King Lear - Halloween - Good Gravey

You read that right.

In two weeks time I will be opting out of a mid-term (which was today) and teaching an hour-fifteen minutes lesson on King Lear.

I've been listening to it in the car while driving to and from school the last two weeks. I must say it's not my favorite play of Shakespeare's, but way better than taking a test.


Next up - Halloween.

So many things to do!

Firstly - bonfire! I'm so excited to be able to roast some s'mores, enjoy the cool air, and generally have fun with the crisp weather.

Also there's other parties to go to - haunted houses to avoid - haunted woods to avoid. (I seriously don't do the whole haunted/scary aspect of Halloween.)

I much prefer the regular Halloween ideals - the fun side.


Well - there's that.

Short. Sweet. To the point.

Have a good night.


What are some of your Halloween traditions?

Book Nook - Classic Corner

I know, I know, I did a book review last week. But hear me out, I've got a (loose, extremely loose) plan for this blog going forward.

The first week is up for grabs right now. Maybe I'll do a post about a comment or something the readers choose. Right now, it's up for grabs.

Second week will be a Book Review. Books will range from classics to new, young adult to .... regular adult (seriously, is it only the ages that make these books different?). Expect a lot of murder mysteries (Cozy Mysteries), as that is the major genre I read currently.

Third week will be a WIP on projects I'm working on. These will either be one of the many stories I've got running, one of the crafts I'm trying to get together for a business I'm running (Zaney Designs!), or a piece of art.

Fourth week will be Obscure Film Review week. Because there are tons out there that did not garner enough "media coverage" or what not. These could also be films that I enjoy watching and hope you might take a gander at them as well. Again films will range from the Silent Era to present. I will try and review movies not in theaters - or ones that you can either check out at the library or RedBox, or stream.

Whew! Now that the housecleaning is done, here is my Book Review for the week.

Book: Eyes Like the Stars

Series: Theatre Illuminata, #1

Author: Lisa Mantchev

As many of you know, I am a HUGE theatre nut. So you can imagine all of my bundled excitement, thrill, astonishment, and over bounding joy when I saw this series on the shelf. I couldn’t burst out about this, being inside the library and all, but when I got outside with my shiny book I whooted (cross between a woo-hoo and a hoot….).

But, I digress.

This book series takes place inside the Theatre Illuminata, a playhouse in the city (unnamed). The entire series surrounds the life of Beatrice Shakespeare Smith, Bertie for short. She lives inside the theatre, onstage using varying sets for her bedroom, cafe, and other. The entire series is her trying to find out who her parents are and why they left her at the Illuminata.

This first book sees Bertie trying to prove she's helpful to the cast and crew. So she set sets out to re-stage the production of “Hamlet”.

Let’s not forget - every character from every single play is alive and well, living backstage too. At curtain call they all come to life to repeat their lines. When not onstage they roam the backstage areas, talking, chatting, living their lives. Only they cannot leave the theatre...

What’s keeping them all there? The Book. The Book contains every play performed, all of their lines, and their lives.

Among those friends of Bertie’s are Peaseblossom, Cobweb, Mustardseed, and Moth (those mischievous fairies from A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Nate (a dashing pirate from The Little Mermaid) and, though often more mischievous Ariel (the sprite from The Tempest).

With all the excitement going around, it’s difficult to keep up with the Book, the current shows going on, and having to re-stage Hamlet in a whole new setting! What’s a girl to do?

Dying her hair a vivid blue, plunging on ahead, and writing her own script is what!

This is a book series that I highly, highly, recommend!

What's a book you'd like to see me review? Leave a few titles in the comments below.

The Ides of March

For those of you in the theatre industry, today is a day to be remembered.

Or vastly quoted to the chagrin of our coworkers and family members.

It’s a day that was foretold by a soothsayer to Julius about being cautious. In honor of the death of Julius Caesar, here are some fun little facts about the fabled Ides of March.

#1. The date of the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC

                It had to be done. Might as well be number one, right? We all only know of this day because of the infamous stabbing in the courts. Et tu Brute?

#2 Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times, but only one of them was fatal.

                This was due to the conspirators being amateurs at murder. None of them were soldiers, so they didn’t know how to properly stab someone.

#3 He was stabbed in a golden chair

                Despite popular belief, and wonderful movies, Caesar was not standing up, or running while being stabbed. He was seated for the tribunal of the Senate at Teatro di Pompeo. One of the reasons the conspirators chose this setting was because some of them were already standing behind the chair, all set to stab Caesar in the back. (ouch)

#4 Thick togas

                The fabric used to make the popular toga of the day was often built in thick folds of wool. Because of this, the daggers took a bit longer to penetrate through the fabric and reach their mark, it also helped them to conceal the daggers until the time.

#5 Five Details

                There are five written accounts of Caesars death. Plutarch, Suetonius, Appian, Cassius Dio and Nicolaus of Damascus. How’s that for being popular. The only other person to have multiple accounts written about them was Christ. (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.)

#6 Smart Killers

                The men responsible for the assassination were all rational and highly educated men. Brutus and Cassius were praetors, and Casca was a tribune of the people.

#7 “Hail Caesar!”

                There have been counless Caesar’s in cinema history. Among those that can claim to have been stabbed are: Claude Rains, Rex Harrison, Kenneth Williams, Fritz Leiber, Timothy Dalton and the great John Gielgud.

So, in honor of the Ides of March we kindly ask you to refrain from large groups and knives.