My Ten Favorite Books of 2015

I did a post like this last year, and it was a lot of fun, so I thought hey, why not do another?  I reviewed 45 books this year, by my very casual count, and I read probably 4 or 5 others that I never reviewed (two that I do intend to review soon, just haven't gotten to them yet).  I'm once again astonished by that number, especially since for the last couple months, I've barely read anything other than Hamlet, or so it feels. 

Anyway,  like last year, I'm breaking it into new-to-me and re-reads.

New to Me

The Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery -- I was blindsided by how much I loved this book.  I made my mom read it this week while she was visiting me.  

Dear Enemy by Jean Webster -- I was also shocked to discover I liked this better than Daddy-Long-Legs, which made last year's list of favorites.

A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz -- so many amazing insights into Austen's books.  I want to re-read this one in a few years while also reading through all Austen's novels.

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle -- I can't believe it took me this long to finally decide to read this book.  A pure and lovely delight.

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell -- despite the rushed ending, it is a gorgeous, complex story filled with amazing characters.

A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd -- at one point, my son and I were sitting on the swing in our backyard, him reading the first pages while I was reading the last ones.  He loves it like I do, and we gave it to a friend for Christmas too.


Re-reads

The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum -- simply a superb spy story.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows -- funny and poignant and charming.

Hamlet by William Shakespeare -- do I have to talk again about how much I adore this play?  Probably not.

Persuasion by Jane Austen  -- I loved participating in Heidi's read-along for this, my favorite Jane Austen novel.

"Hamlet, Prince of Denmark" by William Shakespeare

You'd think I'd have nothing left to say about this play after spending nearly three months discussing it.  And, in a way, you'd be right -- I'm not going to say anything new or revelatory here.  But I'd like to kind of recap a few of my thoughts from this reading.

This time through, I particularly noticed how focused this play is on the difference between seeming and being.  Obviously, I've long known this is a major theme in Hamlet, but this time so many lines jumped out at me as reinforcing that idea.  From Hamlet's "Seems, Madam?  Nay, it is.  I know not 'seems'" (I, 2) to Claudius' "Or are you, like a painting of a sorrow, A face without a heart?" (IV, 7), it felt like every character was reminding me time and again to take a good look at appearances versus reality, acting/pretending versus being, truth versus deception, honesty versus intrigue.

No matter how often I read this play or see it performed, I always find some new nuances or details that help me see it in a fresh way.  I've been studying it for 18 years, and it never gets stale.  Amazing!

If you want to read some of my other posts on this play, this post has links to all the individual scene posts I did.  And don't forget to enter the Hamlet giveaway here!  It's open through the end of Monday, January 4th.

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It:  PG-13 for sexual themes and violence.

This is my 30th book read and reviewed for the Classics Club!

"Hamlet" Read-Along Index and Link-Up

Here are the links to all the individual scene posts and bonus posts from the Hamlet read-along. At the end of this post is a link-up if you would like to share your own blog post (or posts) about the play.

Bonus Posts

The Hamlets I Have Seen -- Hamlette
All my Hamlets -- Hamlette
Horatio -- Kelda
The Soliloquies -- Kelda
Some Hamlet fun -- Hamlette


Scene Posts

Act I
Scene 1
Scene 2
Scene 3
Scene 4
Scene 5

Act II
Scene 1
Scene 2 -- Part One
Scene 2 -- Part Two

Act III
Scene 1
Scene 2
Scene 3
Scene 4

Act IV
Scene 1
Scene 2
Scene 3
Scene 4
Scene 5 -- Part One
Scene 5 -- Part Two
Scene 6
Scene 7

Act V
Scene 1 -- Part One
Scene 1 -- Part Two
Scene 2 -- Part One
Scene 2 -- Part Two


The link-up!  

If you wrote a review of Hamlet after you finished it, or wrote about individual scenes, please share your posts here:

The "Hamlet" giveaway

We have finished Hamlet at last!  I feel a great sense of accomplishment, don't you?  (And if you haven't quite finished it, no big deal.  I'm happy to keep discussing it as long as you'd like.)  To celebrate, I'm hosting a giveaway, as is my wont at the end of read-alongs.  

PLEASE NOTE:  This is open to everyone!  Not just participants of the read-along :-)

Here's what I'm giving away:

Hamlet (2000) starring Ethan Hawke
PLEASE NOTE!  This is a USED DVD.
It plays fine for me, but your mileage may vary.

Hamlet at Elsinore (1964) starring Christopher Plummer
Donated by Kelda!  Brand-new.

Hamlet (1996) soundtrack by Patrick Doyle
Brand-new.

Sticker Set 1
Bought from RedBubble.com by me.

Sticker Set 2
Bought from RedBubble.com by me.

Sticker Set 3
Bought from RedBubble.com by me.

I know we are all really busy with Christmastime merriment right now, so I'm leaving this giveaway open for two weeks instead of my usual one.  That way people will have plenty of time to get around to entering.  So this runs through the end of Monday, January 4th. I will draw the winners on Tuesday, January 5th and post the names of the winners that day, as well a notify them by email.

PLEASE make sure your information for the giveaway widget includes your current email address so that if you win a prize, you'll get the email informing you that you won! If you don't reply to my email by Tuesday, January 12, I will choose another winner and award your prize to them instead.

This giveaway is open worldwide!  However, the DVDs are Region 1 encoded, so you will either need to live in the USA or Canada, or have a region-free player for them to work.

Enter via this widget:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hamlet Read-Along: Act V, Scene 2 -- Part Two

This final part of Hamlet suffers the most in being read versus seen.  The fight and the various characters' actions and emotions really need to be seen to be truly appreciated.  I've never yet been moved to tears by reading this scene, but I regularly cry when watching it.  So here is this half of the scene from the David Tennant version (2010), if you'd like to watch it and see how this particular production has it all play out.

Anyway, I find it interesting that Hamlet blames his actions on madness when he's apologizing to Laertes.  Does Hamlet truly believe he's been mad for a while?  Do any of the other characters?  Does Laertes?  I don't know.  I do love the end of Hamlet's apology, though, the part where he says, "I have shot my arrow o'er the house And hurt my brother" (212-13).  That part definitely feels sincere.

So then they fence a while.  Laertes has the "unbated" foil, that is, the actually sharp sword that doesn't have anything protecting the tip.  And of course it's poisoned too.  Claudius brings out his poisonous "union," aka a pearl, and poisons the wine with it.  But Hamlet won't drink -- he wants to stay sharp, I think.  Who wouldn't, ringed around by bad guys as he is?  

And then Gertrude drinks the poison.  Different productions play this different ways -- does she know it's poisoned and drink in an effort to save her son?  Does she realize he was right about Claudius and not want to live on with such a bad guy as her husband?  Does she have zero idea that it's poisoned?  Lots of different ways to play it, each with really cool insights into her character to be had.  

A couple scenes ago, Claudius claimed that he basically can't live without Gertrude.  So the way he says his line, "Gertrude, do not drink" (265) can really tell us whether he was being truthful then or not.  Does he say it desperately?  Resignedly?  Angrily?  It can be so revelatory.

Of course, we return again to that idea of being caught in your own trap.  Laertes says, "I am justly killed with mine own treachery" (284) and also, "The foul practice Hath turned itself on me" (295).  Claudius gets killed by both the poisoned sword and the wine he poisoned, and Gertrude basically gets caught in her own trap when she dies of poison set out by the man she married after he poisoned her first husband.  She, like Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, may have been initially unwitting of the nature of her actions, of course.  And obviously Hamlet, by seeking vengeance for his father, has vengeance served against him for things he did during that quest.

As Hamlet dies, he echoes his father's ghost.  Horatio tries to commit suicide, to follow his friend into the grave the way Roman soldiers would follow their leader when he died.  But Hamlet tells Horatio not to die just yet, but to "[r]eport me and my cause aright To the unsatisfied" (315-16).  In fact, just like the Ghost asked him to listen to his tale "[i]f ever thou didst they dear father love" (I, 5, 23), Hamlet asks Horatio to do this "[i]f thou didst ever hold me in your heart (322).  Striking similarity, eh?

And after Hamlet dies, in comes Fortinbras.  John Gielgud says, "All the people in the play are shut up in this castle... There is this curious feeling, except on the battlements and in the churchyard, that they are all really locked in the castle, in a miasma of corruption and sensuality.  It isn't until Fortinbras comes at the end that the whole thing opens and all are free (John Gielgud Directs Richard Burton in Hamlet p. 17).  I really like that insight, that in the end, it's Fortinbras who frees the Danish people from this sickness of corruption and duplicity that has poisoned the castle's inmates.

Favorite Lines:

"I am more antique Roman than a Dane" (317).

"The rest is silence" (334).

"Now cracks a noble heart.--Good night, sweet Prince,
And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!" (335-36).

Possible Discussion Questions:

Well, what did you think of it?

So.  We've finished it.  Yay?  Yay for us, anyway.  Thanks so much for taking this journey with me!  I think this is my favorite read-along that I've led thus far.

Of course, if you haven't quite finished reading it yet, please feel free to continue commenting and discussing this on your own time here!  I'm going to start up a giveaway today, and in the next day or two I'll be posting a link-up for anyone who might want to share their own blog posts about Hamlet, like if you're reviewing it for the Classics Club or what have you.

Hamlet Read-Along: Act V, Scene 2 -- Part One

This is it, the final scene.  Once again, I'm splitting it into two posts, so this post is about lines 1 through 195.

It opens quietly, calmly.  Gielgud says, "This scene must start in a light mood, as if it's the beginning of a new play with a different color.  It should have a reckless curiosity, with a great charm and sweetness.  Hamlet has resolved all his problems" (John Gielgud Directs Richard Burton in Hamlet (72).  And I think it really feels that way, sort of peaceful and calm after all the angsty drama that came before.

We start with Hamlet telling Horatio how he discovered Claudius' murderous plot and subverted it.  That "hoist with his own petard" theme comes in again -- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern get killed because they agreed to escort Hamlet to his death.  We also come back to the idea of Laertes as a foil for Hamlet.  For Hamlet not only tells Horatio that he's sorry he fought with Laertes, but adds, "by the image of my cause I see The portraiture of his" (76-77).  

Anyway, in comes Osric.  Shall I make a confession?  I can't stand Osric.  In every version I've ever seen, he makes me cringe, and I want to shoo him off the stage.  And of course, he's supposed to make me feel that way, I'm well aware of that.  Doesn't mean I have to like him, though.  He's a perfect caricature of empty, meaningless talking meant to flatter and please.  Blech.  I do get a kick out of lines 96-103, though, when Hamlet mocks him by speaking similarly.  And Horatio and Hamlet's snarky asides to each other are pretty funny.  But still, I can't stand Osric.

I probably also dislike Osric because he comes to tell Hamlet about the proposed fencing match between him and Laertes, which we all know is A Treacherous Plot.  And Hamlet agrees to it.  He obviously knows it's A Treacherous Plot of some sort, because he says, "Thou wouldst not think how ill all's here about my heart" (185), but dismisses it as a weak nervousness.  Horatio urges him to follow these instincts and delay the fencing match.  But Hamlet refuses.  As Harold Bloom puts it, "Their plot, absurd and messy, would fool no one except that the Hamlet of Act V wishes to make an end, and will accept any Claudian wager, whatever the odds" (64).  I concur.

Hamlet has accepted that, at some point, he is going to die, and he's done struggling against the inevitable.  Whether he dies right now or when he's an old man, it's going to happen.  He's decided that "[t]he readiness is all" (194).  That's my favorite line in this whole play, by the way.  If I ever got a tattoo, that's what it would say.  

We'll stop here for today, teetering on the brink.

Favorite Lines:

"There's a divinity that shapes our ends,
Rough-hew them how we will" (10-11).

"If it be now, 'tis not to come.  If it be not to come, it will be now.  If it be not now, yet it will come.  The readiness is all" (192-94).

Possible Discussion Questions:

When Hamlet says that the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern do not weigh heavily on his conscience, Horatio says, "Why, what a king is this!" (61).  Do you think he means Hamlet, and what a king he could be, or Claudius, and what he's doing as king?

Hamlet Read-Along: Act V, Scene 1 -- Part Two

Okay, yes, I realize I didn't exactly divide this scene in half.  But hey, that means you only had 80 lines left to read for this second post.  Anyway, poor Hamlet, discovering this way that Ophelia has died.  He didn't even know she'd gone crazy, unless Horatio clued him in while they were heading back to Elsinore.  But I think if he had, Hamlet wouldn't have been so cheerful earlier in this scene, and he definitely wouldn't have been so surprised when he figured out who was getting buried here.

You know I like that Hamlet calls Laertes "a very noble youth" (204), so I won't belabor that.  So instead I will point out that it was Claudius who commanded that Ophelia be buried in consecrated ground and with at least some Christian rites.  Good for Claudius.  Maybe he's trying to make up for the secretive way he had Polonius buried?

So then Laertes speechifies a while about how much he hates Hamlet, and how dear Ophelia was to him.  Which makes Hamlet hop out of hiding and make a few declarations himself.  And not just about how he loved Ophelia more than any brother ever could, but did you notice how he calls himself "Hamlet the Dane" (239)?  That's pretty much a direct challenge to Claudius.  "The Dane" means "the #1 Dane," as in "I am by rights the king."  He's pretty much done with subtlety, I'd say.  (Also, that's the line I get the long version of my handle from:  Hamlette the Dame.)

So anyway, Hamlet and Laertes slug it out a while.  I love the stage direction there.  It's very simple and direct:  They fight.  After they fight, both Gertrude and Claudius try to convince Laertes and everyone else that Hamlet's just mad, no big, please ignore him.  And Horatio gets sent to watch over him, just like they told him to watch over Ophelia.  Guess everyone pretty much trusts him, huh?

And we end with Claudius assuring Laertes that their little Plot To Kill Hamlet By Any Treacherous Means Necessary is still totally on.  Nice.  (Insert grumpy face here.)

Favorite Lines:

"Couch we awhile and mark" (204).

"I tell thee, churlish priest,
A ministering angel shall my sister be
When thou liest howling" (221-223).

"Who is he whose grief 
Bears such an emphasis, whose phrase of sorrow
Conjures the wandering stars and makes them stand
Like wonder-wounded hearers?  This is I,
Hamlet the Dane" (235-239).

"Yet have I in me something dangerous" (243).

"What is the reason that you use me thus? 
I loved you ever" (272-73).

"Let Hercules himself do what he may,
The cat will mew, and dog will have his day" (274-75).


Possible Discussion Questions:

Hamlet says, "I loved Ophelia" (252).  Do you think he truly did? 

Why do you think Hamlet got so upset over seeing Laertes grieving over Ophelia?

Do you think anyone actually believes Hamlet to be mad by this point?

Quick note:  I will be hosting a giveaway to celebrate our finishing the whole play!  It will last extra long because I know a lot of people are really busy over the holidays and don't have a lot of computer time :-)