So it’s time once again for our Five Book Friday, but we’re serving that to you today with a side of Shakespeare, to really help you get in the mood for his Birthday Bash tomorrow. So here are five immortal soliloquies for you to savor as you consider which books to come and take on your incredible weekend adventures.
Our first comes to us courtesy of The Guardian, which lined up a city’s worth of highly-regarded actors to perform Shakespeare in honor of his birthday (and death day, I suppose). Here we have Roger Allam performing the “Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks” soliloquy from King Lear:
…And Eileen Atkins as Emilia in Othello, performing the ‘If wives do fall’ speech:
Next is David Tennant in Hamlet, directed by Gregory Doran:
And next is Tom Hiddleston performing Henry V’s St. Crispin’s Day speech, with thanks to WGBH’S Great Performances.
http://youtu.be/hHia1zu_YNI
Also from Great Performances comes Ben Whishaw in a phenomenal performance as Richard II.
http://youtu.be/AXGkbBbXVSA
And now that you’re fully prepared for tomorrow’s celebrations, shall we take a look at the books?
The Everything Box: So this book is on the shelves at the South Branch, which is technically cheating for 5BF, but I’m in charge here, so we’re going to run with it. From Richard Kadrey, creator of the Sandman Slim series, which is one of my favorite things in the history of The Things, comes a brand new tale about the angel who loses the key to humanity’s destruction, a thief named Coop who is hired to find and deliver it to particularly mysterious client, and The Department of Peculiar Science, the fearsome agency in charge of policing the otherworldly and supernatural, who are determined to contain it before it unleashes Armageddon. While Kadrey’s imagination is like a cabinet of curiosities–a little dark, thoroughly entrancing, and wholly unique, he uses language in a way that makes even the mundane seem a bit wondrous–so you should read this book…as soon as I’m done with it, of course… Publisher’s Weekly agrees, saying, “Kadrey’s plot doesn’t depend on magic; instead, magic is the broth bringing all manner of delicious ingredients together in this wonderful stew of a story. This unusual urban fantasy is a delight.” So you know what I’m doing this weekend…
Downfall of the Gods: K.J. Parker is a marvel of the novella, creating stories that are complex, engaging, and of the perfect length to be read in the course of a single sitting. In this newest offering, we meet Lord Archias, a penitent at the Temple of the Goddess. But there is little to indicate that Lord Archias’ wishes will be fulfilled–as the man who murdered the Goddess’ musician, it seems far more likely that he will be smote in revenge than rewarded. But the Goddess’ father insists that she follow the rules, and set challenges for Lord Archias to follow, with the promise of redemption at the end. If he survives to the end. If he manages to survive long enough to begin…. Parker’s works may carry the “fantasy” sticker, but his work deals with the very real world issues of power, hubris, and just desserts, and this book packs plenty of imagination with a very healthy dose of humor (for more like this, check out Parker’s alter-ego, Tom Holt). Library Journal loved this one, too, giving it a starred review, and saying, “Parker…bring[s] a full measure of snark to this novella. The Goddess’s interactions with her family are laugh-out-loud funny as is the increasingly hapless Lord Archias, who soon prays the Goddess will just leave him alone.”
A Man Lies Dreaming: The Melville House has developed a phenomenal reputation for publishing the very oddest–and the most fascinating–book, and this Lavie Tidhar novel in an irrefutable example. Set partly in the world of a man named Shomer, an inmate at Auschwitz, and a pulp tale of a disillusioned German refugee who fled the Communist invasion to become a private detective in London, this book gradually brings these two men closer and closer together, with results that are wildly funny, bizarre, and profoundly heartbreaking. This is a startling, unsettling book, especially as the truth behind the two mens’ tales become clear, but, precisely because of that, it’s a really important one, forcing us to question the stories we tell, and how we truly deal with our demons. The Guardian loved this book as well, calling it “Brilliant . . . Shocking . . . A twisted masterpiece . . . A Holocaust novel like no other, Lavie Tidhar’s A Man Lies Dreaming comes crashing through the door of literature like Sam Spade with a .38 in his hand.”
The Universe in Your Hand: A Journey Through Space, Time, and Beyond: Christophe Galfard is a theoretical physicist and a successful young adult author (he co-wrote with Stephen Hawking and his young daughter), which is a combination I have never before considered….but in this book, he combines those twin passions into a single book that delves into the most complex, mystifying aspects of our universe, from the death of stars to the true size of an atom, and explains each in beautifully straightforward, accessible language. This is hardly the physics textbooks of high school. Rather, Galfard maintains the wonder and imagination necessary to make the real beauty and power of the universe come to life. Publisher’s Weekly raves “Entertaining and comprehensive… The deft and dazzling imagery makes difficult concepts accessible, streamlining the progression through topics and fulfilling Galfard’s promise to ‘not leave any readers behind.’… Readers looking to expand their knowledge of physics and cosmology will find everything they need here.”
Your Song Changed My Life: As the creator of All Things Considered and Tiny Desk Concerts, Bob Boilen has met a heap of famous, influential, and intriguing people. And, in each of his interviews with musicians, he asked one simple question: Is there a unforgettable song that changed your life? This book is a collection of the remarkable and insightful answers that he has received, from artists as diverse as Hozier to The Decembrists’ Colin Meloy to Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy. The range of answers, emotions, and experiences related in these essays are surprising, joyful, and delightful, and make the power of music, and the poetry that are song lyrics, tangible. L.A. Weekly reveled in this book, observing that “Boilen clearly loves his job and loves musicians, and this good-naturedness comes through in Your Song Changed My Life. It’s a short geek-out of a music book…”