Heya y’all, hope you’re enjoying your weekend wherever you are. I spent yesterday having fun with Our Vicar and Our Vicar’s Wife – we played Scrabble before heading out for a wander, and Dad was keen that I share this little photo of his Scrabble score (the columns go Dad; me; Mum).
…and on with the show. (Well done, Dad!) Even in the grips of defeat, I’m thinking of you all – and we’re going to have a book, a link, and a blog post.
1.) The book – is actually a graphic novel sent to me called Kill Shakespeare by Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery. The very modern world of graphic literature and the very non-modern world of Shakespeare come head to head for this series of comic books. I think I can call them comic books, although I’m worried that fans of the genre will tell me I’m wrong? What is a comic and what is a graphic novel? I don’t know, but this is a series, so I’m going to say graphic works and hope for the best…
A miscellany of Shakespeare’s characters are united – it’s a who’s-who, really, with Hamlet, Juliet, Othello, and Falstaff, for example – tracking down an evil reclusive wizard called… yes, William Shakespeare. (Interestingly enough, this whole combining of characters from different plays is nothing new – I once spent a week or two writing about the fascinating world of Restoration period Shakespeare adaptations, and they threw the characters around like nobody’s business. As You Like It waning a bit? Throw in Beatrice and Benedick! Romeo and Juliet a bit glum? Happy ending time!)
Anyway – I must confess I’ve only flicked through this, but my brother read it cover to cover and was impressed. I’m hoping he’ll come along and say something in the comments about it… and if he does, by the magic of editing I’ll put it here…
2.) The blog post – is Thomas’ about International Anita Brookner Day, the creation of his own fair hands. It’s especially for people like me who have wanted to read something by Anita B, and have somehow yet to do so – pop over here to read the details, and make use of Thomas’ fancy buttony whatsit.
3.) The link – is for the London Book Fair Masterclass – Felicity (who emailed me) tells me “the perfect opportunity for aspiring authors to gain first-hand information and practical advice from bestselling authors, agents and editors.” Peter James, Lesley Pearse, Luigi Bonomi, Jon Wood, and Fiona Lindsay will be there. Could be worth going!
Happy weekend, one and all.
I've seen Kill Shakespeare at the bookstore, so I am eagerly awaiting your thoughts about it!
Not to rub it in…but, did you see Thomas' one Scrabble word that almost beat your whole score this week? ;) I've never read any Brookner, but I'm already looking forward to blowing the dust off of some that I've had for a while. Happy weekend!
Well, if you have to lose at Scrabble, you had a good loss, and couldn't have lost to anyone better. Well done, OV!
By the way, what was Thomas' one Scrabble word?
Well played, Vicar.
My partner thinks I'm a little obsessive about recording & dating our Scrabble scores (and I always document the 7-letter words on the scoresheet) but I'm glad there are others who take it seriously too.
It was 'cardigan'!
Surely Graphic Novels is the appropriate term, or "BD" if you are in France where they appreciate this style rather more highly than we do?
I like Brookner and read with some pleasure Leaving Home recently. I'll warn you that many critics panned it! I appreciated the novel's bleak and cheerless outlook which seemed rather refreshing in some ways.
Read the Book – looks like my brother never saw this post, so hasn't dropped in his tuppenyworth!
Susan – haha, yes, I did see that… oh, the shame.
Nancy – it is quite unusual for Dad to win (although he always wins Trivial Pursuit!) so he was very proud.
Susan D – I thought about keeping a notebook of Scrabble scores, but my housemate mocked me for it… probably because I usually beat her at Scrabble ;)
Peter – for some reason a continuing narrative felt more like a comic series than graphic novels to me, but of course novels can come in series so you're probably right.
Peter – and I didn't have you down as a Brookner fan… just goes to show!