Much Ado About Nothing - William Shakespeare

Claudio has come back from war and once again meets the beautiful Hero and allows himself to fall in love. This causes much amusement for Benedick and Beatrice who both proclaim that they will never marry and instead like to spar with each other. When Claudio and Hero agree to marry they decide to trick their friends Benedick and Beatrice. They make them both believe that one loves the other. In doing so they come to believe that they are really in love. Meanwhile Don John, the Bastard brother of their friend Don Pedro, is up to mischief. He is unhappy unless he is causing trouble and decides to cause make the young couple miserable. He convinces both Don Pedro and Claudio that Hero might not be so innocent and pure after all.

Out of all the Shakespeare plays I picked out this is the one I was probably least excited about. After reading the last two I had thought that the tragedies were going to be my favourite. I didn't know how the comedies could possibly compare. However, I was more than pleasantly surprised. No sooner had I started reading was I caught straight into the story. I was able to forget completely that I was reading a play. It was both funny and a fantastic tale.

Unsurprisingly the characters which stood out for me were Benedick and Beatrice, Benedick especially. Yes, their banter was funny. They both seemed to love baiting each other. Beatrice in particular seemed to very much enjoy giving Benedick the sharp side of her tongue. It amused me how easily they believed the stories they overheard of one being in love with the other. The image of Beatrice supposedly crying over her love of Benedick was especially funny since I couldn't actually picture her character doing that over anyone. Their change of hearts was extremely quick which makes you think their jabs at each other were really a cover for how they truly felt. Hidden even to themselves. The best part for me though was that Benedick had changed his mind so completely that he was even willing to kill someone for her.

The rest of the plot was a fun read too. I was also sucked into the story of Don John and his villainous plan. Even though I knew how it must turn out (for it's not a tragedy) I still found it exciting to read. I have to say though if I had been Hero Claudio would have got a punch in the face for believing the lies so readily despite the false proof. Her father too who wished she were dead rather than have this be true. Only the Friar and Beatrice seemed ready to believe her innocence. It made for an exciting ending though as the guards saved the day.

I feel a little guilty for this but I actually think I enjoyed this one a little more than I did Macbeth. Feel like I am betraying my favourite witches and Lady Macbeth. This one though was extremely entertaining without any of the deaths and I could actually rave about it all day.  I think that this would be a good one for any beginner like myself as there was also a smaller cast. I didn't have to go back and forwards to the list of characters at the start. I also discovered that Joss Whedon of Firefly Fame has directed this as a film starring some a lot of actors who have worked with him before. Will be interesting to see what he does with it.

Read for Shakespeare month organised by Ellie of A Literary Odyssey.
You can read other posts by those who have signed up here.

Don't forget that I am giving away a copy of one of my favourite books, The Eyre Affair. All you need to do is leave a comment on the post.

Booking Through Thursday - Interview

A weekly meme about books and reading. You can find it here.

1. What’s your favorite time of day to read?

I don't really have a favourite time of day. I can read at any time. I mostly read at night though before I go to sleep. It's usually quite then and it helps me sleep.

2. Do you read during breakfast? (Assuming you eat breakfast.)

No, on the rare occasions I have breakfast I usually watch the news.

3. What’s your favorite breakfast food? (Noting that breakfast foods can be eaten any time of day.)

I'm quite boring and love toast.

4. How many hours a day would you say you read?

It really depends on how busy I am. I would always try to read an hour a day but usually I can fit in a little more. Last week I was able to devote whole days to it.

5. Do you read more or less now than you did, say, 10 years ago?

I probably read about the same as what I did ten years ago. I think I am more excited about reading now though. I have more people to share it with. More of my friends now read and of course I am now aware of the book blogger community. I have also since been exposed to a wider range of authors and genres and opened my mind to trying most things.

6. Do you consider yourself a speed reader?

I don't. I have a friend that I worked with for a while last year and she was a big reader like myself but I read maybe two her three books to her on. She always saw me as a fast reader and yet I have friends who read far more books than in a week than I ever could. For me it always comes down to how much time I have and what I am reading.

7. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

To be able to walk through things as I am the clumsiest person in the world.

8. Do you carry a book with you everywhere you go?

Not always but most of the time I do. I tend to just carry one around with me in my bag.

9. What KIND of book?

Usually whatever I am reading at the time. If I am reading a hardback though I tend to leave that at home and pick up a paperback to carry around with me. The paperback will always be completely different to the hardback. It keeps them separate in my mind.

10. How old were you when you got your first library card?

I don't remember. My parents started us out as soon as we were old enough to get one so I honestly don't remember a time of not having a library card.

11. What’s the oldest book you have in your collection? (Oldest physical copy? Longest in the collection? Oldest copyright?)

I'm not actually sure. My mum gave all my childhood books away years ago. She doesn't believe in holding on to anything (hates clutter of any kind). I think probably The Diary of Anne Frank. It originally belonged to my dad and when I was 10 it made it's way into my books. Other than that it will be books I used for school such as To Kill A Mockingbird.

12. Do you read in bed?

I do. I always try to read a little before I go to sleep.

13. Do you write in your books?

No, never. To me that's a book crime. I would never write in my text books either. That's what post its were invented for. If I want to keep a not of something I use a post it or my note book and I NEVER turn the corners of the page down to keep my place. Friends joke that they can never tell if I have read a book or not because I keep them so well. Not all of them though. With larger books you can't always help but break the spine. Plus the longer it takes me to read a book the more damage it takes when carried around in my bag.

14. If you had one piece of advice to a new reader, what would it be?

Just enjoy it. Don't be afraid to try new things. Don't be afraid to give up on something that isn't for you. Life is too short. Don't worry about what other people think of what you read or should be reading.

January Giveaway

Well as most of you know I had a huge book clear out last week. I was pretty ruthless about it and sent to the charity shop everything I wouldn't read again. I think it was somewhere between 150-200 books. Not to worry though as I am sure there are more than that on my shelves still.

Among all my books I discovered I had two copies of The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. This is one of my all time favourite books and so I thought I would give one of them away here. The copy I am giving away is a paperback and is completely unused. You have until the 31st January to sign up for the giveaway. The only rule is that you leave a comment with a way of contacting you on this post. You don't have to follow me and you don't have to be from the UK either. A winner will be chosen at random and announced on 1st February.

If you want to learn more about this book you can see what goodreads say here.

Cranford - Elizabeth Gaskell

 1. CLASSICS

This can be any classic work, from Alcott to Zola.  Always fancied trying Great Expectations, or finally feel like tackling Jane Eyre?  Now's your chance!  From the fun to the frightening, the gentle satire to the all-out swashbuckling epic, there are hundreds of years' worth of books to choose from.

I read Cranford as part of my own challenge of reading one classic per month and as part of Ellie's Mixing It Up Challenge. This is for the first category on the list which is (funnily enough) classics. I'll be doing one of these a month. You can see how I get on looking back on my first post where I will be linking all my reviews as I go.

Miss Mary Smith was once a resident of the small town/village Cranford. Since she moved away with her father she has missed her home and spends a good deal of time staying with friends. Whilst there she keeps up with the goings on of the small village. Cranford is primarily resided by ladies. Any men who move in generally find some reason to disappear whilst the ladies stay. This is the way they like it and woe betide any man who comes along and interferes with the way their society should run. The ladies have very strict rules of etiquette which they all follow or risk being snubbed. Mary Smith follows the problems and challenges these ladies face in keeping things just the way they like them.

Many a book I have read that I didn't want to end because it was exciting. This book I didn't want to end because it was just so lovely and I very much enjoyed reading it. My one and only criticism is that it was too short. I am greedy and wanted more. The book is based on a small village that the author herself lived in for sometime. In fact I think many people saw it as autobiographical with Elizabeth being represented by the narrator Mary. The chapters are short and each contains a small story about an event in the village that concerns one or more of the ladies. I was completely enamoured by it. The chapters did link in some small way but most could be read on their own and I believe that they were initially published as periodicals.

From the first page I was immediately struck by the humour. These women clearly have no tolerance for men and this is made clear from the very first chapter. One of the funniest moments was a man who enters their circle and manages to break every one of their rules of societal behavior. Yet somehow in the end he becomes much loved by them all. A lot of the stories ran along this type of humour. One of my favourites is the chapter involving a rumour of burglary turning into a crime wave around Cranford. All the ladies imagined the worst and were sure they were next to be burgled. They came up with all sorts of ideas to prevent it. The best one was rolling a ball under the bed to ensure no one is hiding there. The best scene involved the ladies running along a dark road so that they wouldn't be attacked by ghosts. Sounds ridiculous now that I have written it but it's definitely a chapter I plan on reading over again.

It wasn't all humour though. There were many sad moments too. Moments of lost loves and friends dying. Hard to believe that there was so much in that small book. I was able to feel a connection to the characters too. I loved poor Miss Matty and laughed at Miss Pole and felt sorry for Mr Hoggins.

I'm glad I picked this up in the penguin clothbound. I haven't read all of the introduction as it warned that it would spoil the story. I plan to go back and read that next. There is also a fantastic appendix which gives lots of facts about the time and fashions that were mentioned in the book.

A lovely read and an author I very much intend to read more of.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

A fun book meme by Sheila of Book Journey. A fun way for book bloggers to share their reading week.

I have been off Uni the last two weeks and have another week before I go back. As a result I have made up for the lack of time spent reading running up to Christmas. Basically I have done very little else. So it's been a good week and a good start to the New Year. I also had a book clear out and made up for it by buying 13 books (I needed them - honest). And I signed up for yet one more challenge but it links in to my personal challenge so I am confident I won't fail it.

Last Week I Read (I have linked them up to my reviews);

 Discovery of Witches by Deborak Harkness. This is the first part of a series. I enjoyed it but it wasn't quite as good as I was expecting it to be. Good enough though that I want to read the next one when it comes out.

 Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare. The first play I read for Shakespeare month. Also the first I have read since school. Very much enjoyed it and a good start I think.

 Zoo City by Lauren Beukes. This was for the sci fi a month challenge. Another great start. I very much enjoyed this book and I'm glad I read it. Highly recommend it too.

 Macbeth by William Shakespeare. Again for Shakespeare month. I LOVED this one. I can't rave about it enough. Wonder how the others will live up to this.

 Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong. The 11th book in the Women of the Otherworld series. This time narrated by Savannah. I enjoyed it but nowhere near as good as the early books. Read more like a YA.


Just now I am reading;

 Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. I am reading this for Mixing it Up 2012 challenge and for my own personal classic a month challenge. I am loving this book. I have almost finished it and I'm quite sad about that.

Next I plan to read;

 King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard. This is for the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen challenge. I'm looking forward to this. Curious as to what it will be like

The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights by John Steinbeck. This is for the classics challenge I just signed up for. I could have just used Cranford but I am very much looking forward to this so picked it instead. I love Steinbeck and when I discovered last year that he had written a book about King Arthur it went straight onto my TR list.

How was your reading week? Hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have.

Just One More Challenge - Classics

So I have decided to take on just one more challenge. A bit of a cheat since it coincides with one of my personal challenges and that's to read one classic each month of the year. For this one I just have to read 7 and take part in the prompts. I am arriving to this quite late and haven't yet started the first book I plan on reading. So it will be a while before I respond to this months prompt. It looks to be quite an interesting way to get to know more about various books and authors and other bloggers.

The challenge was put together by Katherine of Novembers Autumn. If you are interested in signing up you can do so here.  The rules are;

Write a post on your blog with a list of the seven works you hope to read in 2012 and why you chose them-- but don't feel bound by the list. 

Please include a link back to this page in your post, so others can learn about the challenge and join us. 

Fill out the form at the bottom, linking to your post.

Check back on the 4th of each month.

One extra rule is that only 3 of the 7 can be re-reads. I have more than 7 classics in my tbr pile and have picked out the ones I want to do for this challenge. Here they are although not necessarily in order;

The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights - John Steinbeck
The Three Musketeers - Alexander Dumas
Villette  - Charlotte Bronte
Spring Snow - Yukio Mishima
The Leopard - Tomasi di Lampedusa
The Bell - Iris Murdoch
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain

All books that I am very much looking forward to so it will be difficult choosing which one comes first.

Waking The Witch - Kelley Armstrong

Little Savannah is all grown up now and is determined to prove that she can fly solo on an investigation. With Paige and Lucas on holiday she takes the opportunity to do just that. Three women have been murdered in a nearby small town and there are some hints that the supernatural is involved. Savannah believes her biggest obstacle will be overcoming her inability to empathise of hold back her impatience and so she swoops in straight away. Turns out someone knows exactly who she is and Savannah is in danger of becoming a victim herself.

This is the 11th book in the series (which I gather is ending soon). I have to say that I have been disappointed with the last few instalments of the series. I was especially disappointed with "Frostbitten" because it also involved everyones favourite pack and yet didn't hold a candle to the earlier books. As a result I put off reading this one until it was released in paperback and even then it took me another 6 months. It also meant that my expectations of it were lowered. Having said that I was actually pleasantly surprised when I did pick it up. It was nice once again to read about characters I know so well even if there was little mention of most of the others.

Like all of Armstrong's female characters Savannah is strong, feisty and out to prove herself to everyone. She first appeared in "Stolen", the second book, as a troubled 12 year old. She is now 21 and still troubled but with a little more maturity. I liked her character back then and there is still enough of the rebel in her to see recognise her. Basically she is grown up but Armstrong has still been able to keep the fundamentals of her character which I liked. She is a fun character to watch.

Although the series has been written for adults this one felt more like a YA which I know the author has been writing more of recently. I don't think it was Savannah's young age or first steps into independence that gave it that feel. It just lacked the complexity of the first few books. The earlier ones had more detailed story lines than this and so it made for a very quick read. I could have done it in a day if I wasn't reading other things at the same time. In fact this book leads directly to the next as there are still unanswered questions and  it involves some of the same people. I think early on she would have done this as one novel rather than two. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it because I did. I just think it's maybe a sign that the series is winding down.

Last criticism and it's mainly due to my hunger for more. I was a little disappointed at how little the other characters in the series were mentioned. We usually get snippets of how each of them are doing even if they are in no way prominent in the book. This didn't really happen much. We heard from Jaime but only as a means of research. We heard from Paige and Lucas but only because Savannah had to check in with them. And of course we heard from Adam who was the only one who had more than a couple of lines. The others were lucky if they got a mention. As I said though that's all down to me and my nosiness. I know if Savannah was real she would be annoyed if the others stole her limelight. I just hope the last book of the series will have more of everyone.

A good read which has made me look forward to the last two books in the series.