Ep. #19 — If Books Be the Food of Love, Read On! Celebrating #Shakespeare400

400 years ago this month, William Shakespeare shuffled off this mortal coil but the show must go on, so OverDrive’s Professional Book Nerds are discussing the man behind the myth in our latest episode. We also talk about whether or not it really matters if William Shakespeare actually wrote all of the plays attributed to him. After all, what’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Regardless of reading choices, remember — when the question is asked To Read Or Not To Read, the answer should always be to read!

Along with doing some Shakespeare fangirling, we cover all of the books we’ve recently read, some of the upcoming books we are (not so) patiently waiting for, and also offer tips on getting through book ennui. 

If you have a favorite Shakespeare play and/or modern adaptation, please feel free to let us know!

Featured OverDrive Staff:

Jill and Liz

Intro (0:00-1:56)

Recent Reads: (1:57-17:09)

Take Me Home Country Roads by John Denver

I Got Two Dogs by John Lithgow

A Girl In Pieces by Isabel Quintero

Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin

George by Alex Gino

Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick

Codex by Lev Grossman

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Golden Son by Pierce Brown

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristof

Every Anxious Wave by Mo Daviau

Saga by Brian K. Vaughan

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Celebrating #Shakespeare400: (17:10-30:41)

William Shakespeare’s Star Wars by Ian Doescher

Two Gentlemen of Lebowski by Adam Bertocci 

Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood

Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler

Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare

Fool by Christopher Moore

Will’s Words by Jane Sutcliffe

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare

Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Romeo and/or Juliet by Ryan North

To Be or Not To Be by Ryan North

Macbeth #KillingIt by William Shakespeare and Courtney Carbone

Forthcoming Titles and Other Books (30:42-End)

The Star Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

Beauty and the Clockwork Beast by Nancy Campbell Allen

The Shadows of the Dark Crystal by J. M. Lee

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

The Erye Affair by Jasper Fforde, Book 1 in the Thursday Next series

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, Book 1 in the All Souls Trilogy

The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde

Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde, Book 1 in the Nursery Crimes series

Queen of Hearts by Colleen Oakes

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Grendel by John Gardner

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

Music

“Buddy” provided royalty free from www.bensound.com 

Podcast Overview

We’re not just book nerds: we’re professional book nerds and the staff librarians who work at OverDrive, the leading app for eBooks and audiobooks available through public libraries and schools. Hear about the best books we’ve read, get personalized recommendations, and learn about the hottest books coming out that we can’t wait to dive into. For more great reads, find OverDrive on Facebook and Twitter.