Category Archives: Event

Bard on the Blogs: Guest Post by Lily from ChaptersPagesWords

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Bard

Today, we have Lily from ChaptersPagesWords reviewing the (in my personal opinion) FANTASTIC Kenneth Branagh adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing!! This is one of my favorite Shakespearean adaptations EVER! Enjoy Lily’s review and don’t forget to head over and check out a Rafflecopter giveaway to enter for a chance to win a Shakespeare retelling of your choice!

Title: Much Ado About Nothing (1993)

Director: Kenneth Branagh

Main Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Imelda Staunton

My Rating: 4 stars

I very much enjoyed this movie not only because of the plot but because of the characters, setting and overall experience. I would recommend this movie to anyone thirteen or older because I found this movie fun and entertaining.

Much Ado About Nothing was a great retelling of the play by Shakespeare. Branagh does a good job of taking the best part of the play and making them into the movie.

The movie is set in Messina in Italy so the setting throughout the entire film is beautiful. The setting is an important aspect in this film and was in my opinion well chosen. Much Ado About Nothing is meant to be set in 1598 and Branagh chooses to show this in an interesting way that made it fun for me to watch.

This movie / play is a comedy and it did make me laugh. So many things go wrong in the plot of this movie and the actors/actresses become characters that you sympathise with  and grow to love. Although the film is in Shakespearean language, the movie was easy to follow and at times the plot benefited from this asset.

I think this movie was very well adapted from the play. With the amazing choice of cast and setting, this movie was overall very enjoyable and loyal to the play.

That’s all for this review, I hope you enjoyed and I’ll see you soon!
Happy Reading!
Lily x
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Bard on the Blogs: Hamlet Review by Kathrine from Neon Yeti Reads

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Bard

Today we have Katherine from Neon Yeti Reads sharing her review of Hamlet by William Shakespeare! Hamlet is one of my favorite plays – and quite possibly was my favorite play to teach. I once wrote a scholarly essay titled, “Mother May I” all about the relationship between Hamlet and his mother! Good times! Take it away, Katherine!

P.S. Don’t forget to head on over to a Rafflecopter giveaway to enter for a chance to win a Shakespeare retelling of your choice!!

Title: Hamlet

Author: William Shakespeare

Publishing Information:  Originally published between 1599-1601, published in a quarto edition in 1603

For me, Hamlet was always the Shakespeare play I stayed away from for the longest time. It’s the longest of all of Shakespeare’s plays and probably the most intimidating because of that. However, earlier this year, I decided that I would finally pick up this play with the handy guide of No Fear Shakespeare and plenty of notes to help me along with reading it. I am so thankful that I did by the end of it though!

My favorite aspect of Hamlet is that there are so many different layers to our main character, Hamlet. After the death of his father and seeing the Ghost appear to him with a message of revenge, he starts slowly going crazier and crazier. I really loved the internal conflict in his character about whether or not he was acting crazy or if he was actually, mentally insane. I struggled with trying to figure out my own opinion throughout the book, and I went back and forth. Some of my favorite scenes included the moments when Hamlet was with his royal family, acting strange every time, but a little different type of strange as well. There was so much royal drama – it felt like this time period’s version of a political drama.

Another aspect of Hamlet I enjoyed were the minor characters – people like Ophelia and the Queen. Both girls were very interesting characters, especially considering the historical context of the play and when it was written. There is a little bit of dialogue about the relationship of the British Crown to the people; the little underlying themes of palace drama was really interesting. When everything starts going down in the last two scenes, everything gets really creepy and I could not stop reading! Everyone has their own ulterior motives and it’s all about figuring out who is up to what.

Of course – the language of Shakespearean time takes a little bit of getting used to. In the past experience I have had reading Shakespeare plays, I have tried to read them in large chunks so I can stay involved in the language of the play. While I wasn’t able to do that with this one, I really liked the footnotes and annotations both from No Fear Shakespeare and in the edition of my book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this play! I think that it really added so much to my Shakespeare reading experiences so far and I love the way that he is able to tie in so many underlying themes. It is a classic tale with so many themes that have been used in all of literature. It really shows how much influence Shakespeare has had across all genres and I am quite happy with how Hamlet turned out!

P.S. The movie version of Hamlet starring David Tennant was really good, so I would suggest watching that to help understand the play while reading! It adds a whole new dimension to the story.

Bard on the Blogs: Shakespeare Inspired Gifts!

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Bard

Welcome! Happy birthday to Mr. William Shakespeare TODAY!! He would be 451! Crazy how time flies, am I right?! Today I am chatting about buying ALL OF THE THINGS for that special Shakespeare lover in your life!! (*sends entire list to loved ones) Let’s see what we have here! As something a little extra (because we love you guys) Alexa and I are hosting a giveaway for the duration of Bard on the Blogs!! You just head on over to the Rafflecopter and see what’s up!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

R&J Hairpin

Romeo and Juliet Hairpins! Admittedly not my favorite play by Shakespeare (read: my least favorite, possibly) but these are still pretty neat! I wouldn’t say no to receiving these babies! Find them here.

Macbeth cuff

Look at this Macbeth cuff! There are tons of other designs, but I LOVE how this one captures the dramatic and macabre moment when Lady Macbeth struggles to clean the blood from her hands. Find this cuff (and others like it) here.

hamlet cufflinks

These Shakespeare Hamlet Skull Cufflinks will go perfectly at your (or my) literary themed wedding!! They are fancy while also being a teensy bit read it: dangerous. Perfect for your partner! Find these babies here!

keychain

This simple yet awesome key chain would be perfect for your Shakespeare lover, bonus points if she is also a librarian like yours truly! Adorn your keys with this great key chain by heading over here!

to tea

To Tea or Not To Tea? Is the question….the answer is always a resounding YES!! How lovely would this look hanging in your kitchen? I can picture it now, and it looks gorgeous! Find this tea towel (to buy for ME) here!

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What better pairing to go with your new tea towel than some Shakespearean inspired teas!! Fandom made by Adagio Teas you can get a sampler pack with all different kinds! Speaking from experience, I have the Game of Thrones sampler pack and it is worth. every. penny. Go buy these NOW!

let her sleep

I am pretty obsessed with these prints. Though they (apparently) would go great in a nursery, I don’t see why I can’t have them hanging above my own bed! Admittedly, the first quote is from Napoleon but still, they go together perfectly! Find them here!

Bard on the Blogs (1)

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Bard

Hi friends!

You may remember (I mean, how could you forget) that I am a Shakespeare fangirl!! Honestly, I have a Shakespeare inspired tattoo, two kitties named after Shakespeare’s famous women, my most important inanimate objects are named after Shakespearean characters..the list goes on and on!

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What’s past is prologue.

That being said, it is no question that when Alexa of Alexa Loves Books asked if I wanted to to join her in a blog collaboration celebrating the bard I jumped at the idea immediately. Thus, Bard on the Blogs was born! It is an event celebrating William Shakespeare, starting on his birthday, April 23 and ending on April 27! Alexa and I will be sharing some Shakespeare centered posts, and we want you guys to join in!

Much like the call for volunteers for Fortnight of Fright, you just fill out the form below with what you would like to do. You can write about whatever you like as long as it is Shakespeare themed! Maybe a review of his plays or the film adaptations, or your favorite quotes, even Shakespearean recipes are allowed! Get creative! The form closes on April 1, so go forth and sign up! Oh and P.S. rumor has it there might be a giveaway involved!

To see what I have done in the past to celebrate Shakespeare, take a look at the post below:

Happy Birthday, William Shakespeare!

Love-A-Thon: Mini-challenge #3: One Can Only Quote

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Hello there! I hope that you all have been following the #LoveAThon hashtag on twitter and checking out Alexa’s post so that you can see the bloggers participating and keep up with everyone’s posts! For this challenge we are sharing quotes about love and friendship, so I thought that I would sharing a few pictures that I have made for the blog and Instagram showcasing some of my favorite quotes!

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“Watch that boy,” she said. “You’re stronger in many ways, but that doesn’t mean he can’t take you apart.” from Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

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“I have tried to let you go and I cannot. I cannot stop thinking of you. I cannot stop dreaming about you.” From The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Continue reading →

Love-A-Thon: Welcome!

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BANNER - 2015 LOVEATHON

Hello my lovelies!!

I am sure most of you know that the lovely Alexa over at Alexa Loves Books is hosting her annual Love-A-Thon, if you have no idea what I am talking about, head over to her intro post and them come on back! Awesome, right? It is just another way that some of us are trying to focus on the cheer and positive aspects of our book blogging community. I will have a few posts on the blog throughout today and tomorrow, and will be participating as much as I can on Twitter using the hashtag #LoveAThon so make sure to stay tuned! If you read on, you will learn a bit about me and the impact that the blogging community has made on my life! Happy reading, friends!

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  1. What’s your name? Alyssa! I tend to go by a myriad of nicknames, the most popular being, “A.”
  1. Where in the world are you blogging from? Snowy New England!
  1. How did you get into blogging in the first place? I was actually in graduate school for my MLIS a few years back and we had to observe different resources for reader’s advisory, one of which being blogs. I had been following a few (The Book Smugglers, and Broke & the Bookish being two!) and I thought about how fun it would be so I started one, and convinced my friend Heidi from Bunbury in the Stacks that it was a good idea that she start one as well!
  1. How did you come up with your blog name? I wanted something that was meaningful to me, that spoke of my feelings regarding books and how important they are. I have always felt that books took me away from the drama of the real world and you can become immersed in the fictional world for a little while and forget whatever it is that needs forgetting. Thus Books Take You Places was born.
  1. What genre do you read and review the most on your blog? I read a lot of fantasy, it was always my fall back growing up and I try to really focus on reading what makes me happy. I do try and read books that are different than my go to genre but if I find that I am not loving what I am reading, I put it aside. Life is too short to read books I don’t love!
  1. What other types of posts do you do on your blog, apart from reviews? Hmm I have been known to write some Disney posts ranking the swooniest male leads and villains. I also write some “non-traditional” reviews for my On the Same Page feature that I do with Amy (Tripping Over Books) and Brittany (The Book Addict’s Guide) an example of one would be the personal post I just wrote on the idea of traveling souls.
  1. Best blogging experience so far? Hmm my best blogging experience has to be meeting so many wonderful people. I was surprised to see how vast the book blogger community was, and when I first started blogging it seemed so scary because everyone was already friends. It wasn’t long before other bloggers were reaching out to me and forging friendships. Through these interactions (mostly through Twitter) I found Brittany and Amy. Meeting these two has been my best blogging experience, and one of the best experiences of my life. I can’t put into words how important these gals are to me, and how lucky I feel to have met my soul friends! We have had a few adventures like road tripping to Britt’s wedding, and our trips to NYC…but I am the most excited for FRIENDSGIVING this year for sure!
  1. Favorite thing about the blogging community? It never used to be, but it has become the kindness in the community. I think there is a large of us working quite hard to keep the community alive. We have things like this loveathon, random acts of kindness, and the secret sister project that have been started by bloggers in order to showcase and preserve the special relationships that we have. I think many of us work hard to keep the positivity alive and it definitely shows.
  1. Name the 5 books you’re most excited for this 2015! AHHH ummm only 5? Okay I will choose ones that I do not have ARCs of:
  1. What’s an underrated book or series that you think everyone should read? It is from my childhood but I am pretty obsessed with The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. I think they are funny and fun, and full of heart.
  1. Which book boy or girl would be your book BFF? DEFINITELY Sybella from Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers, she is my spirit animal and would understand me as no one else does.
  1. Apart from reading, what are your other hobbies or interests? I like to “game.” As in, you can catch me in front of my 3DS, Xbox, or any Nintendo console for hours at a time playing Zelda or Fable. I also like to bake, hike, go letterboxing and geocaching. I drink tea, and listen to old time radio shows, sometimes while putting together a puzzle. I am a pretty stereotypical librarian, right down to the two cats named after Shakespeare’s uppity females.
  1. Apart from book shopping, what else do you like shopping for? Usually presents for other people. I honestly have to hold myself back from buying my loves things anytime I go out. I also love trinkets, so antiquing is my favorite.
  1. Pick out either a book you want turned into a film/TV show, or a film/TV show you want turned into a book. Hands down would have to choose The Lies of Locke Lamora, or Name of the Wind but they would have to be amazing. Like, HBO perfect adaptation amazing, as amazing as Game of Thrones amazing. I NEED THEM TO BE AMAZING. Also I hear that The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy is going to be a movie and I have such high hopes!

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The Secret Sister Project (2)

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secret sister project

Hey lovelies! We are here to announce round two of our Secret Sister Project! First, I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who made our trial run such a success. Honestly you guys blew me away with your generosity and ability to hold one another up on those cloudy days I really appreciate everyone’s time (and money) and cannot tell you how proud I am to be a part of this community! So let’s get into the logistics…For those of you who are new here, you can take a glance at our initial post to get an idea of what is going on here. To my peeps who are signing up again, we have made some significant changes to the whole project so please read the below very carefully before signing up!

The What:

The Secret Sister project is essentially a cheer club. Think Secret Santa but all year round with less emphasis on big presents, and more thoughtful notes, cards, small somethings sent just to let your secret sister know that you are thinking about her!

The When:

  • Sign-ups run January 12 – January 23
  • You will be paired up with your secret sister by January 30
  • This session will run from February 1 – July 31 (this means that your last something will be sent in July)

The Who:

You guys! The only “rule” we have is that before signing up, you must “know” at least one of us. Us being myself (@withthebanned), Amy (@trippingbooks), or Brittany (@bookaddictguide) and “knowing” one of us means that we must have spoken on Twitter or SOMETHING. We are just really concerned with someone not following through, and that would just make a bad time for everyone. Continue reading →

Fortnight of Fright: Paranormal Encounters by Hazel (Haze in a Happy Daze)

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FoF2014

Happy Halloween! One of my favorite days of the year, and as you are reading this I am probably at work dressed up as Hook a la Dustin Hoffman (Don’t worry, pictures will follow!) Anyway, I have something very fun for you on the blog today – Hazel from Haze in a Happy Daze has decided to share one of her many paranormal encounters. Take it away, Hazel!

I’ve been interested in the spiritual and the paranormal ever since I was very young, even though I’m not quite sure what sparked my interest. I’m not one of those naturally psychically-gifted kids and I don’t remember my first ever paranormal encounter, but I devoured books even as a child and I do remember loving to read ghost stories, so I’m guessing that reading those ghost stories must have been the match that lit my paranormal candle.

As I mentioned, I don’t remember my first paranormal encounter, but I do have a few noteworthy encounters that I would love to share. One of the best stories I have, and my fondest memory, is about my first spirit guide. Many people have misconceptions that being spiritual and having encounters with any spirit is something that you have to take seriously. I agree to a certain extent; you should have a healthy respect for spirits and the paranormal, but that really doesn’t mean that you have to speak in hushed tones or that you can’t joke or laugh with them. My spirit guide was a cheerful and funny personality, and we had lots of fun conversations together.

Now here’s the thing, not every spirit have your best interest at heart, and you shouldn’t contact them if you don’t know what you’re doing. I make it a point to only work with higher beings, and only the ones I know and trust. If I work with someone new, it’s because one of my trusted spirit guides have introduced me to the new being.

My first spirit guide was a beautiful person. I was in high school then, and we were introduced via automatic writing by a close friend who had known him when he was alive. He passed away in a motorcycle accident about 3 years before I ever talked to him, and the first conversation we had was really profound. He told us about his death experience, which was really eye-opening for my friend and me, but a story for another time… Continue reading →

Guest Post: Cat Winters on A Vampire Novel That Isn’t a Vampire Novel

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Hello friends!! I am insanely excited to share a guest post with you by one of my favorite authors, Cat Winters!! I am sure that you all remember how much I loved In the Shadow of Blackbirds. You will also be lucky enough to read my rave review of The Cure for Dreaming tomorrow! For now, take a glimpse at Cat’s musings on how The Cure for Dreaming came about, and what it was like for her to write a vampire novel that wasn’t really a vampire novel.

 

A Vampire Novel That Isn’t a Vampire Novel

by Cat Winters

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Back in 2007, I signed with my current literary agent because of a manuscript I wrote called The Vampire’s Wife, a suburban satire/love story for adult readers. Twilight was a brand-new book at the time, but I hadn’t yet heard of it. My kids were both under ten and a long way off from reading YA, and my attention was directed toward reading and writing adult fiction.

As most readers know, an epic vampire craze quickly took off around that same time, especially once the Twilight movie debuted in 2008. My vampire novel was making the rounds to publishers during all of the hubbub, but it was a book that fell somewhere in the middle of literary fiction and chick lit, so no one knew quite what to do with it. Despite the thirst for vampire entertainment, the novel, sadly, never found a publisher.

By the time I started writing my first YA novel (and ultimately my first published novel), In the Shadow of Blackbirds, the vampire fiction market was already becoming oversaturated. Readers tired of their fanged heroes and heroines, and I put the idea of ever writing another vampire novel aside. My focus became my shiny new WWI-era ghost story.

However, the Twilight craze, with all of its Team Edward/Team Jacob merchandise, the fan fiction, and even the astounding number of Twi-Rock bands, still intrigued me. I tucked an idea into the back of my head: Wouldn’t it be interesting to one day write a novel about Victorian teens who fall in love with Bram Stoker’s newly published novel, Dracula? How would young women at the turn of the twentieth century have reacted to that classic, sensuous tale of a seductive “gentleman” vampire? What would the boys think when reading about a man who overcomes women by biting into their bare necks and sucking the life straight out of them? Continue reading →

Fortnight of Fright: Asylum Review by Sarah (Friends with Characters)

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FoF2014

Heyy friends!! Carrying on with the reviews of creepy books, we have Sarah from Friends With Characters reviewing Asylum by Madeline Roux, a book that sounds like it would be right up my alley! Take it away, Sarah!

Halloween is definitely my favorite holiday. It’s so much fun dressing up and I love scary stories. I read Asylum by Madeleine Roux and it definitely is a creepy story perfect for Halloween.

Asylum (Asylum #1)

by Madeleine Roux 

Asylum is a thrilling and creepy photo-novel perfect for fans of the New York Times bestseller Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.

For sixteen-year-old Dan Crawford, New Hampshire College Prep is more than a summer program—it’s a lifeline. An outcast at his high school, Dan is excited to finally make some friends in his last summer before college. But when he arrives at the program, Dan learns that his dorm for the summer used to be a sanatorium, more commonly known as an asylum. And not just any asylum—a last resort for the criminally insane.

As Dan and his new friends, Abby and Jordan, explore the hidden recesses of their creepy summer home, they soon discover it’s no coincidence that the three of them ended up here. Because the asylum holds the key to a terrifying past. And there are some secrets that refuse to stay buried.

Featuring found photos of unsettling history and real abandoned asylums and filled with chilling mystery and page-turning suspense, Madeleine Roux’s teen debut, Asylum, is a horror story that treads the line between genius and insanity.

My Review:

Dan is an extremely awkward person. He goes to the New Hampshire College Prep program to meet people with interests similar to his. At the NHCP he meets Abby, an artistic girl, and Jordan, a math genius. Dan and his new friends find some creepy pictures at their dorm rooms. The dorm room used to be an asylum for the criminally insane. It looks like the criminally insane haven’t exactly left.

Asylum was a creepy book. The scenes describing the old asylum were very realistic. I think that Madeleine Roux did her research. I bet the second book will be even better. Continue reading →