Bookshelf and Shakespeare Memes

I've been feeling rather scattered lately, like my head has been up in the air for some reason. Not really blogging a whole lot, not really reading a whole lot. Just whatever. So, I thought I'd share a Maggie picture and a few memes that I was tagged for a while back.


A note on the picture above. While Scott was watching TV last night, I grabbed the laptop and did a little bit of blogging. Usually Maggie will come and cuddle with me, but instead she jumped up on Scott's legs and stretched out. Scott greatly dislikes Maggie and all other cats. And he definitely doesn't like her lying on his blanket because of the cat hair. Needless to say, they never cuddle as she generally knows better. The whole thing was too funny and I can't believe she cuddled with him for as long as she did (or that he allowed it for so long!).

Valentina tagged me for Eva's bookshelf meme:

The book that’s been on your shelves the longest:
While I’ve had many of my books for years and years, the ones that I’ve had the longest are the ones that I’ve had since I was a child. They are worn, the spines are broken, pages are colored on, but I treasure them still and can’t wait until I can share them with my own kids one day. My absolute favorite is The Princess and the Unicorn. It's the story of a Princess who doesn't like her unicorn being white, so she tries to change him by painting him purple (see right). Eventually she learns to love him just as he is.

A book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place, a time, etc.):

As book lovers don’t we all have books that remind us of different things? I may not be able to remember specific plots or even character names, but you can pick up any book on my shelf and I can tell you where I was when I read it and how it made me feel as a reader. I wonder how many times Wuthering Heights will be mentioned in this post, but I really attribute a lot of my current passions to that book. It will always remind me of the day that I stopped sleeping through English class (or passing notes to friends) and started paying attention to the actual language of writing rather than just the stories. I’ve always been a reader—but that book made me realize there is more to just reading the words on the page.

A book you acquired in some interesting way (gift, serendipity in a used bookstore, prize, etc.):

Books have always been a favorite birthday or holiday gift, I’ve certainly won my fair share of books, received ARCs from authors and publishers, found special finds at the bookstore, but the books that are the most special to me are the ones that came from my Great Aunt Fran’s library. I used to love going to her house and looking through all of her books. She had thousands and thousands of books in every nook and cranny of her house—and the most eclectic books one could imagine. Especially special to me are the editions of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights that her first husband read while station in San Francisco during WWII. He died during the war, so I never met him, but these two books have a special place on my mantle.

The most recent addition to your shelves:

Watchmen because I couldn’t help it; The Glass Castle and The Woman in White for book club; and White Teeth because I need to read some Zadie Smith.

A book that’s been with you to the most places:
There isn’t a specific book that has been with me to more places than others. Because I’ve moved around so much in the past 10 years, until recently I only had certain boxes of books with me—mostly the ones that I had to read for school and recent purchases.

A bonus book that you want to talk about but doesn’t fit into the other questions:
Well, since I got in the obligatoryWuthering Heights mention I guess I’ll end it here. :P

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Gautami tagged me for the Shakespeare Meme:

What was your first introduction to William Shakespeare? Was it love or hate?
My first introduction was 9th grade English class—Romeo and Juliet. It wasn’t love or hate, just work. But that was the same year that the Baz Luhrmann movie came out, so that was fun.

Which Shakespeare plays have you been required to read?
Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Othello, Hamlet, King Lear, The Twelfth Night, Taming of the Shrew, Midsummer Night’s Dream—seems like I’m missing some. I’ve also been required to read a handful of sonnets.

Do you think Shakespeare is important? Do you feel you are a “better” person for having read the bard?
Yes I think Shakespeare is important; No, I don’t feel like a “better” person for having read his works.

Do you have a favorite Shakespeare play?
Definitely The Taming of the Shrew. There are a lot out there, though, that I haven’t read yet!

How do you feel about contemporary takes on Shakespeare? Adaptations of Shakespeare's works with a more modern feel? (For example, the new line of Manga Shakespeare graphic novels, or novels like Something Rotten, Something Wicked, Enter Three Witches, Ophelia, etc.) Do you have a favorite you'd recommend?

I don’t think I’ve really read any contemporary Shakespeare adaptations, but there are an awful lot of movies based on Shakespeare plays. I think they're a great idea to help make Shakespeare more accessible, but it defeats the purpose if people don’t realize the movies/adaptations are based on Shakespeare. I do think all of the adaptations show how timeless Shakespeare truly is.

What's your favorite movie version of a Shakespeare play?

I’m going to cheat and list a live theatre production of a Shakespeare play: Taming of the Shrew by American Conservatory Theater. Katherina and Petruchio have such great chemistry. I could watch this production over and over if it didn’t drive my husband nuts. Although, he will watch the 10 Things I Hate About You movie over and over with me. :)

I'm not going to tag anyone because these memes have been around the block a few times, but if you haven't done either, feel free to play along! What are your favorite books on your bookshelf? Do you have a favorite Shakespeare play?