The Shakespeare Thefts : In Search of the First Folios

I'm a bit of a Shakespeare geek really, and so when I saw this title I had to add it to my 'to read' list.  The Shakespeare Thefts: In Search of the First Folios by Eric Rasmussen is a great book on the book collectors of the first editions of Shakespeare's plays.

Thefts - we got them in spades, destroying folios - it is in here, very strange book collectors - ditto! Rasmussen is a Shakespeare scholar and researcher who led a team of First Folio hunters who have spent years locating and examining surviving copies. And along the way they have acquired stories about the various copies, and which copies have disappeared.

I think one of my favorite stories was the tale of the extreme book collector, Sir Thomas Phillips . He did not like his daughter's fiance who was a scholar but also rumored to be a book thief (probably true) and a scrapbooker who destroyed several rare books. Because his daughter would inherit his collection if it stayed on his estate - he moved it. The transferring of his books to their new home - took two years because he had so many. And later it was noted that his Folio was missing. (See chapter nine.)

This title is written very well and moves quickly (it is not that big a book.) Rasmussen keeps the language clear for the everyday reader, but bibliophiles will enjoy it too. And just incase you don't think that you could ever find a First Folio in your closet - there is a story about that too.

After being a bit giddy (um, book geek) at seeing some of the Shakespheare Folios at the British Library and the Folger Shakespeare Library, I loved how this book complemented those past visits. A great read.

Bossypants

Tina Fey's Bossypants is really a series of sketches. Sketches about how she grew up - bit and pieces. Chapters about her parents - bit and pieces. And how Second City, SNL and 30 Rock work - bit and pieces. She gives us a good tale, punches it up with some laughs and moves on the the next topic - which makes this book a very fast read. And an enjoyable one. It really is. She really has a nack for showing her reader that she is just like us - and just lucky.

I think my favorite part of the book - besides the essay on child rearing (The Mother’s Prayer for Its Daughter) which can be found wandering online - is where she tells us how hard it was to break the comedy barriers that were still around by the time she got to Second City. She was part of one of the first casts to have an equal number of men and women on it. Before her cast apparently, they had only needed two women to be funny. As someone who knows several funny women, and has worked and performed with some more, I find that insulting to our gender.

I thought she was very polite about gender politics at SNL. It is obvious she still works with them and is on the NBC Network. But you can tell she is thrilled that sketches with just female members of the cast get on the air. And her chapters about "becoming Sarah Palin" are interesting. She comments how she was never good at doing impressions - mostly because she never 'looked' like anyone famous, and then this happens. She just got lucky.

Lucky my eye! The woman has talent! A very fun read, but I wished it was longer!

Trixie and Evangeline: Aging Film Stars Who Sleuth

Want a mysteries series that is fast - under 200 pages per book - humorous, and starring some fun aging film stars? Check out the Marian Babson series featuring Trixie Dolan and Evangeline Sinclair - two grand dames of the American cinema.

Reel Murder
Encore Murder
Shadows in their Blood
Even Yuppies Die
Break a Leg, Darlings
The Cat Who Wasn’t a Dog

They start out by traveling to London for a special retrospective of Evangeline's films. Trixie has come along for the ride. They end up running into old rivals and flames from film days, and are shown ' the respect they deserve' , by eager young fans. Their housing leaves a bit much to be desired - a house that has been split into flats - and it becomes less desirable when they discover a body in the building. Thus they take it upon themselves to solve the crime - they did it in the movies didn't they?

The mysteries are not great puzzlers, but with these characters you really don't care. Trixie is the slightly maternal one, who was the hoofer with the heart of gold in all of her films. Evangeline is the diva who will battle her perceived rivals and tell it like it is, but only the way she thinks it is. Their dialogue is fun and it is a stitch when other people take them for just naive old ladies - when they could tell folks a thing or two about surviving in the cutthroat world of Hollywood. And they make sure there's always a brandy or two waiting.

Babson moves the stories along and is very good about the continuity in the stories considering that they are written several years apart - I'm finding that this is becoming a bit rare now days! ( The book where they make a cheesy vampire movie - they are the vampire aunts - is a hoot!)

Lots of fun - I hope she writes some more.