flashquake

David Shapiro's Suggestions:

• Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare by Stephen Greenblatt
  A brilliant piece of scholarship that looks at the prolific work of the greatest writer ever in the context of his life and times. Much about Shakespeare's life was never recorded, so there's a fair amount of speculation in this 2004 book. But it's learned speculation that brings Shakespeare and his world alive with engaging storytelling that never turns dry.
• Shakespeare in Love (DVD) (Miramax Collector's Series) (1999)
  I enjoyed the book so much that I couldn't resist another viewing of this DVD. I've always found the film most enjoyable despite the generous dramatic license, and it still holds up over time. The delivery of the lines from his plays still gives me chicken skin.

Didi Wood's Suggestions:

• Dave's suggestions reminded me of one of my favorite TV shows, now available on DVD: Slings and Arrows: The Complete Collection. This Canadian series about a dysfunctional theater company brings Shakespeare to life in a way none of my high school or college classes ever did:
• At a baseball game last week, I sat next to a young woman with an extraordinary tattoo that went all the way around her right wrist. The subject was the cover illustration of Edward Gorey's The Gashlycrumb Tinies (you have to click now, just to see it). This dark little gem begins "A is for Amy who fell down the stairs. B is for Basil assaulted by bears," and proceeds through the entire alphabet with similarly cheery rhyming couplets, accompanied by Gorey's classic drawings. A great Halloween gift or holiday stocking stuffer.

Debi Orton's Suggestions:

• I'll admit it — I'm a sucker for a well-written science fiction novel and for my money, one of the best in the business is Greg Bear. This summer I read Darwin's Radio and its sequel, Darwin's Children. A provocative storyline in more ways than one.
• Now for something completely different...I'm currently enmeshed in Richard Price's novel Lush Life. Gritty and filled with flawed characters, it elevates the run-of-the-mill police procedural to new heights as its protagonist wavers between hardass and social worker. I must say I've never read a crime novel with exactly this spin before.