So in the run up to Christmas I’ve been doing a count-down (well, a count-up). Twelve days of books!

So in the run up to Christmas I’ve been doing a count-down (well, a count-up). Twelve days of books! But just like the song, I’ve been increasing the number of books each day, with a theme. Each of the previous posts is linked at the bottom of this one, and they’re all tagged ‘hermitknut’s bookmas’. Merry Christmas!On the Twelfth Day of Christmas… it’s Shakespeare retold!Dating Hamlet by Lisa Fiedler (Hamlet) is something I discovered as a teenager, and I still love it. It retells Hamlet not just from Ophelia’s perspective, but as almost a comedy. Ophelia is in on the “fake madness” plan from the beginning, and launches her own when Hamlet is made to leave. She’s witty and sharp, and the whole thing is cheesy but thoroughly enjoyable. As I Descended by Robin Talley (Macbeth) gave me a good, thorough frightening. I’m easily spooked, I’ll admit, but this was done really well. Basically, it’s f/f Macbeth set in a high school - with ouija boards and drugs, awards and sports teams. And of course, murder. Vivid and brilliant and very unsettling. Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman (Romeo and Juliet) is set in a world where racial dynamics are effectively inverted - and for Sephy and Callum, falling in love with someone in the other group is incredibly dangerous. This romance bowled me over as a teen, and I’m really curious to see how it feels to reread it as an adult.Lords and Ladies by Terry Pratchett (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) is either the third or fourth Witches book in the Discworld series (depends how you count it), and the Fair Folk are coming back. Brilliant, hilarious, sharp and wonderful. As always.Fool by Christopher Moore (King Lear) is good fun, though it in no way lives up to the ‘American Terry Pratchett’ claims of the cover. The humour is definitely of the farts-and-genitals variety, with the occasional more serious note that took me by surprise and seemed oddly out of place. But an entertaining romp!The Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson (A Winter’s Tale) was the first Hogarth Shakespeare retelling I read, and it made me want to read all of the others. The modernisation of the story is done really well, and Winterson’s writing is so enjoyable.Ophelia by Lisa Klein (Hamlet) takes Ophelia’s perspective with a touch more reverence than the first book in this list. She escapes the play, but not completely happily. Interesting, nicely written book. Dunbar by Edward St. Aubyn (King Lear) took a while to get started, but once it did I quite enjoyed it. Probably because I’d recently read Fool (above), I wasn’t quite prepared for the ending to be tragic - and it was a real punch in the heart.Romeo’s Ex by Lisa Fiedler (Romeo and Juliet) retells R+J from the perspective (mostly) of Rosaline, who is a pretty kick-ass character. There’s some really fun stuff in here, and a neat little twist on the ending - though not much else do it. Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood (The Tempest) was solidly amazing. The ‘Prospero’ of the story is Felix, who has been ousted from his prestigious position as director and ends up teaching acting in a prison. He takes the opportunity to take revenge - and regain his former status - when the people who took him down arrange to tour the prison. By putting on a production of The Tempest. Play-within-a-play at its finest; absolutely brilliant.Shylock is My Name by Howard Jacobson (The Merchant of Venice) is quite a slow read. The writing is philosophical and almost rambling - not unpleasant or badly done, but not something I’m used to reading. I very much enjoyed the plot once it started to get moving, and there were some wonderful characters.Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler (The Taming of the Shrew), as I think I’ve mentioned before on this blog, was not something I was particularly impressed with. Our Kate is a great character, which was a plus, and Tyler writes well - but I wasn’t convinced by the decision to get married, and it just lost my interest. A bit of a shame.Previously:On the First Day of Christmas… my favourite book of all time. On the Second Day of Christmas… books about people exploding.On the Third Day of Christmas… the very biggest fans.On the Fourth Day of Christmas… books about princesses.On the Fifth Day of Christmas… memory is everything.On the Sixth Day of Christmas… serial killers abound.On the Seventh Day of Christmas… women growing wise.On the Eighth Day of Christmas… dragons are people too.On the Ninth Day of Christmas… the gods are among us.On the Tenth Day of Christmas… animal friends.On the Eleventh Day of Christmas… the world is a stage. -- source link

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