For The Love Of Shakespeare by Beth Miller - Review

Towards the end of this year I have been in a mood for non-fiction so when I got the opportunity to read For The Love Of Shakespeare by Beth Miller, I jumped at the chance, 

About The Book

A treasure-trove of wit, imagination and emotion, his plays and poems continue to surprise, inspire, console and delight us. Whether you're a life-long lover of the Bard or a curious newcomer to his world, this companion will lift the curtain on the unforgettable characters and stories of Britain's greatest dramatist.

My Review

My original plan for reading this book as it is a non-fiction was to read a bit then put it down and just keep diving into it every now and again. This almost immediately went out the window and I ended up reading it cover to cover in two sittings as it was so clear and easy to read and extremely enjoyable as well as being informative. 

I really loved how For The Love Of Shakespeare is organised, it makes it very easy for you to pick it up and find which bit you'd like to read. The first two sections are about Shakespeare himself and about Stratford Upon Avon and London in his time and then it moves onto his works which are split into The Comedies, The Histories, The Tragedies, The Apocryphal Plays and The Poetry. Each play is then broken down into plots, in a nutshell, other notable characters, body count, did you know and quotable lines. I absolutely love the in a nutshell section as it explains the plot of the play in very basic terms usually with quite a lot of wit! 

The quotable lines bit is very good too as I could check out the famous lines I know and quite easily find out which play they are from. I know I keep saying and "this bit is good" but I really mean it, it's all just so good! I enjoyed the other notable characters sections as it highlighted some lesser recognised characters and explained the important things that they had done within the story. 

Throughout the book there are mini interviews with people who are involved one way or another in the world of Shakespeare and the seem to be located close to their favourite play which is a nice touch. It was interesting to see how each person had grown to love Shakespeare and what experiences they had had. 

Overall such a refreshingly light and still informative book and one I will happily keep on my bookshelves as it is also beautiful on the outside too. I have already recommended this to people I know and will continue to do so. 

I gave this book 5 stars and it was one of my stand out books of the year (check that out here)

As part of my review I thought it would be fun to answer the questions that Beth Miller asked each of the people involved in the world of Shakespeare.

What was your switch-on moment?

I know it may seem silly, but I think watching Baz Luhrmann's 1996 film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. I was the perfect age for this film (teenage girl+Leonardo Dicaprio=success) and it really spoke to me at that time and it made me think more about Shakespeare as being relevant now and not just as a study in my English classes.

Which is your favourite of Shakespeare's play?

My favourite play is A Midsummer Night's Dream, I love the fairies and I love the comedy which is not normally my thing.

Tell us about the most memorable performance you've seen?

It was of A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Burnley Mechanics and we were sat in a hall and the seats were in a circle with a space in the middle for the performance. It was so unlike anything I've seen before or since as it felt a lot more interactive as we were all on the same level as the actors, it felt like we were a part of the play.

Which Shakespeare character would you most like to meet?

I'd love to meet Titania, she is a great and complex character. As part of my theatre studies A-level I chose her as my research subject and I designed clothes for her and planned lighting, so I'd love to meet her and see what she thought of my choices.

How would you persuade somebody to give Shakespeare a chance?

I'd say watch a production first before attempting to read a play. Seeing something can really help you understand how a play is to be read and will help you become more immersed in the world and the characters. If you're not a fan of the theatre then there are plenty of film adaptations that you can choose from too. I'd love to visit the RSC Theatre in Stratford Upon Avon one day and watch a play there.

Twelve Days And Twelve Books Of Christmas - Day 11

Last two days of Twelve Days And Twelve Books Of Christmas and today I'm recommending a non-fiction!

Day 11 - November Book - For The Love Of Shakespeare by Beth Miller

A treasure-trove of wit, imagination and emotion, his plays and poems continue to surprise, inspire, console and delight us. Whether you're a life-long lover of the Bard or a curious newcomer to his world, this companion will lift the curtain on the unforgettable characters and stories of Britain's greatest dramatist.

My Thoughts

I absolutely loved this companion book. The way it is written and the format used is brilliant. I was planning on reading it a bit at a time as it is perfectly planned in such a way that you can drop in and out whenever you want or look through and find something specific, but I enjoyed it so much I read it from cover to cover. 

I've been very naughty and my review isn't up yet, but it certainly will be between Christmas and New Year so you can look forward to that very soon. There will be some spoilers of my review in here but there is a lot more in my full review :) 

Companion books can end up being very dry as they are usually full of facts and dates but this is definitely not the case with For The Love Of Shakespeare. The way Beth writes is like she's talking to you and it feels like a really enjoyable conversation or discussion about Shakespeare rather than reading an essay. There is humour and personal experiences mixed in with the facts and it really makes it so much more readable. 

There are some really interesting interviews with people involved in the Shakespeare world throughout and it was good to read about how differently each person came to love the bard. 

I would 100% recommend this to fans of Shakespeare and to people who even have a passing interest in him. The best non fiction I have read in a long time. 

Are you a fan of Shakespeare? What is your favourite play? Only one day left of Twelve Days And Twelve Books Of Christmas and only one day left before Christmas, are you all ready?

About The Author

This has been taken from Beth's website which you can visit and enjoy in full here - 

http://www.bethmiller.co.uk/

I have been told that I write like a tall blonde, so that's how I'd like you to picture me.

I've published two novels and two non-fiction books, about The Archers and Shakespeare (that's two separate books, not one weird mash-up). (More info here).

Before writing books, I did a lot of different jobs. I worked in schools, shops, offices, hospitals, students' unions, basements, from home, in my car, and up a tree. OK, not up a tree. I've been a sexual health trainer, a journalist, a psychology lecturer, a PhD student, a lousy alcohol counsellor, and an inept audio-typist. I sold pens, bread, and condoms. Not in the same shop. I taught parents how to tell if their teenagers are taking drugs (clue: they act like teenagers), and taught teenagers how to put on condoms (clue: there won't really be a cucumber). I taught rabbis how to tell if their teenagers are druggedly putting condoms on cucumbers.

Throughout this, I always wrote, and always drank a lot of tea. I'm now pretty much unbeatable at drinking tea.

Hunted: The Zodiac Murders - Mark Hewitt

Recently I have been wanting to read more non fiction and one of my favourite things to do while ironing, cleaning etc is to watch documentaries on serial killers. It's my guilty pleasure. In turn I also enjoy reading about serial killers and so when I got the chance to read Hunted: The Zodiac Murders by Mark Hewitt I jumped at it.

I have seen documentaries on the Zodiac killer, so I knew a lot of the basic information about the killings and the investigation, I actually thought I knew quite a lot but this book certainly proved that I didn't. There is so much information that I had never heard before and so many leads which sound incredibly interesting that would have changed my perspective about the whole situation had I heard them before.

This book is incredibly well researched and is very well written, there is no sensationalising of the facts or any particularly biased opinions forced upon the reader. The author very clearly lays out the information and in chronological order which I always think is a bonus.

There were at times what I felt like information dumps, which I can imagine was very hard to prevent with how much information was being presented throughout the book, but there were two occasions I had to stop myself from skimming because I was getting too much information to process in one go. Having only two moments of this though in a long book with a lot of information is actually really good.

Overall a very good and fascinating read and one I will recommend. I am also now looking forward to future books in this series by Mark Hewitt.

Thank you very much to Genius Book Publishing for a copy of Hunted in exchange for an honest review.

Hunted: The Zodiac Killers is now available HERE. 

Synopsis

The Zodiac occupies a special place in the annals of the “Serial Killer Hall of Fame.” Claiming the lives of at least 5 young victims and taunting the police in telephone calls and cryptic letters, he terrorised Northern California from 1966 to 1974 and beyond. Despite his appalling acts of violence, he was never arrested—he has never even been identified. 

Thousands of men have been accused; nearly 2,500 have been investigated. The police lack only the name of the perpetrator. Never has there been more passionate interest in the Zodiac serial killer. Never has there been more FOIA-released information on his crime spree and the subsequent law enforcement investigation. Yet, never before has a carefully-researched scholarly treatment of this otherwise eminently solvable riddle been attempted. That is, until now.

Broken Samurai: A Combat Marine's Journey From Hero To Hitman - Al Carlisle Ph.D.

I received an advanced e-book copy of Broken Samurai: A Combat Marine's Journey From Hero To Hitman by Al Carlisle Ph.D. direct from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

It's been a while since I have read any non fiction and when I got the chance to read Broken Samurai I jumped at it as I know very little about PTSD and even less about the Vietnam War.

The book follows interviews between Al Carlisle and Danny, an ex marine who has ended up in a very bad place following his return home.

I feel the book is very clearly laid out and the interview progression is followed in chronological order of the events in Danny's life which lead him to where he was. The questions asked of him were very clear and Danny was a lot more articulate than I had first expected from the stories of his up bringing. There are a few times when I would have liked things followed up on or more information asked for from Danny, one example being when Danny talks about being part of the biker gang and doing anything he could profitable but when he talks about his belief in the code of Bushido, the code states it does not believe in material profiting. I would have liked to have asked him how he reconciled these two statements.

The story of Danny's life is an incredibly interesting, but very sad story from losing his dad at an early age, to joining the military and being part of the battle at Khe Sanh in Vietnam and then coming home feeling lost and ending up being a hitman as part of a biker gang. Though Danny does seem to have had some problems before Vietnam, there definitely does seem to be a huge shift in both his personality and his beliefs following the war. Though reading Danny's answers myself I feel a lot of his PTSD stems from when he believes he broke his code and killed an innocent, from there he seems to spiral even further out of control than ever before.

This is definitely an interesting look into an extreme account of PTSD and I think it's an important subject that does need a lot more exposure than it currently has. Reading this book has made me want to research further into PTSD and hear other accounts as well as finding out more about the Vietnam war,  as I feel lacking in not knowing much about either.

I would have liked more information about PTSD itself as part of the book for people like me who don't have the knowledge, maybe as an introduction.

Overall a well put together, interesting book and one I will be recommending.

I started reading this book on the 21st of August 2016 and finished it on the 25th of August 2016.
I gave this book 4 stars.

Broken Samurai is out today on Amazon!