Shakespeare Week 17th-23rd March

17 Mar 2014 6 Comments

by Amy in News, Rambles Tags: , , , , , ,


shakespeare week

17th to 23rd March 2014 will see the first Shakespeare Week taking place across the UK and a few places around the world in celebration of the 450th anniversary of the bard’s birth. Celebrations are held each year but being the 450th anniversary big things are happening. This is certainly a big deal in Britain, I haven’t so far seen anything for Australia but that isn’t to say there aren’t any celebrations, just perhaps not as grand. Toby’s gotten into the spirit here so that’s how we’re celebrating.

Shakespeare Owl

Despite the festivities, this is not the week Shakespeare was born though. William Shakespeare was born on 23rd April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, and actually died in 1616 on this same date. This was one of my favourite facts as a child, that Shakespeare died on his birthday. I did think it was a bit spooky, but it was a nice circular way to go, out the same day you came in; though it would be slightly depressing to die on your birthday. There is actually no exact date recorded of his birthday, though based on christening records historians have worked out when he would have most likely been born, giving us the 23rd April. He is buried in Stratford-Upon-Avon and you are still able to see his grave at the Holy Trinity Church.

According to Stratford Vision’s website, the aim of Shakespeare Week is to “bring Shakespeare’s stories, language, historical backdrop and creative influence vividly to life for more than 3 million children in the UK and ensure that his cultural legacy is a central part of the primary school learning experience”. While there is a school and children focus for Shakespeare Week, there are other things for everyone, especially in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Being the centre of all things Shakespeare, Stratford-Upon-Avon have a multitude of festivities to enjoy including parades and other activities. This isn’t the first celebration either, there have been birthday celebrations for hundreds of years, dating all the way back to 1824 for the bard, though with the 450th anniversary it is possibly going to be bigger and better than ever.  I think it is wonderful that people are celebrating so much, even after 450 years there is still a place for Shakespeare in the world.

There are a lot of interesting facts about Shakespeare, he invented so many words and phrases we still use today in the English language, he was loved by Queen Elizabeth I (which influenced the script and events depicted in his play Richard III), and he spelt his name at least six different ways. That is another fun fact, in the Tudor era there was no formalised way of spelling so anything went really. This could have advantages, but you would know there would be a time when you spell something a bit too much on pronunciation alone there is going to be some long and strange looking words you have to decipher. Though really, I would have thought being his own name he may have found one way he liked and stuck with it. Makes you wonder whether we’d have “Shakespeare” looking differently if he did.

There are so many other wonderful things to learn about Shakespeare too, and you can’t ignore just how influential to language and to theatre he was. I really wish I could be in Stratford-Upon-Avon this week to see these events because I think it would be amazing. When I was in the UK last year I got to go there and it was pretty amazing. When I was in London I also went to the Globe Theatre and for those who haven’t been, let me tell you it was amazing! This was Globe No. 3 mind you. The first Globe was built but then because it was too expensive in that location, Shakespeare moved to the other side of the river. Then this rebuild actually got burned down during a performance. The new and current version was built by Sam Wanamaker, American actor and director, and it stands only a few hundred metres from its original location. Based on the original design and layout and historically accurate as possible, the new Globe is a wonder. There are tours given and a museum/display section, but the best part is that it still puts on plays. And with everything historically right you can experience what it was like to see a play as Shakespeare wanted. When I was there I sat in on a rehearsal for Henry VI and it was amazing, I only wish I had been able to see something performed there properly, but alas it wasn’t to be. 

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The Globe Theatre

I could talk about all things Shakespeare for days if given the chance but I shan’t. I will just insist that you check out some sites about his life, his works, and about the Globe itself. As for the celebrations, the few links I’ve given show you the grand fan fair in Stratford-Upon-Avon with some links to other places, I can’t say I know of anything happening in Australia, I haven’t seen anything from the Australian Shakespeare Company, but that isn’t stopping you from having your own celebrations. Also, there are bound to be events throughout the year to celebrate this 450th anniversary, so look out for them as well. I believe the Stratford Vision site mentioned that the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust will run other events and exhibitions through 2014 to celebrate the legacy. Yet another reason I wish I was in Britain, they get all the fun.

For now I must enjoy from a distance. I’ve put some links below for all things Shakespeare Week, no doubt I have missed some but I found what I could to start you off. And if you want some fun Shakespeare things, I’ve added some QI clips as well as some skits and a song from the show Horrible Histories which are simply divine, plus I’ve added in Shakespeare’s Birthday Bonanza that I did last year for his birthday where I have a bit more information and  look  briefly at a few of my favourite plays. Who knows, with all this excitement and information at your disposal, you may learn something new and wonderful about the bard and have an ‘oohhh, didn’t know that’ moment, they’re always fun.

Have a wonderful Shakespeare Week wherever you are. If you’re in Britain I hope you enjoy it and get to go to some celebrations, if not, maybe grab a copy of a play or sonnet and appreciate some of the great works Shakespeare has contributed to the world in your own way.

Shakespeare Week

Shakespeare’s Birthday Celebrations

Stratford Division – Shakespeare’s 450th birthday

About Shakespeare

Shakespeare’s Globe

Happy Birthday Shakespeare

QI episode ‘The Immortal Bard’

QI clip – Words of Shakespeare that didn’t catch on

Horrible Histories – William Shakespeare song

Horrible Histories – Shakespeare insults

Horrible Histories – Shakespeare invented words

Horrible Histories – Shakespeare’s Globe

Nocturnes by John Connolly

14 Mar 2014 Leave a comment

by Amy in General, Mystery, Short Stories, Thriller Tags: , , , ,

Published: February 28th 2007
Goodreads badgePublisher: Hodder
Pages: 486
Format: Book
Genre: Short stories/Horror/Fantasy
★   ★   ★   ★   ★  – 5 Stars

 A dark, daring, utterly haunting anthology of lost lovers and missing children, predatory demons, and vengeful ghosts. In these stories, Connolly ratchets up the tension to almost unbearable — and irresistible — levels. Nocturnes is a deliciously chilling collection from “one of the best thriller writers we have” (Harlan Coben)

John Connolly’s short stories in this book are dark and magical and monstrous, in so many different ways. All monsters are different, not all monsters can be seen, and there is always something lurking in the dark. There are 17 stories in this collection, each of them revealing something terrifying and eerie. The variety Connolly comes up with are amazing, and the fact we do not always find out what exactly is hiding in the shadows is what adds to the delight. What isn’t told leaves a lot to your own imagination to fill in the gaps, and what is told is just haunting enough to stay with you even as you move onto the next story.

With the opening story, The Cancer Cowboy, you know that these stories may not be entirely pleasant or uplifting, but with the other stories varying from being less dark and tragic to being simply eerie, or on occasion humorously tragic, you are given a wide variety in which to challenge your nerves and keep you awake at night.

Connolly writes with a wonderful descriptive simplicity. We are given details and basic information, but there are things we aren’t told as well. What we are told is what we need to be told for the story to progress and for us to understand. Anything else is revealed gradually in conversation, or implied through something else, or we don’t need to know it at all. The joy of the short story, and the art I suppose, is trying to capture a life within less space than normally provided. Connolly gives us characters that are as developed as they have to be for the roles and situations they are placed in. You do not always need to know everything about them, but we are not left with any husks of characters that we have no sympathy for and for what is happening to them or around them.

The title Nocturnes comes from one of the stories within the book, a story about things that come out in the dark, that haunt you, and hide in the shadows; the very name suitable to cover the nature of these stories. Nocturnes can be defined as “a work of art dealing with evening or night”, something these stories do, mixed together with the creepy and scary.  Connolly draws you in as you read with the mystery and unknown, but also compassion for the characters involved; of the innocent parties, the guilty, and even an admiration for the monsters. The extent of what he has created is of such variety it must be said it isn’t all darkness and shadows, but the daylight monsters are no less unnerving than anything that Connolly creates in the night time shadows I assure you.

One stand out addition was the Charlie Parker novella The Reflecting Eye towards the end. Even this manages to suit the theme Connolly has going rather well. Charlie Parker is from Connolly’s detective series, with this novella being between the fourth and the fifth in the series.  I have yet to read any of the Charlie Parker novels; I suppose with this novella I have had a taste now to reignite my desire to start reading them.

From the man who wrote the beauty of The Book of Lost Things, seeing the darker side was very revealing. The Book of Lost Things had its own darkness certainly, but the darkness and monsters hiding inside Nocturnes, whether they are treated with a distracting light heartedness like some, a mysteriousness that remains not entirely revealed, or one that brings a twist, is something that I found very exciting, and a wonderful surprise. Perhaps it was because we don’t always know what is happening, we only see snippets of events and what happens, or perhaps it is because it shows that darkness can breed anything and anywhere, and no one is exempt from its talons.

Make Good Art by Neil Gaiman

13 Mar 2014 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, General Tags: , , ,

Published: May 14th 2013
Goodreads badgePublisher: William Morrow
Pages: 80
Format: Book
Genre: Non Fiction/Inspirational
★   ★   ★   ★   ★  – 5 Stars

This book is for anybody looking around and thinking, now what?

 In May 2012, bestselling author Neil Gaiman stood at a podium at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts to deliver the commencement address. For the next nineteen minutes he shared his thoughts about creativity, bravery, and strength: he encouraged the students before him to break rule and think outside the box. Most of all, he encouraged the fledgling painters, musicians, writers, and dreamers to make good art.

Make Good Art is a book representation of the commencement address Neil Gaiman made in 2012. It is his advice and experience in a short book that he gave to the students at Philadelphia’s University of the Arts. There is so much I love in this book, the message for certain, but I also love the way it is presented. The design and layout of this book is done by Chip Kidd, a graphic designer and writer, and while it may be unconventional, I believe it is just the right way to express the message Gaiman is trying to put across in his speech.

People talk about it being a pain and how it makes this book lose its message a bit, but I think how Kidd has converted this is wonderful. I understand the early pages can be hard as the words move about the page, but this settles down as you progress, while maintaining the colour and design. The way this book is presented I think only adds to the message Gaiman is making. All art is Art. His words are reinforced by how Kidd has presented them and shows there are no rules in getting your message out.

I know some people may feel that there are enough motivational speakers and people should just know what to do or do what they want, but having someone reinforce your own ideas and desires, especially someone you admire and idolise reaffirming and assuring you it is going to be ok is sometimes the right thing a person needs to hear. And when they are discussing something you’re passionate about is much better, everyone offers something new and different based on their own experiences and history.

Gaiman talks in his speech about his own journey and his own learned lessons in his career. He talks about how the world is changing, about how art is art regardless, and how there should always be a time for making art, whether your cat has exploded or not. There are so many lessons and inspiring messages that can be taken from this speech, one I think that will benefit even those who are not involved in creating art. Anything you strive to do, anything you dream about doing Gaiman tells you you can make it happen if you want it, you just need to find the right way of doing it.

I will never tire of hearing commencement speeches. I adored the two I was able to hear at my own graduations, as well as at friends graduations, not to mention the ones other people have done like Tim Minchin, and now Neil Gaiman. I watched the video of this speech when it was first released and the effect it had on me then was the same one evoked from reading the words. You can still watch the video here if you have 19 minutes 54 seconds to spare, you won’t regret it. There is something wonderful though about also reading the speech, there are many wonderful snippets that can be great inspirational quotes just when you need them to reassure you or to motivate you. It is a quick read, but it manages to capture to feeling of his speech so well.

One message is that “People will tolerate how unpleasant you are if your work is good and you deliver it on time. They’ll forgive the lateness of work if it’s good, and they like you. And you don’t always have to be as good as the others if you’re on time and it’s always a pleasure to hear from you.” This does not apply to art alone, and while it is directed and focused on the arts, it is a great speech about succeeding in life as well. And there are so many others to inspire people to create and find their place and voice in the world, no matter what format.

What is certain that the message you are left with when you finish is to leave the world more interesting for your being here.

The Weight of a Human Heart by Ryan O’Neill

12 Mar 2014 Leave a comment

by Amy in 5 Stars, General, Short Stories Tags: , ,

Published: May 1st 2012Goodreads badge
Publisher: Black Inc.
Pages: 238
Format: Book
Genre: Short Stories
Weight: 242 grams
★   ★   ★   ★   ★  – 5 Stars

Sometimes comic, sometimes tragic, this collection turns the rules of storytelling on their head.

A series of graphs illustrates the disintegration of a marriage, step by excruciating step.
A literary stoush – and an affair – play out in the book review section of a national newspaper.
The heartbreaking story of a Rwandan boy is hidden within his English exam paper.
A young girl learns of her mother’s disturbing secrets through the broken key on a typewriter.

Ranging from Australia to Africa to China and back again, The Weight of a Human Heart heralds a fresh new voice in Australian Literature.

I fell in love with Ryan O’Neill at the 2013 Newcastle Writer’s Festival, partly because of the sessions I sat in on where he spoke, and partly because of his Scottish accent I’m not gonna lie. I had looked at this book in the shop beforehand but after hearing him speak I snagged a copy at first chance and got it signed. I am still annoyed it has taken me this long to get around to reading his book. It has been sitting patiently beside my bed for months, not forgotten but continuously bumped back.

In this collection of short stories O’Neill “redefines the boundaries of what is possible” to quote Patrick Cullen’s quote on the front cover. And it is completely true. I saw things in this book I did not even know was allowed in writing until now, and the fact that they are has changed the way I think about what books are capable of.

The beauty of all of O’Neill’s stories is that they seem to start so innocently, and in the space of a few pages can change your mood completely, whether to sadness, joy, amazement, or just pure admiration for his impressive skill in storytelling.

His stories show the power and impression parents have on their children, as well as the impact of an adult’s reflection on these impressions. There is also a diversity which I love about all of them, no two are alike but there are common themes running through each of them if you know where to look. There is also a poignant and bittersweet emotion that you develop as you read which consumes you, making you want to take a moments reprieve but you find yourself unable to let go of the book. You have to keep going even as you feel it pulling at all your emotional strings.

One of the real joys though of reading each of these stories is the chance I got to learn something. In Four Letter Words I learnt about a range of word origins, in The Cockroach and Africa Was Children Crying I learned about just some of the traumatic events in Rwanda, in The Examination I learnt about the English language and in The Eunuch in the Harem I saw something seemingly impossible work brilliantly.

Even away from the gorgeous stories, you have to admire O’Neill’s ideas and his creativity. Not to mention the obvious work and effort that has gone into writing some of them. The different styles and formats that are mixed through this book are so unique, and certainly nothing I have seen before. I know John Green’s An Abundance of Katherines used graphs through it, but what O’Neill has done is far beyond simple graphs. Each story is something different and that is just part of the charm, after awhile you just don’t know what to expect from the next story but you welcome the surprise.

The way O’Neill plays with ideas within a story is also brilliant. It shows not just the types and ranges he is capable of in presentation, but in doing so he still manages to tell a complete and understandable story. It just works so well, something you may not believe upon a first glance, especially for a few of these stories but by the end you are so caught up in the narrative that you almost look pass the unique presentation, but still revere it in the back of your mind and see how it is flawlessly used to aid the storytelling.

After I had read the first story, I remarked on Twitter that even after only being one story in I already felt that my life had changed just that little bit. Now, having finished the book I stand by this statement. I did not know what to expect from these stories but I could not have asked for anything better.

I implore you to read this book, find these stories and read them yourselves. The stories will move you and educate you about so many things, about life, family, the English language, the ranges and impacts of the printed word, and the variety of people that exist in this world: good, bad, ignorant, and indifferent. You become involved in these short, complicated snippets of these people and their lives and it shows you that stories do not need to be long to capture an entire lifetime and bring about emotion. It can also show you that there are so many other ways to tell a story besides the basic formatting we’re so used to in stories. Even if these stories were not as wonderful as they are, you cannot fault O’Neill on his pure imagination and creativity about how some of these stories have been presented and told.

One of the things I loved about O’Neill at the festival last year was the way he spoke about characters. He said it was easier, or at least more fun, to write stories with miserable characters rather than happy ones. There are some miserable characters in this book, but the best part is that every character does not have the same level of unhappiness, nor are all kinds of unhappiness the same. There are levels of unhappiness O’Neill plays with and the depth, nature, and cause of this unhappiness differs for each character and each story.

He also said that if you have an interesting storyline then that can create an interesting character, and his characters are definitely all interesting. For a short story you manage to understand them completely, in simple actions or words you can see who they are as people and I feel that is a real skill O’Neill manages wonderfully.

From the 21 stories in this book A Short Story and Seventeen Rules for Writing a Short Story have to be my favourites, though A Story in Writing is also up there. Though I really could start just start listing the contents in its entirety because in their own way I loved, adored, and admired every single one.

I assure you, the next Ryan O’Neill book I get my hands on will not be sitting on a shelf until I have gone from cover to cover. I am still trying to find all the words in the word search.

 

You can purchase The Weight of a Human Heart via the following

eBook

Booki.sh

iBookstore

Google Play

Amazon Kindle

Kobo

Paperback

Penguin Books Australia

Booktopia

Bookworld

Amazon

Book Depository

Cover Reveal: Sun Damage (Sunshine Series #3) by Nikki Rae

10 Mar 2014 Leave a comment

by Amy in Cover Reveal Tags: , ,

Reveal

It has been awhile since I’ve done a cover reveal so this is very exciting. Today I get to reveal to you all the gorgeous cover for Sun Damage, the third book in Nikki Rae‘s YA paranormal/romance Sunshine Series. Sun Damage is due to be released on March 28th 2014. Those who know of Nikki’s work should look forward to finishing out the series, while those of you who are new to her work should take this release as a chance to get to know her and go back and start this great trilogy.

Synopsis
Life wasn’t what Sophie was expecting, so why should death be any different?

Sun Damage_ebooklg

She’s come back from swimming between the two, and every problem she left is still there. And then some. There’s the human world, where she has a brother on the verge of ruins, band mates all set to go on tour, and people she thought she wouldn’t be seeing for a long time showing up. Then there’s her new world, where she’s seeing and hearing things that should not be heard or seen. Where Myles knows more about her than she could have ever guessed. She still doesn’t know exactly why Michael is tormenting her, but somehow, everything is connected.

The monsters are closing in on all sides and the question is, will Sophie be able to defeat them before it all ends?

 

During the release week there’s going to be a giveaway and a chance to win all three in the series so keep a look out for it, or if you’re impatient check out the links on how you can grab a copy.

All Your Bits and Pieces Needs
Sun Damage  (#3) Book Trailer
Sun Poisoned (#2) Book Trailer

Goodreads profile
Twitter profile
Blog
Author page
Smashwords profile

The Sunshine Series page
Sunshine (#1) on Amazon
Sun Poisoned (#2) on Amazon
Barnes and Noble 

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