Blogging by the letter (and sharing a book)

After the events of last week, it’s difficult to get back to blogging as usual, but I am going to try.

In an effort to keep me on course with my blogging here this year, I’ve decided to take inspiration from the A-Z Challenge that happens every April. Don’t worry – I won’t post daily!

My plan is to post on Mondays, following the alphabet and seeing where it leads me. Sometimes I’ll share books, sometimes thoughts, sometimes… who knows?

Today, for A, I want to share an ABC book with you. But it’s not the usual sort of ABC book. This one is for grownups, and it is both fun and educational. (And yes, I know the title starts with Y, but it’s an alphabet book, so I stick to my choice as suitable for the letter A. 😉 )

Title: Y is for Yorick: a slightly irreverent Shakespearean ABC book for grown-ups

Author: Jennifer Adams

Publisher: Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith, 2011

(Note: The hardcover book is out of print. I read an e-book version from the library.)

Rather than sharing the first lines, as I usually do when I recommend a book, I’m going to share a couple of my favorites. Not that these are my favorite Shakespearean characters, but I found the entries for J particularly tickled my funny bone.

“J is for Juliet. Juliet teaches all young girls that if you truly love someone, wholly and completely, it will be the death of you.

J is also for Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar was the most important leader in the history of Rome. But he was not very good at choosing friends.”

Besides the delightfully funny and astute observations about the characters, there are intriguing illustrations for each letter, as befits an alphabet book. The cover illustration is that of Yorick.

The second half of the book gives brief synopses of the Shakespearean plays mentioned in the alphabetical listings.

I recommend this book if you are a Shakespeare aficionado, a lover of language, someone who delights in alphabet books, or if you just need a good chuckle right about now.

And that, my friends, was A. A is for ABC.

If you want to know what I posted when I participated in the A-Z Blog Challenge, you can find the posts here. However, they’re all upside down. I mean, the list starts with the most recent post, so it starts with Z and goes backwards. Sigh.

If you want to learn more about the challenge, which is a great way to meet other bloggers and widen your blog world a bit, click here.

Blog posts will also continue on my Elizabeth Starborn site, in The Starborn Revue, on Wednesdays, and on my editing site, Flubs2Fixes, on Fridays. That’s the plan!