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larry_yonce's review against another edition
5.0
I read this day-by-day throughout the year (2023), and recommend doing it that way. You will find passages from the plays and sonnets, many of which are related to specific days that mark important events, holidays, festivals, etc. on the calendar. Many seasonal references as well. Just an all-around well researched project that is a joy to experience. Includes synopses of each play, a timeline of Shakespeare's life, and an index.
goosemixtapes's review against another edition
this is exactly what it says it is: a shakespeare quote for every day, including a few lines or a few paragraphs of context for why each quote matches each day. like a little morning calendar! if that is the kind of thing you like, you will like this. in case anyone was curious, and because i was, i counted the number of quotes from each play (they were listed in an index in the back; i didn't have to flip through all those pages), and the least quoted plays are coriolanus, pericles, and sir thomas more (which i didn't even think shakespeare wrote? maybe i'm wrong), with two quotes each. most quoted is--well, it's the sonnets (28 quotes), but there are dozens of those; the most quoted play is a midsummer night's dream (14), which makes sense. extremely iconic part of the canon.
there are some iffy bits. bold move, for example, to place shylock's "hath not a jew eyes" speech on international holocaust remembrance day. even BOLDER move to summarize the merchant of venice (in the summaries of each play in the endnotes) WITHOUT EVER SAYING THE WORD JEWISH. (???) (?????)
but a beloved friend got this for me, so i'm fond of it. at some point in the year i started using it vaguely as an obsessive-compulsive divination tool? i had to get surgery in august and all i’m saying is that that very day’s piece was a richard ii quote about trimming excess branches so the tree can flourish healthily. all i’m saying. drop your birthday in the comments and i'll give you the quote for that day
there are some iffy bits. bold move, for example, to place shylock's "hath not a jew eyes" speech on international holocaust remembrance day. even BOLDER move to summarize the merchant of venice (in the summaries of each play in the endnotes) WITHOUT EVER SAYING THE WORD JEWISH. (???) (?????)
but a beloved friend got this for me, so i'm fond of it. at some point in the year i started using it vaguely as an obsessive-compulsive divination tool? i had to get surgery in august and all i’m saying is that that very day’s piece was a richard ii quote about trimming excess branches so the tree can flourish healthily. all i’m saying. drop your birthday in the comments and i'll give you the quote for that day
kelamity_reads's review against another edition
3.5
This is a well-considered collection of Shakespeare's works. I liked how each entry had an informative introduction regarding that day's piece.
This is a great book for fans of Shakespeare or for people wanting to learn more about his works.
However, if like me, you're not a big fan of Shakespeare, then there is little to hold your interest for the entire year. Whilst I liked the snippets of historical information, I found I just couldn't be bothered to keep going with it.
This is a great book for fans of Shakespeare or for people wanting to learn more about his works.
However, if like me, you're not a big fan of Shakespeare, then there is little to hold your interest for the entire year. Whilst I liked the snippets of historical information, I found I just couldn't be bothered to keep going with it.
haljonesy's review against another edition
3.0
I think this is a really good collection of Shakespeare excerpts. A lot of important scenes are included, as well as some more obscure scenes from the less Hollywood plays (looking at you, Timon of Athens). The author did a pretty good job of trying to match up scenes to relevant dates, and provided some good background information. Naturally, there is not a Shakespeare quote/scene that perfectly aligns with every day of the year, but there was an attempt to find a good, corresponding phrase.
I would recommend this for anyone who has a passing interest in Shakespeare but doesn't want to commit to reading an entire play. This could potentially introduce a new reader to a play they haven't heard of though, which is always exciting!
I would recommend this for anyone who has a passing interest in Shakespeare but doesn't want to commit to reading an entire play. This could potentially introduce a new reader to a play they haven't heard of though, which is always exciting!
jcampbell's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
2.0
some nice Shakespeare scenes with ample explanation but the occasional sonnet does not mean the format holds as well for plays as the other books in this series.