POP - Gordon Korman

POP

Gordon Korman

Canadian Edition

Scholastic Canada

ISBN 9781443142816

eISBN 9781443124607

ASIN B078H2DQW2

American Edition

Balzer & Bray

Harper Collins

ISBN 9780061742613

eISBN 9780062218599

ASIN B07T86WD5Q

Wow this book took me completely by surprise. I had not read the description, the four different covers I have come across make it clear football (American not European) plays a central role. I have read 47 titles from the pen of Korman, most over the last 5 year. I had read a few back in 2009 when the 39 Clues first came out. I do not recall reading any when I was young, but with my dual form of dyslexia I did not read many Children’s or Middle Grade books. It was only later I learned to really read. My son and I started reading Gordon Korman books together a five years ago, when he was given one as an end of year gift by his teacher. She gave the whole class the same Scholastic edition and wrote a note to each student in their copy of the book. Some he reads to me, some we use adaptive technology and listen to in the car, and some I just read on my own. This one fell in that final category. 

The description of this book states:

“Gordon Korman's acclaimed and timely YA novel explores the dangerous side of high school sports. Marcus is new in town and is hoping to make the championship high school football team, but it seems like a closed club, run by current star Troy. 

One day, while tossing the ball around in a park, Marcus meets Charlie, a man in his fifties who can play football like an old pro, which is exactly what he happens to be - a former NFL player and local celebrity. Charlie has boundless energy and coaches Marcus on his fear of being tackled, but as Marcus becomes more involved in this friendship it becomes painfully obvious to him, through the simplicity of Charlie's thoughts, that the long-term effects of the violent plays he suffered during his glory days have taken their toll. 

With wit and sensitivity, Gordon Korman tackles truths about high school sports and the quirky, yet poignant friendship that develops between Marcus and Charlie.”

Another description states:

“Pop delivers suspense, humor, sports action, and a compelling look at the damage those "pop"s in football can cause

Gordon Korman's books appeal to a wide range of kids and adults and can pull in even reluctant readers. Share Pop in your home or classroom; sports fans in particular won't be able to put it down.

When Marcus moves to a new town in the dead of summer, he doesn't know a soul. While practicing football for impending tryouts, he strikes up a friendship with a man named Charlie, the best football player Marcus has ever seen. He can't believe his good luck when he finds out that Charlie is Charlie Popovich, or "the King of Pop," as he'd been nicknamed during his career as an NFL linebacker.

Charlie turns out to be a prankster, and his actions get Marcus in trouble. He's also the father of the quarterback at Marcus's new school—who leads the team in icing out the new kid.

The story of a good kid's struggle to land on his feet in a new town after his parents split up combines with compelling sports action and even some romance in Gordon Korman's Pop.”

This story hits the ground running, no pun intended. Marcus is in a park practicing throwing footballs by himself, when a man runs up a sculpture dives and catches the ball. The friendship is quirky from the start, a high school jock and a middle age man who seems to have time on his hands. Soon Marcus is relishing their workout sessions and getting hammered (tackled really really hard) by this man and his own hitting improves drastically. Soon he goes from second string quarter back to first string blocker and tackle. But their just might be a reason for that quirkiness and It is not what Marcus at first assumes. 

This was a fascinating read and Gordon does an amazing job of coveting the topics with a sensitive touch. As a Canadian I know hockey players who have had issues later because of concussion syndrome, and the NHL had numerous examples of former enforcers who struggled once they were off the ice and aging. Even an elite goalie who won the Stanley Cup and then disappeared for a few years. I also went to high school with a guy who could have been Charlie but the symptoms hit even before his university playing days were over. 

This was a very moving story, and to be honest one of Korman’s best! Few of us have not heard news or seen former boxers, football, or hockey players that have not been impacted by too many hits to the head. But Korman crafts a tale of coming of age, friendship across generational lines, and even putting your own neck on the line to help a friend.

According to Goodreads there are over 30 editions of this book. And I have come across 4 different cover styles. I like the one of the two players head to head most but the one of jersey material with stitching like a football down the side is very catching as well.

This was one of those Korman stories that does have some laughs but also some deep sorrow. It is an excellent read and one that really makes you think. For myself now especially as a father of teenagers. An excellent story I can easily recommend.

Books by Gordon Korman:

MacDonald Hall Series:

This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall  (1978)

Go Jump in the Pool (1979)

Beware the Fish!  (1980)

The Wizzle War (1982)

         (formerly The War With Mr. Wizzle)

The Zucchini Warriors (1988)

Light’s Camera, Disaster (1991)

          (aka Macdonald Hall Goes Hollywood)

The Jokes on Us (1995)

          (formerly Something Fishy at Macdonald Hall)

…

Bugs Potter Series:

Who is Bugs Potter? (1980)

Bugs Potter LIVE at Nickaninny (1983)

…

Jeremy Bloom Series:

The D−Poems of Jeremy Bloom (1992)

The Last-Place Sports Poems of Jeremy Bloom (1996)

…

Monday Night Football Series:

The Quarterback Exchange (1997)

Running Back Conversion (1997)

Super Bowl Switch (1997)

Heavy Artillery (1997)

Ultimate Scoring Machine (1998)

NFL Rules! Bloopers, Pranks, Upsets, and Touchdowns (1998)

…

Masterminds Series:

Masterminds (2015)

Masterminds: Criminal Destiny (2016)

Masterminds: Payback (2017)

…

Slapshots Series:

The Stars From Mars (1999)

All-Mars All-Stars/The Dream Team (1999)

The Face-off Phony (2000)

Cup Crazy (2000)

Ouch I got slapped (2023)

…

4-in-1 Slapshots: The Complete Collection (2008)

…

Nose Pickers Series:

Nose Pickers from Outer Space! (1999)

Planet of the Nose Pickers (2000)

Your Mummy Is a Nose Picker (2000)

Invasion of the Nose Pickers (2001)

…

4-in-1 The Ultimate Nose-Picker Collection (2006)

…

Island Series:

Shipwreck (2001)

Survival (2001)

Escape (2001)

…

3-in-1 Island Trilogy Collection (2006)

…

Son of the Mob Series:

Son of the Mob (2002)

Son of the Mob 2: Hollywood Hustle (2004)

…

Everest Series:

The Contest (2002)

The Climb (2002)

The Summit (2002)

…

Everest Trilogy Box Set (2002)

Dive Series:

The Discovery (2003)

The Deep (2003)

The Danger (2003)

…

On the Run Series:

Chasing the Falconers (2005)

The Fugitive Factor (2005)

Now You See Them, Now You Don't (2005)

The Stowaway Solution (2005)

Public Enemies (2005)

Hunting the Hunter (2006)

…

Kidnapped Series:

The Abduction (2006)

The Search (2006)

The Rescue (2006)

…

Swindle Series:

Swindle (2008)

Zoobreak (2009)

Framed (2010)

Showoff (2012)

Hideout (2013)

Jackpot (2014)

Unleashed (2015)

Jingle (2016)

…

Titanic Series:

Unsinkable (2011)

Collision Course (2011)

S.O.S (2011)

…

The 39 Clues Series:

One False Note (2008)

The Emperor's Code (2010)

Vespers Rising (2011)

The Medusa Plot (2011)

Flashpoint (2014)

…

Hypnotists Series:

The Hypnotists (2013)

Memory Maze (2014)

The Dragonfly Effect (2015)

…

Ungifted Series:

Ungifted (2012)

Supergifted (2018)

…

Slacker Series:

Slacker (2016)
Level 13 (2019)

...

Non Series Books:

I Want to Go Home! (1981)

Our Man Weston (1982)

No Coins, Please (1984)

Don't Care High (1985)

Son of Interflux (1986)

A Semester in the Life of a Garbage Bag (1987)

Radio 5th Grade (1989)

Losing Joe's Place (1990)

The Twinkie Squad (1992)

The Toilet Paper Tigers (1993)

Why Did the Underwear Cross the Road (1994)

The Chicken Doesn't Skate (1996)

Liar, Liar Pants on Fire (1997)

The Sixth Grade Nickname Game (1998)

No More Dead Dogs (2000)

Maxx Comedy: The Funniest Kid in America (2003)

Jake, Reinvented (2003)

Born To Rock (2006)

Schooled (2007)

The Juvie Three (2008)

Pop (2009)

Restart (2017)

What's His Face? (2018)

The Unteachables (2019)

Notorious (2019)

War Stories (2020)

Game On (contains The Chicken Doesn’t Skate and The Toilet Paper Tigers (2021)

Unplugged (2021)

Linked (2021)

Operation Do-Over (2022)

The Fort (2022)

The Super Teacher Project (2023)

Mixed Up (2023)

Slugfest (2024)

Faker (2024)

Old School (2025)

…

Gordon Korman - Sheelagh Matthews - Remarkable Writers 

...

Prayer of the Day Prayer Secret of Success by Blessed James Alberione

Prayer Secret of Success by Blessed James Alberione

Prayer of the Day  

Jesus, Divine Teacher, you call us to follow you and to spread the Good News of your Gospel to the ends of the earth. To undertake such a task, we must be holy as our Father is holy. Yet we are weak, unaware, incapable, and inadequate in so many ways. You instead are the Way and the Truth and the Life, the Resurrection, our one and supreme good. We trust in your promise: “I am with you always” (Mt 28:20). We have faith in you alone who assure us, “Whatever you ask the Father in my name, you will receive” (see Jn 14:13). For our part, we promise to seek only and always your Kingdom, your glory, and peace to all people. We trust that you will give us all we need: grace, discernment, and the means to do good in the world. Multiply our spiritual and apostolic efforts, Lord. We do not doubt you, but we fear our inconstancy and weakness. Therefore, good Master, through the intercession of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, extend to us the mercy you used with the Apostle Saint Paul, so that faithfully imitating you here on earth, we may be companions of the saints in heavenly glory.

Amen.

Blessed James Alberione: Media Apostle
Encounter the Saints Series Book 32
Anne Eileen Heffernan, FSP
Charlie Craig (Illustrator)
Pauline Books and Media
ISBN 9780819812131
eISBN 9780819812148
ASIN B00H3S1B5K

I do not recall where I got this prayer from, but it was one of the many books from Pauline Books and Media or from a social media post from one of the sisters.

Relates posts and links:

Prayer of the Day Posts

Prayer Book Reviews

My Prayer Notebook. 

My Daily Prayer List April 2024

...

March Roars - Maureen Jennings - Paradise Café Book 4

March Roars
Paradise Café Book 4
Maureen Jennings
Cormorant Books Inc.
ISBN 9781770867246

eISBN 9781770867253

ASIN 

This is the 19th book by Jennings I have read in the last few years. I believe I have read all her fiction that is in print. And this is another excellent book in this this series. It is a continuation of Heat Wave - Paradise Café Book 1, and November Rain Book 2, and book 3 Cold Snap. We are dropped back into a familiar Toronto, not terribly long after the William Murdoch books, or TV Series. This time yet again Charlotte Frayne finds herself in the middle of two cases but one case is related to two people of colour who have been convicted and she is working to prove their innocence. Charlotte is still working as a PI at the T. Gilmore and Associates. Mr. Gilmore is off on a trip abroad. Charlotte is finding out that Toronto the Good is not always so good if you are black. She witnesses some incidents and finds out much more. Yet again her cases cross over with those of Jack Murdoch and the Toronto Constabulary. The Paradise Café continues to be a meeting place and office away from the office for Charlotte. But things are not peaceful in Charlotte’s life. Charlotte has to deal with a strange client, a different client missing, and her grandfather is very ill. 

The story takes place over a few days during a cold March in 1937. The pace is slower than some of the other novels in this series, but it still moves at a good pace. The mysteries are again intense and much in need of unravelling. Charlotte is in the thick of it, working her cases, and assisting the police. 

When I wrote my review of book 1, I stated: “that there was going to be something different about this series, the other three series are all named after the main character, Detective Murdoch Series, Detective Inspector Tom Tyler Series, Christine Morris Series. And yet this series is named after a location, the paradise café. And boy was I right! It was a highly addictive read, like most of Jennings other works!” that sentiment persists, and grows with each new offering in the series. This is a great read in what is an excellent series. It is one that we can only hope will have many more volumes to come. The description of this volume is:

““A grave injustice.” Those are the words in the letter sent to Charlotte Frayne, P.I., on a cold March morning.

The newspapers have reported on the arrest of two Black teenagers in a burglary, but did the pair actually commit the crime? Not according to the letter’s sender, Mrs. Olivia Brodie. A resident of the Toronto House of Industry — “the poor house” — Mrs. Brodie was running an early morning errand when she witnessed, on the morning of the crime, two men behaving in a suspicious manner near the burgled home: two white men.

Meanwhile, Charlotte is investigating another theft — this one at the home of a woman on the opposite end of the social hierarchy. As she juggles her investigations, Charlotte finds unexpected links between people and personal histories, along with more than one “grave injustice.””

This story has a good deal about racial experiences in Toronto at this time, and some significant history around those issues. It does a great job as historical fiction. The characters are masterfully written, and the story is highly addictive. I could hardly put the book down. 

I have greatly enjoyed all the books and series I have read by Jennings. I will always have a special place for William Murdoch, but I now see Charlotte and Jack as amongst my favorite of her characters. I loved this book and this series. It is a great crime mystery historical fiction that I can easily recommend.  

Books by Maureen Jennings:
Detective Murdoch Series:
0.5 Shipwreck
1.0 Except the Dying
2.0 Under the Dragon's Tail
3.0 Poor Tom Is Cold
4.0 Let Loose the Dogs
5.0 Night's Child
6.0 Vices of My Blood
7.0 A Journeyman to Grief
8.0 Let Darkness Bury the Dead
...

Detective Inspector Tom Tyler Series:
1.0 Season of Darkness
2.0 Beware This Boy
3.0 No Known Grave
4.0 Dead Ground in Between
...

Christine Morris Series:
1.0 Does Your Mother Know?
2.0 The K Handshape
...

Paradise Café Series:
1.0 Heat Wave
2.0 November Rain

3.0 Cold Snap

4.0 March Roars 

...

Other books:
The Map of Your Mind: Journeys into Creative Expression
Investigating Murdoch Mysteries: The Official Companion to the Series – with Michelle Ricci and Mir Bahmanyar
...
 

I, Brax: 1 A Battle Divine - Arthur Slade

I, Brax 1: A Battle Divine
Arthur Slade

Shadowpaw Press

ISBN 9781998273263

ASIN B0D15G3LMK

When I finished this and started my review I found it hard to believe that I had not read a volume by Slade in almost 2 years. I had not realized how long it had been since he released a new title. I have read books by Slade a total of 62 times going back to 2002. I have yet to be disappointed and am often surprised, and now my son is working his way through Slade’s canon, though we are both hoping for a continuation of Death by Airship and Mr. Universe. But back to this volume. 

We were informed about this volume that:

“It’s a new book in the Dragon Assassin universe. It takes place after the first five books (but you don’t need to read them to read this one). This book is from Brax the dragon’s point of view so it is deliciously snarky. And features a goddess who is attempting to take over the world.”

This book is a beginning to what should be a great new series. The original Dragon Assassin books told from the view of Carmen have a very different feel this tins book. In this volume we not only experience Brax’s snarkiness, wit, wisdom and occasionally folly from the outside but we get a whole lot of his internal dialogue and through processes. The original Dragon Assassin books released as shorter more frequent works and were compiled.

This story is just as fun and as intense as the original series. But with a lot more Brax. This story is written in a very different way that the other series et in the Dragon Assassin World. This story has a lot of action, some great battles, and even surprising allies.  You do not need the other series to read this volume. You could start your journey here. But there are a lot of inside jokes and references you would not get. But that will not diminish form the tale. This is an excellent story about friendship, allies, and a Goddess trying to get into this world to consume it all. And once again it falls on Brax and Carmen to save the world. They will require assistance from surprising allies, and they will travel through the realms to find a hidden name. For only in finding the name can they battle the nameless Goddess.  

There is so much fun in this book, even with the big battles, fires, destruction and evil creatures being unleashed throughout the story. With wit, witticism, luck and a reliance on being well read and trusting readers Carmen and Brax and once more back into the breach. 

The description of this volume states:

“Brax, hero of several Dragon Assassin tales, finally gets to tell his own story . . .

On a diplomatic mission, Brax and his rider, Carmen, encounter a ghostly vision of The Nameless Goddess. She's a part leopard, part crocodile deity, who warns them she is coming to conquer their world. Brax, in his usual snarky way, makes fun of her hairy legs and, after she vanishes, dismisses this threat.

But things soon get a lot worse . . .

When the duo arrives at the capital of the Akkad empire, they discover the emperor has been horrifically murdered by what looks to be an astral servant of that goddess, and his young nephew ascends to the throne. Both Brax and Carmen swear to protect the wetling from the Nameless Goddess. But power-hungry enemies circle the throne. Those dangers, along with the creatures sent from the netherworlds, makes protecting the emperor almost impossible.

Their only choice it to battle this goddess face to face . . .

Once they discover the true name of The Nameless Goddess, the hunt is on. Will they be able to destroy her before she rises to take over their world?”

This is the beginning of a new saga, but it continues the story of Carmen and Brax an unusual team, A Red Assassin and dragon prince. Both A little odd in their native settings but together they seem to be able to tackle anything. At the end of my last Dragon Assassin review I stated: “This story is the last planned in the Dragon Assassin Series, but Slade has indicated he has ideas for others stories set in the same universe. I cannot but hope we find out more about the bats of great power, the newfound cooperation on Ellos. And that we again see Dragons, Mages, and Giants working together.” We did not get all of those elements this time but we did get some of them and to find out which you will need to read this excellent story. It is a great story from the masterful and ever entertaining pen of Arthur Slade. A great read in the Dragon Assassin universe! 

 

Books by Arthur Slade:
The Dragonfly's Journey (1996)
John Diefenbaker: an Appointment with Destiny (2000)
Dust (2001)
Tribes (2002)
Monsterology (2005)
Villainology (2005)
Megiddo's Shadow (2006)
Jolted (2008)
Shades: 17 Startling Stories (2011)
Flickers (2016)
Crimson (2018)
Death by Airship (2019)
Mr. Universe (2021)

...

Hunchback Assignments Series:
aka Modo Mission Clockwork Series:
The Hunchback Assignments (2009)
The Dark Deeps (2010)
Empire of Ruins (2011)
Island of Doom (2012)
Modo Embers End - Graphic Novel (2014)

The Northern Frights Series
Draugr (1997)
The Haunting of Drang Island (1998)
The Loki Wolf (2000)

Northern Frights Reprint Editions:

Draugr (2020)

Drang (2020)

Loki Wolf (2020)

...

The Canadian Chills Series
Return of the Grudstone Ghosts (2002)
Ghost Hotel (2004)
Invasion of the IQ Snatchers (2007)

...

The Canadian Chills Reprint Editions:

Return of the Grudstone Ghosts (2024)

Ghost Hotel (2024)

Invasion of the IQ Snatchers (2024)

...

Librarian. Assassin. Vampire Series:
Amber Fang: The Hunted
Amber Fang: Betrayed
Amber Fang: Revenge
Amber Fang Box Set Books 1-3
...

Dragon Assassin Serials:
Twin Fury
Shadow Hunter
Dark Wings
Bitterwaters
Elder Magic
Royal Blood
Hidden Powers

Burning Empire
Old Enemies

Downfall

The Golden Spear

Deathwings

...

Dragon Assassin Novels (Omnibus editions):

Twin Fury

Royal Blood

Burning Empire

Downfall

Deathwings

…

I, Brax Series:

A Battle Divine

…

Books as Stephen Shea:
The Not So Simple Life
Damage
Viper - Short Story

...

Visual Bibliography for Arthur Slade
Author profile interview with Arthur Slade.
Author profile interview with Stephen Shea. 

Twelfth Night - William Shakespeare - The Pelican Shakespeare

Twelfth Night

William Shakespeare

Jonathan Crewe (Editor)

The Pelican Shakespeare

Penguin Classics

ISBN 9780143128595

eISBN 9780698410794

ASIN B0177AGOU0

Five years back I started reading Shakespeare again, as my children were being introduced to it in High school. Then two years ago my son who is now 16 found he had a love for the Bard and for his plays, much as I did at that age. We had been sticking to the Oxford School Shakespeare editions as those were the versions they were reading in school. This year we picked up tickets for three Shakespeare plays at The Stratford Festival, including this play. We picked up this edition to read together before going to see the play. The Pelican Classics were among my favourite editions of the plays when I was a youth myself. I often hunted used bookstores for the hard cover edition. I think the last time I read this would have been about 35-40 years ago. And even though I have not yet seen a production it came back quickly. The description of this edition states:

“This edition of Twelfth Night is edited with an introduction by Jonathan Crewe and was recently repackaged with cover art by Manuja Waldia. Waldia received a Gold Medal from the Society of Illustrators for the Pelican Shakespeare series.

The legendary Pelican Shakespeare series features authoritative and meticulously researched texts paired with scholarship by renowned Shakespeareans. Each book includes an essay on the theatrical world of Shakespeare’s time, an introduction to the individual play, and a detailed note on the text used. Updated by general editors Stephen Orgel and A. R. Braunmuller, these easy-to-read editions incorporate over thirty years of Shakespeare scholarship undertaken since the original series, edited by Alfred Harbage, appeared between 1956 and 1967. With stunning new covers, definitive texts, and illuminating essays, the Pelican Shakespeare will remain a valued resource for students, teachers, and theater professionals for many years to come.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.”

Based on the commonly accepted chronological order of Shakespeare’s plays this is right about the middle of the pack, with a performance recorder in 1601. The sections in this volume prior to the text of the play are:

Publisher’s Note

The Theatrical World

William Shakespeare Of Stratford-Upon-Avon, Gentleman

The Question Of Authorship

The Texts of Shakespeare

Introduction

Note on the Text

Twelfth Night or What You Will

Names of the Actors

I.1 Enter Orsino Duke of Illyria, Curio, and other Lords [with Musicians].

I.2 Enter Viola, a Captain, and Sailors.

I.3 Enter Sir Toby and Maria.

I.4 Enter Valentine, and Viola in man’s attire.

I.5 Enter Maria and Clown.

II.1 Enter Antonio and Sebastian.

II.2 Enter Viola and Malvolio at several doors.

II.3 Enter Sir Toby and Sir Andrew.

II.4 Enter Duke, Viola, Curio, and others.

II.5 Enter Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Fabian.

III.1 Enter Viola and Clown [with a tabor].

III.2 Enter Sir Toby, Sir Andrew, and Fabian.

III.3 Enter Sebastian and Antonio.

III.4 Enter Olivia and Maria.

IV.1 Enter Sebastian and Clown.

IV.2 Enter Maria and Clown.

IV.3 Enter Sebastian.

V.1 Enter Clown and Fabian.

Jonathan Crewe in the introduction states:

“IN A MEMOIR entitled Shakespearean Playgoing, 1890–1952 (London, 1953), Gordon Crosse wrote, “a really good performance of Twelfth Night is the perfection of pleasure that Shakespearean acting can give, at any rate in comedy.” Much has changed today, including the staging and reception of Shakespeare’s plays, yet Crosse’s verdict would still be echoed by many theatergoers.

In what does this perfection consist? Although any answer must be speculative, the common testimony of readers and theatergoers would suggest that the play is singularly accessible and unthreatening; that its characters are generally engaging and its situations amusing; that its language is eloquent and sometimes magical; that its romantic intensity is rendered all the more appealing by Shakespeare’s delicate irony; that its humor is “dry” (the play’s own term) rather than harsh; that many of its characters, with the touchingly sorry exception of Sir Andrew Aguecheek, show a dazzling capacity for repartee; that the entertainment provided, by turns poignant and witty, sensitive and robust, verbal and musical, never palls; that its comic plots and motifs are skillfully integrated; that it is, generally speaking, a reader- and actor-friendly play. Paradoxically, the play’s aristocratic settings and characters may, like those of Love’s Labor’s Lost, add to its popular appeal; the real or imagined lives of the gentry make an ever-pleasing spectacle.

It would be easy, despite all the virtues of Twelfth Night, to question the play’s “perfection” by drawing attention to recognized minor imperfections in the text or to unresolved tensions and numerous loose ends in the play. Indeed, it is difficult to overlook the darker, more disillusioning moments in Twelfth Night – among them, its ending with the melancholic clown, soaked to the skin, alone onstage – as well as the persistence in the play of cruel spectacle, such as the tormenting of Malvolio, for which bearbaiting is one of the play’s own recurrent metaphors. Yet the image of Twelfth Night as the perfect Shakespearean comedy persists, perhaps because many readers and audiences will have it so in keeping with the play’s alternative title, What You Will.”

And the introduction concludes with:

“Through the exposure of Malvolio – but of a strangely provocative Olivia, too? – in this scene of bad reading, the play suggests what does not belong to ideal gentility, hence to Twelfth Night. Power seeking, arrogant authority, self-centeredness, violence, sexual explicitness, forced interpretation are all to be excluded – but so, it would seem, are people who don’t really belong anyway. The plot that exposes Malvolio is also an outing of the outsider, the “hidden” threat he represents in the gentle world thus being exposed (a strategy that threatens to backfire, of course, if, as an outsider with the law on his side, Malvolio cannot be brought back in again and reconciled).

Paradoxically, it is Malvolio’s excess of desire rather than any lack of it that makes him seem dangerous. He may feel uncomfortable when, deceived by the letter, he appears before Olivia cross-gartered, wearing yellow stockings, and smiling continuously (thus making a pitiful fool of himself), yet this new costume also reveals an extravagant Malvolio belied by his habitual sobriety in office as a steward. It is at such wild extravagance and drastic metamorphosis that the play apparently balks, partly in its own defense, and partly in defense of its ideally gentle world.

As much as Malvolio is an agent of repression in the play, he is ultimately the object of its repression. Shakespeare’s humorously tolerant and generally expansive treatment of identity in Twelfth Night has its repressive, scathing counterpart in the treatment of Malvolio. If Malvolio remains a somewhat haunting figure, it is perhaps chiefly for that reason, but also because he stands for some common human realities (being at a social disadvantage, being literal, being greedy, being gullible, being self-centered) that are not only disowned in the play but subjected to overkill. Although Maria is the author of the letter that deceives Malvolio, his reading it aloud makes him primarily responsible for that letter’s humorously de-idealizing reminder of the private parts and bodily functions the idealized Olivia shares with ordinary mortals. Malvolio cannot be exposed, in other words, without some of the limits and conditions of gentle Shakespearean comedy being exposed as well.

For John Manningham in 1602, Twelfth Night evidently provoked no second thoughts. For us it may do so. In any event, the play’s alternative title, What You Will, transfers responsibility for the play to successive readers and theater audiences, without whose collaboration it would perish in any case. Resistance to this transfer of responsibility as well as a desire to keep the pleasures of Twelfth Night pure and simple is revealed by those editors and critics who insist that as a title “what you will” means no more than “call it what you like.” Yet the meaning of the alternative title cannot be arbitrarily restricted in this way, and the attempt is only self-betraying. For better or worse, the play lends itself both to social reflection and self-reflection. Refusal of this task is certainly compatible with the spirited defense of pleasure in the play, yet it amounts to a refusal to read the play to its fullest effect – or to be read by it. In this respect, what “you” will remains both a collective and an individual choice.”

This play comprises 5 acts and a total of 18 scenes. The story is an intriguing look at identity, concept of self, concepts of possession. The formatting in this digital edition is well done (See note below)

With a dual form of dyslexia I greatly prefer eBooks. I do so because I can change the colour of the page and the font, and also change the font. I really wish that with eBooks of plays such as this one that there would be 2 copies of the play. One completely unadorned, no footnotes or end notes. And the other with the usual accompanying notes. I want a reader’s edition of the play to just be able to read it. Second if that is not to happen, I wish the notes were at the end of the act or even the end of the whole play. But that is just a personal preference. The Pelican Classics were originally published between 1956 and 1967. The Complete Pelican Shakespeare was first published in 1969. With this edition having copyright dates of 1958, 1972, 2000, and 2016. Making it one of the most currently revised that I have read. I believe the Pelican if one of the few editions to have released all 38 plays and the volume of Sonnets, as separate editions. Some other academic publishers limited to specific popular editions, and even then have not released eBooks of them all. (OUP School Shakespeare less than half have eBook editions) As such I am thankful that all 39 volumes from this series are available and available digitally. 

I am glad I picked this up to read with my son before going to see a performance later in the year. It reminded me how much I loved these editions when I was young and we have started collecting the eBook versions now. If you are looking for a good copy of the play to read or study I can easily recommend this edition.

Other Posts Related to Shakespeare:

A Weekend of Three’s A Trip to Stratford

Romeo & Juliet - Oxford School Shakespeare 

MacBeth - Oxford School Shakespeare 

King Lear - Oxford School Shakespeare 

Cymbeline - The Pelican Shakespeare

Twelfth Night - The Pelican Shakespeare

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King Lear Stratford Festival 2023 A Review

King Lear

2023

Stratford Festival

Director Kimberley Rampersad

Set Designer Judith Bowden

Costume Designer Michelle Bohn

Lighting Designer Chris Malkowski

Composer Sean Mayes

Sound Designer Miquelon Rodriguez

Supervising Fight Director Geoff Scovell

Producer David Auster

Casting Director Beth Russell

Creative Planning Director Jason Miller

Over the last few years my son, who is now 16, and I have attended a number of plays in Stratford at the festival. We eagerly await the announcements of the season’s shows and often debate what shows we want to attend and why and then we buy our tickets early in the winter. For the 2023 Season I did not get around to writing reviews during the season but wanted to still share my thoughts. And this production was just amazing, one of my all-time favourite productions of Lear and Lear is among my top three Shakespeare plays. It was the first of five shows we saw in 2023, the others were: Frankenstein Revived, Grand Magic, A Wrinkle in Time, and Goblin Macbeth. Back to this production. This is a production we both greatly loved and talked about for weeks after. Prior to attending I reread the play, in the Oxford School Shakespeare edition, and we watched the Stratford 2015 production featuring Colm Feore. 

The 2023 cast was:

King Lear, King Of Britain - Paul Gross

Goneril, Daughter To Lear - Shannon Taylor

Cordelia, Daughter To Lear - Tara Sky

Regan, Daughter To Lear - Déjah Dixon-Green

Fool - Gordon Patrick White

Earl Of Kent - David W. Keeley

Earl Of Gloucester - Anthony Santiago

Edgar, Son To Gloucester - André Sills

Edmund, Bastard Son To Gloucester - Michael Blake

Duke Of Albany, Husband To Goneril - Austin Eckert

Duke Of Cornwall, Husband To Regan - Rylan Wilkie

Oswald, Steward To Goneril - Devin Mackinnon

King Of France - Jakob Ehman

Duke Of Burgundy - Andrew Iles

Curan, A Courtier - John Kirkpatrick

Knights - Gabriel Antonacci, Josue Laboucane

Old Man, A Tenant To Gloucester - John Kirkpatrick

Doctor - Patrick Mcmanus

Cornwall’s Servant - Richard Comeau

Messenger - Anousha Alamian

Gentleman - Gabriel Antonacci

Herald - Anousha Alamian

English Captains - Andrew Iles, Josue Laboucane

Beggars, Knights, Ladies, Servants, Soldiers - Allison Edwards-Crewe, Jakob Ehman, Andrew Iles, John Kirkpatrick, Josue Laboucane, Patrick Mcmanus - Marissa Orjalo

Understudies:

Edmund, Curan, Old Man - Anousha Alamian

Duke Of Burgundy, English Captain - Richard Comeau

Edgar - Austin Eckert

Regan - Allison Edwards-Crewe

Duke Of Albany, Cornwall’s Servant - Jakob Ehman

King Of France, Knight, English Captain, Herald, Messenger - Andrew Iles

Earl Of Gloucester - David W. Keeley

Oswald - John Kirkpatrick

Fool, Doctor, Gentleman¬ - Josue Laboucane

Duke Of Cornwall - Devin Mackinnon

King Lear - Patrick Mcmanus

Cordelia - Marissa Orjalo

Goneril - Jennifer Villaverde

Earl Of Kent - Rylan Wilkie

We attended what I believe was the first public performance of the production. It was stunning, it was amazing. The use of light and darkness the three pillars with lights up the full length that set the stage as we are being seated and how they are used during the production. Just brilliant!

My son’s top picks from the actors were:

Paul Gross as King Lear

Gordon Patrick White as the Fool

Shannon Taylor as Goneril, Daughter To Lear

Déjah Dixon-Green as Regan, Daughter To Lear

Tara Sky as Cordelia Daughter To Lear

My top three are:

Paul Gross as King Lear

Gordon Patrick White as the Fool

Tara Sky as Cordelia Daughter To Lear 

Austin Eckert as Duke Of Albany, Husband To Goneril

Anthony Santiago as Earl Of Gloucester

Having watched a different Stratford production of this play just weeks before going it was fresh in my mind. Combine with the rereading of the play, I was primed for an amazing production. I have been a fan of Paul Gross for many years, and even still have a couple of his CD’s kicking around. But to see him in this role was incredible. It seems like it was a role he was born to play. This was a stunning production. Starting with the three pillars with light bars before the play begins to the empty set after the audience hall was nearly empty. 

This was a standout show for us in the 2023 season, and for me one of the top shows I have seen in Stratford going back to class trips in the 80’s. It was a masterful production! I just wish it had been one the filmed for Stratford@Home or theatrical release.

Reviews of Other Stratford Productions:

Richard III – 2022

Hamlet – 2022

The Miser – 2022

King Lear – 2023

Frankenstein Revived – 2023

Grand Magic – 2023

A Wrinkle in Time – 2023

Goblin MacBeth - 2023

Something Rotten – 2024

Romeo & Juliette – 2024

Cymbeline – 2024

Twelfth Night – 2024

…

Related Posts:

A Weekend of Three’s A Trip to Stratford

Romeo & Juliet - Oxford School Shakespeare 

MacBeth - Oxford School Shakespeare 

King Lear - Oxford School Shakespeare 

Cymbeline - The Pelican Shakespeare

Twelfth Night - The Pelican Shakespeare

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Church Fathers and Teachers From Leo The Great to Peter Lombard - Pope Benedict XVI

Church Fathers and Teachers: 

From Leo The Great to Peter Lombard

Pope Benedict XVI

Ignatius Press

ISBN 9781621646518

eISBN 9781681491004

ASIN B003KVLFV4

This marks the 29th volume by Pope Benedict I have read over the last few years. In that time I have read a number of books by and about Pope Benedict XVI. Of the popes in my lifetime, I find his writings of immense spiritual benefit. I would state that I underappreciated him until his resignation. And since then, I have read much. And with each piece I read I appreciate his wisdom, faith, and stand against modernism to an even greater extent. This is an excellent read, even though it overlaps with other volumes I have read.

The description of the edition of the book is:

“After meditating on the Apostles and then on the Fathers of the early Church, as seen in his earlier works Jesus, the Apostles and the Early Church and Church Fathers, Pope Benedict XVI devoted his attention to the most influential Christian men from the fifth through the twelfth centuries. In his first book, Church Fathers, Benedict began with Clement of Rome and ended with Saint Augustine. In this volume, the Holy Father reflects on some of the greatest theologians of the Middle Ages: Benedict, Anselm, Bernard, and Gregory the Great, to name just a few. By exploring both the lives and the ideas of the great popes, abbots, scholars and missionaries who lived during the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of Christendom, Pope Benedict XVI highlights the key elements of Catholic dogma and practice that remain the foundation stones not only of the Roman Catholic Church but of Christian society itself. This book is a wonderful way to get to know these later Church Fathers and Teachers and the tremendous spiritually rich patrimony they have bequeathed to us.”

The chapters in this edition are:

 1. Saint Leo the Great

 2. Boethius and Cassiodorus

 3. Saint Benedict of Norcia

 4. Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite

 5. Saint Romanus the Melodist

 6. Saint Gregory the Great (1)

 7. Saint Gregory the Great (2)

 8. Saint Columban

 9. Saint Isidore of Seville

10. Saint Maximus the Confessor

11. John Climacus

12. Saint Bede, the Venerable

13. Saint Boniface, the Apostle of the Germans

14. Ambrose Autpert

15. Germanus of Constantinople

16. John Damascene

17. Saint Theodore the Studite

18. Rabanus Maurus

19. John Scotus Erigena

20. Saints Cyril and Methodius

21. Saint Odo of Cluny

22. Saint Peter Damian

23. Symeon the New Theologian

24. Saint Anselm

25. Peter the Venerable

26. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

27. Monastic Theology and Scholastic Theology

28. Two Theological Models in Comparison: Bernard and Abelard

29. The Cluniac Reform

30. The Cathedral from the Romanesque to the Gothic Architecture: The Theological Background

31. Hugh and Richard of Saint-Victor

32. William of Saint-Thierry

33. Rupert of Deutz

34. John of Salisbury

35. Peter Lombard

The volumes that overlap with this one are:

Fathers and Writers of the First Millennium - The Spiritual Masters (Chapters 10-20)

The Medieval Fathers and Writers - The Spiritual Masters (Chapters 21-35)

Those two volumes are preceded by:

Church Fathers From Clement of Rome to Augustine I

The Fathers of the Church - CTS Books

Which are preceded by: 

Jesus, the Apostles and the Early Church and Church Fathers 

And they are followed by:

Holy Men and Women from The Middle Ages and Beyond

Which I only discovered while reading the description of this volume, while working on this review but have now added to my wish list. But back to this volume. It should also be noted there is no introduction of conclusion to the volume. 

I have read much about the church fathers and by the church fathers over the years. Both in school and personal reading, much of it by Mike Aquilina. This is an absolutely fantastic volume. You can read it from beginning to end, or jump around and pick and choose the Fathers in a random order. 

This is a wonderful volume to read and having read a chunk of it in a different edition it was a refresher on the church fathers and teachers. This volume at the start of each chapter had the name, date of the audience and location, for example:

35

Peter Lombard

WEDNESDAY, 30 DECEMBER 2009

Paul VI Audience Hall

It is a great resource that any Catholic would benefit from reading, it would be great for any Christian. An excellent volume. 

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2024 Catholic Reading Plan! 

Link to reviews of other books by and about Pope Benedict XVI.

Books by Benedict XVI:

The Way of the Cross - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger - Pope Benedict XVI
Finding Life's Purpose: Inspiration for Young People
Don't Be Afraid To Be Saints - with Pope John Paul II
Confession Advice and Encouragement from Pope Benedict XVI 
From the Depths of Our Hearts - Pope Benedict XVI and Robert Cardinal Sarah
Way of the Cross Meditations and Prayers
Way of Calvary: Stations of the Cross 
Spiritual Masters Fathers and Writers of the First Millennium 
Spiritual Masters Medieval Fathers and Writers

True Revolution: The Call to Be Christian Today 

Via Dolorosa with Pope Benedict XVI

Way of the Cross with Pope Benedict XVI 2008

Lourdes Love is the True Cure

Give Yourself to Christ

Praying the Psalms – CTS Year of Faith

Christmas Homilies of Benedict XVI

Lent Easter Awaits Us Returning to the Way of God

Lent, the Journey to Easter Joy: More Words of Encouragement

Paul of Tarsus

Saint Paul

The Way of the Cross at the Colosseum - 2010

Charity In Truth - Ignatius Press

Caritas in Veritate - Catholic Truth Society

The Lenten Journey Words for Lent and Easter

Christ is Our Peace! Homilies and Addresses in Turkey 

How to spread the Gospel Advice and encouragement from Pope Benedict XVI

The Fathers of the Church

Church Fathers From Clement of Rome to Augustine

Church Fathers and Teachers From Leo The Great to Peter Lombard

Jesus, the Apostles and the Early Church and Church Fathers 

...        

Books About Pope Benedict:
Habemus Papam! Pope Benedict XVI - Regina Doman and Sean Lam
Benedict XVI - Helena Scott and Ethel Tolansky
A Pope of Surprises: The First Five Years of Pope Benedict XVI's Papacy - Helena Scott and Ethel Tolansky
Be Saints! An Invitation from Pope Benedict XVI - Amy Welborn and Ann Kissane Engelhart
Take Five: Meditations Pope Benedict XVI - Mike Aquilina and Fr. Kris Stubna
Friendship with Jesus: Pope Benedict XVI talks to Children on Their First Holy Communion – Amy Welborn and Ann Engelhart

Benedict XVI: Defender of the Faith - Joseph Pearce

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