not sure if I've seen any of them live. I've seen a lot of movie adaptations.

I've just started reading my way through his works last year. Actually listening to them, so it'll take me awhile to finish.

Cherie wrote: " There was a scene in the movie that never made sense to me, but ID created a line that made it so much more clear. I loved the first one, ..."

What part??

When Darth and Luke are fighting-before he (Luke) gets his arm cut off. It is something when Luke is trying not to get angry.

I love Shakespeare's works and studied quite a few plays and sonnets in school.. My favorite play is Macbeth and favorite sonnet is sonnet 18 - Shall I compare thee to a summer's day.

I studied Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet to death at school. A Midsummer Night's Dream was also a production at school so I knew that quite well too. I like the characters and storylines just not the in depth analysis and the work it takes to understand what's happening. I've seen screen adaptations of the ones I studied at school and I also went to see a Macbeth play which I remember liking. I think if I were to ever explore the other works by Shakespear, it would have to be by film/play.

I don't think I ever studied Shakespeare in high school. Probably because we focused more on the classic Dutch literature and not so much the English. I also never read any of his book, I'm afraid they cost too much effort to read and it will feel like forced reading during high school again. I did see Romeo & Juliet (Baz Luhrmann version) and Shakespeare in Love ;-)

Much Ado About Nothing is my favourite comedy, and probably favourite ever. There is a great version by Kenneth Branagh with him as Benedict and Emma Thompson as Beatrice. It also has Brian Blessed, Denzel Washington, Ben Elton, Robert Sean Leonard, Keanu Reeves, Michael Keaton, and Kate Beckinsale in it. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107616/?...

Then there is the latest Joss Whedon version which they filmed in a weekend when they all went away with each other. It has Wesley from Buffy/Angel, Fred from Angel, Coulson from Agents of Shield, Captain Mal from Firefly (as well as Buffy), Dominic from Dollhouse, Andrew from Buffy, Topher from Dollhouse, Simon from Firefly... Pretty much every actor that had worked in one of Joss Whedon's tv shows before. And it's beautifully shot. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2094064/?...

Both of these versions are a great intro to Shakespeares comedies (and the best one imho) so choose if you want the fangirl/boy version from 1993 or 2012 ;)

Both of those have impressive casts Rusalka! Not seen either of them.

Rusalka wrote: "Much Ado About Nothing is my favourite comedy, and probably favourite ever. There is a great version by Kenneth Branagh with him as Benedict and Emma Thompson as Beatrice. It also has Brian Blessed..."

I have seen the film version of 'Much Ado' with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson too. It was one of the plays we studied at school and our English teacher brought the film in so we could all watch it. It's great! I am also a fan of the DVDs of plays that the Globe Theatre have been releasing over the past few years. Every year, they film live performances of the plays they are putting on that season and then release them on DVD. You might also be able to watch them online too, although I'm not sure. I have seen several, including 'Much Ado' from 2011. The 2012 production of 'Twelfth Night', starring Mark Rylance and Stephen Fry, is one of the best. It's got an all-male cast which is exactly how it would have been performed in Shakespeare's time.
http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/shop...

Hamlet is the only play I read, and I've seen a few, but always performed by amateurs theater groups. I liked his work, but I can't say I'm dying for read more of it.

Btw, Cervantes Saavedra and Shakespeare died the same day, April 23rd, 1616, so it's being 400 years of his death this week too. I would have liked GR to do at least a mention about this. Cervantes Saavedra was as an important writer for the Spanish language as Shakespeare was for English. Just a thought...

Stephen Fry was in Twelfth Night? He so better have been Malvolio! That's my second favourite.

Kenneth Branagh also did a version of Hamlet. He and Martin Scorsese may do Macbeth.

Branagh's Shakespeare films seem so accessible to the novice. In the context of the movie, the language suddenly makes sense.

I really liked Much Ado About Nothing. Emma Thompson was a hoot!

Sarah wrote: "Both of those have impressive casts Rusalka! Not seen either of them."

I have a soft spot for the 93 version, but I always think watch one you like the cast more. Makes you engage with the characters and then the dialogue more. That's the key to Shakespeare for me, and why I love it on stage over reading.

It may take you a scene or two to catch up on the words - I watched while in Berkley a production of Macbeth with Varys from GoT as Macbeth and it took me about 3-4 scenes until I got back in to the swing of the language - but you are invested entirely in those characters for 90-120 mins. You focus and get sucked in.

Almeta wrote: "I really liked Much Ado About Nothing. Emma Thompson was a hoot! "

Totally agree. I love that woman.

Sandra wrote: "Btw, Cervantes Saavedra and Shakespeare died the same day, April 23rd, 1616, so it's being 400 years of his death this week too."

There you go! Did he write anything else besides Don Quixote? Anything you should recommend to us?

Rusalka wrote: "Stephen Fry was in Twelfth Night? He so better have been Malvolio! That's my second favourite."

He was Malvolio :) Complete with a pair of yellow stockings! I found a clip of one scene on YouTube: https://youtu.be/XFqQi_NSXek

Lisa wrote: "
He was Malvolio :) Complete with a pair of yellow stockings! I found a clip ..."

Oh perfect! And the yellow stocking scene! Looks like the whole cast was male too. And gosh the Globe is beautiful! That is the one thing I haven't done in London I really want to do, is go to a play at the Globe. Next time!

Rusalka wrote: "Lisa wrote: "
He was Malvolio :) Complete with a pair of yellow stockings! I found a clip ..."

Oh perfect! And the yellow stocking scene! Looks like the whole cast was male too. And gosh the Globe..."

Yes, the cast was all male. I definitely recommend watching a play at the Globe. It only costs £5 if you go as a 'groundling' too. Only downside is that it can get a bit uncomfortable standing for so long (you are only allowed to sit during the interval) and if it rains, you get wet! You get right in amongst the action being a groundling though, so it's worth it.

Rusalka wrote: "There you go! Did he write anything else besides Don Quixote? Anything you should recommend to us?"

Yes. He wrote 5 or 6 more novels that I cannot recommend because I didn't read them. I loved Don Quixote, though, and since it is 1,000 pages, it's equivalent to 10 or more Shakespeare's plays.

I don't have anything against Shakespeare, I just don't enjoy reading plays, being the only exception Greek tragedies, which I love. I will see his plays performed if I have the opportunity, but I don't plan to read more by him any time soon.

I don't expect a banner for Cervantes' anniversary, or a whole week as a tribute, but it would be nice to mention the fact at least. That said, I'm absolutely sure is not bad intention, but pure and plain ignorance.

Sandra, I thought Cervantes anniversary would get more of a mention too. It seems like even in Spain, they are not making a big deal out of it. I have just found this article from a couple of days ago on the BBC website. It sounds like events are being planned in Spain but they may not even happen until 2017.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36...

Sounds wonderful Lisa.

This just popped up on my Facebook. "What Shakespeare Play Should I See?" http://goodticklebrain.com/home/2016/...

Sandra wrote: "That said, I'm absolutely sure is not bad intention, but pure and plain ignorance. "

Always the way. But thanks for bringing it to our attention though. Your comment made Lexx download Don Quixote to our e Reader though, as he's meant to read it (as have I) for ages. So good work!!

Lisa wrote: "Sandra, I thought Cervantes anniversary would get more of a mention too. It seems like even in Spain, they are not making a big deal out of it. I have just found this article from a couple of days ..."

I read that article two days ago after a booklikes' friend shared it. I'm not surprised they are not giving the event its relevance, but it's a mistake anyways.

Rusalka wrote: "This just popped up on my Facebook. "What Shakespeare Play Should I See?" http://goodticklebrain.com/home/2016/..."

That chart is cool.

Rusalka wrote: "Sandra wrote: "That said, I'm absolutely sure is not bad intention, but pure and plain ignorance. "

Always the way. But thanks for bringing it to our attention though. Your comment made Lexx downl..."

I hope he enjoys it. It's like classics in general, you love them or you hate them.

I think GR people only know about selling books and nothing about literature. GR members are the ones who make this a great site.

Ok. I'm off. This Shakespeare thread, and I'm off topic.

Rusalka wrote: "Sounds wonderful Lisa.

This just popped up on my Facebook. "What Shakespeare Play Should I See?" http://goodticklebrain.com/home/2016/..."

I love that chart! I had to laugh at the first question where it asked, 'What do you want to do?' and if your answer was, 'Take a nap', it told you to go and see 'Henry VIII'. I think I might give that one a miss!

Shakespeare wrote great poetry if you don't like plays check out his sonnets.
Thanks for the nudge to seek more Cervantes.

The chart was great!!

thanks for the chart