King Richard II By William Shakespeare

-

This year I aim to read the 'War of the Roses' series by Shakespeare. The reign of King Richard II is the one to start with. It is absolutely wonderful. I especially liked the words Shakespeare put in King Richard's mouth. Very poetical and moving.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reading Women

-
Image
Reading Works by Women. 2018 There are a few good publishers focused on women's literature and are reprinting works that have been out of print.  I wanted to take advantage of this and to read these books whilst they are readily available.  Some of the publishers where these are to be found are Virago Press, Persephone Press, and NYRB Classics. 1. Christmas Pudding and Pigeon Pie by Nancy Mitford 2. Good Behaviour by Molly Keane 3 . A View of the Harbour by Elizabeth Taylor 4. Arabella by Georgette Heyer 5. Love in a Fallen City by Eileen Chang.
Read more

The Virginian by Owen Wister

-
Image
Cover of the 1902 first edition. It is my second time reading this wonderful novel. Set during the brief time of the West, the protagonist, the Virginian, is a true man of noble convictions and generous heart. The story is a little slow at the beginning but once the school marm is introduced it takes off at a pace that keeps you reading with delight right to the last page. This one is chicken broth plus for the soul and will be one I will keep on my shelf. The cover picture on my edition is A Cold Morning on the Range by Frederic Remington who was a friend of Wister and Roosevelt Far too many great quotes to list all but a few of my favourites: I’ll tell yu’ this: a middlin’ doctor is a pore thing, and a middlin’ lawyer is a pore thing; but keep me from a middlin’ man of God. Here in flesh and blood was a truth which I had long believed in words, but never met before. The creature we call a gentleman lies deep in the heart of thousands that are born without chanc...
Read more

The Painted Veil by W Somerset Maugham

-
Image
This is my first time reading this author and so far I am loving this little masterpiece. Why have I not read Maugham before? His understanding of human emotion and motives, as well as excellent story telling skills is making me fall in love. 'it seemed to her as though her body were a shell that lay at her feet and she pure spirit. Here was Beauty.' 'When all things lasted so short a time, and nothing mattered very much, it seemed pitiful that men, attaching an absurd importance to trivial objects, should make themselves and one another so unhappy.' 'the beauty which now and then men create out of chaos. The pictures they paint, the music they compose, the books they write, and the lives they lead. Of all these the richest in beauty is the beautiful life.' I loved this book. This is awarded the best book of January 2018 and will go forward to my list of 12 that I will use to decide the best book I read in 2018. It is sad but beautiful. Do we liv...
Read more