I always look forward to March Magics, hosted by We Be Reading, a celebration of two favorite fantasy authors -- Diana Wynne Jones and Terry Pratchett. This year I wanted to tie in my reading to my own Reading the Theatre event, so I looked for a book with a theatrical component. Original UK edition … Continue reading Performing magic: The Magicians of Caprona
Here's another post for Reading the Theatre, about a mystery novel centered around a drama group at Cambridge University. It sounds terrific! Check out the review at Bitter Tea and Mystery to find out what makes it so compelling.
Helen of She Reads Novels does a monthly "Historical Musings" post about "all things historical fiction." This always brings up some interesting topic for consideration, making me think about the intersection of history and literature. This month she asks about plays based on historical events (not based on novels, e.g. Les Miserables -- but directly … Continue reading Historical drama at She Reads Novels
When I announced my Reading the Theatre project, Chris of Calmgrove kindly offered to contribute a guest post on Milton's Comus, an oddity of English literature that I've heard of but never read in full. It first came to my attention in the pages of E. Nesbit's Wet Magic, in which the lines beginning "Sabrina … Continue reading A curious piece of theatre (Guest post)
Here's another Reading the Theatre post from Staircase Wit, about the "Gemma" books by Noel Streatfeild. You may not have heard of this series, which is less well known than her "Shoes" books, but it's worth searching out if you can, for another variation on the theme of performing children that Streatfeild did so well. … Continue reading Gemma and company at Staircase Wit
If you enjoy seeing plays in the theatre, it's likely that you can't see as many as you'd like -- especially at the moment, due to pandemic closures. An alternate way to experience a play script is to read it, trying to bring it to life in your mind. It's a different activity than reading … Continue reading Do you read plays?
Last month I read two books that serendipitously contained the same quotation, taken as inspiration by two very different creative artists. The first instance was in Dance to the Piper, Agnes de Mille's wonderful memoir of her early years of struggle as a dancer and choreographer, which includes portraits of several notable figures in the … Continue reading Martha Graham’s inspiring words on creativity and individuality
Here's another review at Staircase Wit, of Black Banner Players by Geoffrey Trease. I'd never heard of the Bannermere series and it sounds like a lot of fun! The theme of a group of kids putting on a show is always irresistible. Have you read anything by Geoffrey Trease? Does this one sound interesting to … Continue reading Black Banner Players at Staircase Wit
Jeanne has written a wonderful post over at Necromancy Never Pays. about her theater experiences before and during lockdown. At the end she asks, "What do you miss? How do you think theater might change when it does come back?" I wonder about that too. I hope you'll check out the post and share your … Continue reading Missing the Theater at Necromancy Never Pays
In these uncertain times, I've given myself permission to just wander the shelves at will and pick up whatever strikes my interest, one thing often leading to another. This month, that meant reading everything from a classic consideration of gnosticism vs. orthodoxy to an in-depth presidential biography to light fiction set in the Swiss Alps … Continue reading Month in Review: February 2021
