A book for today

Although yesterday's visit to the library was to pick up the next reading assignment for the book group, I only stopped borrowing more because I reached the 12 book limit.

A chance conversation this week with an old friend from University days sent me to find this book by Bill Bryson about Shakespeare. If you're ever to do a project about Shakespeare, you could do well to read this as Mr Bryson has done all the looking and weighing up of facts for you. This week my daughter had been writing a pamphlet about the Bard's life, and I was tempted to find out more.

I enjoyed reading it for the insights into the society and conditions of the times in the late 16th and early 17th century.

There was a very touching quote in the book, which Shakespeare wrote for King John to say, but it is thought likely that the lines were written in the year in which Shakespeare's 11-year old son died:

Grief fills the room up of my absent child,
Lies in his bed, walks up and down with me,
Puts on his pretty looks, repeats his words,
Remembers me of all his gracious parts,
Stuffs out his vacant garments with his form.

In cheerier news, my brother and sister-in-law popped in to see us today. They were en route home from Crail where they've spent the last week, after my brother ran the Loch Ness Marathon last weekend in a very creditable time of 3 hours 44 minutes. I am so happy that he achieved his goal.